Well, for the second week straight as I reflect on what God has been teaching me, the struggle is narrowing it down from the tons of things I feel like God has been teaching me. As a result, I decided that what he's teaching me is how messed up I am and how much I have left to learn, hence "A Work in Progress." I'm in a process of being made into the man God wants me to be but as long as I've got this flesh on me that process won't be over, I'll always have a lot to learn, and I'll never find the bottom. I've been learning what it means to walk by faith and not by sight, being unafraid to move in a direction I feel the Lord leading me in, even if I can't see the outcome. I've been learning how much of what I do is entirely motivated by seeking validation from others. This is dumb for a lot of reasons but there are two main reasons. First, because I already have all the validation I'll ever need from a God who doesn't just love me but he actually likes me. He delights in me, he's proud of me, he enjoys spending time with me. Second, because when I do things to make other people notice me and think highly of me, then I'm by default not doing things to bring glory to God which is what I was created to do. I've been learning from the very beginning of this project what it means to play the background and serve others. Being here on staff instead of as a student has shown me how much its not about me. My entire purpose in being here has been to facilitate the students to grow and take steps of faith, and if I do so in the process then great. I'm literally only here to work myself out of a job so that after these 5 weeks the students wouldn't have any need of me anymore. Also, as we went through a chapter this week about total depravity I've been reminded that even when my actions look like I've got it together a little bit I'm hopelessly messed up on the heart level and thought level and motivation level. In light of all that, thank God for the cross! Without it, I'd be pretty screwed. I can't wait til the day I get to cast all that sin down and never have to struggle with it again, the day I meet Jesus!
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| I hiked out with some students to a spot called "the garden of eden" and we set up our hammocks! |
This week has been pretty exciting seeing the students starting to take ownership of the project and for us to begin to take a back seat. Yesterday the entire staff team went to a water park in San Jose called Raging Waters to give the students an idea of what a day would be like without us around at all. It was so much fun! We got back just in time to see the students that we picked as Action Group leaders lead for their first time. Victor did a great job with our group. We officially pass the baton to the students on Monday night. There's not a ton to write about to be honest in regard to things that have happened but I do want to give shout outs to some of the men in my Bible study! Steven Andrews and Austin Dix both just got back from overseas summer projects in East Asia and Argentina, welcome home men! I was so excited the other day when I got a call from Steven, since he had no contact at all from East Asia and I can't wait to catch up with him even more when I get back home in a little over a week. I also really want to give a shout out to Alan King who is here in Santa Cruz with me! I'm so proud of him for taking the step of faith to come here. He's met lots of people this summer and been way out of his comfort zone the entire time but I see him growing so much. I'm really excited to see him every morning being the first one outside having a long time with the Lord before work. When we picked servant teams, I thought for sure Alan would be on Admin/Housing or Weekly Meeting team which there would have been nothing wrong with but I was pleasantly surprised to find out he had joined the outreach team with me specifically because he was scared of it and wanted to grow in that area. He's a whole different person than he was when he got here, and unlike me hes not even halfway done here yet. I can't wait to see the man he is when he comes walking up to me on campus in the Fall. Proud of you Alan!
Prayer Requests:
- Pray for me to continue to find rest in my Savior, to know him more and better each day and overflow the fruit of the Spirit.
- Pray for the leaders that God has raised up (answered prayer). Pray they'll find strength in the Lord as they give direction to the project this summer, that they'll be respected by their peers. The best is yet to come for these students after we leave.
- Pray specifically for Victor, Damon, Branson, Sam, and Greg as my coleader J.P. and I take off for the summer. Victor will be leading the action group after we leave, Sam will be leading the prayer team, and Branson will actually be one of the project directors. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for them.
- Pray for those in Santa Cruz who don't know Christ, pray that God would go before us and prepare their hearts to hear the message of his unfailing love for them, what he did for them on the cross, and his desire to have a relationship with them.
- Pray for continued unity among the staff team, and for that to be contagious to the students that they would really work as one for the summer especially once the staff have left. Pray for safety as we're going to Yosemite soon. Some of us will be hiking half dome, which is a 17 mile hike.
- Please continue to pray for Nichole. Pray for her to see God clearly, for courage to trust him, pray that she'd find lasting joy, satisfaction, and a living hope in Jesus Christ.
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