I thought I would take this time to let you know how well everything is going! I has been exactly three weeks since I sent out a bulk of my letters, and so far, (drum roll please...) I have received $2605 in financial support!! That's well over half of what I'll need to make this trip a reality! Something I have mentioned in my thank-you letters is how amazing it has been to see the Lord so easily break down the barriers I built up in my head about this adventure. By "barriers", I mean the fact that I convinced myself that this trip wouldn't become a reality because my family and friends wouldn't understand why I'm doing this - let alone want to support me! But the Lord has His hand in this, and showed me His undeniable grace through others. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to have everyones support! Anyways, I am very happy to share this information with you :)
Now, I'd like to share with everyone a little more about what pulled me to go on this project, and what the process was like applying to it! As I mentioned in the first post, at the beginning of this academic year in the fall, I did not want to go on a Summer Project. I was completely apprehensive about giving up my entire summer, leaving my job that I love so much in Chico, and being away from my family for that long. Another thing, that I didn't want to admit for a while, was the fact that I didn't want to get stuck in the "track" that other CRU students take: Go on a state-side project, then go international, then apply to Intern. But now, looking back on it, the Lord will have His way with me. There is no where I can run from Him. This week at CRU, Josh Payne (one of the Staff), went through the first chapter of Jonah with us at the weekly meeting. In these verses, Jonah flees from the Lord when He calls him to a foreign land. He literally flees in the opposite direction of where he is called. But, something that can be learned from this, is that you can't run from God. He is everywhere, and every move we make is part of His will. Anyways, now that I'm done with that tangent, back to how I applied. So after talking to a few people in CRU who I look up to and who I admire, I decided to apply and just see what happened. I could not believe the application - it was seven pages long! Most of my college applications weren't that long! I felt like it asked me about everything - but it was amazing to see the Lord give me a sense of peace while completing it. From then until now, a lot has wavered. I have definitely wondered if Ocean City is where I'm meant to be this summer, if I would be able to raise the funds, and most importantly (and scary), if my family and friends would support me. Like I said earlier, the Lord has showed me how silly I was to have doubts about all of these; and now I realize that if I'm meant to be there this summer, God will make it possible!! Next time, I am looking forward to explaining a bit more about what will be going on this summer - hopefully more in depth than what I was able to convey in my letter!
Here's a picture from this week at CRU! April is our "Boys vs. Girls" month - in order to keep the momentum going strong as we near the stagnant time of the year! This week we had to dress up as a celebrity... Take a look at my roommates and I :)
Me (as Sarah Palin), Amber (as Katy Perry), Kayla (as Russel from "UP"), Janae (as Justin Bieber)
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you...and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
