Update

Just wanted to post a quick update. Overall, things have been fairly quiet at home. I've begun support raising so I've been sending letters, making phone calls and praying as God begins to pull things together. Please be praying for me during this process as it will definitely be an experience that will stretch my faith. I'm excited though to see God work and provide.
For those who have heard about the tornado in Clemson, I wanted to let you know that thankfully there have been no injuries. God was definitely protecting the campus and community. The storm took out some trees and did damage a few cars on campus but students were alerted and sought shelter in the buildings (brick buildings with basements: beauty and function :) ) A family and some of the staff of the church live in the neighborhood downtown that the tornado passed right through. Other than losing power for a few hours and some debris in the backyards, both houses are fine. One of the neighbors houses lost a back deck and cars to trees falling on them. The husband was even in the suburban when a tree fell on the passenger side! Definitely evidence that God was protecting Clemson! Despite having to go about regular activities in the midst of downpours, most are actually thankful for the rain. Especially as there are a few more weeks of summer weather left and the rain will hopefully bring up the water level in the lake!
I spoke with one of the staff girls this morning and she gave me some great encouragement from Crosspoint. There was a record turnout at church on Sunday (800 people! last year about this time they were seeing around 500) First week events have also had great turnouts and CP groups (small groups) are getting started with a great deal of excitement from everyone. Both womens and college ministries have new leadership teams that will help provide planning, prayer and labor to these needed resources in our church body. Our women's ministry will start this semesters bible study next month.
I cant wait to get back and get to work serving with our amazing staff team in these great ministries!! I'm praying for dilligence in this time of support raising to be intentional about getting back as soon as possible. I don't want to miss any more of what Gods doing at Crosspoint!

Caution: Dangerous Jesus!

At church this past Sunday, the pastor preached a safe vs the dangerous Jesus as part of the "liar, lunatic or Lord" series. The message definitely struck me as I realized this concept has been a reoccurring one for me throughout the summer.
In the first preview service we attended, Pastor Carl preached on Extreme Living. Later in the summer, during a quiet time, God gripped me with getting outside the mindset of what does He think of me (although that was important to consider as I sought to know more about who my God is) and begin to examine what I think of God. The question intrigued me and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with the Lord answering it. Reflecting on Matthew 14 when Jesus called His disciple Peter out of the boat onto the water with Him, one of the SummerLINK girls mentioned in her testimony that no one ever got to Jesus by staying in the boat. Sunday morning's message seemed to draw together and challenge me with much of what Gods been teaching me over the last couple months. Revisiting this concept actually began the night before as I read a blog entry from a friend of mine. He had this to say:

I’m not calling all Christians to sell everything they have to give to the needy (unlike Christ might) but rather for the people of God to do something. Something. So many people, in the south especially, just get dressed up, go to church, feel better about themselves, maybe tithe, maybe do a food drive once a year. I would know, I was/kind of still am one of them. I’m working on it. Christ calls us to so much more, was so much more. Christian means “little Christ” yet the majority of us look nothing like Him.

It got me thinking about how Christians, including myself, get so wrapped up in our comfortable lives and don't practice what we profess. This is where the concept of radical, dangerous living comes in. The sermon on Sunday highlighted comfort as one of four things Jesus wants us to give up (the others being control, security and success)
We were created to live on the edge, to be challenged. Following Jesus should be scary at times. Pastor Greg quoted the new batman movie when he said: You thought attacking the core of a dark underworld there wouldn't be pushback? I Peter 4:12 Consider attacks to be one of the results of following well. Ladies, to quote a facebook flair I saw recently, (it made me laugh but when I thought about it I like the concept) "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says 'aww crap shes up!'
As I prepare for what may be the most faith-stretching experience of my spiritual walk, (support raising) this is all the more relevant. In a "build-your-own Jesus" society, "no tolerance for absolutes" culture of safe Jesuses, my Lord is calling me out of the boat, away from comfort, security, control and promised success. The Pastor also mentioned that when God calls us to live dangerously, it may take various forms. Sometimes the dangerous route is to go, for others, the safe route is to run from the challenge (and from God's calling) while the dangerous route is to stay the course. The God who spoke the universe into existence doesn't back down or back away from His children. I can be assured my God's strong enough to hold me up.

SummerLINK Banquet: An Evening of Memories....

Our last day at SummerLINK was reserved for fellowship, going to the beach, packing, cleaning and getting ready for the banquet that evening. The social team did an amazing job putting together an evening of fellowship and wrap up to the summer. It was really the perfect ending to such an amazing experience. I think it would have felt like something was left undone if we didn't have some time to reflect on the summer as a group- to share with one another, to rejoice over Gods goodness and trials He's brought us through, lessons learned and growth experienced.

Thank you Rachel, Nathan and Savannah for planning and organizing such a memorable evening!

The evening began with the social team organizing the group into cars and driving us to our departure point on the island. We had a 45 min ferry ride to Daufuski Island. The weather that day was great so the ride was smooth and the views were beautiful. We could see the Hilton Head lighthouse and beautiful homes on the shoreline along the way.

The Ferry- most of us rode inside or in the sheltered section of the top deck on the ride out because of the wind and on the top deck for the calm ride back under the stars Absolutely beautiful!

A bit of the views we had including the HarbourTown Lighthouse

We were blessed to be joined for the evening by Gray and Brandy, the connections pastor of Crosspoint Bluffton and his wife. They are a wonderful Godly couple and have been such a blessing and encouragement to observe, learn from and fellowship with this summer. It was great to have an evening with them to thank them for all they've done for us and to enjoy their company as we prepared to depart.
We were met at the pier by a Trolley that took us to the Inn Our first views of the island were peaceful: tree-lined roads and very few cars. The Inn is elegant and quiet which set the tone for an evening of reflection but also one of thanksgiving-for each other and for the opportunity to spend the summer in such a "spiritual greenhouse" nurtured by teaching and fellowship.


Dinner was followed by the banquet ceremony. Banquet was somewhat of a combination of the various activities of SummerLINK: a time of sharing (as we would during prayer and praise), reflection (as on reflection nights only corporately instead of individually), and a game all led by our Celebration MC (as on celebration nights).
The share time was definitely the most memorable part of the evening. Several of the SummerLINKers shared about what the summer had meant to them and how God had used it to grow them. It was so encouraging to hear what God has been doing and see that He has great plans for the team and His church as a whole. During deorientation and at the banquet, we were reminded that God has been growing and using other members of the church body who were not with us this summer. It will be so exciting to go back to Clemson and see the various parts of the body reunited having been individually strengthened. In multiple conversations this summer, its been commented that Clemson is a training ground that God is using to reach the campus, community and the nations. I feel so blessed to be part of what God is doing.
Another aspect of banquet that was very memorable was when Gray asked us all to stand and give a favorite memory of the summer before we sat down. There was a good deal of laughter and agreement as we each shared things we appreciated about SummerLINK. After we finished, Gray pointed out that the theme of those memories was relationships and encouraged us to be intentional in building and maintaining relationships both with fellow believers and in ministering to nonbelievers. Those moments have stayed with me. I dont think I'll soon forget sitting in the banquet room with the group that God used to grow and humble me so much. Listening to testimonies of growth and thankfulness to our awesome God, I could clearly see He has great plans for such willing servants and I'm so excited to be witness to what He'll do!

Student servant team and team leaders

SummerLINK 2008 Hilton Head

Thank you to my brothers and sisters I've learned so much from each of you and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to count you as friends.
I Thess 5:23-24 Let this be a summer that truly echoes into eternity!

Braggin on the boys

The group of brothers and sisters I spent the summer with can only be described as blessings. Although my sisters have been equally amazing, I wanted to brag on the guys... The nine gentlemen of SummerLINK were such gracious and servant leaders. There were several examples of this throughout the summer. Heres one that was captured on camera:
For our last mens/womens night of the summer, the guys came into womens night wearing their SummerLINK t-shirts and carrying yellow roses. Each rose had a tag with Ps 45:11 written out (the King is enthralled with your beauty...) and was accompanied by a handwritten card from one of the guys.
Once they had passed these out, they serenaded us :)

Wrapping Up

Hey Everyone!! So sorry this took so long!! The last couple weeks of SummerLINK were pretty packed with fellowship and generally wrapping up the summer. The last couple weeks of project were definitely busy but well worth it as Gods hand is so clearly seen in everything. The last group the Bluffton interns hosted was from home!! The Crosspoint youthgroup was with us for the week of July 13-19 and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we had with them! They arrived on Saturday to attend the preview service orientation that evening and help us with the service on Sunday. That evening at Prayer and Praise, our youth pastor, Matt, brought messages from home for the group. He told us that we are prayed for and thought of often with joy. Despite thoroughly enjoying being here and considering this to be an experience I would not trade, that encouragement came at a time when it was truly needed for us to maintain the pace and finish strong. God has provided consistently provided the encouragement I’ve needed all summer through the amazing group I have the blessing of being here with, the service groups I have gotten to work alongside and the passionate service of the Bluffton Team. The spoken encouragement that evening was just the beginning of how the Crosspoint Team would uplift us. The Bluffton interns had the blessing of spending the week with the team doing service projects in Bluffton. We did some painting at an elementary school, picked up trash on the road, cleaned some debris from around a playground (Matt described this experience in a blog entry: ), and did spiritual surveys in a neighborhood. They also joined us for Celebration (where Matt gave a great message on the stewardship of time His notes are on his blog (July 30th entry), Bible Study, and Men’s and Women’s nights where Matt and his wife Sara challenged us with great messages(the girls talked about intentionally living life with other believers in fellowship and accountability). Friday was a great time of fellowship on the beach with the group. I had an opportunity to hang out with the girls for awhile and truly enjoyed getting to know them more. The Crosspoint Team consisted of six high schoolers whom Matt has chosen to work with him to completely redesign the highschool and middleschool ministries at Crosspoint. Throughout the week, we had opportunities to talk with them and hear their hearts on these ministries. This group is going to be such an asset to the church family! They have such a sweet desire to see their highschool ministry be used of God to set this group on fire for Him. They also spoke of mentoring the middle school to see them grow in Christ as well. I am so excited to see how they’ve grown and what great things come from this ministry when I return to Clemson.

The Crosspoint Team suited up for picking up trash
They really served well all week

The team on the beach for some fellowship time
Crosspoint Church was written in the sand :)

Heath and I with the team on their last night in HH

The last group scheduled to come while the interns were in HH ended up cancelling. As we didn’t have service groups, the days for the Bluffton interns were a little less structured but still fairly busy. We went into Bluffton on a couple of days to help Gray with some final details like research on the USCB campus. We took a tour of the campus to gather some information on campus life and ask some questions about getting involved with the students. Although I'll never admit to taking any enjoyment from being on enemy territory, I will say that the campus is very nice.
Gray and Brandy were so kind in inviting the interns for lunch on one of our last days of work. It was such a blessing getting to know them this summer. Hearing their hearts for the nations and observing their obedience to God has been a great encouragement to seek God and live to bring Him glory.

The interns, Heath, Tracey and Meredith with Gray and Brandy

Meredith and I discovered we were matching when we met in the parking lot to leave for lunch
I suppose after spending the summer together we've started thinking alike....

As the interns wrapped up our summer, SummerLINK also headed into our final week. The last few speakers were really helpful in reviewing the summer and giving practical advice on how to apply what we've learned. Celebration, Women's night and church services covered missional living, sharing the gospel, gender roles in ministry and living "glocally" (part of Crosspoint Bluffton's mission: global and local missional living) Women's night also had a panel of the pastors wives which was so uplifting and edifying! It was so encouraging to hear from the wives of the men who have surrendered their lives to build this young church and to lead their families as examples for a growing congregation. The women serving alongside their husbands at Crosspoint Bluffton are such examples of Biblical womanhood! They are practically living out what it means to come alongside as a suitable helper. I've learned so much over the summer especially from Brandy as I've had the blessings of opportunities to observe her and ask her questions. Titus 2 has truly come alive to me in the last few months as I've been surrounded by women I can look to and turn to as I learn how God will use me in my role as His daughter.
Overall, I’d count project among the most positively life changing experiences and blessings of my life. I spent the summer with an amazing group of brothers and sisters who consistently seek to glorify God with their whole lives. I’ve learned so much from interactions or just watching them exude their love for Christ with their attitudes and actions. I’m truly looking forward to being back in Clemson and serving alongside this group again.

Bittersweet

Just wanted to let everyone know I made it back safely last night. (I promise there are still several SummerLINK blogs on the way Getting them written and posted is a goal for the next few days as I settle in!) Admittedly, departure from SummerLINK was incredibly bittersweet. In some ways, more bitter than sweet. As nervous as I was at the beginning of the summer I never would have imagined it would be so hard to leave at the end. I have enjoyed seeing my family but I feel that I've also been separated from family. My SummerLINK and Crosspoint family are such blessings. I couldn't have imagined at the beginning of the summer how much I'd grow not only in my faith but in love for my brothers and sisters. We have laughed, cried, rejoiced, prayed, encouraged and challenged together. We truly lived life together and I pray the bonds created would only grow stronger. I'll be praying for the group that will return to the field after an intense summer of equipping and training *please be praying for them as well as they seek to take what we've learned back to be guiding lights and catalysts on the campus and in the community* I'm still processing exactly what this summer has meant. I think I've come to the partial conclusion that I most likely will not know the full extent of this impact possibly even for years to come.
Right now, I'm settling in to my parents house where I'll be staying while I raise support to be a GenerationLINK intern. I have been so encouraged during our de-orientation and banquet share time, getting a small glimpse of what God has planned for the group He hand-picked to make an impact on our church, campus and community. I'm so excited, humbled and blessed to be a part of it. I'm ready to get back and dive in but I know God has a purpose for the next few months while I raise support. I know He'll teach and stretch me even more. Whatever He has planned is whats best for me and what will bring Him the most glory. I'm slowly learning not to be afraid of what God may take away or require of me as it always leads to something better and more wonderful than what I could have chosen for myself. Please be praying for me in this time as I know I will be stretched and possibly get discouraged. I'm praying that I will keep this desire to forge ahead on the path God has laid before me. This summer has increased my passion for discipleship and serving in the church. The desires and abilities God gives are such blessings as I'll get to see Him use them for His kingdom and continue to be enthralled with my "front row seat" of his work and glory.