Killing the Giants and Other Things

Saying that I've been busy would be an understatement. I think it would be more accurate to say that I have been pushed more than ever before.

Celebrating my birthday in Ocean City was a lot of fun. I got spend a lot of time with my roommates and got the day off from week. My discipler Bryn even picked up a delicious ice cream cake for me. At the end of the week, we finally received our final roommate, Emily. It's been SO great to have a complete room. Something never felt right!
This past week was our "Killing the Giants" week. We focused on a full week of outreach. We were encouraged to hit the boardwalk ever night to get in conversations and share the gospel. We each set individual number goals, as well as non-numerical 'giants' to conquer this week. Mine ranged from sharing alone, to being bold and sharing with people back home. With all the individual goals combined, our project goal was around 4,600. Crazy, huh? It was a big week for everyone here. Can you imagine moving in on Friday and being taken straight to the boardwalk to share your faith? The new (quarter-school) students got thrown right in.
So, on top of working anywhere up to 40 hours, attending Bible studies and meetings, we were out sharing in all of our free time. We finished off our week by heading up to Atlantic City and sharing on the boardwalk there. The atmosphere is definitely different. People aren't quite as relaxed and open to conversation. All in all, by the grace of God, we KILLED our goal and ended up sharing with right around 5,900 people. Praise God. Seriously, all the glory to Him.

After our long week, we had a beach party. Unfortunately, the weather here has not been great, nor was it yesterday. We partied anyways. :)


While last week was an extreme of individual sharing and growth, this week is an extreme of community. Everything we do this week is focused around learning how to work as one body. The schedule is mixed up quite a bit throughout the week, ending with a student vs. staff softball game. Throughout the week, we can either earn or lose points for this game based off our success in working together. It should be fun. :)

Las Vegas on the Beach

Last night a group of 40 of us piled into each others cars and ventured to the famous Atlantic City. It was our teammate Jenny's birthday, so we decided to celebrate it in style. Lodged in the gorgeous Caesar's Palace Hotel and Casino, we dined at Game On, an extremely "classy" restaurant. To our surprise, Caesar's Pier stretched over the ocean, providing a ridiculously beautiful scene. The whole day had been stormy, which led to massive waves that looked like they could crush you with a gentle splash.


Despite the weather, we found that the Pier offered a water fountain show. I don't really know what to call it. As a mini Las Vegas, the best comparison I can give is to the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel. This fountain was much smaller, but the water still shot up 3 stories. It was pretty dang sweet. The 40 of us surrounded the upper deck of the observing area and proceded to cheer on the fountain. I'm under the assumption that anyone who meets us, in large quantities, thinks that we are crazy. (Probably rightfully so) After the fountain's presentation of "fever" we then meandured through the casino, stopping to take numerous pictures with the ridiculously large statues of Caesar himself.

My self and 4 other ladies packed in a car and blasted some hip hop and dance music the whole way home. I love that everything seems so close together over here. New York City is only a 2.5 hour drive away, Phili is an 1.5 hour drive, and DC is 3.5 hours away. Not to shabby.

Today is supposed to be 80 and sunny. Beach worthy, I would say. I am looking forward to going on a nice run and then reading on the beach all afternoon. Hopefully this time I won't end up with crazy sun burns like last weekend. Tonight the whole crew has an outreach event. We're using some short films from the Global Short Film Network to spread the Word and get in some sweet convos. Sunday holds Sunday School (ministry training), church, cleaning the house, and some time to chill before student led prayer in the evening. I will hopefully be starting my job as receptionist at A Bella Salon and Spa on Monday. I am definitely looking forward to a little more structure in my life! I do not do well with a lot of freetime.

Peace, love, and vanilla coffee (which I am drinking right now).
Megs

Boardwalks, new friends, and sun tans.

I cannot grasp on to the fact that I have only been in Ocean City for 8 days. Sometimes it feels way longer, but when I think about it, it feels like only a few days ago I was riding my bike to Great Harvest Bread Co. This is probably due to the fact that our schedule here is pretty intense. We are pushed and challenged with our use of time.

While it's only been a little over a week since I arrived here, I have already seen the Lord do amazing things. I think that day to day we can fail to catch all of the things the Lord is doing in our lives. We view them as things done in our own strength, when they are really done through Christ alone. I was pondering this as I prepared for my run this morning. I could have tied my Asiscs, left the Inn, and began my normal morning rutine of running along the boardwalk but then it hit me: I am doing this because I want to stay in shape.

It's thoughts like this that can hinder us from the kind of relationship God wants to have with us. I think we too often settle. If we pause to take in what's really going on, life seems much sweeter. I realized that I was running because God gave me the ability. He gives me the endurance, the desire, and the muscles I need. How cool is that?

Anyways, back to a broader picture of Ocean City. I absolutely love it here. Living with 80 others in my house and 20+ more in "The Mansion" is an incredible experience. i don't think I'll ever live with this many people ever again. It's a perfect reminder that we need to be living the way that Paul talks about in Philippians 2. He says that we should view other people as greater than ourselves. In doing that, every day brings a new humbling experience.

(Hannah, Bryn, Me, Cassie)

I am currently living with two beautiful women. Hannah, a junior from the University of Illinois, sleeps in the bunk above me, while Cassie, a sophomore from University of Southern California, is across the room. Now, when I say across the room, you are probably envisioning a spacious apartment in which I need to travel to get to the other bunk. Not true. Don't get me wrong, I am very blessed to have the room I have, but it is not large by any means. It still forces us to really respect eachothers' sleep and belongings. Emily, from Northwestern, will be joining us next weekend (her school hasn't let out yet!). The four of us, plus my amazing discipler Bryn, make up our action group.

After our first week of orientation ended, we moved into our "Setting the Pace" week. I began my job as receptionist at A Bella Salon and Spa, read on the beach, help others job search, and did a lot of organizational stuff and letter writing. Next week will be more of the normal routine. I think every week will get more and more comfortable. I was talking to Michael on the beach a few nights ago and it really hit me: How cool is it that I am living 2 blocks from the ocean? Seriously. It's crazy. I'm so used to be being landlocked in Wisconsin! I love Mendota and Menona, but they don't have the same effect as an ocean. It's been really fun to have a massive body of water so close.

On a little more exciting note, our whole crew went out sharing on the boardwalk on Saturday. The Lord is definitely on the move! My roommate Hannah and I met two adorable high school sisters and were able to have an incredible conversation with them. I am excited to say that we now have two more Sisters! Praise God. We were even able to hang out with them the next day! They showed us a few of the ropes on the Jersey shore and forced us into the freezing cold water. It was totally worth it. The severe burns I received, however, weren't quite as enjoyable. I am a lovely mix of bright red, golden brown(ish), and reflective white. Haha. :)

Well this was fun. Welcome to my blog! I will be posting more frequently as the summer goes on.

Love, Meghan