It's been a while...

Hey everyone! It's been a busy month of October. Crazy to think that the month is almost over. Things are getting ready to change here with the interns at SharpTop Cove. Next Monday will mark the beginning of our second rotation of the internship. I will be moving to Sites (Maintenance) with Patrick. Not my dream job, but we're going to make it fun for sure. Watch out Bob Villa and Norm Abrams; your replacements have arrived. Here comes This Old Camp!

One thing I have really appreciated about October has been weekends of Young Life camping. Church and school groups are always great and welcome when they come. But, there is just something special about Young Life areas bringing the furthest out kids to hear about Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, this camp was made with them in mind.

Our intern group is continuing to study the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. The past couple of weeks we have read through submission and service. Each day as I live in this community I am learning how to better give all of my life to Christ and serve others each day. It can be challenging, but the fruits that come from sharing in this community are definitely worth it.

One final cool thing to share with you all is that we recently found out that our February mission trip has changed locations. Instead of going to the Dominican Republic, we will be heading to Nicaragua. Either place would be amazing. I have never been a part of an international mission trip before, so I am excited to grow both individually and as a group of interns during this experience. Please keep this trip in your prayers as we prepare over the next few months.

Some other things you can pray for include:

• Good transition between jobs over the next week as we learn our new roles.
• More and more kids to meet Jesus Christ as leaders bring kids to Fall Camps on weekends.
• Fundraising for our intern class. We still need to raise more money so all of our interns will be able to travel to Nicaragua for our mission trip.
• Travel arrangements coming up as we think of heading to see family and friends during the holidays.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Blessings!

Speaking, Waiting, and Listening...

Hey everyone! The past couple weeks for me have been jam packed with a lot of work, but also a ton of fun. Along with days of cleaning and running rides I have been able to enjoy time with my fellow interns during time off. A week ago I was introduced to the music of Stephen Kellogg when I attended an Atlanta concert with four other interns. The event was great as I was given a healthy dose of the folk-rock style of Kellogg and also entertaining accompaniment by his band the Sixers. Along with enjoying the music, I also was happy to escape the camp world for just a bit and check out a part of Atlanta.

Just a few days later, we came back to the ATL and toured the CNN center, home to one of the world's largest cable news networks. I appreciated the wealth of knowledge given by the energetic tour guide and was intrigued by how much work goes behind the camera to come up with a news story, figure out how it will be distributed through television, and then make sure the presentation is executed effectively and accurately. The tour tickets were actually a free gift from a past intern of SharpTop, J.J., who is now a weather producer at CNN. I was amazed at the journey God has taken him through, starting with a Young Life camp internship back in 06-07, and now a pretty good job at a world reknown news network.

It was really encouraging to hear J.J's story, because many of us as interns are struggling with the question, "what is next?" after this internship. This may seem crazy as we still have more than ten whole months left. However, we have already experienced how quickly this time can pass and know that next August will be here before too long. With this question looming overhead, we all are eager to find out where God wants us to be. I have no doubt that all nine of us truly desire to serve Christ and find a career that we can joyfully bring glory to him. Unfortunately, God does not always clearly speak in a medium or time that we may desire.

So, how do we actually have conversations with God? After all, we are in a relationship with him through his Son, Jesus Christ. I hope that figuring out the answer to this question is something all of us can grow in over the next ten months. Right now our intern class is studying the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster and have had great conversations regarding the practices of meditation and prayer. We all realize that we need to be intentional in giving God our time to spend with him. Yet, the struggle is trying to discern when God is actually speaking to us and then identify his presence.

Even though there are times of confusion and times we may feel nothing, I am confident our continual pursuit of God will lead to a lot less of me and a lot more of Him. Ultimately this is my desire, even though the journey is not always easy. So as I continue to seek him: I speak, I wait, and I listen. Through these stages I believe God will lead me where he wants me to be.