"Killing the Giants"

Whew, I know it’s been almost 2 weeks since I’ve updated (sorry mom ;) so I’ll jump right into it.

Last week was “Killing the Giants Week” because we all had to set goals that we wanted to accomplish. One was the number of spiritual conversations we wanted to initiate, the number of gospel presentations we wanted to present to people, and a personal giant such as sharing with a co-worker, unsaved family member, etc… Reflecting on the week, I can only say that God is faithful and always provides opportunities.

We started off the week with an outreach called “Battle on the Beach” where we all dressed up as warriors of good vs. evil. We marched around the boardwalk to gather people to come watch and then the men fight a choreographed battle. In the end, it’s the generals of both armies (i.e. Jesus vs. Satan) who battle it out and Jesus wins. The intent is to signify the spiritual battle we all experience here on earth in our minds and hearts. After the battle and everyone is dead on the ground except Jesus, he gives a gospel presentation to the crowd and then we all go out and share with the people standing around. It was the most intense outreach I have been a part of and it was incredible to see the way people responded. I was able to share with an older man who was suicidal and had lost just about everything in his life. When he told me he was suicidal I started to share about my friend Josh that committed suicide this past spring. At that time Laura, Josh’s girlfriend, walked up and was able to share her story. I can’t even tell you exactly what she said but by the time we were done talking to him and sharing the gospel, this grown man was almost in tears.  He didn’t make a decision to receive Christ but I know that what we said is resonating in his heart. Before we left we prayed for him, and he was very emotionally moved and said we had given him something no one else had. I believe that God is mighty to save, even an old man who has nothing and sees no way out other than ending it himself. It shows how sovereign God is and how he can use past suffering for his glory.  If Laura and I had not had that experience, we wouldn’t have been able to share the same way we did with this man. I am amazed by how many opportunities I’ve already had to witness to someone through Josh’s death, something I’m not even over myself. I know that it’s only by God’s grace and strength alone that I’m able to share it with people and share my faith.

This past Saturday we used tug-o-war to reach people on the beach. We all went out and got people to play with us and have fun and then explained who we were and why we were in Va Beach. As we shared with the people who played, my friend Kaitlynn and I had the privilege of leading 3 girls to Christ! Two were in college and one was in high school. While we were sharing with them, a couple other project students were talking to another boy and girl who accepted Christ. It turned out that all 5 of them were cousins! And all accepted Christ separately that day! How amazing God is! They were also the first people I have seen come to Christ – what an encouragement and blessing it was to witness that and be reminded that God IS at work in peoples’ hearts!  What an even more blessing to know I will see them in Heaven one day and they will have eternal life with Christ. Praise God for His love!

I cannot believe that I am almost halfway through Project. It feels like I’ve been here for so much longer, yet I can’t believe it’s already been a month and that I’ll be here another month and a half! This is the point where the staff leave Project and we are all assigned a role. The Project Directors do come back the last week of Project to debrief us but everything is student-led from here on out. I will be leading our Thursday night meetings “Lighthouse” with my friend Grant, who is from Ohio State. We do all of the scheduling for the meeting and training time beforehand as well as meet with the leaders from the church we partner with. Just as I used to be on the World Vision ministry team, we are now leading the Lighthouse ministry team. I’m excited for the opportunity to lead; this job is a lot like what I do in our Crusade at MSU. I know that God will work through this position because lately I’ve been contemplating whether or not scheduling for the Crusade meetings at school is where God wants me; we’ll see what He does.

Like I said, I can’t believe I’ve been here a month and reflecting on the past few weeks, it’s amazing to see how God’s been at work. The first couple weeks were really tough and overwhelming. Everyone who has been on Project told me you go through stages in order of being excited then overwhelmed then depressed, and then finally you begin to feel comfortable where you are. I have been no exception to that timeline. The first couple weeks were incredibly hard and I asked a lot of questions like “Why am I here? Should I be here? How is God going to use me? How do I share with people when I have so much to learn? Am I really ready for this? Should I have waited a couple summers?” But God is continually reminding me that he is sovereign over my life and fully in control of all circumstances – whether I’m in Virginia Beach, Jackson, Panama City, East Lansing, etc…One theme God continues to put on my heart is that He defines me and I am not defined by the sin in my life or things of the world. I am prideful, and I’m a mess – but, I am loved by God and I need to rise up to who He has called me to be as a woman of Christ.

There is no doubt that we all have “giants” we face every day, whether it be pride, insecurity, a family member, a co-worker, a friend, an argument, bitterness towards someone...It’s a matter of stretching ourselves to face that struggle and rely on God to help us do so. For me I know my giants don’t stop after “Killing the Giants” week. They continue the rest of this summer, when I go back to MSU in the fall, when I’m home during Christmas break…Will I choose to boldly search and overcome them with God’s help? Or will I shrug it off and avoid facing my struggles and fears? We really all have a choice to make. What are your personal giants and do you believe that God is sovereign enough to help you overcome them?

Hebrews 12:1 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with great perseverance the race marked out for us.”

God has an incredible race outlined for our lives. Will we throw off everything that hinders and entangles us and run with perseverance the race He has marked out for us? I would like to challenge you to think about the “giants” in your life and trust God to help you take a step further towards them.

The rest of this week is different than our regular schedule because staff has planned a lot of extra things since it’s their last week here. Thursday we will have Lighthouse and Friday we are having a dinner event called “Agape Feast” with all the staff and students. As always, your prayers are immensely appreciated and you can pray specifically for us students as we lead the rest of Project. Also, be praying for the relationships we are building with people from the Virginia Beach community and the outreach events we host – that we may share our faith and show God’s love genuinely, and for the hearts of the non-believers we’re interacting with. I hope all is well with you and I apologize if this update seems scattered. I will try getting back into updating at least once a week. God loves you incredibly and have a fantastic day! :)