one week of finals: yeah. for all of you who are in college or have gone through college, you know. finals week is something that just can't be understood. i used a disposable camera to document mine.
one week at home: nothing really came out of this week. nothing good. nothing bad.
nine weeks in destin: KALEO. this is the kicker.
week one: a lot of nerves. a lot of new things. a lot of friends. a lot of vagueness. a lot of fruit cutting. expectations set. first caffeine in sixty-something days [hysterical]. PUBLIX. what am i going to give to Jesus? my everything?
week two: Psalm 1:3. be rooted. behind on quiet times. already. what does it mean to really know God?how is my trusting Christ evident in my every day life? beginning of the summer of matching.
week three: hanging with the guyz. always. stumo on prayer. list of expectations, need for accountability, strengths, weakness: not complete. dgroup date.
week four: dgroup weekend. orlando. donuts. pool. tennis. flea market. complementary valet. fancy dinner. downtown. bucket list: made. application? BONSAI.
week five: relationships conference. written out prayer. discipleship conference. Jesus uses common people, chosen people, convinced people, controlled people, and commanded people. the day i had to write in pencil: sick. Great Commission is my personal responsibility. we built a fort, made pizza, and watched baseball. the beginnings of great friendships.
week six: silent outreach. it started to click. kaleo is hard. evangelism is hard. my human nature does NOT want to tell people about Jesus. but, the since i am a new creation, i should want that. the week of getting off work early. prayer challenge.
week seven: missions conference. JUNE 30 is the day that should go down in history. i hit the wall. HARD. but, thank the Lord Katey was around to open my eyes and my ears to the work the Lord was trying to do in my life. the first few weeks of Kaleo, i wasn't really even trying to experience God. i wasn't being honest with myself, which meant i couldn't be honest with the Lord or anyone else. the Lord chose me, and he is worthy of my everything. he is grieved when i blatantly disobey him, which i have done so often. i am going to open the door for Jesus every single day and work to keep it open. Satan and the world want to close this door, but i can't let that happen. Hebrews 12:1-2. throw off everything that hinders. i desire to be holy as the Lord is holy. reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes so the Lord can take away all of the garbage in my life and rebuild me to look more like himself. Psalm 73:26.
week eight: i let my fear of this world consume me. it's not about me or what anyone thinks. Acts 20:24. it all clicked. "However, I consider my life worth nothing if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." i put pressure on myself to be perfect or to act just like someone else because i see them as perfect. they're not. i can't compare my ministry or my way of life to someone else's. that is 100% prideful. i will fail at times, but that has to be okay. i'm not alone, though. people have gone before me, and people will come after me if i give them the opportunity. this is the week i quoted Hebrews 12:1-2 out loud while sprinting home. it felt incredible. very cheesy, but it seriously made the scripture so real. led Bible study. what an honor. then the Lord blessed Betsy and I with the most precious Chinese coworkers. i love them. they cooked dinner for us on our last day of work.
week nine: journaling is hard. i have too may thoughts. i tried once to get an overview of Kaleo. didn't happen. was it the summer of my life? yes. in the ways i thought it would be? not at all. my heart was honestly not prepared. the summer came with a lot of tears, frustration, and doubt. but i can see the Lord's incredible timing and huge blessings that followed. i too often count myself out before even getting a chance. Christ's love compels. i memorized 1 Corinthians 13 a few weeks ago. i am beginning to understand what love actually is. back to campus: prayer, planning, sow, growth. sacrifices are necessary. don't let roadblocks get in my way. i must be eager to grow and eager to give my life away. Lord, use me. it's a scary prayer, but i'm praying it anyway.
i came to kaleo looking for something, anything. i found the Lord. i found a desire to hear from him and know him better. i also found several new friends. i found people i can trust. i found a deeper relationship with someone who invested in me... someone i can now call a best friend. i found relationships with three girls i wasn't expecting. i found comfort and peace and joy.
one week at home: pillows, shelves, shower curtains, blah, blah, blah.
one week of work week: what the uark bowl.one week of rush: kAPPA fO lYfE YEAA
