Pimentos, Braves, and a lot more Jesus :)

I know the burning question on all of your minds… what did you cook at work this week???? Well, search no further. It is now official that I am an expert at making Pimento cheese. That’s right, I don’t even have to look at the recipe…woah. Honestly the thought of ever tasting it makes me sick, so maybe I can’t say an expert due to my lack of willingness to actually stick it in my mouth. Regardless, you may all be hitting me up for some good recipes when I get home ☺ I’ll be taking numbers ☺

So, what all has been going on since the last time I wrote? Basically a whole lot of everything you could imagine. Due to the amount of things I have to write about, we’ll start with bullets for now, and then expand on the important things ☺ In a nutshell, here are a few Kaleo moments:

• I have been more incredible busy than I ever thought I would be!! Being a leader has many challenges, time management being one of the worst ones.
• The fellow greeters and I decided to dress up "frat" one night- so much fun.

• On June 10th and 11th, we had what’s called Relationship Conference, where we participated in a few activities and seminars all about the talk of God-centered relationships.
• One of my girls, Anndrea, made it into engineering school at Iowa State. Now before you say, "Oh that's great...", you should know she made the top 80 OUT OF 400 APPLICANTS!!! We were so proud we threw her a surprise party, to which her first response was, "It's not my birthday." Haha.

• The following weekend, all groups went away for the weekend to their desired location for the purpose of group bonding. Our group chose to go to Atlanta, Georgia, where we attended the Braves vs. Rangers game, shopped in Atlantic Station where we also saw a fun street magic show(first time to IKEA!!!!!, and yes, I bought my first toilet bowl cleaner for a dollar), and tasted some Georgia peaches ☺

• My group watched the Passion of the Christ together and it was one of the most moving experiences of my Christian walk.
• One of my coworkers from Turkey who worked at Five Guys with me last year came back to Florida and I got to share the gospel with her!! She prayed in Turkish and it was so great! I wouldn’t say she accepted, however, because she is very grounded in Islam. She is extremely excited and interested, though, and we will continue to meet and work through things during the summer.
• I have shared the gospel on the beach with each of the girls in my group now and it has been incredible to see how God is growing them in their ability to share.
• I am building really great relationships with my current coworkers and God has really shown me what it means to be controlled by the Spirit and initiate spiritual conversations with people in my life. Sharing about Jesus is not just about an illustration, but a lifestyle and your mouth overflowing with what’s in your heart.
• Last night, all of the D-group leaders got to hear a guest speaker at the Destin project on the topic of discipleship. We have been watching his videos in our Monday training times and it was really great to hear him speak in person.

Now, what to elaborate on?? I must choose carefully, as I could literally talk all night about my experiences so far this summer.

First off, Relationship Conference. The major thing that I learned from this was my true purpose in life: to daily become more like Christ. Regardless of my status in life, single of married, the purpose is to be made more like Christ. Both statuses are temporary, as we all shall pass from this earth, and whatever status God has me in, I will find complete and utter contentment in Him and Him alone, as He alone can satisfy me. In a sense, this conference caused me to long even more for marriage, but I truly feel that God is teaching me how to truly be thankful for every day that He has given me to serve Him. Being single, I have so many ways that I can be used for ministry that I can’t be once I am married, and I pray that I will be single as long as God needs me to be. I will cherish every day that is given me to serve the Lord, regardless of my marital status, because every moment of those days will be used to make me more like Christ.

Second, watching the Passion of the Christ. Now that I have a much deeper understanding of what Christ did on the cross for me, I could not watch that film without my heart being completely broken and all that Christ went through for me. His love stretched that far and reached even me. We all watched the film with complete solemnness, and when the credits began to roll, we were all speechless. It took me a good few minutes to gather myself emotionally enough to lead us in prayer thanking Christ for His deep love for us.

Third, sharing the gospel with my Turkish friend, Cansu. She texted me when she got back to America, I picked her up one day after work so she could come to our service that night, and she reminded me that I promised her I would take her to church with me last summer, and it was truly a great experience. I wasn’t able to share with last summer or spend any time with her outside of work because I was spending so much time with my Indian friend, so this past Tuesday was a huge blessing. Besides witnessing someone hearing the gospel for the first time and seeing her amazement, she shared many things with my about Islam and God revealed to me the areas I will need to address with her in our next meetings. Be praying that I can get a Turkish Bible to her and that she will understand that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

And Lastly, all that God is teaching me about evangelism, discipleship, and leaning on the Spirit in ALL that I do. In leading other girls, evangelizing at my job, and simply in growing in my walk with the Lord, I have learned that none of if counts unless the Spirit is involved. Jesus came that we may be able to have relationship with God through the Spirit, and when we aren’t living by the Spirit, then we are the ones controlling our lives and all labor is in vain. God is constantly reminding me that every conversation at work and all my discipleship meetings with my girls must be sourced in the Spirit if I want to see the Lord work. John 15:5 says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Before I go to work in the morning, I pray that the Spirit will sit on the throne of my life and guide my conversations that day. The same goes for my meetings with my girls. I have truly struggled in the past with leaning on my own strength, but anything I do apart from the vine of Christ means nothing. In allowing Him to have full control of my day, I am learning what it means to truly live the spirit filled life and it is truly the fullest life I have ever known.

I am growing in my walk with the Lord in incredible ways and I am more privileged than I know how to express. I am blessed enough to see Him working in the lives of so many around me, and learning so much about my own faith through the process. I praise God for His deep love for me He showed on the cross that leaves my heart longing for more of Him daily.

Thank you to each one of you for your prayers, love, and support. I am honored to be sharing this experience with you. God bless each of you and may God show you how to live in the Spirit this week. See everyone soon!!