Packed up, home, and Reflecting

What an amazing summer God blessed me with! When it comes to sharing it with you, I hardly know where to begin! As a D-Group Leader at Kaleo in Panama City Beach this summer, I grew more than I ever thought possible. My time there was full of making food for celebrities, being challenged in both leadership and personal areas, and seeing people’s lives changed for eternity. I laughed many times, cried a few, and made memories that will last forever. More importantly, however, the Kingdom of God was grown. As a project, we shared the gospel with over 2600 people and saw over 360 come to Christ!! On top of that, every participant was taught how to go home and continue sharing Christ with those around them. The ways God will continue to use this summer to affect His eternal Kingdom are endless.

For anyone previously unaware, I led and discipled three girls this summer, two from SNU and one from Iowa State. It took us some time to get to know one another and we had some rough patches along the way, but by the end of the summer, God really worked in incredible ways in each one of us. I saw them be broken free from burdens, grow committed hearts to honor the cross of Christ, and even one accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior!! I was very proud of all the ways God grew each of them. The main thing that God taught me through them was how to lean on the Holy Spirit for every single one of my needs. I knew that if I wasn’t on my knees regularly praying for them, all of my labor would be in vain and anything that I tried to teach them would be worthless because it wouldn’t be from the Lord. God certainly did choose to work in their lives, and I will forever be grateful.

There were so many things that took place this summer that it is difficult to iron out the most important into one letter. I would love to share with each of you more stories personally, but for this letter, I will share about one precious friend named Cansu that I was able to share the gospel with. She worked me with last summer and was from Turkey, returning this summer to get married. I was unable to share with her last summer because I was focused on another coworker, but at the end of the summer, I simply wrote her a card and told her I hoped to see her again and that I could take her to church with me. Little did I know how the Lord was going to use that card. It meant so much to her, that she got my phone number on Facebook, and called me as soon as she got into Florida. She reminded me I had told her we would go to church together and asked to go with me. Of course I took her with me to our worship service, and after one of the participants shared her testimony, she asked me about it. “What was she talking about?” she asked. I then explained to her that the girl wanted everyone to know what Jesus had done in her life. After the service, she asked me more questions, and I ended up sharing the gospel with her in very simple English, as it was somewhat difficult for her to understand. It was the first time she had ever heard it, and her eyes grew bigger and bigger the longer we talked. By the end, she was so touched by what Jesus had done, that she prayed in Turkish to God, confessing her sins and telling Jesus she loved Him. She has grown up Muslim, however, and still has many barriers to overcome. I am still uncertain whether or not she fully understands the gospel, or that there is a difference in Islam and Christianity-that being Jesus is the Redeemer. Regardless, I trust God with her heart and only wish that I had more time to spend with her to teach her about Jesus and that He is the only way to the Father. She now has a Turkish Bible in her possession and I am praying that God will continue to reveal His truth to her. Please be praying for Cansu.
All in all, the gospel was rampant in our project and our group this summer. One of my girls even led her boss to Christ!! A boss that she never imagined would even let her mention the word Jesus in her presence. It truly was incredible to see all the ways that the Lord moved and I hope to tell you all more in person when I see you!

This summer, God now only allowed me to see the truth of His gospel spread, but also grew my heart even more for His calling of discipleship. I know that there are 12 well-equipped young men and women going back to SNU’s campus who desire to share God’s truth and calling with other students. Not only that, but there are also 4 others going into the real world, myself included, who all desire to see both their homes and all the nations changed through the truth of the gospel and the ministry of discipleship. Jesus’ last words on earth, the ones he knew his disciples would always remember, were these, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I am confident that these students will seek the Lord in order to live out this Commission on campus, and I am more than excited about all the ways the Lord will use me to live this Commission out in my own life as well. If anyone asks me what I am going to do with my life now that I am graduated, all I really want to say is, “share the gospel, make disciples, and bring glory to my Heavenly Father, who is deserving of all our praise”. Granted, I know that I must work and seek avenues with which I can bring God glory, but my real purpose in life is to live for something that outlasts it, and that can only be through the cross of Christ. As I pursue a career in nursing and potential mission work, my prayer for my life and yours is that Jesus Christ be glorified in all I say and do. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for all of your loving prayers and support. God truly used each and every one of you in unique ways in my life to carry me through this summer and my life, and I am so incredibly grateful for the roles each of you played. I pray that this update brings you encouragement, inspiration, and a small glimpse of the eternal impact that your support made. May God bless each of you for all the ways you were willing to be used by Him. Glory to God for all that He did this summer! Love you all ☺

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!!

Croutons, Cowgirls, and a little bit of Jesus :)

Well, here we go for round two!! I am back in Panama City Beach, Florida, serving as a Discipleship Group Leader at Kaleo!! I've only been here a week and a half, but God is already growing me so much and beginning to pave paths for all that He is going to do through our project this summer, it's really so incredible!

So, I'll start with the particulars and then see where the road leads :) There are three girls in my group, two from SNU (Brooke and Crosbie, who I also like to call giggles, haha) and another from Iowa State (Anndrea- makes me laugh so much!). We are already getting along so well and I can tell we are going to make incredible, lifelong memories. We all already have jobs and that is such a blessing! I was praying that God would provide jobs for all of us within the first week, and He went above and beyond that request, opening a door at Red Brick pizza for Anndrea WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR (I know right?!), at Alvin’s Island for Brooke, and Five Guys for Crosbie (following in my footsteps, I’m so proud ☺). I got a job at a cute little restaurant called Cowgirl Kitchen in this adorable town called Rosemary Beach. It seriously reminds me of Slovenia and just being in Europe. Yesterday, I was honored to make my first-ever batch of homemade croutons, and they were quite delicious if I do say so myself ☺. I am still getting to know the staff and learn my way around there, but working in food last summer definitely makes things easier.

Every Monday, all of the D-Group Leaders meet for training and one-to-one time with their team leader and team time. My team consists of two OU girls and my fellow Five Guys employee from last summer, Lindsey ☺. Our leader is from OU as well and she is really incredible. God has already been using all of them in my life in incredible ways! Starting with Leader’s week (the week before all of the participants arrived), God began to work in my heart and give me so much peace and comfort with the other leaders and with the project as a whole. Through this, I felt more “myself” than I ever did last summer and I know that God brought my heart to the place that it needed to be in order to be able to pour into these girls.

Coming back to Kaleo this summer was a difficult decision to make, but I am confident that I am right where the Lord wants me. Our second day here, we jumped right back into beach evangelism, and I felt like I was at home again. Fulfilling the role of disciple-maker for 3 girls is not going to be easy by any means, but it seems like few things with God are. When I envision what the rest of this summer will hold, I can hardly even imagine it my heart is so excited about getting to see the Lord work. This past Monday, we were doing a small study over the Great Commission, and as we discussed it, my heart just soared. I knew, as we were going over the call that Christ gave as His last words on this earth, that God’s plan for my life is being fulfilled this summer. I find peace knowing that my Heavenly Father has revealed to me His specific plan for all of our lives and has completely fulfilled me through it. Discipleship was God’s plan from the very beginning, and now I am a part of it- even someone as unworthy as me. I look forward to sharing more and envision the rest of this summer and my life with great anticipation. May God bless each of you as He reveals His plan to you as well.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." –Matthew 28:19-20

HelloGoodbye

 

So, obviously, this entry is slightly past due, but who couldn’t use a final summary :).  My heart was torn when I left and is still very much in the same condition.  As always, I was sad to leave, knowing that being away from the “spiritual paradise” of Kaleo would be difficult as well as saying goodbye to some of the most incredible people I have met in my life.  However, I was simultaneously so very excited to go home and be with my family and friends, as well as share about the goodness of our Lord and Savior.  These times are always difficult for me, but I know that moving forward is a not only a part of life, but also a part of serving the Lord.  We are not called to be stagnant, but ever searching to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. 

Over the 17-hour drive back home, along with the awesome friends I was carpooling with, I was able to really look back and reflect on the summer and all the ways the Lord had moved in my heart and the hearts of those around me.  Imagine growing five or six inches in height in one summer because of an insane growth spurt- that’s basically what happened in my heart.  I have never grown so much spiritually in one time in my life! It is almost as if God took every blinder I’ve ever had on my eyes, allowed me to see Him for exactly who He is, and reached in my heart, molding it as the most malleable clay it has ever been.  Honestly, for years, I had always felt like there was something missing in my walk with the Lord, something more I should be doing, but I just never knew what it was.  I had been praying the same prayer repeatedly, “Lord, help me to know you and serve you alone”, and all the while, feeling like a broken record.  I read Scripture consistently, but didn’t get very much out of it.  I prayed regularly, and loved it, but felt like I was always giving the Lord a to do list.  Don’t get me wrong, the Lord was certainly faithful to grow me, love me, find me where I was, and still teach me, but it was a much slower process and still lacking and now I know why.  The problem was that I was very focused on myself, even in my faith.  My goal in life was striving to be the best Christian I could be and glorifying God with my life.  Sounds good, right?  My heart was in the right place, I was just missing out on the true ultimate goal Christ desires for our lives: giving it over COMPLETELY to Him.  Sure, I gave Him a few minutes in Scripture and a prayer, but only what I had time for- we are just all so busy! I did these things in order to grow myself- me me me! I feel now that the prayer I have been praying for the past few years has truly been answered.  God has shown me what it looks like to serve Him with ALL of me, every little part.

If we don’t have time to spend with God, what do we have time for? Life is full of choices and prioritizing; we decide what do with our lives and the people we want to be.  We are a product of what we do, and the things that we make time for show the people we really are and what is most important to us.  Spending time with the Lord and doing the work of His Kingdom should be the priority that dominates all others- including work, school, and even family.  The sacrifice Christ gave for us, in order that we could know Him and live eternally in the presence of the Heavenly Father is a gift, and one that we must spend the rest of our lives thanking Him for.  It is the greatest gift ever given or that can ever be received.  He gave all of Himself to us, and the least we can do in return is offer the same to Him. 

So, what does this look like in our lives?  One thing I am certain of is that it most certainly includes sharing the Good News of the Gospel with others.  This is probably the thing that most radically answered my desperate prayer to the Lord.  Learning how to share the basics of my faith (how to receive Christ) with others strengthened my faith tremendously and gave me such a purpose for life.  On top of giving the first of everything of my own personal life, I must be avidly seeking ways in which I can share Christ with anyone and everyone in my life through the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Having this training and conviction has given me a reason to wake up every morning and the desire and joy to do everything in my power to know my Heavenly Father more and more every day.  What better way to love others than to share the gift of eternal life with them?  As a Christian, if I am not leading others to Christ, what am I doing? From this day forward, no matter where the Lord takes me or what walk of life I end up taking, I am confident that my purpose in life is to lead others to Him.  Every time I read Scripture, talk to the Lord through prayer, or seek to know Him better, it is in pursuit of knowing Him more and becoming more effective at sharing His truth.  One of my favorite sermon quotes from this summer that greatly affected me is, “to meet God is amazing, but to know Him is indescribable; to know Him takes sacrifice”.  It is not necessarily easy to get up early in the morning to spend time with the Lord or give up time with family or friends to love someone the Spirit leads you to, but it is what we must do to know God and be obedient to His calling on our life- and it will be worth every single minute.  There is absolutely nothing I could do, nothing at all, that could ever repay Christ for what He did for me on that cross.  But with every fiber in my being, I can seek to love Him in honor of that gift and share it with others.  “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” (I John 5:3).

Since being back home, everything looks different to me.  Scripture is so much clearer, my heart is intently engaged during worship, and every thought and breath has a vividly clear purpose, to love and serve my Savior.  I feel an even deeper love for my family friends, and especially the lost.  I can’t thank everyone enough for the opportunity that was given me this summer through the love and support that all of you gave.  I feel like I have said it so many times, but seriously I can’t say it enough!! THANK YOU!! As I say goodbye to Panama City Beach and Kaleo, I say hello to the ministry and mission God has placed on my heart.  I will greatly miss Florida, but will certainly find fulfillment in the days to come in the Lord and His calling.  I am a renewed daughter of the King, with a heart more full of direction and joy than I ever thought possible.  May God continue to grow my heart and yours daily as we seek to know Him better and share Him with others. 

More love, hope, and gratitude than words can express,

Caylee Joy

A Tale of Two Faiths

Well, here goes another round and If I’m being completely honest, I must say that I often find it difficult to put into writing all that I am learning and all that God is doing this summer.  It could be because I am learning so much that I hardly know where to begin, but I also think that so much is very difficult to put into words.  Since my last post, however, two incredible stories of the faithfulness of God have taken place and I am so excited to share!!

We will begin with the precious girl that God brought into my path while flying home for my brother’s wedding.  I ran into her while waiting to head into Oklahoma City.  We talked a little bit, and something just drew me to her (Possibly the Holy Spirit??? Just maybe :D).  Before we boarded the plane, I asked God if I should share the gospel with her.  I felt as if He answered with a clear yes, but I was still doubtful.  So I prayed again,” God if this is someone you want me to share with, just let me sit by her on the flight.”  And now for the disclaimer: If you don’t want God to answer your prayers, don’t pray specifically!! I really did not think that I would be able to sit with her, because she was long gone by the time I boarded.  But, sure enough, I eventually made my way back to tail end of the plane and low and behold, there was one seat right beside her.  Who would’ve thought?  I certainly did not.  To make a long story short, by the end of the flight and after much hesitancy in my heart, God opened a door in our conversation for me to share the gospel with her and it was so incredible.  She did not accept, but she was very open and willing to learn.  I know God planted a seed in her life and I am excited to stay in touch with her.  The kicker of this story is that after I talked with my D-Group leader, Kelly Hall, she told me that she had been praying the entire way home that I would be able to share the gospel with someone that weekend.  The power of prayer may be something that many of us have lost faith in, but God’s faithfulness still remains (2 Timothy 2:13) and I praise Him for that!! I challenge you to be specific in your prayer and let God blow you away with His faithfulness and love, for He is certain to do just that.

On to story number two.  God has opened incredible doors for Lindsey, John, and I to share with five of our fellow Five Guys coworkers.  What a blessing!! I get chills just thinking about it.  Just last Wednesday night, I was able to share the bridge illustration of the gospel that we have learned here with a sweet little Hindu girl from India who I am blessed to work with.  I was so extremely privileged to witness her building understanding and ecstatic reaction to hearing the gospel explained in this way for the first time in her life.  By the end of the illustration, tears were streaming down her face and I knew that the Holy Spirit was doing an indescribable work on her precious heart.  It was undeniable the love and truth of God that was seen in her eyes.  She said, “This is the best night of my life and the best gift anyone has ever given me.”  I was on the brink of crying with her I was so touched by how the Spirit moved in her life.  Just earlier that day at work, we had been discussing her faith and how she worshiped at home.  It was undeniable that God had been preparing her heart for that moment when she would have the choice to accept Him, and that is exactly what she did.  Ladies and Gentleman, we have a new sister in Christ to welcome into our family and we are all so very fortunate!!  Praise the Lord for what His ever-pursuing faithfulness.

I cannot even to begin to describe how changed and blessed I am by the work that God is doing here.  It has been such and indescribable and life-changing experience to see His faithfulness and presence in such a clear way.  Besides these two specific stories, there have been so many other awesome ways with which God has been kind enough to use me for His kingdom.  I am humbled that He has chosen to use me and extremely privileged that He has allowed me to be a part of His master plan.  I pray that God reveals to you ways in which He can use you as well and that you will be open to whatever that may be.  Again, I thank you so much for your incredible love and support.  Hope to share more soon!! God bless, and may He challenge you in your faith today.

Fixing My Eyes on the Cross

Well, I have just about reached the halfway point of Kaleo and I can hardly believe it.  I am amazed with not only how fast the time has flown, but also how much God has taught me and grown me in such short of a time.  In spite of the long days and hard work that wears us out (as seen below), working at Five Guys has become almost natural to me, and God has been opening so many doors for ministry, I can hardly express how excited I am in my heart. 

As a project, we have all been making some wonderful memories, getting to know each other and God so well, and learning what a life lived for the Great Commission looks like.  A few weekends ago, we had a social where we all dressed up in things that come in four.  My D-group and I, minus Kelly, decided to go as a smore.  I was the lucky one who was chosen to dress as a marshmallow, haha.  Who would have thought that a human being could actually look like a marshmallow, but let me tell you, we made it happen.

This past week, we also began studying what is called process evangelism.  Until this point, we had been focusing on “cold-turkey” evangelism, where we simply shared the gospel with strangers.  Now we are beginning to learn how important it is to share with people we know and people with whom we can invest more time in and help in fostering spiritual growth.  God has opened so many doors with this.  I have been overwhelmed with how well we have been able to connect with our coworkers.  I feel as if I am a friend with many of them.  God has already allowed us to share His truth with four of them, and I am so grateful for His faithfulness and His willingness to use us as His servants. 

Through all of these things, we have been studying how important and central the cross of Christ is to evangelism, leadership, and our own personal lives.  We are reading a book titled Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney as well as studying the book of II Timothy, and it is changing my life; I highly recommend reading and studying both to anyone who wants to grow in their faith.  One quote that really sums up what we are learning is this: “In the midst of our various responsibilities and many possible areas of service in the Kingdom of God, one overarching truth should motivate all our work and effect every part of who we are: Christ died for our sins.”  Mahaney points out that Paul told Timothy that the cross and the sacrifice Christ made for us is of “first importance” and should be what drives everything that we do.  I have been so convicted and moved through all of this.  In my life, the gospel has truly taken a backseat, and I am heartbroken to admit it.  If we forget the sacrifice Christ made and aren’t sharing it with others, what are we even doing as Christians?  In Matthew 28, the last words Christ says on earth are revealed.  He places a calling on His children to go and make disciples.  This was His plan to reach the world, and it is our calling to fulfill it.  I challenge all of you to read Matthew 28, and be reminded not only of the calling that is ours, but also of the greatest sacrifice that Christ made out of immense love for you.  When we realize how great the sacrifice was that Christ made for us, than we will be able to truly be thankful for His grace and understand that no personal sacrifice we can make enough to repay Him for His love for us. 

I thank all of you for your prayers and am so blessed to be able to share with you.  Please continue in prayer for the hearts of those we are trying to reach through evangelism and also for continued faith and open-mindedness that we will all be able to learn all that Christ intends for us to know this summer.  I cannot wait to share more in person all that God is doing!! 

Much gratitude, conviction, and love,

Caylee Joy

This time a week ago, I thought I would be completely worn out and sick of my job, but 8 days into it, I am already starting to feel like family with the staff. The food industry is definitely a difficult place to work, but after getting used to being on my feet, working my butt off all day, and constantly smelling like a burger, I can definitely say I am getting used to it and really beginning to enjoy my job. The managers are pretty awesome and my coworkers are really fun to be around. They were really great about teaching us new Kaleo kids the ropes at Five Guys, and let me tell you, there is plenty to learn. Who would have thought you had to be strategic and efficient in preparing lettuce, meat patties, and slices of cheese? These people have fresh burger preparation down to a fine art, though, and it is pretty cool.

Other than working at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, my mind is continuing to be filled with incredible new methods on growing closer to God, knowing Him intimately, and amazing tools on sharing the gospel. This past weekend was what is called D-Group weekend (The “D” standing for discipleship). Our group of four awesome girls (Kara, Kaylee, Kelly, and myself) packed our bags, and headed to Destin for the weekend. We did fun things like snorkeling and bike riding, all the while getting to know each other so much more than we had. I feel like we really began to bond as a group and it was such a blessing. God is going to grow us through one another and I am thankful for each of them and looking forward to the rest of the summer.

Being completely honest, so many things about this summer have been much more difficult than I expected, but God is using all of my challenges to make me the child of God that He has intended for me to become. The biggest struggle is realizing that as a Christian, I have been so selfish and complacent in my faith. I take God’s grace for granted all too often, and yet He still relentlessly pursues me. God is revealing to me so many blind spots that exist in my faith and all of the things that He desires to teach my heart. In one sense, it makes me feel so small and insignificant, but in some ways I think that that is a good thing. God will use me in so many ways, I am confident of that, but I am also certain that I am just one piece of the massive jigsaw puzzle that God is putting together. In seeing all that God is going to teach me this summer, I am so excited for all that is to come following Kaleo.

Please be in prayer for my fellow Kaleo participants, anyone we may be encountering through evangelism, and especially all of my coworkers. We have been asking God to pave paths to share with them and ready their hearts for any truth we may be able to give. I am getting to know many of the people I work with pretty well and I am so excited for all that God has planned. Please pray that I will have the wisdom to listen to the Spirit and words not of my own but of the Lord’s. Thank you again for all of your prayer and support!! God bless all of you.