Wrapping Up

I hate to say it, but my time here in San Diego is coming to an end. Last Friday I had my last day at work, and this week we're starting to wrap things up. Monday we had a free day, which was nice. We got to spend some time enjoying San Diego and not have to worry about being anywhere for work or meetings. Today the project directors came back to close down the project. It seems like just yesterday they all left and the students took over the project, and now they're back to send us off. We will spend the next 2 days reflecting on the time we have had here and how we can take what we have learned and grown in back home. 

I am going to be sad to leave on Friday, I have enjoyed my time here so much. I was incredibly blessed with the job that I got and the opportunity to build relationships with my co-workers. I am so thankful for the girls in my small group. They are all so different from each other and have helped me see different points of view and learn to get a long, and lead with different types of people. I have loved living with the thirteen other girls in my condo who have meant so much to me in different ways. I have gotten closer to some more than others and I am thankful for the close relationships I got to form over the past 10 weeks. I'm grateful for the patience God has given to us all, as it's not always easy living with so many girls :) All of the leaders have helped us grow in our knowledge of how to be good leaders in different ways. Even though it will be sad to leave it all I am also excited to be going home and back to school. I have such great things to come back to. I have a family who has been encouraging and supportive through the whole summer, and truly want to know all that went on this summer. I have friends who I miss very  much and can't wait to spend time with again. I have a community at school that will encourage me and keep me accountable in what I am doing. I have people from this project that will be going back to school with me, and help me remember what I have learned this summer and help pass that knowledge on to others. 

Saying goodbye is not something I am a fan of. Leaving people I love and am used to spending time with during the summer was hard, and leaving the people I have gotten close to here will be hard as well. I've realized though that I shouldn't dwell on how hard it is not to be around everyone I want to at the same time, but to thank God for putting them into my life in the first place, and to express to them all how much they mean to me. 

I want to thank anyone who has read this or kept up with what is going on this summer, for those who have prayed for me and the other students on this project. What God has done in my life is only a small part of what He has done on this project as a whole. I am excited to start of the semester and see what it has in store. For now it's time to pack though, and maybe enjoy the beach for one of the last nights :)

Unashamed

Well as much as I hate to say it the end of project is coming up fast! I didn't realized how long it had been since I blogged, although it feels like it was only a few days ago. I put in my two weeks notice at work the other day which made me realize just how little time I have left here. The past few weeks have been great of course, I've been working, going to campus, we had our fourth of July outreach which was great and we got to invite and hang out with people from around where we live as well as co-workers of some of the people on project. It is great to see everyone reaching out to those around them and bringing them into our community. I'm sure people will hear this a lot from me when they ask me how project was, but I just love the community we have here, and I'm sure I won't fully appreciate it until I am not around it anymore.
We had an amazing women's time last week where we got the chance to share with each other what we are struggling with and how to help each other through it, because none of us are alone. It made me excited to bring that kind of community back with me to school, and to the women in CRU.
Our theme for this week is unashamed. We are trying to focus on being completely unashamed of the gospel. When you think about it at first it might seem weird, I mean we're here on a missions trip why would we be ashamed of the gospel when that is the reason we are here? When you think about it though how often do we sugar coat the word of God in order to please those around us. We may think "oh I don't want to offend this person" or "I want them to like me so I better not tell them that what they are doing is wrong" Sometimes we can be so preoccupied with being non judgmental and accepting that we forget to share the gospel completely. I can think of several conversations I have had in the past where I have been ashamed of the gospel. I want people to like me, that I don't want to  share what I believe if it is different from them. being intentional about talking to people this summer has really helped me become more comfortable sharing with people what I believe, and explaining to them how it is different from their views while still having a loving attitude towards them. When you think about it you have nothing to lose, and they have everything to gain. Christians have the privilege of salvation, and the privilege of suffering for God. If that suffering means being rejected by others, so be it. The rejection I have had on campus and talking to people in San Diego cannot even come close to compare to the suffering others have gone through. We are reading through Acts right now which is filled with people suffering for God. People like Stephen, James and Paul who were physically persecuted for what they believed in even to the point of death, yet still loved those who persecuted them asking  God to forgive them, and then getting up and continuing to share the gospel. They were truly unashamed of the gospel, they had an eternal perspective. When I think about the people in my life that do not have  relationship with God it hurts me. It hurts me to know that people I love and care about aren't living for anything that matters, and do not understand the brokenness of man, the love of God and the chance we have to accept that and have a personal relationship with Christ. What are we doing if we aren't spreading the gospel, building our relationships with other Christians and giving everyone the opportunity to have the joy and fulfillment that comes with following Christ? I am praying for us all to be completely unashamed of the gospel this week and to continue that as we go back to our campuses.

" For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes" Romans 1:16
"For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him" Philippians 1:29
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