Almost halfway there.

End of week 4.  Almost halfway done.  It's hard to believe it.  Time has gone by so fast.  I've had so much fun and learned so much that I can't wait to see what's in store for me in the next 6 weeks.

I had a big revelation this week at my Night of Reflection.  I was thinking about my family and how screwed up it is, and how glad I am that I'm not there.  Then I started thinking of all the training that I'm getting.  I could be the light in the darkness for my family.  If I told my dad the gospel and had him start a relationship with God, things could get so much better for everyone.  He would no longer wallow in self pity and focus on the future in a positive way.  I need to be held accountable here.  I need to talk to my dad.

This week was the International Dinner.  I'm going to keep the details a secret, but what I will say is that we were all assigned a country in the world and had to be that country for a night.  It opened up my eyes as to how privileged we are in the US both in terms of wealth and of the gospel.  The gospel is widespread here, but some countries have never heard of who Jesus is.  I was assigned to Greece and even today, there is still some hostility toward Christians.  They know the gospel, they just need a kick in the butt to have a relationship with God.

Then the Men's Retreat.  We set up camp in the middle of the desert.  Scorching hot during the day, freezing cold at night.  Nothing like camping on the East coast.  There was a pool, we played volleyball, and ate big, delicious steaks.  Mmmm.  They were so goooood!  But best of all, I got to listen to Dan Allan as he spoke about becoming a man.  I am so excited to have a wife and honor her in every way and just live for Christ forever.  Generation Sigma forever.  It's another secret I won't tell you.  You'll just have to come out to San Diego next summer to find out...

Highest of Highs

This week so far has been a lot of sharing my faith, Big Break style.  We've been doing it every day this week, and it's not over, but here are some of my stories.

I talked to some Mormons with Emily and Jess.  That was crazy.  I did not know anything about Mormonism, but now I know a little bit more about them.  It was funny, they said they said they were from Utah, and I was thinking, uh oh, are they Mormons.  When we got the question about what happens after death, they said "well here's the thing: we're Mormons..."  It turned into them telling us about their faith.  I was so confused, they believe in 3 heavens and depending on the works you do in your life directs you to which heaven you go to, and you can keep progressing in heaven and eventually become your own god with your own universe.  It's crazy.  I didn't know what to say to them without telling them that they're wrong flat out.  So we said goodbye and left.

The next day, I went out with this girl Adrian to share.  We weren't having much luck finding college age kids to talk to, so I was just going to talk to the next person that looked remotely my age.  I saw this one kid sitting on the ledge, so we approached him, and he was really nice.  He said he was from Virginia and he just finished the 10th grade and he was out here on vacation with his older brother and some of his friends.    So I asked the first question, what three words would you use to describe yourself, and one of the words he used was tough.  I asked him why and he said because his parents were divorcing.  Boom, connection right there.  I related so well to Nathan, which is probably why God directed me to him.  He said his desire to know God was an 8, so I asked him if he wanted to go through the KGP, and he said that he really needed it so much right now.  So I went through it with him.  Adrian stood there praying the whole time, and I never stumbled, didn't forget anything, and it was just awesome.  I had never gone through the KGP so smoothly before.  I can attribute that as God speaking through me.  I was only the vessel that he used.  He was so attentive and genuinely interested, that when I got to the prayer, I asked him if he wanted to pray it, and he said that he didn't know.  He was doubtful because he was so young.  I said that he could do it right here right now, it doesn't matter that he's only 16 years old.  So he said he would love to, so I prayed it with him, and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior!!!  I've been the wingman in conversations where someone has accepted Christ, but never the leader.  It was such an awesome feeling to know that the Kingdom of God has one more person.  I gave him my phone number, and he said that he would definitely call me if he had any questions or just wanted to chat.  I've never felt so much love and compassion for a stranger before.  I wonder if this is what Jesus felt like.  So pray for Nathan, pray that his pains are calmed and that he just continues to seek out the help of God.

I was on cloud 9, and now I was supposed to meet Taylor, my accountability partner to do a soul-to-soul.  We went to Denny's and spent about 2 hours there until midnight.  I shared my story and  he shared his, and he told me things that he's never told another person, not even his growth group.  I feel very happy about being paired with Taylor.  He is an awesome kid and I know that we are just going to lift each other up and make each other the Christian men that God wants us to be.  His words are so kind and I know that we are going to have a lifelong friendship.

Continue to pray for my job!

Getting Closer to God

This past weekend was amazing, taking a break from job hunting.  Friday was just a chill day.  We were supposed to be job hunting, but I think it was good to take a break because everyone is discouraged and exhausted.  So that was my day to do laundry, and just catch up on stuff.  We've been on the go so much, it's hard to just sit back and relax.

Friday night was FNL, Friday Night Live, which is essentially Cru on Thursdays.  There's an MC, an awesome band, games, and a message.  Dan Allen, the project director, gives awesome talks.  He spoke about the importance of Jesus as we are reading through the book of Hebrews for the summer.

After FNL, we had a DANCE PARTY!  I knew how it was gonna end up.  Cru dances are all the same.  The girls dance together and the guys just jump around.  I was right.  But it was so much fun.  The dance took place outside right next to Mission Bay, and we could see the lights from the city from across the bay, and it was just so beautiful.  Then Sea World let off their fireworks, and it was almost as if they were for us.  Best night so far at San Diego.

The next day, we spent the whole day at the beach.  It was a hot day!  But I still didn't get in the water because the Pacific is freezing,and there were a lot of jellyfish out.  But I still had fun soaking in the sun, playing frisbee and volleyball and listening to music and reading.  I didn't get sunburned, but a lot of my friends did lol.

That night, we traveled down the boardwalk to Belmont Park, where we had a bonfire and sharing time.  We sung songs and shared stories of how we have been affected by God so far.  I actually got the courage to share what God has taught me.  I don't normally talk in front of large groups, and there's upwards of 160 people involved with SDSP, so it was a big step for me.  But God has really been working in my heart lately, just letting me trust in Him.  I shared my financial situation and how money really doesn't matter to get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  If God meant for me to have money, I would have it.  I knew coming into SDSP that I wouldn't be making a lot of money, but I took that step of faith and came here.  I still don't have a job, and the prospects of making a decent amount of money is pretty low.  All I can do is trust in the Lord that He will provide for me in every way possible.  And guess what, Sunday, I knew no mail came, but I checked it anyway, and there was an anonymous note saying that they were praying for me with $40 attached.  That's God right there.

Sunday, I went to church at this high school.  It was a church called the Flood.  It was an amazing church with amazing worship.  I loved it.  Then my ministry team had the responsibility of pairing up accountability partners, so I actually got to choose mine.  We haven't revealed them yet, but my partner is Taylor from NMSU.  I'm really looking forward to keeping accountability with him.

After the project dinner, I drove Ryon's car to Mt. Soledad, which is a mountain that looks over the city and the ocean.  He was really reluctant to let me drive his car, but he let me anyway.  I know the bad things that can happen when someone drives another person's car...  And I had 4 girls in the car with me.  Yeah I'm a playa.  We got to Mt. Soledad, where the famous scene from Anchorman took place (settled by the Germans, name means a whale's ...)  Haha best movie ever.  We arrived and took massive amounts of pictures.  Just looking at the city below us and the sunset to our left was such a majestic sight.  I've never seen a place so beautiful in my life.  When the sun set, the lights from the city were endless.  It was indescribable how many people live in SoCal.  We sung songs and prayed for Project, prayed for the people, the city, the world.  It was just absolutely so awesome being in the company of so many people who are close to Christ.  It makes you want a little more out of your relationship with God.

When I got back to Santa Clara, I was getting ready for bed, when Caleb, my roommate, starts talking to me about his experience at Mt.Soledad.  He said he's always been self-conscious of the way he worships, but tonight he said it was almost as if it were only him and God.  He also said that God talked to him that night.  I've heard of this happening before, and it just makes you think that a personal relationship with God is possible.  It made me strive to get even closer with my quiet times and prayers.

I'll keep you updated on the job front, but that book I was talking about in my last post, Crazy Love, it is written by Francis Chan.  This is a book every Christian should read.  Do it.  I'll lend it to you when we get back to school if you want.  It's a quick read.

Welcome to the Motel Santa Clara

So, I finally have some time to write about my first week and a half here.  So I got on a plane from BWI to Milwaukee at 6:45am EST and arrived in Milwaukee at about 2 hours later.  Then I got on a plane, with what turns out to be a few project people, bound to San Diego.  I arrived there at 10:45am Pacific time.  I got on a shuttle to get to our project location in Mission Beach.  Right when I get there, I do registration and drop my stuff off.  I was under the assumption that we would be staying in Big Break style housing.  NOT!  We are staying in some of the crappiest motel rooms ever.  The girls are across the street in nice condos, which we are allowed in, so it's not that bad.

Ten we went out to buy groceries, and my bank account is very low.  One of the things I'm going to have to trust God for is that he will provide for my own personal finances. That is going to be hard to do.  Then we had to go right into job hunting, since Sea World is refusing to hire anyone this year.  It was hard!  I was tired and hungry, I hadn't eaten anything since 4:00 am EST and at this point it's probably about 2:00 Pacific time.  I went out with this kid Hunter from Iowa State.  He is a real cool kid.  I finally got to eat, relax, and meet my roommates at 7:00 Pacific time-almost 20 hours awake with no food!  It was the best food eva!

My roommates are all real cool.  Lance is in my year and he is from New Mexico State.  Caleb is going to be a senior and he goes to U of Nebraska.  James is also going to be a senior and he goes to U of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  They're all real cool.  The motel rooms are real cramped and I'm living out of my suitcase, but it could be worse!

My growth team, which is like my small group is also amazing.  The leader is Brenton, from U of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, who is going to be a super senior.  Ryon is going to be a junior and he goes to Oklahoma State.  Jonah is also going to be a junior and he goes to Missouri Baptist U.  The second day, we did something called soul to soul, where each person shares their testimony and life story.  We went out to Point Loma, which has cliffs and stuff, and Brenton shared his story.  His is very similar to mine, with divorced parents.  We walked to a different place at Point Loma and Jonah shared his story.  He used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol, and almost killed someone with a gun, but he became a christian.  After Jonah shared, we went to In N Out, which actually is a christian burger place, with bible verses on the cups and stuff.  After that, we went to Sunset Cliffs, where I shared my story.  Sunset Cliff was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.  It was so majestic in the dusk.  Then we came back and Ryon shared his story on Mission Beach.  He expresses himself through music.  I really enjoy the company of all these guys.  I love them already!

A couple of other guys who live in Manland, (that's what we call it) are Nathan and Benji, my year at U of North Dakota, Jordan, a super senior at U of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Joe and Taylor, my year at New Mexico State.  I went to Denny's with these guys late one night, and I honestly never laughed so much in my entire life.  These guys are so awesome.  We had to leave the waitress a big tip because we gave her such a hard time!  Haha good times!

Another highlight is the Staff Hunt, where the Staff dresses up in costumes and hides in plain sight and we have to find them.  Like a scavenger hunt.  This was the funnest scavenger hunt I've ever done!  I was in a group with a girl named Bekah who goes to Bridgewater College, who is actually from Reisterstown!  Wow connections.  And another girl named Emily, who I keep calling Ashley because she looks exactly like Ashley Smith!  Anyway it was the best scavenger hunt, and my team found 34/40 staff.  We won! Haha.

Anyway on the job front, I applied to this place in the mall called The Walking Company, a shoe store.   I had an interview with them today, and it looks promising that I will be hired there!  Yay!

In conclusion, I'm making a lot of great friends, having fun, experiencing new surroundings, and also learning a lot about my faith.  Dan Allen, the project director leads the men's times and he is such a good speaker.  I can say that men's times here are the best I've ever had.  I'm learning how to be a Godly Man, and how to act like one.  I'm also learning to trust in the Lord for everything.  Whether it's a job, support, or money.  Rely on Him for everything.  Tonight was our NOR, Night of Reflection, where we spend 2 hours alone with the Lord.  I never have gotten so much out of being alone.If possible you should all do a summer project.  You will have the time of your life, and you won't regret it!

I started reading this book called Crazy Love.  I don't remember the author, but I've red 2 chapters and it has already changed my relationship with God.  Read it.  It's good.

I'll do my best to keep you updated on the job front and any other cool things that come my way!

San Diego Summer Project First Week

I don't have much time, or internet, to write a lot, but I'll make it brief.  San Diego is amazing.  I'm making a lot of great friends and growing in my relationship with Jesus.  If you can ever, definitely do a Summer Project.  It will change your life.