Power

Hosanna Home (Substance and Life-Controlling Program) has a 75% rate of success for women who leave there and never return to drugs/alcohol. That is an astounding number! Most programs do not amount to that at all. I agree with the director that only Jesus Christ can save and heal scars from addictions and abuse. My practicum teacher and I discussed the issue of religion and profession and how you have to keep them separate but when I told her the success rate of this program she was blown away. My answer, is Jesus Christ has the power and provides the strength to conquer these issues forever! Nothing else will ever really work!

2 Corinthians 12:9

"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. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Serving a Faithful God

This weekend I was reminded of how faithful our God is! I always used to say that if I could only use one word to describe the Lord that it would be faithful. During the spring and throughout the summer I spent so much time in prayer for many of my friends and their future plans for this fall. Some of them just graduated, some in grad school, some trying to find jobs, and some just walking in faith until the right opportunity rises. While I knew exactly where I would be this Fall, most of my friends faced uncertainty. It was neat because instead of worrying or praying about or for myself, my prayers were focused on all these friends. I didn't pray that He would show them where they would be or what they would be doing, but that they would all come to know Him more in this time of uncertainty as He held the answers to all their questions. I was confident that His story for their lives and their next steps was far greater and bigger than they could ever imagine. This weekend, I saw and heard so many of those stories unfold right in front of my eyes. I knew His timing was perfect and so was His plan, but when you see people who have stayed obedient to His will for their lives, it is beautiful to watch the show begin. My friend Katy is now in Birmingham in OT grad school, depending on the Lord and knowing without a doubt that this is exactly where He would have her. Emily's plans for Uganda are starting to come together and funds are rising from different places and it's just so great to see Him provide for her every single day in ways that she never knew were possible. My friends Mary, Zach, Katie B., Malorie, Scott, Cat, Jason, and the rest of the Grace Campus staff are seeing the Lord move in Hong Kong and walking right into amazing opportunities to share the love of Christ to a nation that doesn't know His name. Rachel is following after Jesus as she prepares for an amazing opportunity to work alongside our friend Kelli who has some awesome businesses for selling women's crafts from other countries and telling their stories. Hannah and Christi are both working at churches in Atlanta ministering to college and high school girls and impacting lives for the Kingdom. These are only a few of the people that I was talking about, but there are many more that I accidentally left out. It's just so neat to see and hear that He is moving and working everywhere and that my prayers are being answered as all of these friends are seeing their futures and plans being unfolded. He is an incredibly faithful God and knows are hearts and our cares. He wants to meet every single need so that He is glorified in return. What an amazing God we serve! 

Here's a few pics of getting to spend time with these friends this weekend:

me and katy crane

Me and Mary

Rachel, Katy, and Me

And then some pics of the rest of these great individuals serving the Lord in different places:

Katie B. and I 

Me and Malorie

Zach, Mary, and Me

Bible study girls with Hannah

Already reuniting.

  It has been barely a week since I left Branson, MO. However, there has been quite the reunion in Auburn this weekend. Three of our friends drove in from Branson, two from Atlanta, and then the rest of us from Auburn have all reunited this weekend. Tonight, some of us went to a Braves game and then to the Varsity. The one thing that really excites me about this group of people is that they remind me of memories and stories of Kamp. Most of them worked with me first session when I was a volunteer (V), and that is where I feel like most of my memories were made and my fun was experienced. It is just amazing to see the Lord bring so many individual college students together with one goal and one passion to one place to glorify one Lord. The fact that there is this many legit people living for Jesus is just inspiring and uplifting when I think about my generation. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work along side these people and can only pray that He uses our time together to teach and work in our hearts. 

Update: Here is a few things that I am excited about for the Fall. The Lord has given me the opportunity to lead a small group Sunday School of third graders at my church here in Auburn. I am so excited to be a teacher and get to know and love these kids! Also, I will be leading a few girls in the community in a small group once a week. I am praying that the Lord continues to orchestrate the logistics of that and starts opening their hearts and growing my wisdom in Him. Last but certainly not least, I will be doing my Social Work field practicum 6 hrs. a week at a Women's Substance Abuse Program. I am overjoyed with this and know that the Lord has placed it in my path with complete purpose. I am so excited to hear these women's life stories and have a chance to share the greatest addiction of all with them: Jesus. Praise Him for allowing me to be a part of any of these things. I am so unworthy and inexperienced but I am praying that He knows what He is doing when He appoints me to these places. I am trusting that He will provide the strength, energy, and wisdom in these things and will allow me to be a beacon of light for His Kingdom.

Breaking the Silence.

Hello Friends. Remember me? I am so sorry I have been such a horrible blogger these past few months. I am back at school now in Auburn. As I look back over the past 3 months and try to draw a general caption or explanation of the summer at KKountry, I get completely overwhelmed. The past few days I have been really searching and diving into His word to see how this experience of Kamp has changed or transformed me. What did I learn? How was I challenged? How did I impact the Kingdom? What did I learn spiritually?  I feel like when you throw these questions out after a 3 month long journey, it is difficult to come up with an answer. It's not even about me. So, I will just give you a gist of what the Lord has been teaching me. 

The most recent challenge the Lord has bestowed upon me comes from Colossians 3:1-3, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, SET YOUR HEARTS on things ABOVE, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. SET YOUR MINDS on things ABOVE, not on earthly things."  - I feel like most often this verse is used to focus on our minds and what consumes our thoughts. However, the Lord really pushed out the Heart part to me. Set my heart on things above... I am a very passionate person. When I meet people, have an idea, enjoy a sport, or experience something new, I am extremely passionate about whatever I am doing. Therefore, when something doesn't go right or change occurs, I am frequently left 'heart broken.' Seriously, the hardest part of coming back from Kamp was sincerely missing my friends. It wasn't just a mind thing, but my heart literally ached to not see these people every day. I have plenty of other examples of my heart achings, but I'll spare you. What I am trying to say is I never have thought about how I can set my heart on Christ. I must be 100 times more passionate about Him and knowing Him than about people or experiences. My heart must beat consistently with a love and desire to be in His presence. I realized that what I missed most in all these friends from Kamp was who Jesus is in them. I fell in love with Jesus living and breathing in my group of friends at kamp. The beautiful part about it is, if my heart is set on Him, then I am not actually heart broken when I get home because He never leaves me. I take Him back with me and suffer no loss. Of course, I'll still miss these people but the essential quality that I am drawn to is still living and breathing within me at this moment. That is how He establishes and desires community. He uses Himself to draw others together. My friend Hannah read me a quote that I really liked. It's not exactly the quote but it said something like this," It is a privilege to experience His glorious presence and herald that reality to others." What a beautiful picture of Jesus living and breathing in our lives and in the lives of those around us. 

As for Kamp, I have gone through my journal I kept during my time there. The main prayer that stuck out was the desire to know Jesus more. I didn't have a spiritual high or a huge lesson learned while I was at Kamp. I don't have many impacting stories that would wow you. I don't have any miracles or wonders to tell. I feel like this summer was a time where I "continued to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in me to will and to act according to his good purpose." -Philippians 2:12-13  I feel like the Lord taught me alot about just being a servant and walking in His will for my life. At the end of the summer, I can truly say I am more intimate in my relationship with Jesus. I pray that He used me to love and minister to others. I pray that at the end of the day, HIS NAME was lifted high and glorified. I pray that He is working in and through the lives that were impacted at Kamp. 

More fun and interesting stories from Kamp coming soon. Stay tuned.