Excited

A week and half has passed. A week and a half has passed? A week and a half has passed!

It's been so wonderful so far! Jesus has proved himself faithful once again in my weaknesses and provided me with so many blessings. Since last Sunday, I've met thirty beautiful people and begun our journey of growth this summer together. I've started my new job as a cashier at the Ribhouse at Silver Dollar City. I've gone canoeing for three hours down the Buffalo River, on which we turned backwards six, yes six, times on the rapids, but never flipped. My hands and knees got really sunburnt. I've had to forget my physical comforts and get up continuously early in the morning to encounter my Abba and then move from that to putting on a floor length dress to head out into 90 degree weather. (It's actually surprisingly not that bad. Although this could be due to the fact that I am in shade and have a fan pointed on me at all times..) I've gotten called Sheree many times, because that is the name of my roommate. I've learned how to share the bridge with people and gone out on Branson and attempted evangelism around town. I've had to learn how to climb gracefully up and down from the top bunk. I've begun to memorize the book of Philippians. In other words, I've had a lot of new experiences!

It's amazing to me that it's only been a week and half. My team is incredible. It's so amazing to see God's work so clearly through the girls that he put me with for the summer. We are all fairly different from each other, but are bonded together through our common love for Jesus. Everyone in the program is so eager to learn about how to be trained as warrior for Jesus. It's a contagious environment: one that has awoken me to my own lack of trust in Christ and see that HE is the ONLY thing that matters and will ever matter, and people's souls are real and being fought for and are worth my extra time to share His love intentionally and that it's dumb to be afraid of being thought of as odd. I'd rather be thought of as odd for my compassion and overflowing love from Jesus, than forever regret the moments that I could have spoken truth and love into someone's life. Regardless of this, it's amazing to understand the depth of Jesus' love for me and that he actually wants to work through me to bring others to him. What have I ever done to deserve the honor of seeing someone's eternity change before my eyes?! Incredible.

I'm incredibly excited for this summer. I have about eight more weeks left here in Branson, and they will continue to be stretching, but I am yearning to grow and be challenged, which has already begun to happen.

"And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet who bring good news!'" Romans 10:15