The Next Step

This is a part of going to New Jersey that I would say is the most foreign to me. Raising support is something that I've heard of but this is the first time that I am doing it myself. It's a concept that is difficult to explain, but it's a way for people to make an eternal investment. How cool is that?

Today, my good friend Peyton, joined me in my adventure to Galt so I could pick up a few things from home. It is such a blessing being close enough to home to make little trips like this. We stopped by the good ole Galt Post Office and bought stamps and headed to my house to begin stuffing envelopes. I wrote and signed as she stuffed and sealed the envelopes. Thanks Peyton! 

I am still collecting addresses but I am very excited to see God begin to pull all this together and I truly believe that He will use people in my life (including you) to help me get to Ocean City to do His work. 

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138:8

CRUatSAC

CAUSEWAY CLASSIC

cru@sac VS. cru@davis

       This was such a fun night and I wanted to share it with you! Last Thursday night, CRU at Sac went across the causeway to challenge CRU at Davis in a game of Capture the Flag. UC Davis is Sac State's rival so you can imagine how great our desire was to win!

       Do you remember how horrible the weather was last week? We played on the quad and there were countless puddles. HUGE ones. It was dark. It was cold. We were outnumbered. It continued to rain during the game. But, we never lost HEART. My faithful rainboots kept my feet dry throughout the night.

       We lost the first couple games but gave it all we had on the last run. Kenny captured the flag to give us the final win of the game. It was close and as Davis was running their flag across the line, Kenny crossed ours with only seconds to spare. Throughout the night, we had successful moments of getting our players to our flag. As people were tagged, they returned to our base with updates and to tag our flag to resume their place in the game. It was a blast seeing everyone play and how much fun everyone was having, even when we lost. I had a great time and was so excited when I would tag a Davis player...like really excited! Players were sliding from the rain and I don't believe this picture does any justice. Afterwards, we headed to the local IN N OUT to review the night and to enjoy one another's company.

       Our special friendships are evident by how much fun we have hanging out with one another, no matter the occasion. I am incredibly thankful for CRU at Sac State. I am challenged to grow at the same time of being accepted and encouraged. I encourage you to pray for CRU at Sac State as we continue to reach out to our campus. I am also grateful for Campus Crusade for Christ for providing me such an awesome opportunity to spend this summer in Ocean City, NJ. I hope that you all are having a great week. Don't be afraid to play in the rain!

Got rest?

It's weird to me that I've already been in school for three weeks! I am still learning how to balance my time and how to keep up on all my commitments. I am being reminded to rest and to take time to simply listen. What a hard task that can be at times in a culture that prompts us to stay on the go! 

I know that resting is important and it is something that God Himself has even modeled for us. There was a great message today at church today given by Jason Whalen focusing on the importance of balance and rest in our lives. Balance is Jesus' answer for weary disciples. We have to be willing to say "no" to some things in order to say "yes" to the right things.

So how does this apply to my summer in Ocean City? For the next 15 weeks, whether I am actively conscious of it or not, I am preparing myself for my summer in New Jersey. God is preparing amazing things and in order for me to be effective, I need to be rested. I need to take advantage of this time that He has given me to slow down.

It is hard to slow down and I think we can all relate to that. Between hours of classes, meetings, studying, being an RA, and trying to keep my sanity, I am assured that He is in control. I hope that you are all taking time to relax and spend time with the Lord. It's the best place to be. Please be praying with me as I continue to grow and prepare for New Jersey! 

And So It Begins

      

Hello friends and family! I thought starting a blog would be a great way to keep you all posted on my journey to Ocean City, New Jersey. I am so excited for this opportunity and I’m even more excited to see how this is all pulled together. Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

          

Choosing Sac State was definitely the right decision. I have had incredible opportunities here. I am currently an RA in Sierra Hall and am in my second semester of Speech Pathology & Audiology classes. The Lord has blessed me with great friends and has allowed to me maintain those special friendships from home, too.

            

This past fall semester, I was able to see CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) really grow from a six person meeting to now having over 80 people involved in the movement. Summer Project is through CRU which is a national organization and this is where the idea of spending the summer in New Jersey began.

            

Early October, I joined 40 other Sac State CRU members to Fall Retreat in Hidden Lakes, CA. It was so much fun and this is where a lot of my new friendships began. Our wonderful staff members introduced us to Summer Project and recommended that we apply to Santa Monica or Ocean City.

            

My first reaction: twelve weeks is a long time. I wasn’t quite for sure what my summer would look like and I was already interested in going internationally through another organization. Regardless of what I thought I had planned, I continuously felt the tug and call and my curiosity grew and grew. Our staff casted such a great vision for the project and the decision to apply became obvious. I submitted my application on December 10^th.

            

This was not your average application. It was far more than the usual name/address/phone number questions. The application itself was a way to reflect on my values and faith and really know why I had a desire to apply to project.

            

I received my acceptance last Friday (the 28^th) and the anticipation of waiting was finally over. But the anticipation of actually heading across country is building now. What’s the next step? Raise financial and prayerful support. Soon, I will be sending letters out and would love it if you join me on this incredible journey. Check out www.gosummerproject.com for a more detailed vision and I would LOVE to hear from you, too.

            

I wish this could all come together with a snap of my fingers, but I would be foolish to believe I posses that much power. I have grown so much this past year and can only imagine the new lessons the Lord has prepared for me. There are still many unanswered questions about this project but I do know that with faith and patience, He can do great things.