Community Group

This semester we started leading a Community Group through our church. The group is basically a missional community of college students who want to influence freshmen for Christ.  I am so lucky. I get to hang out with the coolest people! Seriously, spending time with these college students is so fun and encouraging. It is awesome to see their desire to walk closely with Christ and give their lives away that others might know the gospel. And they are so darn funny!

One of the coolest parts about spending time with them is their relationships with one another. They are mostly all sophomores at UGA and met in the dorms last year. They got so close their freshmen year that they decided to get houses right near each other (and conveniently, right near us!). The guys take such great care of the girls and the girls really respect the guys. You can really tell how much they care about each other just by the way they interact. The guys even got them walkie-talkies so that they can get in touch with them at all times! Adorable.

Here's some of them: Cleve, Frank, Corey, Elizabeth & Catherine 

I'm excited to see how God uses these friendships to display the gospel to their other friends and classmates. I'm so hopeful for all that God can do in and through their lives during their 3-4 more years in college. I feel very privileged that God would allow us to be an influence in their lives and serve along side them on the campus.

Tomorrow night we are going to play trivia, pray that many freshmen would be interested in coming to hang out with us. And also pray that anyone who doesn't know Christ would see a difference in us, and that we would be bold in conversations about Him.

All I have is Christ

I don't know that I will ever forget our last night at the Summer Leadership Project this year.  We ended the summer with a night of worship, praising God for all He had done this summer.  As we were singing "All I Have is Christ", the instruments stopped playing and all the voices of staff and students were singing as loud as possible "Hallelujah! All I have is Christ. Hallelujah! Jesus is my life".  To hear how passionate these students were about their savior blew me away, especially because some of them had just come to know Him this summer.  They had such willingness to forgo all the luxuries and comforts that this life offers to wholeheartedly follow Christ for the rest of their lives, in response to his infinite grace toward them in Christ.  God is doing a great work on the college campus!  I am so thankful to be able to watch what He is doing with amazement.  

Lyrics for All I Have Is Christ (By Sovereign Grace Music):

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God's love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let me song forever be
My only boast is you

The Beach..

I can't say enough how much I love our job!  The Summer Leadership Project was so much fun!   Every morning we were able to get up and spend time with Jesus while looking out at the water.  There is something special about the ocean that make Jesus seem so near.  Maybe it is the memory of watching the sunrise almost every morning during my first summer at the SLP while studying God's word. 


Connecting with the students was so fun. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the UGA girls better and some of my younger sorority sister from Georgia Tech were there as well.

All UGA staff and students at SLP

Some of the highlights: 

**Leading the Women's Time at the beginning of the summer.  Every year we have a break our time with just women where we get to talk about girlie stuff (like modesty and how to relate to guys). This year, Wyatt and I were asked to lead this time.  I was sooo anxious about it as I was preparing what I would say, but I am thankful for God's faithfulness to speak through me.  I think He really used me during that time to speak hope and give wisdom and truth.  The gospel was really the main point... I wanted them to know how deeply loved they are by God and how He displayed His love for us through Christ.  Deuteronomy 7:6-9 has always been a favorite verse for me on this topic.  Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that I am truly that loved. I pray for these college women, that they would be transformed by a greater understanding of God's deep affection for them. 

Some of the girls from Georgia, Georgia Tech, and North Georgia

**Connecting with other young married couples.  Some of our closest friends have gotten married within the last 2 years and are also working with Campus Outreach at different schools.  Being at SLP with such great friends for a month was a real treat.  I was able to see how marriage is such a picture of the gospel and how all different marriages can display Christ and truly honor God.  We learned so much from spending time with other young couples, and not to mention how much fun it is to have so many couple friends that we love so much! After the SLP, we actually stayed at a beach house with 3 other couples.  It is amazing to see how friends can really feel like family.  So thankful for our time with great friends! 


**Wyatt's talks- honestly Wyatt's talks about stewardship were some of my very favorite times this summer.  I know that I am partial, but I think he gives such clear and convicting messages.  I can't wait to see how God continues to work through Wyatt!

Wyatt & Connor- Connor is the student leader who is giving the Stewardship talks for the rest of the summer.  

**Getting to know my little, little, little sister in Alpha Delta Pi.  Like I said earlier, some of my sorority sisters came on SLP this summer, and it was such a privilege to get to know them better.  The neatest part about spending time with her was seeing what God is still doing in ADPi at Georgia Tech.  He really began something while I was in school, and I'm seeing how He is committed to bringing it to completion.  I'm encouraged to see more and more women catch a vision for sharing their faith with other ADPi girls.  I hope that it always continues, and that eventually ADPi is a place that is known for godly missional women.      

Me and Katie- this picture was taking at the Ski Trip in February. 

**Hanging out with the UGA Freshmen.  One night, we went out for ice cream with all the up-coming Sophomores at UGA.  Wyatt leads a discipleship group with 4 of those guys and I would love to get to know those girls more.  It was really encouraging to hear what they were learning and experiencing.  They seemed so excited to take back what they had learned this summer and apply it to their lives on the campus.  I hope we can continue to be invested in their spiritual growth, and grow deep and lasting friendships!


**Working and doing ministry with Wyatt- It is so cool that we work together.  I can see how God would get more glory with us married than He did when we were single.

**Our staff team 
**Extended time in the word and prayer 
**Being completely exhausted everyday because of the grueling schedule 
**Staff Development (a weekly time where the staff dedicate extra time to enhancing our personal relationships with God).  
**Getting weekly updates from our friends on mission in Johannesburg, South Africa.  
**Seeing the sparks in a students eye who is really experiencing God for the first time.  
**Beach volleyball 
**Really funny skits- hopefully I can post the one that Wyatt was in! 


There are so many more things I could add to this list.  We are blessed to have such a rewarding job!  

Summer Leadership Project

Today we are leaving for the Summer Leadership Project.  As most of you know, Wyatt and I met on our first "beach project" 3 years ago while working together at McDonald's.  I can't begin to explain how influential that summer was on us... and not only because we met each other! :)  We both grew so much in our understand of God's character, how to study His word, pray and share our faith.  I wouldn't have traded that training for anything in the world, because it gave me a great foundation for the rest of my life.  That's why I am so excited about all the students from UGA, Georgia Tech and North Georgia that are going with us.  I can't only hope and pray that it will be as beneficial for them as it has been for me.  

To get a better idea of what the Summer Leadership Project is all about, check out the video below. 

Summer Leadership Project 2010 from Campus Outreach ATL on Vimeo.

I'm excited for the opportunity to return to Panama City Beach as staff on the SLP.  Even though we won't be working minimum-wage jobs with the students, we will definitely still be busy.  For example, Wyatt is the Jobs Coordinator... more affectionately known as "The Job Father".  He is responsible for lining up jobs for all 100 students and staying connected with all of the employers.  Also, he will be giving training talks every Sunday night about "Stewardship".  He is mainly talking about how to be good managers of the time and money that God has given us.  We have both already learned so much just from his preparation.  I'm excited to see how this training influences the students to be responsible and God-honoring with their time and money during college and into their careers.  

The SLP is definitely one of my favorite parts about our job!  We are so blessed.  We get to spend a month at the beach loving on college students and growing in our relationships with God..  I don't think it could get much better than that.