The Great Divide

I originally didn't want to write anything about this whole Chick-Fil-A controversy, but then I felt convicted because the only reason why I didn't want to was because I was afraid of being spoken against- I'm a coward. I'm fighting against being a coward.

I have this friend who is gay and Christian and has been super outspoken about their disgust with Chick-Fil-A and all of the Christians who oppose equal rights for the LGBTQ community. I have this other friend who is not gay and is a Christian and has been super outspoken about how ridiculous they think that all of these boycotts of Chick-Fil-A have been and that there's no reason for anyone to be surprised by the stance that Chick-Fil-A has taken. As you could probably guess they have been arguing like crazy and it finally hit me how absolutely absurd this situation is and it breaks my heart.

I feel like I'm asking for a prayer request for two friends to stop fighting, but if it's happening between them, imagine what the fight is looking like across the nation. There's not only a gap being made between the Christian community and the LGBTQ community, but there's a gap being made between Christians.

I'm really sick of all of this Chick-Fil-A stuff simply because as Christians it's really hard to be in the middle of the controversy. No matter what, I'm taking a side that is against other Christians. If I support Chick-Fil-A then all of the LGBTQ community and "progressive Christians" think I hate them, am a bigot, or a homophobe (none of which are true). And then if I don't support Chick-Fil-A, "conservative Christians" think I'm a heathen and am supporting sin as a civil right. Either way it goes, I'm supporting a divide of Christians and an even greater divide between Christians and the LGBTQ community.

I believe in following Jesus above all else and I have a feeling that if he were here, in the flesh, today- he wouldn't be saying, "Well done, my good and faithful servants." Reasons why?

1. We aren't being the ONE body of Christ we're called to be. We are DISMEMBERING it. Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12: 12-20 (Really all of 1 Corinthians 12)

2. We aren't loving people well (the LGBTQ community, Christians, people who aren't Christians, people in general). Ephesians 4:1-6. Galatians 5:13, Colossians 4:5-6

3. We're forgetting our purpose on this earth isn't THIS. Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 86:12

Christians, when people are looking at us and this divide, do they see Jesus or our own petty need to be right? Do they see Jesus at all? Do they see the body of Christ at all? Are we glorifying God with everything we do, or are we seeking to be right over being righteous?

In all honesty, if I believe in following Jesus above all else, my convictions are that it's not up to me to decide whether or not the LGBTQ community has equal rights, nor is it my place to say that they do or don't deserve them. I wasn't put on this earth to make those decisions. I was placed on this earth to love people and proclaim the name of Jesus, to be the salt of the earth, to be an heir to His throne, to serve God and glorify Him in everything I do. I was called to be part of a body of believers running towards God in the light of the Gospel- in the light of the Truth that God has laid before us.

As a Christian I wasn't called to give in to Satan who is trying to create this great divide. When people divide, we're weak, but I'm called to be strong.

Christians, I beg you, realize what is happening- we are taking sides against one another.

In Ireland, there is a huge divide- the Catholics and the Protestants. They're divided by a line into Northern and Southern Ireland. There are kids who live 15 minutes away from each other who have never spoken to one another simply because of the divide that a war put between them hundreds of years ago. They believe in the blood of Jesus covering them, they are children of God above everything else, but have been taught since they were born that the divide can't be fixed. I watched a documentary about these children coming together to surf. It was the first time that they had met each other and the first time that they came together just to do something fun and realized how alike they actually are and how the divide can be fixed if they put aside their differences and focus on Jesus.

I refuse to take a stand that is going to put me on one side or another when it comes to Christianity. I refuse to play into the divide that is in the process of being made. In the midst of this controversy, let's not forget the common ground that will always stand true- Jesus.

An Explanation, A Reminder, A Thank You

This summer at the Walt Disney World Summer Project has stretched me more than anything ever has in my life. I have had to cling to Jesus more this summer than possibly I ever consciously have ever before.

This blog post is entirely too hard to write because I know that it means that this summer is coming to an end. Even though project has been over for me for the past 4 weeks, I have been clinging to the hope that maybe my time since project has ended has all been a dream and I'm going to wake up to the sounds of my roommates making breakfast or the sound of Stephanie looking for something in our closet. The more time that passes, the more I know that it's really over- so I might as well face it.

Supporters, I'm writing this specifically to you as a thank you and as an explanation of what God did this summer. I'm also writing this to all of you as a reminder of how big our God is and just what it is we are a part of here on the earth.

This summer, I went into project so excited that I was going to be able to disciple four wonderful girls and I just thought that discipleship was what this summer was all about for me. I thought I was going to be doing a lot of pouring out and that was it. Of course, God doesn't meet our expectations, He meets His own.

Now, I did have the privilege of seeing all of my four girls grow more than I ever thought was possible. I saw one of my girls struggle to keep a hold of  her faith and then realize that she wasn't looking for God in the right places. She was looking for God in people, who are always going to fail her. She was looking for God's toenail and not for Him in all of His entirety. Since I've left and even in the weeks before I left project, I have seen her looking for God and relying on Him solely more and more. She is shining His love to her coworkers and is truly striving to reach out to her coworkers for the sake of the Gospel.

It would be an understatement if I told you I was completely intimidated by one of my girls that I was given to disciple. She has been a Christian since she was a little girl and knew Scripture back and forth, up and down, like the back of her hand. I got to see her get more and more vulnerable, pour into other girls and humble herself to the position of a servant even though she is so knowledgeable. As Christians, it's really hard to humble ourselves anyways, but to see her do it with the knowledge and experience she has as a Christian is unbelievable. I saw her grow so much in the area of humility and I saw her love her coworkers with everything that she has.

My girls along with the rest of project have grown so much and have faced so much adversity. Some of the students on project are ridiculed and made fun of by leaders and by those who they are working alongside of. It's not easy being a Christian in such a liberal work place. I have faced it for the past two years working for the Disney company. My leaders and coworkers will sometimes purposefully try to cause me to stumble- to break my "Christiany ways." For the most part they are very respectful, but some have been known to put down Christian beliefs. Yet, they love them anyways. Jesus calls us to love those whose who persecute us as well as those who love us. We aren't called to fight back with bitterness, we're called to fight back with love. We're called to fully surrender our hearts and souls for these people. That's the only way they could see Jesus in us.

Students also faced adversity on project as well. Satan was working his best to try and break this project apart. Through conflict, through injuries, through surgeries, and through really tough and emotional circumstances these students have fought for sanity. God has protected us this summer. He has been fighting Satan with us and I know that He has never given us anything that we can't handle, but these students fought so long and so hard to stand on two feet. Even in the heartache, we've chosen to be joyful about those hardships simply because we know that if Satan is working that hard to break us down it means that God has big plans for His Kingdom this summer.

This is Johann. He broke his arm on the third day of project and had to have surgery on it. What a trooper.

Like I said before, I thought this summer was going to be all about discipleship and pouring into girls. I didn't think that God was going to teach me anything and I wasn't as concerned with what God had for me this summer as I was with what God had for the students. He blew me right out of the water. Let's start with who He chose to be my best friends this summer.

Kelly Wood was not the person I spent every waking moment with like I had planned. Why God chooses to keep our friendship completely reliant on Skype is a mystery to me, but I know that He has a purpose for it. I was so excited to come into the summer and share a bed with Kelly and lead with her and be best friends in real life and not just in the cyber world. We didn't lead a single thing together, we barely saw each other unless I was braiding her hair before bed or the occasional sitting next to each other in a meeting. It's okay though. She's still my Kell-Bell and I'm still her Kay. God just knew that I needed to grow more this summer than I could have alongside of Kelly.

Kell-Bell and I on our last night on project.

Let's talk about boys for a second. I came into project after two really great friendships with two of my really good guy friends completely crashed and burned. There was a lot of heartache, a lot of hurt feelings, and a lot of mess. I came into project not wanting to be friends with any of the men there because I was afraid of getting hurt or hurting them because I, apparently, am not capable of having any type of close friendship with a guy. I didn't want anything to do with the three male interns on our staff team, I didn't want to be friends with them, I didn't want to talk to them, and I felt really uncomfortable around them for the most part. I closed myself off when they walked into the room and I refused to say more than a couple of words to them in a conversation. Until I realized that I really needed healing in this area of my life and asked God to challenge me (never ask God to challenge you unless you REALLY want Him to, because He WILL show up). The very next morning I get a call from Blake asking me to go to the Magic Kingdom with himself and Chad for the day. In my head and in my heart I was answering him with a huge "NO WAY," but God made "sure I'd love to" come out of my mouth. Long story short- that day began two life-changing friendships that I will never forget. God brought so much healing through my friendship with these two wonderful men of God. I have had destructive friendships with guys in the past and horrible experiences of being used and abused by the male gender. I don't trust them, but when I do I trust them too much.

Chad, me and Blake. Our last night in Magic Kingdom for the summer.

My friendship with Chad and Blake is something that has taught me boundaries, how to pursue Christ, and how to maintain an encouraging relationship with someone of the opposite sex. We respect each other, we have taught each other, and we have loved each other as we all have pursued Christ together. It was hard and it was something that I had to work at every day. I had to push through and really fight God with this. I didn't want to be friends with them, but I needed them this summer. I needed God to work through them in my life and He did the impossible. I'm healing. I'm not perfect yet, but I'm healing. Just writing this is tough because Blake is in Texas and Chad is in Pennsylvania and I'm here in Florida until I go back to Indiana. God knows when we're going to see each other again. Blake and Chad, if you're reading this- I know I've already told you, but I don't think I could tell you enough how much I appreciate your brotherhood. You guys will never know how much God has used you in my life to bring me closer to Him.

I also needed the strength of these two to bring me through some really tough places throughout the summer. I feel like God has thrown everything at me aside from burning my house down. Every big thing of drama on project or every situation that had to be dealt with by the directors- I was either directly or indirectly involved with. Discipleship was harder than I had ever imagined it to be, I found myself speechless at times when talking with girls and really had to rely on the Holy Spirit to speak through me, I had to revisit my past and conquer it again, I was faced with speaking truth into other girls' lives and was literally asked how I could speak it if I didn't truly believe it myself, I wrecked my car, I got calls at 2 a.m. because of emergency situations, I had disapproval of what I was doing this summer from all sides, and I had reminders of just how broken I am every single day. God is so good. Through all of that He gave me exactly what I needed. Saying this summer has been (and continues to be) rough is the biggest understatement of the century, but I have been so at peace throughout everything and I have nothing and no one to thank but God for that.

This is my intern family. They fought for me daily. I fought for them. We'll never be the same.

I have one more story for you and then the relevance of this summer and the friendships will make sense- kind of. One night the staff watched a movie "Renee." Cru is hoping to use it as an outreach tool. Basically it's a tough movie to watch. It shows a lot of brokenness and there's not a cheesy "everything turns out alright in the end" ending. It had a huge impact on all of the staff members. I even had to leave before it was over because I couldn't handle it. I went back to my condo- crying, journaling and listening to Jesus music. In walks Chad looking for Kelly because they had Bible study to plan, but she wasn't there so we started talking about the movie. Turns out that we both related to separate characters in the movie and were reminded of each of our pasts and how far Jesus has carried us. We needed to forgive ourselves and we needed to experience redemption through Jesus. We were both at a low point and needed some fun. It was 9:40 at night (park closes at 11), Tropical storm Debby was brewing outside, but we decided that Magic Kingdom was probably the best option. Yeah... We called up Blake and Kelly who both affirmed that it was a stupid idea, but we did it anyways knowing we had Bible study to plan for. Best night in Magic Kingdom ever. Running down Main Street through puddles that came up to our knees, riding Splash Mountain in the torrential down pour and then proceeding to run through the tropical storm to ride Space Mountain before it closed. The rain washed us clean that night. In that night we saw our brokenness, we saw the joy that Christ has to offer, we saw how community can build us up, we saw the redemption that is possible, and then we saw the rain. We embraced it and let it wash away our sin. We forgave ourselves that night. We embraced the grace the God has for us.

I have seen the world being changed for the sake of Gospel through all of the adversity and spiritual warfare going on. That is the biggest blessing of all. I have seen people come to know who Christ is and just how much He loves them. I have seen students take leaps of faith in every area of their lives. I have seen the Magic Kingdom changed in light of the Gospel this summer. One of our project mottos is Kingdom to Kingdom to the World. Bringing God's Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom to the World. The world comes to the Magic Kingdom to work. Some of the most prestigious of families from all around the world send their children here to work for the summer or for a semester of their schooling. There have been princes from Africa that have come to Disney that we have had the opportunity to share the Gospel with. We have the opportunity here to share the Gospel with the future leaders of unreached nations and of nations that simply do not have the freedom that Christ offers. We are a part of the great commission here in one city, in one happy place where people are searching for magic and pixie dust. Instead we are hoping that they find us, and in us they see Christ. That's our mission.

These are the people who changed my life. These are the people who serve a big God and let Him change the world this summer.

Supporters, you were a part of something huge this summer. You were a part of bringing God's Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom and to the World. You were a part of growth in the lives of 59 college students on this project and 20 staff members. I can not thank you enough for being a part of this journey with me. Thank you for your prayers and your financial support.

A special thanks to my financial supporters- Vince Bradburn, Blake McDonald, First Baptist Church of Muncie, Erin and Greg Case, Nick Boyum, Rachael and Billy Ryan, Irene and Jorge Silva, Melissa Livermore, Katy Kessler, Chris Silva, Alex Evanczyk and of course, my parents. If I forgot your name, I apologize. I know that there's at least one person that I forgot. Anyways, you were a necessary part of this summer. Thanks for taking a leap of faith with me.

This is HARD

There is so much I could write about project and what God is doing here, but that would probably fill up 100 blogs, so I've been praying about what God wants me to write in this one. And I feel like He wants all of you readers out there to know about how much suffering there is going on this summer here on the Walt Disney World Summer Project.

A lot of supporters are hesitant when it comes to this project because it's at Disney World. It sounds like a vacation and we get to stay in sunny Florida when others are going to Russia and China and everywhere else around the world to suffer for the sake of Jesus. We don't seem like the missionaries who are suffering for the sake of the Gospel, but WE ARE. Maybe not physically, maybe not as harshly emotionally or spiritually, but there is such great suffering going on down here.

We have had to walk through some really tough stuff together this summer. From emotionally and spiritually unstable students who are going through some rough waters and possibly being kicked out of our housing, to family problems, friends being diagnosed with serious illnesses, and serious financial issues- we have been through so much. This is HARD. I don't think I've ever had to rely on God more except for one time in my life and that's saying something.

God is working in all of our lives, but He's not letting us get off the easy way. He is telling us to suffer and to endure through trials this summer. Our project could have very well been ripped apart by how much stuff is going on. Conflict, trouble, illness, anxiety, and utter God pulling the rug out of from under us stuff has been going on ALL summer. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Through all that though, I know our staff team is getting that much closer and our students are getting that much closer. I know that all of this stuff that we're going through together, learning together, and encouraging each other in is creating a bond that nothing could break. We have had to carry each other continuously throughout these past five weeks. Not to mention do what we came here to do- spread the Gospel to the world. We are here to let God work through us to bring the Magic Kingdom into the KINGDOM it truly belongs. We are here to spread the Gospel to the world through a place where the world works.

So, no, our suffering doesn't look like living in a foreign country not having access to clean water or sleeping on the floor of a homeless shelter in downtown New York City. We haven't been personally called to suffer that way in this season of our lives, but we have been called to suffer for the sake of Gospel in pushing through all of the difficult situations that have been thrown at us. Students are fighting day in and day out just to trust God for the strength to get through one more day. These students are getting thrown around down here and so am I, but I know that God is for us. And when God is for us, nothing can get in our way of doing what He has called us to do.

God has huge plans for the Orlando area. If He didn't, Satan wouldn't be trying so hard to keep them from happening. Please keep praying for our students as the staff leave this week and they take hold of the reins. Please pray for them to stay strong and to stand firm in the truths from God they know they can rely on. And if I could- I challenge you to let yourself be silent before God and listen to Him speak to you. Ask Him to reveal to you certain ways you can be praying for our project or for anything else. He will amaze you.

God's promises are true yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I have complete faith that He is going to pull this project through. It's just hard.

It's Almost the End...

Less than a week left on project?! When in the world did that happen? I literally cannot comprehend how I've already been here for a little over a month! Catch up time...

I'm discipling 4 beautiful girls! Lisa, Ashley, Marie, and Kelsey. (I'm in the white, the rest of them are in order from left to right by how I just named them)

They are all so sweet and I love them all a whole lot. It's hard to think that I'm going to be leaving them in 5 DAYS! It's been a journey, but it's been great to get to know them and grow closer to God with them. God has been blessing our summer beyond belief! They have all grown so much and it's been such an incredible experience to see them be shaped this summer.

In other news, it's been a really hard summer. Every day God seems to dish something new at me. He's been so gracious every day with it though. Even though it's hard, He's blessed me with such a great community in my staff team. They have literally become my family in this past month. They have been there with me through all of the spiritual warfare and tough situations. We have worked through them together as a team and have been lifting each other up since the day we got here. That's going to be the hardest part about leaving project- leaving my staff team.

^ Up there is most of the intern team and a few of our full time staffers at hollywood studios on one of our days off. ^

I feel like God gave me best friends for 6 weeks and then is dispersing us all across the country again. It's not fair, but I'm so excited to hear about how they are serving back at their campuses in the fall. Plus, we all have to come back to Disney for a reunion right? No sad faces here.

^Up there is our entire intern team with our two project directors the day we all went indoor surfing before the students got here. Our first look at what surfing every day looks like. Plus, it was a great team building exercise. ^

Other than the staff team, the students here are phenomenal too. We just picked the students who are going to be taking over leadership when we leave and I couldn't be happier with who God placed on our hearts. These men and women are going to be challenged so much these next 5 weeks, but that is going to be so cool to witness. I'm going to be staying in Orlando all summer working at Disney alongside of them. I won't be leading this project anymore, but I will still be able to witness the work that is going on through this project. God is doing some majorly crazy things.

He's leading us to broken people who are teaching us so much about life and what it means to be completely broken, He's raising up new Christians every day, He's helping us love other people and serve them in the best way we can, but most importantly- He's moving in everyone's hearts here.

This has possibly been one of the most encouraging, rough, hard, tough, difficult summers I've ever experienced. From hearing stories of people being led to Christ to having interventions, this summer has been a roller coaster. I wouldn't have it any other way though.

I've seen God do the impossible this summer. I'd love to tell you more about it.

My Summer Was Kind of Spontaneous

WHOA for some reason this didn't post last summer. I wrote it as I was leaving Florida last year!









So, this summer has been absolutely crazy. Apologies for not keeping you up to date.


For instance, Papa John's? Yeah, don't work there anymore. That trip I was taking to Disney World with my friends? Well, you see, I ended up loving it so much that when I went down there I had to go back and spend, you know, the entire remainder of my summer working for the mouse and hanging out with friends.

Today's just a day that I'm missing those friends terribly. I guess it's been since last night that I have had this overwhelming feeling that I just want to see them, hug them, just BE with them.

These are my two dear friends Luke and Jackson (Luke on the left, Jackson on the right). 

Luke is my adorable British friend. I only knew him for 3 weeks before I left Florida for home for good this summer, but the night before I left, we stayed up till 4 in the morning, just us, and talked about how hard it is to leave. He also has to go home to England because his program is over. And while we were having this talk, we both came to the conclusion that even though we only knew each other for 3 weeks, we had no idea what we were going to do without each other. I definitely fell in love with him (absolutely 100% best friend material right here). There were tears involved, huge alligator tears on his end. And then we took him back to his apartment the next morning and I had to have my last Luke hug and we both cried. We've been texting and I called him on my way home and starting crying. Waterworks galore.

Jackson, I only knew for 1 1/2 weeks. We had sooo many adventures in those two weeks. We talked about collar bones, met princesses, watched all 3 night shows in one night, made chocolate covered strawberries and other delicious treats with Stev, worked crazy hours together, and had some really great talks about life. He has definitely changed my view of what a good friend is. When I dropped him off at the airport when he had to go home, I helped him get his suitcases out of my hatchback and after I did we had the most magical hug. Then he grabbed my hand and told me how much he was going to miss me and that I was his favorite person that he had met this time around at Disney. Can you say heartbreak? I've known this guy for only a week and a half and I'm about to break down in tears because I'm going to miss him so much! Now every time I drive down Jackson St. I'll think about him.

Far From Home

So it's been a wild ride so far. Not gonna lie. I've experienced spiritual warfare of all sorts since being here and I'm not alone.

Satan does not want us here. It's so evident it's scary. One of the guys on project broke his arm and needs to have surgery and cannot work at Disney this summer, Satan has tried to break apart condos of men and women through conflict, he's tried to scare people out of sharing their faith, etc. Even though it's terrifying and discouraging when we first face it, God encourages me in all of it. Satan doesn't want us here, which means God is going to be moving through this project so much this summer and I, for one, am most excited to see those things revealed.

My number one source of spiritual warfare has been through my nightmares, which isn't really much of a surprise. Satan continually uses my dreams to scare me away from God. It never works, but he sure does try to get the best of me. So, if you could be praying for me, that would be awesome.

Enough about the negative, let's talk about how God is using this summer for His Kingdom. I am discipling 4 girls. They are precious and God is already using them to challenge me on a daily basis. This is by no means a bad thing. They are an absolute light to me and to everyone around them. It has been so encouraging to see them grow so much in their faith already (they've only been here for about 2 weeks). I've also had the privilege of leading a Bible study alongside two other interns. We had our first study this morning and the Holy Spirit was moving in incredible ways. He was truly speaking through me. Almost nothing I said I planned and I could tell that God was challenging the students who were there.

God's Kingdom is going to be changed for eternity. And even though I feel so far from home at the moment- even though things are rough and I'm battling every day to get through, I know that God is constant and he is going to continue to provide me the strength, courage and boldness to go surfing some gnarly waves alongside my girls every day.










(If you have questions about that last wave riding comment, ask away... it's a project metaphor)

It's only been 2 days?!

Yes, it's only been two FULL days back on project as student staff and I'm exhausted!

This has been one heck of an adventure already! It's been so great to be able to have such an amazing team. We're already family and I love it. So, our first couple of days have gone like this

Day 1: Check-in, dinner, dessert, go home, get to know my roommates, sleep.
Day 2: Wake up, meeting at 8:30- 3:00. Another meeting at 4:15, grocery shopping, reading applications, studying materials, personality tests, more getting to know my super fantastic staff team, bed.
Day 3: Wake up, run, meetings 9-3:30 with a break for lunch, 3:30-5:30 planning and preparing and shopping for super secret project stuff, 5:30-6:30 dinner, 6:30-8:30 evangelism and debriefing, and now- I'm blogging.

Yep. Soon to be playing volleyball and swimming and then probably studying up on our materials again.

Then bed.

Then waking up for a 9-5 work day tomorrow. Meaning a 9-5 meeting with Dr. Phil deciphering our personality tests. This is whole different kind of experience. And I like it.

More information to come. Life is too hectic right now for an actual blog post, so this will have to do. I apologize for the lack of flow and competence. It's been a long couple of days.

Time for VOLLEYBALL!

Hospitality

Howdy folks!

I made it back down to Florida and just finished up my first week back at Disney (in Frontierland if you couldn't guess)!

This post isn't going to be about Disney though. Okay... maybe it will be indirectly. So, I have this amazing friend, Jess. She has this fiance, Jimmy. They're great. Probably two of the most generous, most hospitable people I know. Here's a picture.

Back to the point. They have willingly opened their house to me this past week, a week over Christmas break, and Thanksgiving break. AND they're letting me move in after project for five weeks AND they have offered me a possible place to live if I move down to the good old sunshine state after I graduate. They have been such blessings in my life and I don't think they know it.

They have been so selfless and through their selflessness, I have realized my selfishness. In a lot of things. In my relationships, in my work ethic, in my thoughts, in my money, in my entire life. Conviction. God calls us to be selfless as these two have been. He calls us to give to others who are in need and to serve everyone around us (see Mark 10:44-45, Philippians 2:1-11, 1 Peter 4:10-11, Acts 20:35, etc.). Basically- serving others is a very prominent theme in the Bible.

I realized today at work (while I was doing it I might add) how selfish I had become. I was working drinks and someone got themselves a cup of gatorade while I was working on an order. On the outside I was calm... quiet, but calm. On the inside, I was getting really angry. Not to mention thinking all of these horrible things about this person being so selfish and not caring about anyone except for themselves. And then it was like I was responding to myself in my own head and simply said, "Oh really now? Who's the selfish one?" Immediate guilt, but no change in my attitude.

I feel like God is slapping me on the hand. Showing me how a servant is supposed to be. I'm not the perfect roommate. And the only time that Jess and I ever get to see each other is when I'm down here asking her to let me sleep at her house.

God is teaching me how to be a servant by allowing me to be served. Talk about grace.

SO CLOSE!

THIS is the face of a very happy girl who just hit 75% supported! God has been moving these past couple of days! Only $368 to go! Relying on God to provide the rest! So blessed. So astounded. So dumbfounded.



So humbled.

On The Road

Being on the road definitely isn't a foreign concept to me. Every summer I find myself being a bit of a gypsy. On the road to and from Florida, visiting my dad in Alabama, and visiting friends in different states. Not to mention going home for about a week at a time. I always seem to be on the move and never stay in one place for too long.

God has definitely blessed me with an adventurous life full of surprises. Some of these surprises aren't necessarily desired because of the nature of my lifestyle. All of this traveling means always relying on the grace of my friends or family friends to stay with them.

Thankfully, I have been blessed with places to stay everywhere I go. For instance:

Right now: I get to stay in Alabama with my dad for a couple of days so I can continue to raise support and call the girls that are going on project so that I don't have to do that while I'm on the road or busy with work in Florida.

Thursday- first day of project: My friend, Jess, has opened her home to me (just as she has several times before). Her fiancee's family is even in town and she is still willing to let me crash on her couch (even her floor would suffice). I can't even begin to explain how thankful I am for this woman in my life. She has always been so generous and loving towards me and has never asked for anything in return. True friend ladies and gents. True friend.

Then, from May 23rd-July 7th I will be living with the Walt Disney World Summer Project at the Mike Ditka Resort! This is going to flashback central. These condos are some of the best housing that summer project has to offer its students and I couldn't be more grateful for the living arrangements there.

July 8th- August 8th: This is what I need prayer for. I still haven't made concrete plans for this month. Hopefully my friend, Jackson, who I became friends with last summer and his roommates will lovingly and graciously accept me into their apartment and allow me to rest my head on their floor, but it's not for sure.

Being on the road. My adventurous life. Never thought I would be here as a 20 year old. Traveling back and forth to Florida by myself twice, maybe three times a year. Making a drive to Alabama seem like a puddle jump. So great.

I absolutely love my life.

I'm Almost There- Kind of like Tiana...

So, these past few weeks have been absolutely insane with the end of the school year, my birthday and coming home. Not to mention finishing up support raising AND getting ready for project! Let me tell you, God is at WORK!

So, school is school. It's stressful, but you just have to pull through it. Hell week for me was the epitome of hell weeks. I had 3 presentations, 2 finals, 3 papers, a quiz, a group project, and... I think that's it. ALL due in one week? Crazy talk. Got it done. Demolished. The end. Finals week- 2 finals, 3 shifts at work, and birthday celebrations. Talk about fun town. I have the best life in the world. That's all there is to it.

My birthday was phenomenal. So many amazing friends. I am so blessed by them.

Coming home has been a journey. I always have to prepare my heart for home. It's hard not being surrounded by such an amazing community like the one I have at school. I go from being poured into daily to not really being around Christians at all. It's a tough transition being talked down to because of my beliefs, but God always shows up. That has been so encouraging this week. God has given me so much joy in Him and only Him. He has humbled me and brought me to understand His truths and that He is who he says he is. And that's all I need. He's the great I AM. He's bigger than any situation, any sin, and any circumstance that I'm thrown into. He's SO BIG.

Support raising- still at about 50%. I need about $700 in order to be fully funded. I have been getting a lot of "maybes" and "we'll pray about its" and "yeah I'd love tos," but no follow throughs as of right now. Which is discouraging, but also encouraging. At least I know that my summer project to Walt Disney World is catching some attention. I sent in my support letter to the missions team at my home church and they have been great about sending it out the members of the church. And my church at school is supporting me. I know God is going to find a way to get me there. He's called me for a reason. If it's His will, I'll be there one way or another. Prayers would be greatly appreciated for this aspect of getting ready for project.

Getting ready for project... oh dear.
Packing- nonexistent at the moment. My room looks like a tornado ran through it. Looks like I have a couple of hours of packing to do tomorrow.
Preparing myself for the drive- I've done it a million times, but each time it gets a little harder to keep my sanity in tact. Be praying for that.
Leaving home- this is possibly the hardest time I've had saying goodbye to both my home home and my school home. Muncie holds my family. It holds the people that I love so much. I'm going to miss everyone so much over the summer. God is going to do great things through all of them wherever they are, I know it, but I'm still allowed to miss them right?
Calling my project girls- I have fallen in love with the women of WDWSP12 already. I can't believe it. They are incredible, godly women. I can already tell I'm going to be in tears leaving them after the summer is over. People. I just love them. End of story.

God has been absolutely wonderful. I have been completely overwhelmed by His love, grace, justice, kindness, sovereignty, strength, will, EVERYTHING!

One of the most powerful nights I've had lately was with a friend just talking about the gospel for a while over facebook chat. I was literally in tears. It's amazing how we think we have it all together for so long. We think that we finally are okay and that we fully understand and comprehend the gospel sometimes. And then someone speaks it into our lives- unedited, completely out of love, and it's so intense. It just hits, you know? You start to realize how broken and messed up and hurt you still are. And then there's grace and love and the goodness of God being spoken into your life. The amazing gospel of Jesus Christ. Right there. All of a sudden, you realize that you still need to hear the good news of Jesus taking the cross for you EVERY single day of your life. Every second, I need to be reminded of the gospel. Not only do I need it, but I want it. Every second of my life I want the gospel. It's too great not to desperately desire it. The love that is expressed in the ultimate fairy tale of the Creator of the universe coming down and dying for YOU quenches the soul like nothing else. It overcomes any hatred, it conquers every fear, and it can save any person if they welcome it to. Power like that, it's impossible for us to fathom. But it's true.

It's true.

Slowly but Surely

Catch up time really quick

1. I got accepted to go on Summer Project again at Disney World! This time, I'm going as student staff though.
2. There are only 3 1/2 more weeks of class left for the year! Which means only 4 1/2 more weeks until my birthday!
3. Luke BUSBY (a friend from England) is coming back to the United States!
4. My friend Jake who was serving in Afghanistan is back!
5. Support raising has been going horridly for me... (this is the main subject of this post)


So, 2 years ago I went on this summer missions trip through Campus Crusade for Christ to Walt Disney World. It changed my life. We got to share the Gospel with men and women from over 55 different countries, I got to build relationships with these international students and I grew leaps and bounds in my faith. I could write a book (a legitimate novel) about how amazing this trip was, but I won't. I will instead stick to the topic at hand.

I'm going on this same missions trip this summer, but instead of simply being a student on the project, I will be interning with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) and helping lead this project as "student staff." By me going and leading, I am able to serve and God let 4-5 more women go on this adventure I was on that changed my life. So cool right? Yeah! With missions trips, comes support raising. And support raising has been a struggle thus far. I have gotten no responds to my letters and no one has answered my calls. I have had a couple of friends tell me that they will support me, but neither of them have yet. I have raised $0. I need to have $1500 by the end of this month or early May.


Basically, my life was changed two summers ago by this missions trip quite literally. I plan on doing full time ministry at Disney as soon as I graduate college. Now I get to go back and help lead women who are going to have the same chance to let God change their lives and the lives of those around them. I have such a heart for this trip and the people of Walt Disney World. Their hearts are huge and they could be great vessels for God. Imagine what a Disney World with the love of Christ at the center of the company would look like! Imagine how the Disney company could impact the world for the Kingdom!

I am trying my hardest to trust God with the finances. I know that if He wants me in Orlando this summer, He will send me. He will get me there somehow someway. I guess that's why I'm writing this, I'm sort of running out of options and I'm taking a leap of faith here. If you happen to stumble upon this blog and you feel led to give, I would urge you to please pray about it. Consider this my support letter from me to you.

If you would like to support me financially, you may do so online at give.ccci.org
At the right hand side of the screen, it will have a box for giving donations. All you have to do is enter my destination number: 5633337 and hit enter. That will send you to a new page and all you have to click is the "Donate" button. Then you can select the amount you want to give (any little bit helps).

If you cannot give financially, that is perfectly fine. I just ask that you please be in prayer about my journey to go on this missions trip again! Please pray for the students and the staff. That we will all be led by the Holy Spirit for the duration of the summer and that we may love others as Christ has loved us! Please pray for wisdom and that God would truly show up this summer and work in ways that none of us could possibly have imagined!


Please consider joining my support team! Below I will have an actual copy of my support letter for you all :)







Two summers ago, I embarked on an adventure to Florida that changed my life forever! Who knew that one summer could change someone’s life so dramatically?

I spent the summer with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) on the Walt Disney World Summer Project. This is a summer long missions trip sponsored by Cru in which college students from all over the world can take part in growing in their faith, sharing the gospel, and getting to grow in a community of believers from all sorts of backgrounds.

My life was dramatically shaped throughout the summer. I learned so much about God and my faith and truly matured in my spiritual walk with God. I learned how to communicate to international students and build relationships with coworkers in a professional and interpersonal manner. I learned how to build financial stability and maturity. Most importantly, I was challenged in every aspect of my life. Life on project was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually demanding.

Over summer project at Walt Disney World, the students on the missions trip shared the gospel to people from over fifty-five countries, we fed the homeless and got to show them love that they may not receive every day, we had the privilege of working at one of the most prestigious companies in the world, and we did all of this by the grace and power of God. My summer was so influential that my career path has now changed to a hopeful lifetime career working for the Disney company and has given me connections and friendships that have lasted over the past two years even though there is so much distance between us.

This summer I have the opportunity to go back on the Walt Disney World Summer Project, but as a leader this time and not a student. As a student staff intern, I will be mentoring four to five girls, helping plan events, leading a Bible study, and possibly preparing a lesson or two for the students who come on project this summer. By being a student staff intern, I allow four or five more girls to experience the summer of a lifetime and hopefully their lives will be changed as mine was.

My reason for writing this letter to you is to ask you to prayerfully consider supporting me financially or becoming part of my prayer team as I trust in the Lord in sending me to help lead this missions trip. I need to raise approximately $1,500 in order to be able to go. The money is used to pay for housing and for materials used on this missions trip. Any little bit helps. Thank you so much for your time. Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions!

Email: klrayburn@gmail.com