Greetings from Ocean City!! This is a blog that will capture
the highlights of my summer here in Ocean City, NJ so far.
I’ve been here a little over a week now and SO MUCH has
happened.
First of all, we got here safely which I was really nervous
about after getting in a car accident a few weeks back. After a 15 hour drive
with only two stops, we made it to the Ambassador Inn in record time!
The Ambassador Inn is where I live—it houses most of the
girls on the project and a few guys too. I room with my Action group (Nichole,
Kim and Bri) and my discipler, Kara. I immediately felt welcomed, even though I
was coming in almost 2 weeks late and it’s already so fun.
Last week was orientation week for quarter students which was great because if you know anything about me you know how much I love
schedules and lists. It was also really cool because all the quarter students
got to know each other really well and we were able to build a mini
community within the huge community. It really made me more comfortable and
brought be out of my shell. During orientation we also got some training on
some resources that we use to share our faith on the boardwalk, which was
really helpful. My favorite part about it was learning the heart behind why we
share on the boardwalk the way we do. I have definitely been skeptical at times
of the way Cru shares with others, but this training and explanation really
made me see it in a better light.
Speaking of sharing my faith, I’ve done more of it in my
week and a half here than I probably have the rest of my life combined. From sharing my testimony with people here to initiating spiritual and gospel
conversations with people on the boardwalk, it has been a scary, thrilling,
exciting, and stretching ride. I can say that already I am growing in my
confidence with talking to people I don’t know and my confidence in being able
to explain the gospel clearly through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit has been a hot topic here in OC, which is
really exciting because I feel like the term “holy spirit” means a lot of
different things to a lot of different people. It’s been really exciting to dig
into what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and I feel like I’m at least
starting to have a better understanding of it.
One of my favorite things so far has been my quiet
times, or “Date Nights with Jesus.” These are times that we have 3 hours to
just spend time with the Lord. One thing that God has really been showing me
through these times is how much I am controlled by fear and anxiety in life. A
friend of mine (shout out to Sanna Kenney!) wrote me a note that I got in the
mail that included that verse 2 Timothy 1:7. This verse talks about how God did
not give us a sprit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. This verse
just really hit home for me and made me realize how many areas in my life I’m
not walking with the spirit but walking in my own power which is full of fear. It’s
so exciting to have this truth pointed out to me so early on project and I’m
pumped to just learn more truths like this and be stretched so far this summer
that I won’t be the same again!
Another exciting part of project so far is that I officially
have a job! Praise God! As of today I accepted a job at the South Seas Shop on
the boardwalk. It’s basically a little souvenir shop that also sells
swimsuits and things like that. My roommate Nichole works there too. I started tomorrow learning the cash register and how the store works. I’m excited to get
to know my co-workers and also to make some money!
That’s about all I have time to write now, but I’m going
to try to write more frequently so I can go into more depth. Please pray that I
can keep being bold in my faith and walking in the spirit! Love you all!!
