DBSP '10 finale!

Today is August 17, 2010. It has been officially 2 weeks since I've been home from project. Wow. That is ridiculous! I miss it so much!!!

I just wanted to write one last blog before I closed this chapter of my life (and my blog). First of all, thank you to everyone who has faithfully supported me during my time in Daytona. I'm thankful for every letter, every prayer, and every thought of my work in Daytona. It was very hard at times. Looking back now, I struggled a lot more than I thought I would and wrestled with things with the Lord. I feel like now that I can semi see the forrest through the trees, I can more clearly see what God was, and is, trying to do in my life.

Project taught me about the joy of the Lord. I'm the kind of person who loves life and loves to make it funny..because it's fun! As project progressed, I realized how empty that had been. I realized I was just happy..not joyful. My happiness was momentary and could be disturbed at any moment..and often it was. Joy doesn't come from a pouch labeled "joy" inside our bodies. It comes from the Lord. I became joyful because I sought Jesus and He is Joy! The source of our affection is Christ. Hallelujah!! It's difficult still deciphering the difference between happiness and joy, and I think a lot of times they can come together, but I'm definitely learning post-project!

So, as I officially wrap up this blog and say farewell to blogspot.com, I'll say one last thank you to those of you who read this blog and supported my mission in Daytona. I miss it so much every day; the people, the hotel, the mission, but I know that God has a great year at CNU planned for me and I pray that I'll use the tools I learned in Daytona to win people for His Kingdom. Just an encouragement: Jonah won souls, Noah pleased God. It's not always about the result, it's about tending to the harvest and letting God grow the crops. I love you all! Thanks for reading! DBSP '10!!! :] :]

We're down to 2 days left...

Well, I would like to offer my apologies as I realize it has almost been 2 weeks that I have not updated this thing. Sorry!! Just haven't had time to sit down and write.

In the past week, I've been reflecting a lot on my 9 (almost 10) weeks here in Daytona Beach. I can't believe I'm coming down to the last days. We're all starting to say, "I'm going to miss (fill in the blank)," and "remember when..." It's sad and I honestly don't know how I'm going to react when the day actually comes when I pack up all my things and drive away from my home of 10 weeks..never again to live in the El Caribe with 40 other students from across the nation. I'm going to miss my walk to work at 6:50am as I watch the sunrise (and construction men work) on S. Atlantic Avenue and I breathe in and smell breakfast foods from the IHOP across the street. I'm going to miss my roommates and waking up with 3 other girls in the room. I'm going to miss the Carribbean room where we have all of our organized events like Monday and Thursday night dinners and family night and women's time. I'm going to miss the random hang out times I get with people that have united DBPS '10 together. It's all coming to an end.

Yesterday was my last day of work. Surprisingly, it was extremely difficult to leave. If you asked me before I arrived in Daytona if I thought I'd end my job with tears in my eyes, I would say, "heck no!" But that sure is what happened. I went in yesterday hoping the day would just go slowly so that I could soak in every moment. It was awesome. The people were so fun. They gave me little things to remember them by and lots of hugs were shared (which I just love). Peter (my manager) told me that he'd been in the hotel business since he was 15 and there's only a handful of people that stand out in his mind and I will be one of them. He gave me a great big hug and I had to keep myself from crying in front of him. It was such a sweet moment, I don't think I'll ever forget that one. The day went on and I got cards and little gifts. I had been begging my supervisor, Justin, all week to buy me an ice-cream cake and he kept saying no..but about 1pm or so, I see a little purple shirt bouncing across the street holding a cake shaped bag. In walks Justin. He walked back to the break room, placed his little bag of secrecy in the freezer. Oh yes, it was my ice cream cake. :] At 3oclock, my work day was over and everyone gathered in the back to have cake. It was really sad, but I'm so thankful I was able to meet such amazing people. Throughout the summer I have wondered many times if my presence has made a difference. Friday was assurance that it has. They all honestly seemed as if it was sad to see me go and I just felt loved and appreciated. I pray that my (ex)co-workers..sad..were able to understand a little bit about Jesus because of me being here in Daytona for the summer. I will miss Perry's a lot, but I promised to email and send letters and get a free stay if I visit again. Ok, well that's up to them but I can hope. Anyways, my time here in Daytona is officially vacation until Tuesday, but I have loved working at Perry's and will miss it!

Gosh, ya'll. I'm sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. I'm trying to think of all that has gone on since last time. We had Tacky Prom a few weeks ago and last week we had Christmas in July for our socials. Today we had Sun-up to Sun-down where we have literally spent every waking moment together. It's been fun but I'm sleeeepy!! Tomorrow we are going back to the juvenile detention center to talk to the kids again and just love on them. And on Tuesday, we're all packing up and heading home. I can't believe it's in 2 days. Project will be OVER!! Wow. Thanks to everyone for the constant prayers and support for me being here. I honestly can't tell you how much it has meant to me. I know God has shaped me in ways I can't even see yet and I think that in the next few months I will have to digest everything I've learned here and apply it to real life.

God has taught me a lot about myself and a lot about His character. He's brought up things here that I didn't even know I dealt with and allowed me to go through things that I never thought I'd go through. I have struggled with things here that I didn't even think would be an issue but they have been place here for some specific purpose. I have learned so much about loving people out of the love of Christ. He is the SOURCE of our love and joy. I have thought for so long that if I just ask Jesus to be able to love people that will be enough..but we love out of the overflow that He loves us. We can't love purely until we know the Father. When we cease to spend time with Him, we lose out on so much. We arrive naked on the battlefront with no armor to protect us. I've also learned about evangelism and how to be creative in sharing my faith. Sometimes I had to forfeit all I had in me to go talk to people I didn't know about Jesus, and sometimes I felt like it was useless. But I think trusting in the fact that it's the Holy Spirit that works in us and it's not by our own power that we speak. It's been a huge realization. Although I am definitely still learning it and will have to put it into practice back at school.

Something else I think I should update you on is my wonderful boyfriend. Garrett is officially in Newport News!! He had his first week working for President Trible!! I'm so proud of him! He's living with two other guys from school and I'm so glad he's going to be around this year. Such a huge blessing. God is so good. I get to see him in exactly a week from today and I can't wait to hug him!! Pray for him this coming Friday as he'll be leading another youth worship night at his church at home called the Awakening. I know he'll do great..glory to God for the outcome. I miss him a ton and this summer has been really difficult to be away but I think it has brought some necessary struggles in order to grow us and make us strong. God's taught us both a lot during this time.

Anyways, I'm just hanging out watching Remember the Titans with Sharonda. Love this movie. Time to go, but thanks for reading!!

P.S...I sent a few letters out and I'm going to try to send a few more before I leave, but since we only have a few more days left, I would suggest no more sending letters to me. Thanks!! Love you all!

The picture is of me clocking out on my last day of work

Another early morning

Dearest blog followers,

I would just like to inform all of you that I do not anticipate the day when I am out of school and have to work full time for a living. It will not be pleasant. I am currently at work and have been here for approximately 1 hour..and let me tell you, 7am is eeeeaaarrrllyyy!! No one should have to see that side of the morning! It is ironic that when I return home from Daytona I will be able to start my summer vacation! I look forward to sleeping in, laying by the pool, and relaxing before going back to school a few weeks later. Ahh, the bliss!

Anyway, onto more practical matters. I apologize for the lull in my blogging. I feel like I'm just going, going, going and I never have time to really sit down and write (which I don't have now because I'm actually standing). I can't believe we only have 3 weeks left here! Riiiidiculous!

Last week was a fun one. Last Monday we had our mid-project banquet before the staff left on Wednesday and that was really fun. Each D-group did a little something for their D-group leader; from skits, and poems, and songs, to bad skits, and poems, and songs. It was great. A real time of laughter and family. I loved it. We all got dressed up and took pictures and just had fun. Then on Wednesday the staff packed their bags and headed home, and we were left on our own for the rest of the summer. Wooohooo!! We had Family Night where our new Project Director spoke and Men's and Women's time. It is really awesome to watch the students step up and take leadership roles. I just want to sit back and soak it all in. There's so much that goes on here everyday and sometimes I feel like I'm too busy to really reflect and process. It can make things slightly difficult. I really want to be more disciplined. That's something I've learned about myself in my time here. I have all these ideas of things I want to do, but I'm not disciplined enough to follow through. I've even realized that when it comes to every day things such as waking up early to have a consistent quiet time or keeping things neat that I just am not very disciplined. I want to be better about that so keep me accountable!! Yes, you! I have learned a lot of little things like that about myself in my time here. I really want to change but I'm unable to do that alone. Pray that God does the transforming and not Rachel. I think by being thrown into a new environment where I literally knew no one and had to get a job and everything I have just grown and matured in ways I didn't think I would ever. But stuff here is difficult sometimes..actually a lot of times. I don't always have time or energy to do the things I want. A lot of times I have to do things I don't want. I'm used to being in an environment where I am all that matters and I just have to take care of myself. It's not like that here. I'm learning about unity of a body of Christ and how one person really can break that. I'm learning the true meaning of not only looking out for yourself but also for the interests of others and how that actually does make a difference (shocker: someone in scripture actually knew what they were talking about!) It's crazy that when you actually care to dive into people's lives how much it changes you.

Yesterday one of the new students leaders gave a talk on the theme of the week about walking in faith and love. He said something that seems pretty obvious but it struck me. He said that love is never ending. It doesn't cost anything. You can give out as much or as little as you want. Let me ask myself a question..Rachel, how often do you give out the minimum amount of love possible? If I answer the question honestly, it's like I view it as if it'll run out tomorrow so I have to ration it. I'm thinking that I should give out the minimum level of love possible so not to exhaust myself. Well that's dumb. I know, you're thinking that I'm a horrible person and that I need to love more. Or maybe you're thinking, for the first time, that you do the same thing. Why? Why do we live our lives thinking that we're number #1 and our comfort is all that matters. Let me tell you. It's been hard for me here when I come home from work and all I want to do is relax and I'll have someone asking me to do something or to meet up with them and talk or someone needs a favor. All that is in me screams "no." Why? How hard is it to just spend a little extra time with people and just love on them? What do I lose from my life? In all honesty, I probably gain more than I lose. But we are so focused on ourselves and looking out for OUR best interest. I challenge you to love actively and intentionally. Spend a little extra time with the people that talk your ear off. Bake some brownies for the people who always mooch off your food. Sacrifice a nap (oh heavens) and just hang out with people after a long day of work. It's easy to give out of surplus...it's not as easy to give out of sacrifice. So as I continue to learn, this week, about the importance of loving the way that Christ loves, pray for me as I will most definitely face difficulties along the way.

I am loving it here in Daytona but I am getting ready to come home. I think I have said that before but I just miss home. A few days ago, our adoptive family from church took us out to dinner and as I was walking to be seated, I saw a man sitting and eating by himself. I thought of my dad and how much I miss him. It's crazy, like everything makes me think of him here. A man walked in yesterday to Perry's and had the same mannerisms that my dad has, and I just got all sappy and started missing him. I'm ready for a daddy hug :] I'll be happy to get home and see him!

Pray for the last few weeks here to be good ones. Pray for us all to still be focused, it's really easy to see the end nearby and just want to hang out all the time and have fun. On Saturday we were supposed to have an outreach during the days but it ended up getting pushed to Sunday. We had the entire day to just hang out and fellowship with each other and it was very unifying. We all hung out by the pool, did the slip and slide with dish soap as the maintenance crew looked on and laughed at us. We ate ice pops, and swam in the ocean. Later that night we went to a disc golf park and had "tie dye" wars. We all had squirt guns filled with different colored tie dye and wore white t-shirts with trash bags underneath (so to not stain our skin, although it happened anyway), and we ran around shooting each other with tie dye. It was just a great, relaxing day with friends. Probably one of the best days I have had here with everyone. That is all for now. I know my posts always seem random but I just write as things come to my mind. Also, something really big you could pray for, I'm just struggling with some personal issues and I'm having a really hard time trusting the Lord. That being said, I am officially finished! I will try and update again this week since I've been slacking! Enjoy your Tuesday! :]

Big week!

It's Saturday night and I'm sitting in my room alone, enjoying the calm. There are fireworks going off outside my window and I can see them light up the sky but can't hear them, thankfully. I'm just in the quiet. The only sounds I can hear are the air conditioner next to my bed, the crunching of my chex mix, and the keys as I type this sentence..and the rest of this blog. It's nice and relaxing. I am thankful for these moments.

There are several other moments I am thankful for this past week. As I share with you these moments, picture them as if you were there. Some might make you laugh, others might be hard for you to read..but feel them with me.

In my last blog I shared about Jordan and Krystal's wedding and the weekend that I had in North Carolina for that. Sunday was a day filled with mixed emotions. I left Garrett, which was hard, but as I returned to, what is now family, I felt a sense of belonging. Everyone was waiting to take the project picture, and as I walked up, I just felt like I was home with my family. Over the course of the last 6 weeks, I've really learned to love the people here on project. There are my wonderful roommates, Sharon, Christy, and Emily who make me laugh all the time and bring so much joy to my life. Then there's my family group; Lauren, Kristin, Lexie, Anthony, and both Colins. We've had our rough times but God is teaching us to love through everything. Next is community team (some people overlap so I'll just name the ones I haven't named yet); Tessa, Travis, Jeremy, Shae, Rachel, Boston, Kyle, Samantha and Lindsey. We plan socials and fun activities. There's all the staff; Earle and Cara, Rich and Becky (who sadly had to go home early), Jan and John, Lindsey and Jeff, Samantha and Josh, Kyle, Stephanie, Audrey, Grayson, Katie, and Christi. That's not even everyone on project..but these people have become family. I love seeing their faces, and when staff leaves..I'm going to miss them, but I'm excited to start the journey on my own. Coming back from NC into this group of people was so refreshing and encouraging. As I gave hugs and did some catching up, I just felt like this is my home. The El Caribe may just be another hotel to you, but to me..it's home.

Monday was great. I got to sleep in and recover from the long weekend. I ran errands and hung out with Jeremy for a lot of the day. I think he's leaving project..which makes me extremely sad because he's probably my best friend here. It was good getting to talk with him though. He is a great encouragement here and I'm going to miss him.
That night we had project dinner and every project dinner we have a handful of Russians come and eat with us. Sometimes it's a little awkward because they really only just come for the free food (that we paid for)..but it's a great ministry opportunity. We have them in our territory. After dinner on Monday's we always have Family Night which is just like a large group meeting..and they usually leave before that. Well..not tonight. Monday night, the Russian students stayed for the meeting! They heard the gospel presented. (I think Earle catered a little bit more of his message to them than to us..which was great, but funny. "And after Jesus died, He rose again! That's how we know He's different from all other religions"...yes, Earle..we know that.) I got to stick around and talk to a few of them. They taught me a few words in Russian, and I just couldn't help but think..they think they've got it all. I wondered if they even realized they were in need of something more. I wonder if anyone without Jesus really understands that they're missing something. It really makes you live differently when you have that eternal focus. People aren't just people. Every person we come into contact with is a special creation of our Lord and Savior, and if we really love Jesus like we say we do, we'll love them just the same and our hearts will break over their "lostness." Think about it.

My next "moment" occurred on Wednesday and continued into Thursday. If you haven't already heard, Garrett got the job working at CNU..meaning he'll be in Newport News when I go back to school in the fall. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord. My story starts on Wednesday night. I think I was more nervous than he was. I spent the whole night before just praying for Garrett to get the job, but also that the Lord's will would be enough for me..even if I didn't get what I wanted. We skyped that night and I prayed for him..and Garrett said that whether he got the job or not, he wanted God to still be worshiped above all else. That was hard for me because that was opening my hand and surrendering it to the Lord, knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do. I had trouble sleeping that night because I just had so much on my mind, but I knew it would all be ok because God was in control. Well, it came. I woke up that morning and just prayed that there would be no question in President Trible's mind whether or not to choose Garrett. As I prayed for the Lord's will, I just felt this overwhelming feeling of peace. I read scripture that, in any normal situation would have nothing to do with it, but I know God allowed me to read it on purpose. I got to work and still was thinking about it, but in a different way now. I knew God would take care of Garrett and do what's best. 9oclock rolled around, and I was praying like a mad woman. About an hour and a half later, I get a text message from Garrett telling me to call him when I get the chance..he was out of the interview. Let me tell you, I must have had blood going 1000 miles a minute because my heart was just pounding. I had an excuse to step out for a few minutes and when I called Garrett..he told me the news, and immediately, as if they were just waiting to be let out..the tears came. You know that feeling..when your face gets hot, your eyes get teary, and you just want to hug someone?? I can't express how I felt. I was in shock, but I knew God was leading him there so in a sense..I was like..well duh. We talked for a few more minutes, I got off the phone..and I saw two of the project guys who work with me. They must have thought I was crazy because I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. As I walked away, I thanked the Lord for His provision for Garrett. He will be starting July 26th. When I move back to Newport News in August, he'll be there to greet me. Thank you all for your prayers. I am so thankful. Our God is good.

I also would like to share something from that night that happened here on project. I won't go into much detail because it is a bit of a private matter..but I think it's something extremely interesting. Thursday nights here on project we always split up and have men's and women's time. This particular women's time we had two guest speakers come and share with us about their lives. They told us about their pasts and the mistakes they had made...two random women, laying bare in front of us in order to show us that we've all made mistakes and God will reward those who bring it to light. It was incredible. The night continued, and as we sat in the large circle listening to these women, they opened up the floor for us to share our "skeletons." One by one, the students in the room made themselves vulnerable and shared their deepest secrets..some for the first time ever. It was a healing night as well as a night meant for honesty. It feels good to be honest. It feels good to share your mistakes and have people come hug you afterward. That's how Thursday night was. Lots of hugging, lots of crying, and lots of loving. We are who we are. We've all messed up. We all look back on our pasts and put our heads down in shame. But God wants to use us BECAUSE of our failures. We were not created as perfect people. Once we accept the fact that we're all the same..we gain a better understanding of how to love.

I know this is long..but read these lyrics. Try listening as you read

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88xHIwd4CWM

Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North

So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside

So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear

So let it fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now
We're here now, oh

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark


What a picture of grace and forgiveness. Come to terms with your past. God has forgiven you..sometimes the hardest part is forgiving yourself.


Friday was a long day..but very good. I went to work and was going to visit Nana in Orlando right after I got off. I was still excited from all that had happened the day before, but I was tired. When I got to work, the Maintenance manager, Jimmy Thorpe, walked in as well. I talked to him for a little bit and asked him how he was doing. He's had kidney problems for a while and is getting a new kidney on Wednesday. Interested in knowing who's kidney he's receiving? His name is Doug. Doug Thorpe. He's Jimmy's son. What a picture of love and sacrifice. He is literally giving Jimmy a piece of himself. As Jimmy was telling me about the 6 hour procedure, I just prayed for him and his son. It just brought so much joy to my heart to hear about the love a son has for his father. Pray for them both with me as they undergo this procedure. Also, pray for boldness on my end that I would be able to tell Jimmy that I'm praying for him. I wanted to and I was so close to it, but the words seemed to just be stuck in my mouth! Ah!! Boldness!! The Spirit is within me!

After work I came back to my room, grabbed my stuff, and left for Orlando. Nana and I went to dinner and then watched a movie together. It was nice. We got to have girl talk and she told me about her childhood and about her parents. It was nice to hear her talk about those things. I've never really heard them before but I enjoyed listening to her just talk. I went to bed at a reasonable hour..thankfully..and got to sleep in! Woohoo!! We sat in her sunroom and talked until it was time for me to go. I was sad to leave already, but I'm thankful she lives so close that I can do that every so often. I'm really enjoying being close to her because I've never really had the chance to talk with her about anything real. I love her. Pray for her friend's son, though. He has some type of disease that put him in a coma, and although he's doing better..he's not in the clear yet. Thanks!

Well..I believe that is all. I got to catch up with Jenna this week which was nice. I miss my best friend..I can't wait to get back to school and have pillow talk!! :] Her sweet boyfriend wrote me a letter this week..what a good guy, it made my day. Also her momma's birthday was yesterday!! Happy birthday to you, Momma Wall! Nicoley and family are in PA right now with all their family for 4th of July. They're gonna have fun!! HER mom sent me delicious homemade treats!! Thanks Momma G..they're sooo good! :] Krystal and Jordan, I hope ya'll had an amazing time on your honeymoon! I'll be praying for the start of your new life together!! Mom and Pops..I love you both very much and I can't wait to give ya'll biiiiig hugs when I get home. You are such amazing parents and I am so thankful for you. Tell Colin I love him and am praying for him. And Gareypoo..I'm so happy you and can't wait to live like 10 minutes away from you! Yayy!

The end. Thanks for reading.

At work..shh..

So I'm at work while I update this blog (it's still slow here cause it's the morning. Guests don't like to wake up early!)

Sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. Things have been crazy and I feel like I haven't had time to process everything. But now is that time! Lucky you :]

So the past week I've just been working and hanging out/doing project stuff. Work has been crazy because I'm actually getting into it and am responsible for things..scary. Haha. But I still like it so it's good! I can't believe that 5 weeks have passed as of today and 5 more to go. Insane!! Good news though, Jordan and Krystal are officially married and I'm still exhausted from the weekend festivities. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Maroon :]

The wedding was so fun! I got to see Garrett finally after what felt like the longest month of my life. I really missed him and it was good to hug him and just be able to be with him. This might turn into another partially mushy blog but I just wanted to share this with you all. I gotta brag on him a little, you know?! I began the journey from Daytona Beach, FL to Roxboro, NC early Friday morning with the Tilley's (family friends of the Maroon's who I'd never met before Friday). It took us about 10 hours to get there and we arrived just as the rehearsal dinner was starting. I was so ready to give Garrett a biiiig hug and that's exactly what I did :] It was a good night and he made a slideshow for them which was really sweet. I said goodbye, sadly, and went to spend the night with the bride and her bridesmaids. I slept on a futon with one of the bridesmaids and apparently in the middle of the night I burst out laughing for some strange reason. Don't know why that happened but it was funny. My first impression to this girl is being crazy. I woke up Saturday and Mrs. Maroon (not Krystal ;] ) picked me up to take me to the hotel and get ready cause it was just too crazy with all the girls. I felt like a middle schooler getting picked up from a sleepover. It was cute though. We got to the hotel and, since I didn't have a home, the Maroons all cleared out of their room for me, generously, and let me get ready. Garrett was already gone doing groomsmen stuff so I just hung out until it was time to go.

The wedding was beautiful. Krystal looked stunning and Jordan looked stunned. I love watching the grooms when everyone else is watching the bride walk in because the look on their faces is completely priceless. It went perfectly excpet part way through the vows, Krystal's brother, one of the groomsmen, fainted on the steps. Can you say Garrett to the rescue? No big deal, I'm just dating superman. Calm, cool, and collected Garrett just helped him walk down the stairs and sat down with him. They walked out and Garrett came back in a minute later and sang the song he wrote for Jordan and Krystal..not phased. What a hero :] Sorry ladies, he's mine.

The reception was fun too. I literally didn't know anyone except for Garrett's immediate family. Since Garrett was doing his groomsman responsibilities I just sat around and talked with his family and got in the occasional dance with him when he was free. It was fun. After that, we all went to an Italian restaurant and I heard stories of little Garrett which is always fun ;]. Aannnd then the fun began. The "fun." I was supposed to spend the night at one of the bridesmaids houses which meant I had to leave earlier than I wanted and not spend any more time with Garrett. Pretty sad if you ask me, which I know you were just about to do. So as I was getting my stuff to put in the car for Garrett to drive me over, I had a little break down. After not seeing him for a whole month and not getting real time to spend together throughout the weekend, I just wasn't ready to leave. I felt like I'd been bounced around from home to home without even having a place to go to the bathroom that was my own. I was just a little overwhelmed by it all. So, being the amazing boyfriend that he is, he just let me cry and told me that I could just get a room at the hotel. Well, stubborn Rachel wanted to say yes but figured I should argue first because it couldn't be that easy. After a little coaxing, I finally gave in. I got to spend a little bit more time with Garrett and his family and then went to my own room with my own bed and my own bathroom. It was amzing..although I woke up in the morning on the far right side (which is how I sleep here in Daytona because Sharon and I are bedmates). It was pretty funny. I got up a little late, though, oops 7:01..and went downstairs to meet Garrett and spend some last few minutes with him before I left. We got back in the car and headed "home."

Getting back was better than I thought it'd be. I arrived just in time for the project picture and it was awesome to walk up and see familiar faces that weren't familiar a few weeks ago. It was awesome.

I have a few prayer requests, please. A huge issue here in Daytona is still jobs. 7 students still don't have jobs and a few of them are considering going home because of it. I would be so sad if they went home because they are all vital parts of this project and I would miss them. Secondly, along with that, I have been blessed by all of my supporters (thank you all so much) to have raised all of my support. But there are still some who have been unable to do so. Pray that God provides for them, and if you feel it right to support them, any amount at all helps. Lastly, pray for Garrett! He has a job interview on Thursday and I reeeallly want him to get this job because then we wouldn't have to do long distance anymore. I hate it and I really want him close. I believe that is all, thank ya'll so much for the constant prayer and support. And for all of you who have been sending letters..it means SO much! I love you all!! Have a great Tuesday!!

On my way to NC!

Hey everyone!!

It's 8 in the morning and I am a few minutes away from leaving to go to NC for Jordan and Krystal's wedding! I'm so excited for several reasons, one of them being I get to see Garrett after a whole month! Finally!! I can't wait! :]

Just to give ya'll a heads up as to what has been going on lately, I've just been working for the most part and hanging out. On Sunday we went to a juvenile detention center and got to share Jesus with teenage girls. Gosh, it was crazy. Those girls have been through more in their life than I could ever imagine. They were forced to be so hardened to everything because the way they were raised showed no mercy. I couldn't believe some of the stories I heard. When we got there, we shared our "cardboard testimonies" basically stating who we were before Christ on one side of a piece of cardboard, and then once we flipped it over, we showed who we had become since Christ. It was awesome to see the girls in my group be vulnerable like that with total strangers.

As for work, I've been getting in at 7 and getting off at 3 which is tough but I like it actually. It's nice to have a routine. I've been there for 2 weeks! Crazy! And I still love it! Pray for my co-workers, though, it's still hard for me to find ways to love on them and share Jesus with them.

That's all for now. I'm about to go have breakfast with Sharon and then hit the road with the Tilley's. I'm excited to meet them!!



Jordan and Krystal, happy last day of singleness :] Can't wait to see ya'll get hitched!!

Waaaay too long!

Phew! Feels good to get back on this thing. I have a night to myself and time to blog.

Where do I begin?

How about my job..I'm sure you all are just DYING to know what work has been like ;] Haha. Well, in that case, let me tell you!

I started last Thursday working at the front desk at the hotel right next to where I live. It's called Perry's and it's El Caribe's sister property. So far I'm loving it. My first day I went to a driving range to learn how to play golf (not a normal activity as I found out the following day) and the general manager bought us all lunch. Yumm. I didn't do much when we got back except begin to answer phones and meet the people I'd be working with.

Since I started, I've worked every day but Sunday. I love it there. The people are great and the work is awesome. The only thing I would change is having to stand all day. Talk about needing a foot massage! These puppies kill!! Haha, but that's ok.

I'm having a hard time wanting to be accepted, though. I'm firm in where I stand in my faith..but when it comes to talking about it, I'm more likely to just answer questions than be bold and speak openly on my own. I'm trying, but it's hard. I think a lot of people think Christians are lame and don't have fun. That's not true, it's just different fun. The thing is though, I don't know how to tell people that their lifestyle doesn't fulfill when they ask me if I've ever tried it and my response is "no." Saying "because I just know" isn't good enough for them. How do I share the greatest gift with them without sounding forceful like every other Christian they've probably ever heard of/experienced in their life? I have to be bold and trust that the Spirit will take control of my words and their hearts. Pray for boldness. And pray for change. Our God is big and He is able to bring people to Himself.

Also, ya'll..I'm feeling a little discouraged at the moment. This blog is awesome reflection for me, as I've said before, and looking back on the week, I feel like I've been trying to pour out a lot of myself and not the Lord. I just feel empty and sad. I'm currently sitting on the balcony of my seventh story room overlooking the ocean, a small basketball court, and a pool. I'm listening to little kids playing, a basketball bouncing, and the waves of the ocean crashing. It's peaceful..but my heart isn't. What is it about Satan that allows us to believe one moment that we have the joy of the Lord within us, and then the next minute think that it has been stripped away before our eyes. Oh, the ways of the devil. I'm just in one of those sad moods. But God is good and He has greatly blessed me! Pray that I will cling to Him for strength and put on the armor of God every day!


I cannot believe Jordan and Krystal get married in 8 days!! (well technically 7 cause it's Friday NIGHT) I'm excited to see them get married! WOOO!!! What great people :] I'm also really excited to see my wonderful boyfriend who I miss incredibly. I've been going through random spells where I just start crying cause I miss him in my life. Not being able to hug him is real hard for me. But only one more week!! Yess!! Pray for the Lord to keep protecting our relationship as I know it's going to be hard to see him and then have to turn around and leave for another 6 weeks..but it'll be good! (Also, little side note, pray for Garrett's future :] )

Ok, I know this blog was ALLL over the place. Sorry. I'm tired from getting up early every day and going to bed late. Tomorrow I have to work and miss the social that everyone on project is doing..which stinks..but pray for the boldness to speak truth into the lives of my co-workers.

That's all for tonight. This one was more of my feelings that anything. I'll try to be more diligent in updating more frequently. Thanks for everyone who wrote me letters this week! Ya'll are amazing!! Keep it up!! I love getting mail! Love you all!!

Freedom in Christ

A few days ago, one of the directors here on DBSP gave a talk about real freedom in Christ. Now, let me start off by saying I know what you're thinking..I've heard this a miiiiilllliiioonnnn times!! Yeah..that's what I thought too. But allow your mind to be opened by this summary of his talk and allow yourself to be freed from the chains you've tied yourselves down with..because Christ has freed you and you are no longer a slave to sin!

I think it's interesting; nowadays, don't we believe that being burdened down is normal? That's awful! What kind of world do we live in where a state of constant struggling is normal?!? Aye! Scripture tells us that "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free.....what the flip does that mean? I can't tell you how many times I've wondered what the point of this verse was. What does this even MEAN? Christ set us free for freedom? I don't get it. Let me put it in these words: Christ set us free so that we could be free! Ohhh..now it all makes sense! :] Haha. Ok, maybe I'm the only slow one that was confused by that verse but now I finally get it. Christ didn't set us free so that we could just turn right back around and do things that we thought were "good enough" to earn our way to heaven. He set us free FROM those things.

Rich put this in perspective. Being a college student, I completely understand how much work is involved in homework assignments and projects. A paper requires hours upon hours of research plus the actual composition of the paper itself. It's not easy. It takes a lot of time and effort..especially during finals week. Well, let's say finals week rolls around. I'm pullin' all nighters studying for psychology and I'm bogged down with work. Well Friday rolls around and my last exam is at 10 in the morning. PHEW!..I'm done!! It's over, no more work..my grade is in!! Well for some strange reason I'm still kicking. I feel like my work isn't done, so I get back on the computer and pick a topic: Quantum physics (my normal paper topic, of course). I spend hours researching the topic and finally put together a 25 page paper. It's great and during the process I'm learning a lot! I finally finish, and on Saturday morning (because I always write my papers that quickly), I walk up to my psychology professor's office, knock on her door, and hand her my baby.

Pause..

Please take a moment to picture the look on her face........got it in your head??

She's thrilled right? She immediately tells me she will boost my grade..... No. She just stares at me. My grade was established after I finished my last exam on Friday. There is nothing further I can do. I would be foolish to put all of that time and work into that paper because my grade has already been entered into the computer as final. (Do you see where this illustration is going?) That's exactly how it is in our walk with the Lord. All that extra "stuff" is unnecessary.

For example, it's hard for me not to think that if I don't spend at least 30 minutes with the Lord every day, I'm losing favor in His eyes. Ridiculous, right? But it's crossed your mind before. What about when you DO spend time with God in scripture and you tell yourself you have to be in the spiritual "mood" for it or else it doesn't "work." Anyone else getting how stupid this sounds? Yeah. See, we're trying to make rules for ourselves. We want to be able to put a barrier around God so that we can have some kind of structure in our lives. Structure is good, but not here. God cannot be put inside of a box, and our faith cannot be explained away by a list of things we do.

Freedom: a state of exemption from the power or control of another.

I think something really important for us to remember is that we can't come up with a set of rules to make us look better in God's eyes. On our worst day, He is Christ in us. We're going to fail. There will be days when we don't "feel" God in our quiet times. There will always be times when we wake up late and only get 10 minutes with the Lord or not at all, but we need to get it out of our minds that we have to redeem ourselves by "doing" something..because we can't. When we turn in our 25 page paper after the due date, we're only putting in extra work that means nothing to our professor. And it just doesn't make sense.

So be free. Throw down the chains you've put on yourselves and be free.



So Travis is finally here! He's doing great after his surgery..so thanks for all the prayers. He's from Norfolk and is the only person on Project who knows CNU! Yeahhh!! :] Haha. Keep praying for Paul. I haven't seen him in the last few days but if I do I want to ask him how his dad is, so hopefully we'll bump into each other!! Also, the Maroon's get home from France today!'! They're actually on the plane now, so pray for safety!! Welcome home, little worms :] Haha. And my last bit of news, I am now EMPLOYED!! :] I will be working full time at the front desk next door at the hotel (Perry's) for the rest of the time here. Pray that I will do a good job, but most importantly that God will use me in that position for His glory. Pray also for the rest of the students here who don't have jobs. There are still a few and I know it's definitely hard. Thanks!! I really appreciate all the support.

That is all. Have a wonderful Wednesday night :]

Best boyfriend in the world :]

So I just felt the need to tell the internet world and everyone reading my blog that Garrett is just amazing :] He teaches me more about Jesus than I ever thought he would. Nothing specific happened that is compelling me to write this random blog about my boyfriend, except that I am thankful for his constant friendship and companionship. Since I've been here, I've used him as my listener while I vent about random things, and every time he speaks truth into my life. In my humanness, all I want to hear is someone agree with me and sink down to my level of pity..but Garrett doesn't let me do that. He calls me to more. What an awesome quality.

That is all. Sorry ya'll have to read the mushy stuff along with the serious stuff, but I just care so much about him and he's a big part of my life I want you to know :]

Hey Garrett..thanks for making me do this :]

Battle of the Sexes!!

Just wanted to share a little victory story from yesterday..

Saturday is the designated day for community outreach and internal(only project people) or external (we invite people from the community/work) socials. Last night we had..BATTLE OF THE SEXES!! For outreach we went to different laundromats to do our laundry and creatively talk to people. No one was really at the one I went to but we got to offer 2 ladies some money for laundry and play with their kids for a little to keep them occupied. Not a huge success, but God does work. It was good.

Then..social time! Out behind the hotel we had set up 8 tables for our BATTLE OF THE SEXES competition. 4 tables were for the guys, 4 for the girls. The competitions that the guys had to participate in were as follows: cookie decorating, nail painting (not their own), make-up identification, and sewing a straight line. Next were the girls: Football throwing, burping, watermelon seed spitting, and tool identification. They were tricky, but we dominated. At the end of all of that, we played a major flag football game on the beach. Girls wore black (with yellow bandannas) and guys wore white. We played a normal game of flag football except the guys had a hand tied behind their back. It was a great game and girls WON(of course)!!! We had a great interception at the end and scored the winning touchdown!

Afterward, everyone ran in the ocean water, and then came back to the hotel where people began to jump in the pool. Everyone jumped into the pool with all their football clothes still on, and one by one we all jumped in(most everyone at least). I was hesitant, but I figured..live a little. Clothes can be washed and dried..memories are more worth it than keeping my clothes dry. We all swam in a circle in the pool and created a man made whirl-pool. It was sweet (and legit, I tried to swim against it and couldn't! But that also could be due to the fact that I can't swim! Ha) We all got out of the pool, and went back to 1301 (the designated hang out room) to watch the Blind Side. It was a great night with new friends (even though it feels like I've known them forever).

The picture below is a cookie we stole from the cookie decorating competition the boys did and added some truth. The picture at the top is my D-group before we dominated in flag football. From left to right: Sharon, me, Audrey (D-group leader), Emily, and Christy.

Friday night: Free night!

Now would be the appropriate time to sing the N'SYNC song, "Just Got Paid"......if I had a job!

It has been a week and a half here in Daytona. Tonight is our free night and we're going to a place called the Lighthouse to hang out. I need to eat dinner (gonna make myself chicken! yumm), but I wanted to share a little something beforehand..

I was going to blog this when it happened but I didn't get a free chance to sit down and write. Ok, so on Tuesday we were challenged to really be active in sharing the gospel with people. They told us that sometimes asking the question, "can I pray for you" gets in the door and allows people to open up as it breaks down walls. So, I decided to try it..but I didn't know where or on who I would.

Wednesday was the day we're supposed to have reflection time. It's just a time where we reflect on what we've been learning and soak it all up. Well, I woke up that morning, started to get ready to go to the beach and have my reflection time. I made myself a bowl of oatmeal, ate, and went to go wash my dishes. I began rinsing off my bowl and soaping it all up, when all of a sudden I looked down and saw water flowing out of the door from under the sink. Uh oh! Now, the normal person would get..the sink is leaking...without opening the door...but I'm not normal. Woops! You know how that turned out.

So for maintenance, we're supposed to call Cara, one of our Project Directors so that the staff isn't bombarded by that kind of stuff. I called Cara immediately and she said she'd get someone to help out. A few minutes later, a knock came at the door. I opened the door, and there stood a tall, semi-lanky man with slightly peppered hair. He came in, and I went back to my business. Of course, I was ready to get down to my reflection time..I had other things I had to worry about besides a random man in my room (P.S...Emily was here too so I wasn't alone..phew). Ok..now pause..if you read my last blog post, you can see how much my attitude has changed toward evangelism. Oooorr not. My eyes were not on the prize at this moment. I went about my business while he went about his. He came around the corner and told me he'd fixed the sink, but he had to go get towels to clean up. Thank you, God, for knowing I sometimes need a kick in the pants to get me going. A few minutes later, another knock came at the door. I opened it, and started thinking, "Ok, Rachel, you need to take advantage of this opportunity." So, I walked up and started talking to the man in my kitchen. I noticed he had an accent and asked him where he was from. He told me he was from England and we began talking about his family and his time in the states. It was an interesting conversation, but I didn't bring up Jesus. The conversation began to die down, so I said, "alright, well thanks for fixing our sink! What's your name, by the way?"..his name is Paul.

And I walked away..

Now, God knows me better than to just let me be able to walk away and have it not bother me. Yeah right. I couldn't stay there..I had to keep talking to him. So I thought of something to restart the conversation and I walked backed over to the kitchen. "You know, my school does a study abroad to Oxford. And I visited England when I was 10." Another entry to a conversation. We began talking once more. Thank the Lord. This time, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

My wheels started turning. The subject we were talking about started to fade out, and I asked him if he'd seen the other students walking around the hotel and if he knew what we were here for. He said he'd seen us all and I told him we were here on a mission trip for 10 weeks. We talked a bit about that, and then I did it..I asked if I could pray for him. He told me I could pray for his father who was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. He started going a little further into details and opening up a bit more. I asked him if I could pray for anything for him and he said no because he was agnostic. He told me he grew up Catholic in England and was an alter boy for several years. He never missed a Sunday until one day he had a high fever and woke up later for church. When he got there, the other alter boys had already started lining up, and the priest told him if he didn't want to be there, he shouldn't come. Wow..that's a great experience. It was great to see him be honest. I started sharing basic principles with him. He said he believed there was a higher power but didn't want to "commit" really to anything. He told me he was a good, moral person. I told him that's great, but that's not what gets us into Heaven. It was so good to hear him be surprised when I told him that. He kept telling me he was happy that I'd found something for my life, but it just wasn't for him.

The conversation ended and he left. I told him I'd be praying for his dad.

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

Time for dinner and the lighthouse! Pray for God's provision in jobs..and Paul the maintenance man from England.

Happy birthday, Mrs. Maroon!! Hope you are having fun in France!! Tell Mr. Maroon not to ask any kids how old they are (or TRY anyway ;] ) P.S...we've been playing BOGGLE and Nerts (however you spell that) here!!

Officially a week on Project

It's Tuesday!! 1 week down, I can't believe it!

I'm trying to have reflection time on what we've been learning here in Daytona. Last night Earl (our project director) talked to us at "Family Night" about our theme for the week; Going New Places. He taught us from Matthew 9 and told us about the 4 keys to revolutionary involvement: Going, Seeing, Praying, and Feeling. Enjoy!

Jesus shows us how to do these 4 things and displays great examples of each. Several times in this scripture it says "Jesus went." He stepped out of His "normal" life (well for Jesus I guess this was normal but you know what I mean) and actively went. What a great place to start the convicting. Comfort plays a huge part in this. I'm on a beach with warm weather where thousands of people gather for summer vacations. My whole purpose for being here is to lead people to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Ok..great..that's my job for 10 weeks (9 now). But what about when I go home? When classes start back up again and I have homework and projects and meetings. What about when I work and I have people to meet with and a small group to lead. Will I be too busy? I'd like to say no..but the truth is, I'll probably find an excuse. "I can't tell that person about Jesus because they don't have enough time." Please hold while I continue to blankly stare at you while you find a better excuse. A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. I need to believe that statement a LOT more! My prayer for this summer is that my life will be changed by what I'm being taught here. Pray with me and for me for that. Where did Jesus live? I don't know. He was always on the go. Let's be more eternally focused. How much do you have to hate someone to not share the truth of Jesus Christ with them? Think about it.

So after Jesus went, He saw. So important. I think it's really big to remember that we have to be looking for people and opportunities that God provides. If we honestly live our lives not seeking out opportunities to be used by the Lord, we are going to miss SO much. I'm really realizing that. It's actually interesting, we have different ministry teams here, and one of them is the outreach team. They plan different ways to do outreach, and this weekend they planned for us to save our laundry and go to a local laundromat. We have to sit there to do our laundry anyway, so why not go out and find people to talk to about Jesus. What an awesome idea. That really is a great example of what Jesus was telling us, through HIS actions, to do. We have to see people but we have to look for those people too. Maybe it will involve spending a little unnecessary money. Maybe it'll be hot and humid in there like it seems to always be here. Maybe no one will walk in. Can we really live life like that? Love takes sacrifice, and if we're loving like Jesus, we'll be willing to do just that.

Then there's praying. Obviously we know that Jesus spent a LOT of time doing this. I think it's really important that we follow Christ's example of this because we tend to not give prayer the importance in our minds that it actually has. Jesus spent so much time in prayer. He sacrificed physical rest to talk to His best friend and Father. He prayed specifically and generally. He prayed for everyone and everything. He prayed when He felt scared, He prayed when He felt happy, it was a constant conversation with God. What a picture. Our Savior spending the majority of His time on His knees. What a humble man He truly was. Do we really believe prayer has the power to really do anything? I know I don't half the time. But from stories I've heard about the power of prayer, I know that it really can do wonders. We know how D.L. Moody prayed for food to give the children in his orphanage and then all of a sudden, a milk truck would break down in front of his door and, so not to let the goods go to waste, they would be donated. God sure does provide, but I know most of the time I don't think He really, truly has that power. I've heard stories of people becoming Christians because of years worth of prayer. Jenna, my best friend, is a perfect example of this. There were random people praying specifically for her for years and then, guess what God did? He brought her to Him because of His goodness and grace. Why do we doubt God's power like we do? We've all heard the miraculous stories of God coming through right when we think it'll never happen. We've all seen His hand in our lives. I say we follow Jesus' example of prayer and learn how to make our most comfortable place the place where we are on our knees in front of Him.

Lastly in the list of the 4 keys to revolutionary involvement is feeling. In verse 36 of Matthew 9, it says that Jesus had compassion on the people who needed healing. Wow. You know, I think I've heard this so many times but I wanted to really apply it so I thought about how it is in my life. I am so quick to judge people who are different than me. I so rarely really feel for people before I size them up in my mind. Sadly, I think while you're reading this, you're thinking the same thing. Who are we to do this? Garrett and I are reading the book "Facing Your Giants" by Max Lucado and we just read the chapter about how man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. I know for me, I don't even get a chance to see the true heart of a person before I put a label on them: "not worthy," "too weird," "the clingy friend." Gosh. God, I am sorry. Since I've realized this in my life, I've actually found myself being freed from it. It's only been about a day since this talk, but I'm learning that it's not us who judge the "degree" of love we are to show others. We are commanded to love always; purely and entirely. Now, I'll never get to a point in my life where I just love everyone that comes, but with God's help I know it is possible to grow in love. We love others because He first loved us, and oh, how He loves us! Also, in this, I think we have to let ourselves feel! How often do we put the "face" on and tell people we're ok when really we're not. Ok, so people will think we're always upset, but God created us with emotions..feel them! We all know that famous verse John 11:35 - Jesus wept..shortest verse in the Bible. Well I think God allowed that in scripture because He wanted us to follow the example. Guys, especially, I would encourage you to follow this. Worldly manliness will tell you to be strong, pound your chest, and laugh it off, but spiritual manliness tells you to practice humility in emotions. I encourage you to follow the example of your Savior in this. As for women, allow the men in your community to feel free to cry, and cry with them if the situation calls for it. We're more emotional, and sometimes we can use that to our advantage and really grieve or just feel with others. Just a side thought.

Well, that's all for my thoughts. Sorry that was a lot. I think this blog is going to be a good place for me to get my thoughts down and reflect. So by you reading and giving me your feedback I'm actually growing in my faith and hopefully you are too. I hope this summer will be huge for me. I really want to leave here and have my horizon expanded and my world shaken. I want to learn how to be creative in going and seeing people who need Jesus, and then constantly keep them in prayer and feel what they feel and allow myself to feel also. That's all for today BUT something very important!! Jenna, Kyle, Sarah, and TJ are all arriving at their summer projects today!! Pray for them as they trust the Lord in their new journey starting today. Praying for you guys! Also, one of the guys on our project had emergency surgery and doesn't know if he can come yet so pray for God's will in that. Another one of our guys here lost his grandmother a few days ago and I know that's hard, so keep his family in your prayers. Our last roommate, Sharon, gets here tomorrow so I'm really excited. She flies though so pray for her safety! Thanks, everyone, for your participation in this blog. I hope you're all enjoying it!! Have a great first day of June!! Jordan and Krystal get married in 25 days!! Wooo!!

Adios!

It's Sunday already!

So right after I wrote my first blog, my computer broke and I had to ship it into HP to get it fixed (I'm going Mac in a few months). I just got it back and I'm ready to blog!!

I'm officially in DAYTONA!! I've been here for almost a whole week and I'm loving it! We've already done so much here but it's so great. This week has FLOWN by!!

Here is a little catch up since it's been a while since I had my first post..


Mom and I left on Sunday last week to embark on our journey to Daytona. We got to stop in Richmond for a few hours to have lunch with Garrett and his mom and have one final goodbye before we set out. It was nice to see them both. We stopped in South Carolina at a little hotel and ate at a nasty Taco Bell, but it was nice to just have girl time with mom. Monday we got up and set out for Orlando (where Nana lives) and when we got there we went out to the Elephant Bar (a local restaurant not an actual bar) and then played a game of Hand and Foot that night. Then came the big day! I had to leave my computer behind to get shipped out, but it turned out to be good because I got to spend a lot of time with people and not be distracted by facebook!

We arrived at the El Caribe around 1 on Tuesday, unpacked, then went to IHOP for a quick lunch. I was the first one in my room, though, so I got to unpack a little bit before the festivities started. Our hotel room is a little apartment with a kitchen, bathroom (tiny) and two beds. There's 4 of us living in one room so we have to share a bed, but right now my bedmate isn't here so I'm living the good life with a bed to myself..hopefully that won't be hard to manage after she comes! I'm trying to sleep on my side so I don't get used to a whole bed to myself and then have reality set in when she gets here. My roommates names are Christy, Emily, and Sharon (who gets here on Tuesday). So far it's awesome and I'm loving it :]

Last week we had a lot of training and development, d-group meetings (discipleship groups consisting of our room), family time (different group of guys and girls from project), and some outreaches. We did two outreaches last week; the first we went to the beach and broke off into three groups for a sandcastle competition. We invited other people on the beach to come help us and then initiated conversation with them that way. The second we just all had different activities going on and tried to get people to come play with us on the beach and talk to them that way. It's actually turning out to be not so hard, although it is at times, but I'm learning that I just have to leave the nerves behind and trust the Lord. We've been praying for God to just prepare the people right now that we'll come in contact with. It's going to be really awesome to see what the Lord will do.

As for jobs, I'm not employed yet..HOWEVER..I know God is good and He will provide. Please pray for that provision..it is a little scary. I applied to a few places who seemed promising but they said I'd have to wait til after Memorial Day to hear back. Hopefully those will fall into place. We've spent a lot of time job searching and I've never filled out so many applications in my LIFE! Sorry for those people who get 1000 calls from employers because I put you down as references :]

So orientation week is over and tomorrow starts our normal schedule. Since I don't have a job, I'll probably just be job hunting tomorrow and who knows what else. We'll see, but please keep us all in your prayers. I'm really loving it here and although I already broke down a little on the phone to Garrett (who is always amazing at letting my cry when I don't even know what is wrong) I know God's gonna do some awesome things in Daytona Beach this summer!! Thanks for all the prayers and support! I'll try and be more diligent with updates!! Keep reading!!


P.S. If you'd like to send me anything or contact me here, my address is:

Rachel Fralick
Campus Crusade for Christ
El Caribe Resort
2125 S. Atlantic Ave.
Daytona Beach, FL 32118

Thanks again!!

Less than a week!!

Hey everyone!!

Welcome to my new Daytona Beach Summer Project blog!!

I was thinking of ways of how to update all of my supporters with information on what's going on in Daytona Beach this summer, and I stumbled upon blogging!! I figured this would be a great way to share all of what is going on this summer with stories and even pictures!! So, I decided to start right away!!

Currently, I have almost all of my financial support for Summer Project but I'm still praying for the Lord to bring the rest in! *If you'd like to read my support letter, you can find in on my facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=122614117756603&ref=ts )* I will be driving down to Florida this coming Sunday with my wonderful momma but I won't officially begin Project until Tuesday! I am incredibly excited but have no idea what to expect because it still hasn't fully hit me that I'll be gone for 10 weeks!! Crazy!!

That's all for my first post! I have a lot of cleaning and packing and preparing to do before I leave so I need to get back to that!! Since school got out I spent a week at Rockbridge for an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship end of the year retreat and then went directly from there to the beach with some awesome people. I also attended my brother's graduation from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh this past Sunday (my mom loves to joke that I go to cNu and my brother went to cMu..it's a running joke in the family). I'm now at home trying to spend as much time with friends and family as possible. I've gotten to see Nicole a good amount and I spent the night at Jenna's a few days ago..miss that pillow talk every night! Tomorrow Garrett and I are meeting up for the last time before I leave but thankfully I'll see him in June at his brother's wedding! Yay!! Pray for safety traveling (especially since my car has been known to break down), and support to keep coming in! Thanks for reading! More to come..