Time flies...

Time has gone by so quickly these past couple of weeks! I have been neglecting to update you all on what's been going on!

It's been three weeks since staff left, and it's been so cool to watch the students take over all aspects of project. We have two project directors, who head up a leadership team, who are in charge of the rest of the project. Then there are a bunch of different teams, headed by directors, who focus on specific areas of the project. My role as meetings director has been a challenge, but a good challenge. It has been teaching me how to effectively lead a team, and especially the importance of good team communication and involvement. Mostly, it’s been fun getting to know the people on the team and seeing what their strengths are, and just learning what really goes into planning a good large group meeting. There have definitely been a lot of learning moments, but I’ve been learning to accept and learn from them and not let myself be prideful in being a leader.

The first week without staff we focused on the theme of Brokenness, which has been really eye-opening for me, especially in light of the overarching theme of the Gospel for Life. How can I fully appreciate the amazing gift of Jesus’s death on the cross for my sins if I don’t first acknowledge that I have sin that needs to be paid for? Brokenness is not only acknowledging and repenting sin, but is recognizing our humility in light of the cross, and finding hope and peace in knowing that we are not bound to our sin, but are freed from it through God’s love for us, through Christ. Those truths were just so awesome to hear throughout the weak, and really discuss with the girls in my action group about what areas of sin I struggle with the most and prevent me from seeing how much I need the sacrifice that Christ was for me.

Last week’s theme was Life in Christ, which was sweet coming off of Brokenness week, emphasizing that even though we are all inherently imperfect and not deserving of grace, that God is a merciful Father who sent His son into the world to die for each and every one of my sins so that I can know God and know him as my Father, not just the distant creator of the universe.

This week’s theme has been World & Prayer, which kind of echoes the World Vision week we had earlier this summer. Prayer is something that I have been really excited about lately, and been learning more about. I’ve never really been that interested in prayer, but seen it as something that I do because I’m expected to as a Christian, rather than something I should want to do to deepen my relationship with the Lord. And just learning again about how much it is emphasized in the Bible that God has a heart for the nations has been good for me. As I feel more and more a desire to go overseas next summer, I am asking God to reveal to me where He wants me to go and in what way, whether it’s study abroad, another Summer Project, or some other sort of mission trip.

Some other highlights from the past couple of weeks:

I got to visit New York City with my impact group this past Wednesday! It was a lot of fun to spend the day together and in such a cool city. We saw Ground Zero, did Bible study and Impact group time in Central Park, and went to Times Square. And a Starbucks! (There are no Starbucks’s on the island where Ocean City is located, so this was especially exciting.)

Last Saturday we celebrated “Christmas in July”. Our Community team decorated the Ambassador with Christmas decorations and we got to do lots of Christmas-themed activities, including creative interpretations of the Christmas story.

Last Tuesday we had our student-run women’s conference. It was cool to have that time again, since it’s later in the project and I’ve gotten to know some of the women here on a deeper level. We got to celebrate that, play games and hear talks on what it means to be women of God, living in community and being used for His will.

My mom and my grandma came and visited me two weekends ago. It was so nice to see them, since it’s been a while since I’ve been home and seen family. We spent time shopping in Atlantic City and Cape May, two other resort-y towns near Ocean City. Mostly, it was just good to spend time with them and catch up. It was hard to see them go, but also signified that Project was coming to a close and a reminder that I can’t live in Project World forever.

It’s so strange that there are only 2 weeks left of Project. It has gone by soo quickly! My roommates, who are all semester students, leave in a week, and it will be really sad to see them go. Though I am definitely not looking forward to saying good-bye to the friends I have made here, I think it is time for me to come home. I have been learning so much and soaking in so much knowledge here, but I am excited to be able to leave the “project bubble” and put it into practice at home and back on campus.

Some prayer requests:

That I can continue to build my relationships with women until the very end.

That I will continue to make time to go sharing on the boardwalk and become increasingly more comfortable in that.

For my return home, that I can transition back into “real life” smoothly. Also, that I will be able to use my month before I go back to school effectively and continue to be motivated for ministry back on campus.