To be with Jesus...

To be with Jesus.
Resting in His arms.
To have no worries.
That's where I want to be.

There are days that I have a chance to sit down, relax, and frankly-just don't want to do any homework that I may have to do.  I want to worship along with the radio and "curl up into Jesus' arms".  Such imagery, I know.  That picture perfect life seems to be all that we can hope for.  What do I have?  That picture perfect life is actually reality...in my eternity.

Right now, I am in a world and on an earth that cares about success-money-perfection-popularity.  In my life, I do try and pursue those things.  Yet, I am never satisfied...but rather broken.  I start to push things away when things do not go my way, things that are not in the right place.  Many around us try and reach perfection-to be wanted and seen as the perfection of what life brings.

But how can we be perfect?  There may be an appearance of perfection-but what about the flaws that came along the way?  After some consideration, I have decided that I don't like the word "PERFECT".  When it is used to describe me by other people, I feel as if I have automatically dropped because of the things I have done to get that reward.  There is a standard attached to what being "perfect" means-and I know that I cannot live up to that, no matter HOW hard I try.  The end result may look perfect, but the flaws along the way make the product polluted, ugly, and in no way perfect.  I know all the flaws that I have, and do not feel worthy to be called that.

YET: For in the eyes of Jesus, the One that I place my life and trust in, He can see me as perfect, and call me perfect even through my flaws.  I can feel free in His arms through all the things that I may and will do wrong.  This doesn't mean that I am free to do whatever I want and know that my relationship with God is covered by the blood of Jesus.  It means, that I do not have to be afraid to TRY.  I have the freedom to be me, to pursue the life God has laid out for me, BECAUSE I have already been seen as perfect.
For example:
When I have an opportunity to share Christ with a friend, I do not have to be afraid of messing up or saying the wrong thing. I put my trust in the Lord to know that I am doing what He has called me to do, and I do not have to be perfect in all my actions.  If I say the wrong thing-stumble over my words, its okay.  I don't have to tear myself apart and worry that this will not work out-because it is in God's hands.

I am not perfect.  And I do not have to be.   And nor do I have to worry about being that person.  I am able to come and rest in Jesus that He holds me close and says that I am perfect, beautiful, in His eyes.

And I LOVE THAT.

I am still trying to understand DAILY what Jesus Christ has done for me.
I don't think that I will ever understand.
But I can TRY.

There is so much that I want to do, so much that I want to understand.
I want my desires to become His for me.
But I don't want to just follow others...

As I think to next semester, next summer...I don't know what I want to do.  My close friends want to go on a Missions trip, work at camps, and I want to do something similar.  With those things, I need to make a decision now, and I just can't do it.  I don't know what I have a passion for, I don't know where God wants me.  I know that God can use me no matter where I am, I just need to ask Him where he wants me.  I WANT to be that person that goes on a Missions trip and change lives for Christ.  I WANT to work with children and teach the Gospel.  I WANT to know what I am supposed to be doing...right now.

But that is not what God wants for me.
He wants me to trust Him.
He wants me to PRAY to find the answer.
He wants me to be ONE with Him.

As a human, we will never understand this life, or have all the answers.  I have to be satisfied with that, and continue to see His way.

Nothing crazy, no crazy rituals.

Just to be with Jesus...

Colton Dixon - You Are
When I can't find the words
To say how much it hurts
You are the healing in my heart
When all that I can see are broken memories
You are the light that's in the dark

(Chorus)
You are the song,
You are the song I'm singing
You are the air,
You are the air I'm breathing
You are the hope,
You are the hope I needed
You are 

And when my circumstance leaves me with empty hands
You are the provider of my needs
When all my dirtiness has left me helpless
You are the rain that washes me

Chorus (x2)

If I had no voice,
If I had no tongue,
I would dance for you like the rising sun.
And when that day comes and I see your face.
I will shout your endless glorious praise. 
(x2)

Chorus x2
Lyrics Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Q0mwVsMwo&feature=related

The World Lies-It's not all about ME...

I just want to be pretty, accepted, attractive, desired, and so much more.  I want the people I hang out with to pay attention about me, care about me, and love me.  I am stressed on all the little things in life, and I just HAVE to get them all straightened out. Money, looks, getting my work done in a perfect way....

This is just all a lie.

I am 20 years old and I am a Christian who desires to follow the Lord and His way for my life.  But why do I sit around and dwell on the lies that are stated above?  When I am not focused on the Lord, all these things creep back into the picture.  Life is definitely not perfect, but why do we as humans try to make life perfect, when indeed it is not?

It is the weakness of the flesh.

Tonight, I was at the Missionary Dinner at Ashland Baptist Church in Lexington and I was asked along with others to sit at a table with members of the church and share about my summer-the things that I did, what I had learned, what the focus was.  And I most definitely made it a bigger deal than it was supposed to.  Even up to last week, I was stressed about bringing pictures that we were supposed to bring and yelling at technology as it continually lied to me and I couldn't get all my pictures perfectly the way I wanted it to be.  To my surprise, (well, not really) I didn't even use the pictures that I was asked to bring.  I managed to still make this night about me as I desired to show people all my pictures and the neat things that I did in Santa Cruz.  Yes, to a point this is natural that you want to share what you did with your summer-but I think I left out God...

God seems to take a backseat when I'm stressed.

I just wanted to go back to SCSP when the night was over.  The dinner went well, the food was delicious.  Yet, I was tired.exhausted.worn out from trying to make this first week of class happen on my own efforts.  I wanted things that made my life easier, yet drowning in things that I should give away, but selfishly wanting to keep it all.  I wanted to turn to a friend and say that I need encouragement, and I can't do it on my own.

But what is it that I truly NEED?

Wait a moment.  There is all this want, want, want, but where have I said that I need something?  I keep doing everything on my own and forgetting that I need God. And God alone.  I can want my SCSP community back, but what is there is a push to God, the Comforter of my soul.  When I am so exhausted, I tend to want human contact and comfort-and that is where I fail, BIG TIME.    I have the best place to run to, and it is into my Father's Arms.  I can CRY at His feet, FEEL His warm embrace around me.  But why do I not go there?  This world tries to define it differently and I have fallen into the mold where a hug is what will make me feel better-words will make it all better.

But where is God?

I learned a lot this summer: growing in my time spent with the Lord, learning to be bold and unafraid of others, being patient and a servant.  I have forgotten all of that when life takes a different turn.  I have neglected to read the Word this week, I have forgotten to let God be sovereign in my life.  I have confronted fears, attached them with feelings of brokenness.  I have been blessed with great friends, support, and so much more than I can ever ask for.

I decided to make my treasure all the little things in life...

Matthew 6:21  "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also."   

I give this week back to God.  He has shown that He can control-and He will always get His way.  I have to actively choose to say that every moment is His, just like this summer.  It doesn't matter where I am, it only matters that He is here, and never going to leave.  So why do I walk away from this great gift? No one ever knows why, but we know that Satan tries to get his way-My God is BIGGER and wins me over every time :)

Pray for me, for us as believers to not walk away from God's Hand in the midst of hardship-but to walk straight into His arms every second of every day.  And NEVER walk away from an opportunity to get into His Word and overflow our own cup.

<3 Melinda

1 Peter 5:7  "Give ALL your worries to him, because he CARES about you. " (Emphasis added)

A New Journey at Home

Greetings Everyone-

It has been a while since I posted, but since then I have returned home back in Ohio.  The last week was incredible and hard at the same time since we all had to leave the friendships and bonds that we have made over the last 10 weeks.  But it is also a time to rejoice as we are now able to return to our homes and campuses with so much new knowledge and tools that will help us share the Gospel when we return. 

In my last post, I had mentioned that our team was headed to Yosemite National Park in El Portal, CA.  The 5 hour drive was beautiful, and even though my van took a detour, we were all able to see God's immense beauty as we traveled to Yosemite.  We even found a Chick-fil-a (YAY), but we were sadly informed that it was Sunday, and Chick-fil-a is not open...it is always on Sunday :) But even after all of that we were able to make it there safely and stay in a luxurious hotel lodge.  It was really nice to get away for a few days, but we really missed the Peter Pan.  On Sunday night, we headed up to Glacier Point for dinner and Praise&Worship while out looking the entire park.  I can say that it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen! Much better than the Grand Canyons, because we could actually hike in Yosemite. 

I was also given the opportunity to share my testimony at Glacier Point, and I would not have changed it for anything.  To see how my confidence had grown this summer and to hear the words of what God has done in my own life was amazing.  God has done such a work in my life this summer, that it was reflected in my short testimony in front of 55 of my friends. 

Here comes the best and worst part...on Monday morning, 26 of us embarked on a hike to Half-Dome, something that was seen from Glacier Point.  It is a 17.8 mile round-trip hike, with 4,100 feet elevation change (yes, that does mean pretty such straight up!) and at the end to even get up to the top of Half-Dome, we pull ourselves up the side of this mountain by the use of arm strength and cables. (The best way to see it is google Half-Dome hike)  I wanted to do it, and I knew it was going to be hard...starting your morning at 4:15am to get on the trail before sunrise was a big endeavor.  Yet, after a LONG day, I can say that ALL 26 of us made it to the top and back with no one being left behind. It was so exhausting, but the immense beauty at the top cannot be matched.  I also thank God for Christian guys that had the patience and willingness to stay with me on the way up and back.  I honestly could not have done it without them. It made me realize where my standards should be set and what God can do in someone's life to help serve. 

Returning to the Peter Pan on Tuesday morning was exciting but hard at the same time because it meant that we had to start cleaning up the Pan and packing everything away in the PODS.  The summer had gone by so fast, yet it was a summer full of joy.  I don't know what else to say about the rest of the week, other than the fact that it was not rushed, or hard but rather set up by great leadership and time to gather our thoughts and spend time with co-workers before we had to leave. 

Friday night on the other hand, was so hard.  As our last night together, we shared dinner together and had time to share with the group of things that we learned, what was hard, and just thanking everyone for the impact that they had on our lives.  After that, we received our Yearbooks-and this started an all-night event of signing yearbooks with encouraging notes and sharing with each other what they have seen in us this summer.  To see the love and determination to sign yearbooks  for hours on end was incredible and so much better than signing high school yearbooks!! We had all left a mark on one another and desired to share that with each and every person, that brought joy to my heart. 

As the night went on, people started leaving for their flights,and it was truly a sad time.  To see the tears and hugs made it seem a little more real that we were leaving, that this summer had come to an end.  When the buses came to pick everyone that was flying home, it was hard beyond belief to get on that bus and know that it would be the last time that we would see the Peter Pan, the Boardwalk, and everything in Santa Cruz.  To leave he people that were driving home was even harder knowing that they would be able to stay with their friends just a little bit longer. 

Being back home has been a joy, knowing that I am with my family, that I will be able to pour into others in just a short time.  I am excited to return to school in 2 weeks to see my friends, my church, and let the Lord use me for His glory.  It is hard not being around 55 people that you can always talk to, but Christian community cannot last forever, as we are sent out in the world to share the Gospel.  The best part-we will all see each other in November, at reunion :)  We will all have stories to share, opportunities to encourage, and just to see what God does in our lives. 

THANK YOU for all that you have given me this summer, whether it was financially, physical needs, or even just prayer.  I am so thankful to have this opportunity and what God was able to teach me this summer.  I will continue to blog as the Lord works in my life this semester, so feel free to bookmark my blog and follow my walk with Christ!!

<3 Melinda

Yosemite-Bound

So as tradition continues, SCSP travels to Yosemite National Park during the last week of project.  We are all very excited to hike Half-Dome, be able to relax, and get away for 3 days.  Yet, all of this brings the worst news of all-we have to leave and return home in a week.

There are so many mixed feelings that I could share about this, in the way that I know this Christian community cannot always last and I am ready to let my cup overflow onto others lives.  But there is also the feelings of sadness and grief as we are all about to leave the people that we have lived with for over 10 weeks.  I don't know how I feel right now, but I know I will be frustrated with all the feelings that I will have in a few days.  This is the time where the Devil works the hardest, trying to get us to be short with others and cause anger and strife between the group.  We as a project have to remain strong and know that God is going to carry us through all the way to the end.

Thinking back on this summer is hard because I still remember the first day that I got here! Summer is coming to a close, and I feel as if it hasn't even happened yet! That's Santa Cruz weather for you :) Anyways, the first day that I was here I had no idea what kind of impact that the Lord was going to have on me.  I was trying too hard and the Lord worked into those cracks to get me to be open and honest about things that were and are weighing on my heart that I need to deal with.  I am indeed a different person, I still struggle, but I am looking forward to how God will use me and my new knowledge.  I do not want to fall back into a cycle of who I was, and not push myself to what I have already achieved.

I praise God for who He is and how He has placed me in this place.  I praise God that He has used you as an individual to place me here in financial need, as well as prayer! Thank you :)

Some Prayer Requests:

1. Help the team continue to remain strong, even through the last week of cleaning
2.  Safety as we travel 5 hours to Yosemite and back again
3.  For those hiking to Half Dome, that we will remain safe and healthy
4.  For God's power to move, even in the last week here in Santa Cruz
5.  To have a lasting impact on Santa Cruz-even after we leave for the summer!

God Bless,
Melinda

Desire and Passion

This summer has been incredible in the way that the Lord truly has provided what I needed.  From support, to providing a way to get here, great community, spiritual growth and more-He has indeed been here with me.  All the clique saying of how "Summer Project will change your life!" is so true.  It takes a step of faith to see what the Lord can do in your life for 10 weeks.  Praise God for who He is and His mighty power!

I wish that this blog could contain all the wonderful and hard things that God has done, but there is only so much that you can verbally say.  Last night in my Action Group, or better called bible study, the five of us realized that this is the one time during the week that we are all together, studying the Word, and encouraging each other in incredible ways,  and letting God work through us.  All of this gives me motivation and a desire to return to school and seek that relationship with the girls in my Junior bible study, as we live in the same way.  In Action group, we are studying through 1 Thessalonians by the Cru.Comm curriculum.  Paul's focus is showing the Thessalonians how much He cares and has tried to return for a visit.  His love was not  shallow,  but paternal love that has had him pushing to return and see them after being removed from the city.  He wanted to share life with the Thessalonians and did whatever he could to protect them.  This is an amazing picture of discipleship, and makes me think of the "Everything Skit" by Lifehouse.  The way that Christ fights to intercede in our lives shows great love and desire to see others walk in faith successfully with the Lord.

With that being said, I have a desire to push someone to Christ-and live life everyday with them.  I was asked to lead a Freshman CRU bible study, but with my class schedule there would not be opportunity to fully pour into it.  Yet, since being here for the summer, I have a desire to disciple, or even help lead my own Junior bible study.  I do not know what this may look like and I am giving this to God to control.  But I want to use my knowledge and wisdom to lead others in the same walk with Christ.  And that is something that I will indeed pursue.

I do not know of anything else that could match this summer of growth, and even understanding.  There has been so much that I have finally "fully" understand that I have been complacent with in the past.  The tool that CRU uses to share the Gospel, Knowing God Personally booklet (KGP), has been an eye-opener to a way to concisely share the Good News of Christ and even allow open discussion throughout.  It most certainly is not a way to shove theology in people's faces, but rather the key points into 4 laws and basically take the whole bible down to a mere 12-16 pages! The conversations that can be transitioned into this, and what can be understood is amazing.

This Saturday July 21, is a big day as we are bringing "Christmas in July" to Santa Cruz!! Of course-Santa is coming! ;) In the effort of time, we had decided that rather trying to fit two more events we could plan ahead and make this a huge outreach event! We have had 2 weeks to advertise, and decorations start in just a few hours.  There will be Christmas dinner, and guess who is cooking?? Yep.  I will be cooking a Christmas feast for what we are guessing, 120 people.  We may have a lot left over, or it will be an awesome success! I am not preparing the meat, but all the side dishes and desserts-mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and pecan pie.  Please be in prayer for this event but also for my strength as I serve in one of the important aspects of a party-food! :) Cooking in the kitchen has been a joy, and I pray that I can finish this summer strong in my service to my team in this way.

What more can I say, except to thank God for the things that He has taught me this summer? Among all things, God is to be praised and be given all the glory! These last few weeks until August 4th will be tough, busy, and enjoyable.  Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Melinda

Nearing the End...

Yes, I am indeed updating my blog :) The weeks go by so quickly and it is so full of things to do!! :)

This past week has once again been a week of growth and learning in the Lord. There have definitely been some star moments, and others in moments in weakness.  I will try my best to cover all that I wanted to say since I have forgotten what I wanted to say ;)

This summer has just been incredible! God is so big and really puts us where we need to be, at the right time-and even at the right place.  I continually look back on my life and see that if I had not lived my life the way it has already happened, I for sure would not be the same person, and not have experienced life in the same way.  I praise God that He has placed me in Santa Cruz for the summer,and brought me the Christian community that I have here.  I cannot believe that I am 20 years old, serving the Lord in a place that many would dream about living.  I can say that I have not felt that I have reached out to the community of Santa Cruz as I should have, but I have let this city leave a mark on me as I grow in my Spiritual walk with the Lord.  I have learned how to thirst for quiet time with the Lord-and still have to fight away all the distractions that I may have in trying to achieve that.  I am pushing myself to rise early (that is hard for me!) and give myself time to rest in the Word before heading to my daily routine.  The internal conversations in my head have changed from thinking that I am rejected-to taking the initiative in relationships.  I desire to follow the Lord and illustrate what 1 Thessalonians 2:4-8 states:

⁴ but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.⁵  For we never came with words of flattery,^[b] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. ⁶  Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷ But we were gentle^[c] among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸ So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

So, we have to live life together-among each other and really become one body in Christ.  A difficult thing that I have been learning is how to share my brokenness when I come across others.  I am so good at hiding what is hurting or burdening me that I don't grow deeper in relationships.  As living here for 10 weeks  with 55 other students, all I want is to leave with close friends, an impact on my own life and with others.  I am resisting the Devil's words to me that state I am not going to gain friendships this summer, and I will leave an outsider.  Yet, I fight that with being intentional with others and hold tight to the words that I have to choose to pursue a friendship, and not necessarily wait for that person to come along to me.  

Another way that God has been working on in my life is how I see myself.  This is a difficult one to explain, but I will try my best.  I guess you could say that I put a front on and stand "on the outside" looking in, as I just don't see others seeing me for who I may imagine me for who I am.  I can easily think that everyone sees me as a project mom, a cook, and a willing heart.  We have what we call "Encouragrams" and have envelopes where we can write notes to each other and encourage each other in any words that we want.  Even though I have not gotten many, I have found myself in shock sometimes in what others see in me.  One card that I received recently stated how they saw me being a great example of a quiet and gentle spirit. Even though I think I do not receive attention-I do.  And my lack of being actively involved has received a view of a humble spirit.  That is convicting to me because even when I think that I don't have a place-others see characteristics in me where I would not find myself.  This is why encouragement and uplifting in others is so important from the body so that each other can find what they may not realize themselves.  It is not a pride thing, but rather a humble realization that you have an impact on others that you yourself can never see radiating.  It also pushes community as encouragement puts a desire for further love and uplifting from one another! That is the amazing part of the body :)

To close, I can go over what has happened in the past week!! 

This week, I returned to work on the Boardwalk.  I was fortunate to receive two days off, Wednesday-as my grandparents came down to visit for the day and Friday.  We had a busy week, and certainly a busy weekend as we had Praise and Worship night on Thursday and several upcoming outreaches.  On Saturday (or today for those that are on the East coast!) we are hosting a "Coffee House" with couches, pastries, and candles :) Everyone loves that, and it is a great way to invite co-workers to a non-threatening environment to hang out.  On Sunday, we are once again having a beach outreach from 3 to 5pm with Tug of War, volleyball, free watermelon and water, and of course-Spiritual conversations.   The previous Sunday brought several conversations and interactions with locals and internationals on the beach-so we are doing this again. Following this at 5:30pm, we are hosting an ice cream social for those internationals staying at "La Hacienda", which is a hostel that internationals come and work the summer to September on the Boardwalk.  They come from all over Europe such as Germany, Poland, and several from China and Asian countries.  These are great opportunities to love on them and bring them the Gospel that they would have otherwise may never hear! 

Our big outreach for the summer, following our Barn Party in June is-Christmas in July! On Saturday July 21st, the Peter Pan will be converted into a Christmas atmosphere with Santa, Christmas trees, tacky Christmas sweaters and possibly fake snow! Of course we cannot forget food-and that is where I come in.  Yes, I will indeed be cooking all the holiday fixin's (but the meat is taken care of-not by me!).   From green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin and pecan pie-it will all be made.  We as a project consist of 60 people, and since we have started advertising so early-we anticipate MANY guests.  I may have to cook for at least 120 people...please be in prayer as I do my part in feeding many people and using that to a gateway to the Gospel.  I will definitely keep an update on this :) 

It brings me close to tears to think that this summer is coming to a close so very soon! Time has gone by so quickly and God has been a huge part of it.  I am blessed to be here, and will continue to make the most of my time here.  On July 29-31, we will be traveling to Yosemite National Park for a fun trip, and a last hoorah before we embark home.  And yes-I will be hiking Half Dome! If you are unaware of what that entails- 17 Miles roundtrip. 12 hours. So worth it (I hope!) 

Thank you SO much for all your prayers and support this summer-I cannot thank you enough what it means to be here and growing with a team of supporters right behind  me! Excited to update you next time! 

<3 Mel

The First Half--Compiled into one post!

Greetings Everyone!!

I have been here for almost 6 weeks, and I have not been able to update since I have been out of a computer.  For those that are unaware, my computer hard drive crashed after the first week that we were here in Santa Cruz,  and to my blessing-a Computer Science student here on project gratefully took my computer and fixed everything for me.  I spent very little money and gave him a project to work on :) But now, I am back and able to fill y'all in on what God has been doing through me and in Santa Cruz.

Since the first week, I have been through so much change and seen some amazing things occur.  I am one of the Project Cooks, and every other week I am in charge of cooking for approximately 90 people.  This is such a feat for one person, but after the first week, the Lord blessed me with the strength to use my hands for the feeding of the troops :) I had wonderful guidance under Sharon Mahaffie and Brooke Miller. I have  had learned a lot about cooking for a large group, but it has definitely been fun and challenging as well.  I do have help during mealtimes, as 2 Action groups (essentially one girls room and one guys room) to help run dishes and serve clean-up as well. Yes-that does mean I do not have to do dishes ;) But it is nice to have the help and service of others.  The kitchen is a place where students can come and talk when they have nothing to do.  I am glad to be able to have a servant's heart in this way.  And I am excited for the weeks to come as I continue to feed my fellow projectees and also the co-workers that come to dinner as well to experience Christian community.  Every night at dinner, announcements are made but a student is asked to share their testimony as well.  We want to soak everything that we do with the Gospel, as well as prayer as this is our purpose in being here in Santa Cruz.

The weeks that I am not in the kitchen, I am working on the Boardwalk for a food company called Whitings.  They own several different food locations that include ice cream, cotton candy, icees, Pizza Hut, Burgers, Senor Teds, Dipping Dots, and more.  Every day that we work we are assigned to different stores which create variety and ultimately different co-workers that you may come across.  Until last week, I have been simply going through the motions of getting my job done and not getting a chance to interact with co-workers since I am not there on a week to week basis.  But, by the blessing of God I was able to meet a co-worker, on Saturday that I worked with in ice cream (that I did dread, but fell in love with it!) and invited her out to our dinner here at the Peter Pan.  I had overcome fear and invited her and it was a blessing.  We exchanged numbers and I am trying to place an effort to hang out with her and get to know her better.  It is in God's hands, but to be used by Him is an even greater blessing that I am able to experience.

We have also had weekly outreaches, where we go out around Santa Cruz and attempt to engage in Spiritual conversations through various means.  The tools that we use are KGP (Knowing God Personally) which sums up the Gospel essentials in 4 Laws.  It is a booklet that I have grown to love because 1. It's Simple, 2. Everything is laid out before you. I will share on this in a later post :)  We also use a tool called "Soularium", which uses pictures and questions to direct spiritual conversations into the Gospel.  In Santa Cruz, this is a big thing as we are in a community that embraces artsy things and the use of 50 pictures laid out on the sidewalk definitely draws in crowds.  Check out: http://mysoularium.com/index.php to see the questions and pictures that are used.  If you click on "See What Others are Saying", you can see the images and questions that are used.  In all of these things, conversations occur that do lead to discussion of Spiritual things.  Santa Cruz is a city that is lost-but also very open to what they believe.  Being close to the Bible Belt, we may be spoiled with the idea that all have heard of the Gospel, or who God is.  In this city, it hits you hard that it is not true and makes you realize the impact that the Gospel can truly have!

In a large outreach event, we had the traditional "Barn Party" event! We have brought the South here to California :) We had a family come and cook traditional pulled pork, barbecue, corn, and Sweet Tea as w used this event to bring co-workers out to a night where two testimonies were shared and southern dancing occurred.  It was a fun night to have fun and get funny looks by people that would drive by ;)  We had about 15 co-workers come out and join the fun, and Gospel conversations did occur.

In the past week, the staff has officially left and has left student leadership in their place.  After having them here for 5 weeks, teaching and training us, we are now on our own to carry the torch and tradition that we have been sent here for.  The famous saying is that, the next 5 weeks will be the best part-and we will not remember what it was like when the staff were here.  We have to fully depend on each other and essentially grow closer to one another as we continue on. I am excited to see the Lord work and focus on establishing awesome relationships with the people that are here.

One thing that the Lord has been teaching me is the way that I form relationships with people.  I am very good at remaining on the surface level with people, that I do not establish deep connections at all with others.  Being in Santa Cruz for 10 weeks and not really having close friends is not the way that I want to end my summer.  The Lord has laid on my heart that I am to pursue and be intentional with at least 3 girls, that I get to know better and begin a deeper relationship with them.  I pray that as I seek them out, that God will be with us and bond us with Godly intentions for serving Christ together.  I have 5 more weeks, and I do not want it to go to waste!


Thank you for all your support and patience! I will update as much as I can (now that I have my computer back!)  Feel free to email with more questions, or leave a comment :)


Here are some pictures that sum up my journey so far:

A glimpse into what my daily cooking routine is like-20 lbs of ground beef :)

Women's Night! 

Barn Party Outreach-Welcoming our guests

The Celebration

Our Weekly Meeting, similar to a traditional weekly Campus Crusade meeting 

Kentucky Girls! After group picture night

The 17-Mile Drive near Pebble Beach, so beautiful! 

Typical travel around Santa Cruz-crammed into a large van named Brutus :)

Night Worship on the Beach (and S'mores of course!)

Reflection Time on the Beach, with the Boardwalk

Group at Gharadelli Square in San Francisco for the day! 

 The girls in San Francisco! 

The Directors on their last night-passing on the leadership

Sharon Mahaffie-My leadership in the kitchen! :) 

Shag Dancing and having fun on July 4th :)

Charlie and I (one of my 4 roommates!)

<3 Mel