Blessed.

Today was another great day in NMB, SC. I woke up early and made the commute down to Tanger Outlet Mall in Myrtle Beach. I was giving my friend from project Anna Jean a ride there so she could fill out some paperwork at The Fudgery. I also had applied there last Friday and I had only heard that I would find out more details on my employment status. We arrive at the mall around 9:45 and waited outside until Chris, the manager, and the other employes unlocked the doors at 10. He arrived at 10 unlocked the door and Chris said I had the job. I filled out the employment paperwork and start tomorrow at 10 a.m.!

Okay now lets look back a few days. After I had met with Chris the first time on Friday, he said I had a really good chance at getting the job and he would give me a call. I was excited and went back to my apartment with the other people on Summer Project. Saturday went by. No Call. To tell you the truth I had my phone by me at all times and was constantly anticipating it to ring. Sunday came and I was very anxious with again no call. Worry and Anxiety is addressed in the bible numerous times and I even knew of some verses I used to lead a bible study on last semester.

For example Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

There is also a whole passage dedicated to Worry in Luke 12:22-34. 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn: yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? ...27-34.

Luke's passage really spoke to me and definitely needed to be applied to the situation. I realized late Saturday night that I needed to surrender the outcome to God for it was out of my control. I went to Him in prayer and asked Him to provide by His will and God surely provided! He answered my prayer and I look forward to having the opportunities to share my faith and the good news of Christ in the workplace. Praise God for that!

First Full Day at North Myrtle

What an amazing journey it has been coming to NMB. The 25 hour drive was fun. Driving through the Great Smokey Mountains for nine hours at night leaves something to be desired but we survived. The rolling hills and sharp curves in combination with dense fog made me uneasy but God got me safely to project.

Today was the first day of orientation. Like orientations always go, you learn the laws of the land and what is expected of you. I experienced my first Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. It was amazing! After a morning and afternoon of sessions we were released in groups of two to go to the beach and strike up spiritual conversations. I went sharing with a guy name Luke Johnson. He is actually the son of two staff on CRU that work at Iowa State University (Kirk & Luann Johnson). What a small world! God really used us this afternoon and blessed us with three great spiritual conversations.

 Just one of the conversations we had was with a man who is an associate pastor at a baptist church in North Carolina. He was very strong in his faith and relationship with the Lord and was passionate about evangelism. He has been involved in the church he has been serving for over 30 years, and he started a ministry for the elderly folks in his congregation. He said even though the men and women in the church are in their 70-90's he said they felt something was missing. The individuals have been members of that church for all their life and knew who God was but never had the chance to know what it was like to have a Personal Relationship with their God and Savior. The associate pastor felt there was a need to reach out to these men and women and share that there is more to knowing and it takes action on our part to ask Christ into our life. That was very wonderful to hear from a brother in Christ who is actively doing God's will and serving those in his church. It was great and encouraging to see how God is working in this man's life and to see how God has equipped him to reach out to those you may not think of first.

Prayer requests:
Please pray for my job searching in the coming days.
Please pray for genuine relationships that I am building with my bible study guys.
Please pray for protection and health as I recover from lack of sleep from driving down here & for the summer.
Pray for a deepened understanding and appreciation of the Gospel.
Pray for boldness in evangelism and sharing my faith on the beach.

Thanks & God Bless!

Sunday Before Trip to NMB

My first blog Post!! This blog will be used to tell of my adventures at North Mytrle Beach, SC. I well be there for Campus Crusade for Christ & over 100 other college students from the U.S. We will be built up in our relationships with Christ and spread the good news of the Gospel to visitors and residents of NMB. I look forward to the many spiritual conversations to come!

It has been a wonderful break since final's wrapped up on May 6 in Ames, IA. I have spent my time at home with family (NW Iowa Farm). God has blessed me with a great family that supports me. I am truly lucky to have them in my life. It was good that I was home so I could help take care of my mother after her recent hip replacement. It was great to serve my mother who has done so much for me over the years.

Today is a beautiful day, but it is a little cold. I am looking forward to the warmer weather down in South Carolina. I have had my suitcase packed for over a week. I have to say I am really excited to see what God has is store for my summer! I can't wait to meet all my brothers and sisters in Christ that I will be spending the next 10 weeks. The car ride will be long, but I look forward to arriving in North Myrtle Beach ready to do God's work!