Yesterday was my first official day of work at the coffee shop. Honestly I started yesterday in the best mood! I woke up with a smile on my face, I was perky all day, and God was working in my heart.
Instead of being down about things not necessarily going the way I wanted them to I realized I can be joyous in what God has given me. And He's given me great opportunities.
The coffee shop is amazing...and it has given me already great opportunities to share with the people on the campground why I am so happy and why I am here all the way from NC.
I absolutely love the coffee shop. It is so much fun, but it's definitely exhausting. I ended yesterday with my feet and my back killing me but still with a smile on my face. I seriously met so many amazing people just in the coffee shop. Some from Germany, some from Canada, some from Austria. The guy from Austria lived a year in Durham which made me really happy and it started up a conversation.
This morning we had our first chapel service. It was really random but really good. We had a great turnout and Mike did a great job with the sermon on Worship.
Now it's day number two of work...for now I will relax and worship Jesus some with music...and then I'm off to my 8 hour shift. Ibuprofin will be taken. =)
May 30, 2010
May 28, 2010
God still reigns...
Man o man where to begin with the last few days? Well first off...we went to Mt. Rushmore the other evening. It was absolutely beautiful but it wasn't what I expected (which lately I'm learning more and more about expectationless expectations). It's pretty awesome but honestly I am more in love with the God-made scenery. Our staff (minus Millie and Jordan who aren't here yet) got the opportunity to see what not many people get to see in person...
After Mt. Rushmore we came back to our dorms (which by the way are pretty nice all things considering, and we get to wake up to a view only God could create). Wednesday we had orientation. We watched a video on how to make it GREAT! Haha. And then we had lunch at the restraunt on the camp ground. The lunch was awesome...very like an Applebees and it was free which makes it way better. We then went and did micro trash clean up on the campground and then we were done!
Yesterday was really fun. We worked 9:00-1:00 cleaning and learning the area that the summershiners work. Our main task was the clean the jumping pillow. That was a job in itself! It took us pretty much the whole time. We got pretty burnt also. Let me make all you east coast people aware that it's NOT COLD here like you thought!! We are at a high elevation (closer to the sun) o and todays forecast...currently at 1:40 PM is...
Yep 82 degrees. And it's hot. Here's just an image of what we did yesterday. 
God is definitely teaching. I will not be doing the normal South Dakota Summershine job. Due to lack of staff and myself being over 21 I will be working in the coffee/wine shop. I was really disappointed and it has taken some time for me to really get used to the idea, but I realize God has a plan. I may not be interacting with the kids while I'm working on the clock, but I will later on...and I will interact with their parents who will be taking their kids to the activities we summershiners do. Kids can only remember things for a little bit but I get to meet their parents and tell their parents about what's going on. They will remember a lot more. I'm sure there's other reasons for me working there and if I do not realize those reasons until the end of the summer it will still be okay. God reigns. God is bigger and greater.
This morning I went to my training for the coffee shop and now I am off the rest of the day. We are going to wal-mart tonight and tomorrow starts the weekend activities! And my first day as a coffee barista!
May 25, 2010
His Power is perfect in my Weakness
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
I am finally in South Dakota and it has been a whirl wind of emotions. I feel absolutely weak, and useless right now because I'm so entirely exhausted. We haven't started "Summershine" quite yet because our manager thought we weren't arriving until tonight, so we don't have orientation and paper work until tomorrow. I feel like I am not supposed to be here...and that is the devil speaking lies to me. God is reminding me of the verse above...HIS power is made perfect in my weakness. I am proud to be weak because God can work through me. I don't want to be arrogant, I don't want to think that I am stronger than my God.
We didn't arrive to South Dakota until about 10:30 last night (12:30 Eastern Time) and then we had to go to Wal Mart...needless to say I was awake 21 hours before finally sleeping for about 4 hours because I couldn't sleep.
I will not complain because God has purposes for everything...and complaining about being exhausted will get me no where. I want to serve my Father ultimately to Glorify Him.
There are things in my life that I am already learning to cut out of my life. Pointless conversation being one of those things. I want nothing more than my life to be glorifying to God...and that means if I'm wasting air just to talk, it's pointless. This morning the Lord took me to 1 Corinthians 14...specifically Verse 19. "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue" This passage is focusing on speaking in tongues, and even though I am not speaking in tongues the main focus there is that if no one can understand the tongues, then why speak them? Well if my talk is not glorifying to God why talk?
God will continue to teach me.
Tonight we are hoping to go to Mt. Rushmore and out to dinner...tomorrow morning starts the week!
I am finally in South Dakota and it has been a whirl wind of emotions. I feel absolutely weak, and useless right now because I'm so entirely exhausted. We haven't started "Summershine" quite yet because our manager thought we weren't arriving until tonight, so we don't have orientation and paper work until tomorrow. I feel like I am not supposed to be here...and that is the devil speaking lies to me. God is reminding me of the verse above...HIS power is made perfect in my weakness. I am proud to be weak because God can work through me. I don't want to be arrogant, I don't want to think that I am stronger than my God.
We didn't arrive to South Dakota until about 10:30 last night (12:30 Eastern Time) and then we had to go to Wal Mart...needless to say I was awake 21 hours before finally sleeping for about 4 hours because I couldn't sleep.
I will not complain because God has purposes for everything...and complaining about being exhausted will get me no where. I want to serve my Father ultimately to Glorify Him.
There are things in my life that I am already learning to cut out of my life. Pointless conversation being one of those things. I want nothing more than my life to be glorifying to God...and that means if I'm wasting air just to talk, it's pointless. This morning the Lord took me to 1 Corinthians 14...specifically Verse 19. "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue" This passage is focusing on speaking in tongues, and even though I am not speaking in tongues the main focus there is that if no one can understand the tongues, then why speak them? Well if my talk is not glorifying to God why talk?
God will continue to teach me.
Tonight we are hoping to go to Mt. Rushmore and out to dinner...tomorrow morning starts the week!
May 24, 2010
Patience before we even get there...
So today has already been long...and I haven't even gotten to South Dakota. God is definitely teaching patience. I am sitting in the Chicago airport right now with 2 hours to go before I board for Denver. Then from Denver we will finally make our descent into Rapid City.
I can not believe the day is finally here that I am on my way to South Dakota. I found out two months ago that I would be going.
We were supposed to leave at 12:15 this afternoon for Chicago but due to Technical difficulties we didn't leave until 2:15...we had to change our flight from Chicago to Denver and from Denver to Rapid City. God is definitely already working on the patience...but in the midst of it we will now arrive with the rest of our staff (if all goes as planned with their flights) and it is giving Mike and Kathryn more time before having to go to the airport. I am not sure what tomorrow looks like, but I am excited to finally start this journey with my savior over 1000 miles away in South Dakota.
I am excited for what He will teach us. For what He will show us. For who He will introduce us to and how he will give us opportunities to share His word. Truly God is amazing. Truly He is sovereign and in the midst of everything He will always reign.
The start to a summer worth living =)
I can not believe the day is finally here that I am on my way to South Dakota. I found out two months ago that I would be going.
We were supposed to leave at 12:15 this afternoon for Chicago but due to Technical difficulties we didn't leave until 2:15...we had to change our flight from Chicago to Denver and from Denver to Rapid City. God is definitely already working on the patience...but in the midst of it we will now arrive with the rest of our staff (if all goes as planned with their flights) and it is giving Mike and Kathryn more time before having to go to the airport. I am not sure what tomorrow looks like, but I am excited to finally start this journey with my savior over 1000 miles away in South Dakota.
I am excited for what He will teach us. For what He will show us. For who He will introduce us to and how he will give us opportunities to share His word. Truly God is amazing. Truly He is sovereign and in the midst of everything He will always reign.
The start to a summer worth living =)
May 08, 2010
What is Jesus doing?
"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)
Wow...I have gone through a plethora of emotions over the past few days. I've been fighting the urge to be angry, upset, and have tried hard to remember my God is in charge.
I have worked really hard this school year to make sure I have the GPA necessary to finally get into Upper Division. I had two classes online and 3 on campus this semester and I made sure I went to every class (unless I was sick), and I made sure I did every assignment. I especially did my best to keep up with my online classes and do my best there. One class I really expected to have a B in and I discovered I made a D...talk about shock! I was devastated. I started to truly freak out because with a D that means I really had to have an A in another class in order to get my GPA...well the class I thought I had an A in ended up being a B...once again shock...I've been praying and pleading to have an A in at least ONE class. Sometimes God has other answers to our prayers though, and after all of my grades have been posted I did not make an A in any classes, and I ended up making lower in a few classes than I expected.
I could continue to go through the plethora of emotions. I could get angry. However I came to a realization today that my emotions are coming from a fear that is unnecessary in my life. I have been striving to please my Mom in school...and even though I realize I am to honor my parents it is not them that I am supposed to please. It is my heavenly Father. My parents are not paying for me to go to school. My parents did not go to college. And as much as I know they want me to be finished and moving on to a career, I can only go on the timeline that God has planned for me. For some reason I am not where I should be in school right now, and I could get upset...but instead I will accept what God is giving me.
He has a plan. I have a fear that my Mom will get upset, will yell, will tell me she's disappointed...but ultimately her opinion does not matter. What I am doing for God matters.
I have sent an email to my advisor in the hopes to get special permission to get into an Upper Division class this coming semester, so I can still start my senior one in the spring and still graduate fall of next year (2011)...That is my prayer and my hope and I will continue to pray. But once again I realize even though I pray this, God may not have that same plan. I don't really know what His plan is. I don't know what Jesus is doing. I do know that He's going to continue to grow me and teach me to rely on Him for things in my life.
I am 16 days away from being in South Dakota with a new Summershine family and I am overwhelmed with excitement to see how God works this summer. The Mt. Rushmore KOA is still in the beginning stages of Summershine. We are still building the summershine foundation and I can't wait to see what we do this summer and what God does in showing the true name of Summershine. I am spending the next two weeks continuiing to cover myself in the dust of my Rabbi...I am excited, overwhelmed, and OVERJOYED with the things God continues to do in my life. Jesus is doing wonderful things...and I love my Jesus.
Wow...I have gone through a plethora of emotions over the past few days. I've been fighting the urge to be angry, upset, and have tried hard to remember my God is in charge.
I have worked really hard this school year to make sure I have the GPA necessary to finally get into Upper Division. I had two classes online and 3 on campus this semester and I made sure I went to every class (unless I was sick), and I made sure I did every assignment. I especially did my best to keep up with my online classes and do my best there. One class I really expected to have a B in and I discovered I made a D...talk about shock! I was devastated. I started to truly freak out because with a D that means I really had to have an A in another class in order to get my GPA...well the class I thought I had an A in ended up being a B...once again shock...I've been praying and pleading to have an A in at least ONE class. Sometimes God has other answers to our prayers though, and after all of my grades have been posted I did not make an A in any classes, and I ended up making lower in a few classes than I expected.
I could continue to go through the plethora of emotions. I could get angry. However I came to a realization today that my emotions are coming from a fear that is unnecessary in my life. I have been striving to please my Mom in school...and even though I realize I am to honor my parents it is not them that I am supposed to please. It is my heavenly Father. My parents are not paying for me to go to school. My parents did not go to college. And as much as I know they want me to be finished and moving on to a career, I can only go on the timeline that God has planned for me. For some reason I am not where I should be in school right now, and I could get upset...but instead I will accept what God is giving me.
He has a plan. I have a fear that my Mom will get upset, will yell, will tell me she's disappointed...but ultimately her opinion does not matter. What I am doing for God matters.
I have sent an email to my advisor in the hopes to get special permission to get into an Upper Division class this coming semester, so I can still start my senior one in the spring and still graduate fall of next year (2011)...That is my prayer and my hope and I will continue to pray. But once again I realize even though I pray this, God may not have that same plan. I don't really know what His plan is. I don't know what Jesus is doing. I do know that He's going to continue to grow me and teach me to rely on Him for things in my life.
I am 16 days away from being in South Dakota with a new Summershine family and I am overwhelmed with excitement to see how God works this summer. The Mt. Rushmore KOA is still in the beginning stages of Summershine. We are still building the summershine foundation and I can't wait to see what we do this summer and what God does in showing the true name of Summershine. I am spending the next two weeks continuiing to cover myself in the dust of my Rabbi...I am excited, overwhelmed, and OVERJOYED with the things God continues to do in my life. Jesus is doing wonderful things...and I love my Jesus.
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