Crazy and Blessed: The Fulfullment of a Dream

Hey y'all! 

Intern crew plus family in Lancaster, PA

In the past 11 days I have:

-Driven through 12 states (10 of them new to me)
-Camped outside of Knoxville, TN
-Swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time (Jersey Shore)
-Cooked lunch on my car engine
-Lived and worked on Staten Island, NY for a week
-Visited Manhattan and did the tourist thing (Brooklyn Tabernacle, Times Square, 911 Memorial, subway, Wall Street, and the ferry)
-Cliff jumping in Lancaster, PA
-More driving

Times Square!

Currently, I am in Columbia, South Carolina with Mark & Katie Manning and Paula and Jessica (fellow staff/interns), helping with teams who are here in response to the Oct 2015 flooding. The past two weeks have been crazy, amazing, blessed, and full. You may be thinking.."wow, she gets to do so many cool things!" And yes, I do! But it boggles my mind! I did not plan any of this or see it coming. The plans to take the intern team to Staten Island fell into place almost last minute and led right into my original plan to visit South Carolina. I have had so much fun traveling and seeing new things. But as I look back, it's not just the cool new experiences that I remember. It's God and the people. 

One morning as I was driving through Maryland I just sat in awe of where I was and what I was doing. I am living in the fulfillment of a dream that God planted in my heart years ago. I have never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but I did know that I wanted to A) travel, and B) serve people. Guess what I'm doing now? :) I am so humbled by the fact that I am in this place; right in the center of God's faithfulness and goodness. It reminds me of one of my favorite portions of the Bible:

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

~Isaiah 55:10-13 

 

Lunchtime in Staten Island

These are a few of the ways I saw God work: We had a four car caravan on the way to Staten Island and not one broke down. We worked for a week in Staten Island and no one was seriously hurt. Meals, fuel, rest, projects to work on, ways to serve the folks around us...all were provided in due time. We only left one person behind (sorry, Shelby!). The myriad travel plans for 14 or so people worked out perfectly. People blossomed and opened up. Healing was seen. All of this was a blessing. God was working all around us. 

Traveling with the interns and staff this summer has become one of my favorite things. All that driving would have been seriously boring and I would not have done half the fun things on the list above without them. I am blessed by the laughter, the tears, the deep conversations, the stories, the adventures, the crazy ideas, and the service of everyone I encountered. Serving them and being served in return has been a privilege and an honor. 

Cliffjump in PA

This weekend we said goodbye and went our separate ways. We ended on a beautiful note with a family picnic in Lancaster, PA. Several of the interns lived within three or so hours of Lancaster so we held a picnic and invited family and friends to join us in celebration of the summer. We shared stories and ways we have seen God working over the course of the summer, encouraging each other to "take it home". I could see the testimonies of each intern having a powerful effect on their families. Stories are meant to be shared and it was cool to see that happen! 

As I continue to look back, process, and share what happened this summer I will update y'all with further blog posts and photos. I appreciate your patience with my lovely full schedule and your continued prayers for what God is doing through me and the team of ReachGlobal Crisis Response.

Cooking lunch on the car engines.

Manhattan, NYC