SUMMER RECAP: VII

One of the neatest and most unexpected part about this summer was my interaction with fifteen Russians that were also lifeguards. They were all on work and travel visas and God gave us an awesome opportunity to minister to them. Constant pressure from our boss and higher standards for them made working at the Lagoon difficult for them. Crusaders were practically the only Americans in our work area that had shown them kindness or love. Most Russians come from religious backgrounds that didn't really think of christianity as a relationship with God. 

(Matt, the Russians, and I Left to Right: Matt, Andrey, Ty, Bulat, Sergey, and Vaschilly)

Matt (another Crusader) and I went out of our way to learn the language and customs of their life and were later bold in sharing the name of Jesus. None of them accpeted Christ, but we both learned a lot about sharing with someone from that culture. These people, both the guys and gals, were our friends and we defintely had an impact on them. Matt is thinking about going to Russia this summer and it is clear that he has a heart for the people of Russia. We were both spekaing Russian well, but Matt was reading it better than I was. 

I never wanted anything to do with Russia and often thought of it as a boring country, having close friends from there changes. Matt and I also learned that Russian people have access to many countries that Americans do not. The need for the Gospel in Russia is clear to me now. 

Prayer for Russia

I have been praying about my upcoming summer and God is calling me to Russia. Please join me in prayer as I prepare for this journey. Pray for the people I will encounter and that their heart is ready to receive truth from the Lord. Also, that the travel arrangement and visa preparation is effortless and not time consuming. Pray for my safety as I travel overseas.

Russia is one of few cities that have practically unlimited access into other countries. Places like China are among one of the areas that Russians can easily go and Americans can not. A high percentage of Russians have not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and I ask you to pray with me in fulfilling the mission that all may know the saving power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Russian faces from this summer. Please pray for their souls.

 

SUMMER RECAP: VI

The City of Daytona

It is clear that our summer project has had a positive effect on the lives of people in the Daytona area. God provided jobs for all of us, from working as housemaids, to being social cordinator for a theme park, God is Faithful.

God created such a fellowship with the students on project. The relationships that we formed are ones that will last a lifetime and thankfully, they'll last into eternity. Some of the men on this project will be in my wedding one day. We all still keep in touch and keep each other accountable. I feel like Paul and know understand the love he had for his fellow brothers and sisters. I can now see why he wrote all those letters.

Greater things are yet to come in the city of Daytona. We were just a fraction of what God has in store for the people. God will continue to bless them and I thank you for helping me be a part of God's plan for my  life. 

48 Students and 24 Staff 2008

Please keep Danny and my fellow Russian friends in prayer.  Thank you for taking this journey with me and may God continue to bless you as he is blessing me.  I'm now in the last weeks of this semester and I ask for your continued prayer of the awesome things God is doing here in Morehead. 

Our Crusade Movement has doubled in size and student are actively sharing the gospel with others. Thank you for helping me equip my life for future work here on campus. Please keep in touch. Love you guys!

SUMMER RECAP: V

One individual from Daytona God had laid on my heart. Danny is currently a freshman at the University of Southern Florida. Danny is not a believer but is one the guys that I worked with as a lifeguard. We began to hang out and I invited him to all our services we held as well as socials. He fell in love with us Crusaders here in Daytona. I don't know if he realizes it, but what he really fell in love with this summer was the love of Jesus Christ working through our hearts. 

There were times where I was hanging out with Danny and we would run into some friends of his in the community and he would introduce me as a Crusader. The next thing out of his mouth was always something like, 'you have got to meet these guys! They are the coolest people I've ever met.' And man, did we love on him.

 

God truly answered prayer. I actually began discipling Danny this summer, and the funny thing was he asked me to do it! It was exactly what I had asked God to arrange. I have never discipled a non-believer, but boy did Danny have some questions for me. We both took Fridays off and met in the morning to pray and learn about God and then fellowshipped for the rest of the evening. I shared the Gospel with Danny and we both shared some really personal parts of our lives together. Danny feels he is not quite ready to give his life, but I pray o

ne day he will. I love this kid and this is the first time that God has given me such a burden for someone's life. We still keep in to

uch frequently, and I'm praying for him daily. Please join me in praying for his salvation.

SUMMER RECAP: IV

When I tell people I was a lifeguard this summer, I often think I was saving lives in tow different ways: spiritually and literally. I had five rescues this summer and was almost named lifeguard of the week! But the true excitement was not in rescuing people from water, but from eternal death. 

I worked with eleven other crusaders in the waters at Daytona. Together we shared the gospel with our coworkers and ultimately showed them the love of Christ. We took steps of faith and were vulnerable in sharing our pasts, where we had come from, and how Jesus is restoring our life. It was the first time they had seen real authentic Christians. And to be honest, for some of us on project we were learning to be real and authentic. God was using our stories he had given us to make the Christian lifestyle real and a concept that was clearly tangible for anyone. 

Sharing our faith was such a focus in our workplace that I now can see how this habit has carried over to school. I've shared with many since I've been back to school. 

(Some of the guys I worked with and loved on this summer from Daytona. right to left: Cardie, Me, Danny, and Dylan)