So STP is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I got here on Saturday June 4th. I had spent the night with Victoria because she is awesome. It was so good to see one of my best friends. It was an encouraging time to see her and catch up. Alexa and I drove up here together and it was a wonderful trip. We just talked the whole time and I'm sure her parents thought that I never stopped talking. When we got here I was the first person from my team besides me team leader. I'll introduce you to my team.
Right behind me is Lauren Zezulka, then Molly Broome, Samantha Hull, and Taryn Stait (from left to right). Sam and Taryn are our team leaders and are completely awesome. Molly and Zee are the best team members ever. We have been growing closer over the past couple of days. When you live together, worship together, study the bible together, and white water raft together, you get to be really close. I can't wait to see how God works among this great group. We have started calling ourselves the
Sisterhood of the Traveling Spirit (STS)! On our hotel door room is a tree with all our names on it and trees have kind of become our mascot. We have matching tree necklaces and journals.
Let me tell you about white water rafting on Monday. It was so crazy! Also everyone should know that I finally remembered to put sunscreen on and did not get sunburned. In fact I got a tan! But our team was in a raft with another STPer named Rachel. Our guides name is Mitch and he had only been leading passengers for 3 weeks so we knew we were in for a trip. We were going great and then
IT HAPPENED!! Another raft had gotten stuck on a rock and a 2nd raft got stuck almost underneath the lip of the other raft. The 2nd raft flipped over after already losing a member. My team quickly pulled into the boat as many people as we could. I pulled in a new friend of mine named Meredith. I felt
super legit grabbing her life jacket and yanking her into the boat. She had been under for a while so she was really shaken up. So at this point my boat has 9 passengers plus our guide and we were coming up on a class 4 rapid. The Ocoee River only has 2 class 4 rapids and it was going to be intense with that much weight on the boat. We get into the rapid and since I was at the front, the water was rushing right into my chest. The water was so powerful it swept me out of the boat but my feet were locked into the boat. My face and body was under the water but my feet were keeping me from being able to get away from the rapid and breathe. I eventually dislodged my feet and went under completely. Another raft that didnt realize where I was
rode right over me and hit me in the helmet. I was super thankful for that though because it told me where the surface was. I eventually got up and in the swimmer position. I heard someone yell "GRAB THE ROPE!!" so I was flailing around found the rope. They pulled me to their raft and got me in the boat. My adrenaline was pumping at the point but I wouldn't trade it for the world. We met up with Mitch and swapped people around until we were all in our original boats. It was the best trip and the most exciting trip I had been on. I have been on that particular river 4 times so I was happy to have a new experience.
We got back and I got to play 6 games of beach volleyball where me and my team went undefeated!! There are lots of Laurens here so everyone has started calling me by my school nickname Money! Trish would be super happy about the nickname being continued.
So now that the small stuff has been covered, let me tell you about the BIG stuff! God has been doing great things! Before the summer began, I felt really lethargic and unable to have any time with God. It was super discouraging because I wanted to get into the groove for STP. When I got here though I found out it was like that for my whole team. Satan had been working so hard to keep us from growing before the summer started. Well now that we are here, God has been working in a mighty way. It has only been 5 days!!
Our bible study for the whole summer is about Intimacy with Christ. I am really excited about this because it is the ultimate goal for the summer: to grow in my relationship with Christ and to know Him on a deeper level. This first week is Colossians 1 which is exciting because I did this chapter with Erin my freshman year but I am learning way new stuff!! Our memory verse for the week is Colossians 1: 13-14 which says:
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
This verse has been really powerful this week. I love the imagery of God being my knight in shining armor and rescuing me from Satan who had me trapped in my sin. I also love that we have been forgiven of our sins. I am such a sinful person. Maybe not as much outwardly but I have a lot of sinful attitudes and perceptions. The stronger we become in our faith the sneaker and less noticeable Satan is when he gets us to sin.
In my times alone with God, I have been continuing through the Old Testament. Psalms has really been blessing me and communicating God's character and heart for me. My other verse for this week is Psalm 8:4-5 which says:
what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
This verse just really spoke humility into my life this week. To continually remember that God is so perfect and holy and I am sinful and broken. Still God cares for me and loves me. This is something that I may never understand but I am so thankful for it. He wants to give me good things and to lift me up from my sin. Praise the Lord for Christ who has covered me in His righteousness because I have none of my own.
Another verse that has really spoken to me has been Psalm 9:10a which says: "Those who know your name will trust in you." It really made me think about how often I don't trust in God. I clearly have a lot of getting to know God's character so that I can fully trust him. God has never let me down before so I have no reason not to trust him and yet I still find it so hard. It is hard to trust someone who is not a tangible person. God though has been one of the most real things in my life and what he has done for me and through me.
Last night at Nav Night Dave Bachman spoke on the Need of the Hour. It was really good because he talked about how often we make God so much smaller than he really is and we limit our need for him because of self sufficient attitude. He took the talk from this man named Dawson Troutman and I love the quote that he gave.
The greatest need of the world is an army of believers who know they need a big God and trust him to transform and use their broken lives. - Dawson Trotman
I love this chart that they showed us. That at the point we become a believer in Christ we continue to grow in our awareness of God's holiness but at the same time we realize more and more the depth of our sin. It is not that these things are getting bigger. I am not growing more sinful nor in God becoming more holy. It is simply that my awareness of those are growing. From this growing awareness I also come to realize the full depth of my need of a Savior in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord for the Redeemer.
That has been my short week so far at STP. I know it is a lot but I will try to update every Wednesday on my day off. If you could please be praying for my summer, I would love for that! The areas in my life that I am really working on this summer is:
- Discipline - Anyone who knows me knows that this is something I really struggle with. The structure of the summer has helped so far and my team is helping hold me accountable for my scripture memory and review and spending Time Alone With God (TAWG).
- Submission - I LOVE control. I want to lead everything! Whether in bible study, 1-1's, exercise, class or relationships, I always want to be the one to set the pace. But that is not my job. God should be in ultimate control.
Pray for these things above all! I miss everyone and will try to keep everyone updated!!
I have always loved the story of Hosea and the fact that God welcomes me back with open arms is just something that brings me to my knees every time in worship. I chase after false gods and idols time and time again and every time God pursues me and romances me back into his arms. I am so unfaithful and still He wants me. I have always known this but for some reason, the awesomeness of it all just struck me in this coffee shop. The fact that God wants me: the broken, imperfect, unfaithful, messed up me. Yet the Lord Jehovah, Elohim who created me, finds me lovely and wonderful. 
