Live Life, Life With A Purpose

Here I sit in the basement of the Hampton House Hotel. My co-worker Nik (from Bulgaria) is folding towels and we are talking about all of the issues that America faces—debt crisis, housing market, money, money, money! Its kind of nice to talk about this kind of stuff and to think about the world as a whole—its something that I have not done in quite awhile because my mind has been so focused on what is going on here in Hampton Beach.
Today is my day off, and I love this hotel and the staff so much that I am spending a few hours here. I need some time to just let my mind unwind and to think about things that have been going on in the house and what will happen over these next two weeks. Two weeks. I cannot believe that is all the time that I have left here at the beach.
OH! Just a few pictures from going Whale Watching last Sunday! My host parents decided to take us to Boston to see some whales. It was great. Being on a boat for 4 hours and actually getting to see whales flip their tails and blow water out! Whew! Crazy.


Here's me and Dave (Papa Mac) waiting to spot some whales.

The three amigas before setting foot on the boat.

So now I have moved onto a bench by the ocean to finish writing this blog. This just shows how all over the place I have been. I was not able to write anything in the hotel. I had to move to a place where I could have some peace and actually hear my own thoughts.

Let me first start with the title of this blog. This is something that my pastor said in church on Sunday. He was talking about reasons people do not go into ministry and just encouraging everyone to be involved in some way. It doesn’t mean that everyone has to be a missionary, but that we are still furthering the kingdom of the Lord with our work and the way that we live our lives. He shared a story about a boy who was raised in a Christian home. His parents expected him to rebel when he went to college, but the opposite actually happened. Long story short, his heart grew burdened for the children who were being enslaved in Africa and decided to go and serve over there. His whole life was lived in comfort, and when he broke the news to his parents and explained his reasoning behind his decision, he said that

“Jesus came to comfort us, not to be comforted”

This hit home with me because it is something that I have been tossing and turning with. One of the reoccurring themes that my heart has been aching over is the suffering that people go or have gone through. It seems like most of the people that I have met this summer have tragic pasts. I know that in an earlier post, I mentioned how confused I was by this. Why would God allow so much bad to happen to someone, and so much good to happen to me? But finally, with this story and phrase it struck me: I have been comforted and lived an easy, peaceful life so that I can comfort others. God has been TOO good to be, but I cannot beat myself up over his blessings. That is foolishness. I instead must rise upon these blessings and use what He has blessed my life with to turn and bless others with as well.


And now I have moved yet again back to the house. Oh my.


Two individuals that have touched my life in an extra-special way this summer are Will and Natalie, my co-directors. The amount of joy these two bring to my life is crazy. Being put in a leadership role is tough, and God for sure knew what he was doing when He placed the three of us together. I seriously would have lost my mind by now if these two were not around. I feel at peace and at ease when I am sitting with them.

Here is one example of how great they are and how serious they are about their roles as leaders and how they are helping me to become a better leader: This photo is from a 5:00am sunrise prayer meeting that we had. We all were feeling under attack and knew that the devil was trying to get a foothold to keep us from doing the Lord’s work. What better way to combat the devil than with prayer? And through this time in the Lord’s presence He granted us this astounding view…

Life does not slow down here. I apologize for this blog post as well as the couple before. They have been all over the place and hard to follow. I feel like they refelect what my life is like right now. I am both humbled and grateful for my position as APD, but it is beyond tough. I definitely have not be relying on the Holy Spirit enough for strength, and have found myself growing weary and exhausted. Please pray, if you would for total reliance on the Holy Spirit. People need to talk about issues going on in their lives, and I am thankful for the opportunity to pray with them and to offer some advice. Here is what I am going back and forth on: I am not sure if it is a good thing or bad thing to not have any time to deal with my own problems and issues that I am going through. In one sense, it is cool because most of the things I fret over are incomparable to the challenges my sisters in Christ are facing. Maybe the Lord is just training me to not worry about miniscule worries. On the other hand, I am feeling very disillusioned. This blog post represents it perfectly. I can’t even explain it…there just does not seem to be enough time for me to figure out what is going on in this crazy mind of mine!


One thing that I am in charge of is Women’s Time. Natalie and I plan this together and I have seen myself grow so much by doing this. It has been pretty neat. My public speaking skills are sub-par but the Lord has still be able to use me. I feel like Moses, at times. It is honestly the Holy Spirit speaking through me and seeing girls write down the words coming out of my mouth is encouraging and humbling. Why would anyone take to heart anything that I say? A couple weeks ago I had my own mother speak during women’s time. She is a prime example of how much the Lord has blessed me: what a woman of God! Thanks for sharing with us all, Mom.

This past women’s time was held at this waterfall. What a wonderful time to spend with these beautiful women whose hearts are yearning for a more intimate relationship with God. Not only was there this awesome waterfall, but there was also an itsy-bitsy church not 50 yards up from it. And this church just so happened to be the first church planted in New Hampshire. AH! How wicked awesome?! I will forever cherish that evening.

It fit the 17 girls perfectly!

Here I am hydratin' up before I went and climbed the waterfall :D

The women entering the oldest church in New Hampshire!

PLEASE be praying for these last two weeks. Project coming to a close is going to be difficult and I still feel like there is so much more that needs to be done. And thank you all for praying this whole summer. Thank you thank you thank you!

A Quick Update...

Good gracious. I apologize for my lack of discipline when it comes to writing posts. These past two weeks have just flow by. I have something that I would love to write every day, but alas, never get to it. I will do my best to write at least 3 more posts before I wrap this blog up. It makes me sad to think that in just 3.5 short weeks, this project will be over and my summer here in Hampton Beach will come to a close. But I am not going to think about that now!

"Having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card!"

Look how cute and quaint!

I’m sitting in Lane Memorial Library (above) now (which is not a public library, but private and I’m not really sure if I’m even allowed in here…but its BEAUTIFUL! And no one told me to leave so I think I’m ok) sitting in an old blue chair just soaking up the loveliness and the peace that comes when I am away from the house.

I have come into such a routine here. Every Friday I get off work at 3, ride my bike home, then ride my bike into town, cash my paycheck and then ride around town for a bit before I head home. This is the first time in my life that I have actually had a real schedule where I know exactly what the next day brings, and while it can become somewhat monotonous, I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Last Sunday I was able to go to a Boston Red Sox game—what an experience that was! Fenway Park is WICKED AWESOME (as they say up here in New England) and I felt like I went back in time the moment I stepped into the park. I will remain loyal to my Pirates, but the Sox have become my #2 baseball team. It’s probably a good thing I’m leaving in a little over 3 weeks or I may eventually become a Pats fan….YIKES!

Check out these seats!!!

Work is going great. Some of the students on project have grown weary of working and dread going in every day, but I honestly cannot wait to see what hilarities the Hampton House Hotel has to offer every day—not one day goes by without running into some individual that God took some extra time on to make them fabulously unique. I know that I have said it several times already, but I really am considering making a TV show about this hotel…today I started writing down some main characters and little quirks that make it so doggone uproarious.

I work with several Russian students and they hold a very dear place in my heart. They constantly are mocking me and making fun of me, laughing at the silly things I do (like run into walls while I’m talking to them—oh my was that embarrassing) but I still love them. I have been learning some Russian from them as well and hope to continue learning this exceedingly complex language on my own time when I return to school.

In my last post I explained how I was given the leadership position of Assistant Project Director. It is a massive challenge.  I am very grateful to the Lord for entrusting to me this burden, though, because at the same time, it is such a blessing! Honestly. I know that God is really working in my thorugh this position.

It was lovely to have a visit from my parents this past week and my two younger sisters. Having them with me for a couple hours was great and it was good for them to see where I am and to get an idea what the community is like up here.

Finally, I want to thank everyone again for supporting me. God is faithful. He does provide. He cares about all the minute details in our lives. I have been immeasurably blessed by those who have prayed and have given to me financially. At times I have been very discouraged here, but know that the Lord is teaching me so much. I think that life just moves at such a ridiculously fast pace that I have not had time to sit and ponder all that He is doing. So I am looking forward to sitting on my back porch at home and spending a whole entire day with the Lord! 

This post is not too long this time! I know that it does not contain too much detail, but hopefully gives you all a little bit of an update!

Heavens to Betsy

Life in Hampton Beach is now in full-swing. The streets are bustling, the beach is packed, and the smell of sun-screen and salt water is a constant aroma. Oh, how I do love living at the beach. Every sunset and sunrise is different. Every day is different. You think the ocean is the same ever day—heavens to Betsy, no! At the front desk of the hotel every day I spend lots of time just staring at the water, watching the tides, the waves, clouds, and the COLORS! The water is always a different color—last night it was purple, and glassy—just the tiniest of waves right at the shoreline. Wow wow WOW! Phenomenal. God sure does know how to paint a pretty picture!

I am so settled in though now. Riding my bike all over the area, finding little back roads and trails! Like today, my friends Cyrus and Sarah were riding back from T.J. Maxx (oh yes, I am such an avid Maxxinista I WILL ride my bike 7 miles to get there!) when I just jumped off the road into the woods on this little trail. It was AWESOME! We ended up off-roadin’ it for about a half mile or so. It was AWESOME! Just this random trail beside some old train tracks going through the woods. I LOVE NATURE!

This week marks the half-way point of project. Can I just take a second to say—WOAH. And I think that these past couple days have been the absolute hardest of all the days I’ve been here. Especially yesterday.

Ok, so let me go back to last Monday night. We had our last weekly meeting with the staff and then people were just sitting in the living room talking with one another; hanging out like we do every night. My discipler, Abby, had texted me earlier in the day asking if she could hang out with me because she wanted to spend time with me before she left with the rest of the staff. I was excited to be spend some quality time with her. So we left the house and were just walking and talking about how we were going to bake cookies and whatnot. When I rounded the corner to go to her apartment, I saw the director of the project along with the operations director sitting in their car. I smiled and waved a goofy wave and commented to Abby that they must think I am nuts for walking around without shoes on (this is a regularly occurring habit I have picked up since being here at Hampton Beach). When we were walking past the car, the door opened, and the assistant director, Karen, looked blankly into my eyes and said, “GET IN”. I turned to look at Abby, who nodded for me to go ahead.

I was relieved to see a fellow student, Will also sitting in the back of the car. I would not be alone. After sitting for a few minutes, we saw another girl come around the corner, and then she too was shoved into the car. The three students, Will, Natalie and myself automatically began conversing with one another to stop the uncomfortable and somewhat intimidating silence. The staff just piped in every now and again.

Finally, we arrived at Chili’s. Now this was around 10:30 at night so it made it really strange and confusing. We all sat in a booth, staff on one side, students on the other. Natalie and I ran to the bathroom (we legitimately had to go—it wasn’t just one of those “girl’s have to have someone with them when they go to the bathroom” type of things. No way) and here we asked if we thought this meeting would have anything to do with the transfer of roles that would be happening the following Sunday. We both concluded that it must be.

Our deduction was, in fact, correct. The staff revealed to us that we were going to be the new directors of the project. For those of you who are not familiar with what this means, let me explain. I didn’t even know that this “transfer of responsibilities” happened until a couple weeks before I came on project. So basically, for the first half of the summer, the staff leads the students—in discipleship times, bible studies, outreach, various servant teams and with enforcing the rules and keeping everyone in check. Then, the staff appoints certain students to take over the roles that they have been in. So some students are bible study leaders, some lead the servant teams and so on and so forth. Karen, Tommy and Jeff were the three directors of project. They are on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and so they were really in charge of the whole kit and caboodle. Their job was not easy. And now, three students are trying to fill some incredible large shoes. Will, Natalie and I were so very humbled when they told us of our positions. I at first questioned their decision, because I in now way feel like I can lead these girls and perform all the tasks that go along with being a director, but they assured me that lots and lots and lots of prayer went in to the decision. That they felt sure God wanted me in this spot.

Here are the positions: Will is Director of the whole entire project and took Jeff’s spot. Natalie is running the operations and I am the assistant project director (APD) and relieved Karen of her responsibilities.

So for the rest of last week leading up to Sunday afternoon when the various positions were revealed, Natalie, Will and I had to sneak out of the house and have secret meetings to plan what we had to do during our first week as directors. And I thought that was difficult.

Sunday the staff revealed who would be in various leadership positions. Right after they announced the three directors, they left to go on a retreat for a couple days. Will, Natalie and I then shared with our fellow students what our vision was for the summer. We thought it would be good to start off by washing the feet of the other students. To emphasize that we want to serve them as we lead them. That was a special time.

But with the staff gone for a couple days, it was tough. They came back, and that was good because they helped me realign my gaze to be set on Christ. Saying goodbye to them was real hard though. Sara has been my discipler for a couple weeks and was on staff at CNU, so our final farewell to one another without knowing exactly when we would see one another again was difficult. Then Abby, my discipler on project, was leaving as well. She lives in Portland, OR! Through these hard times of our “See you later’s”, I had to keep reminding myself of how thankful I am for these two women. Honestly, my life would not be anywhere near the same if these women of the Lord did not spend and invest so much time into my life. They dug deep in conversations with me to bring to light the nasty filthy state of my heart. I love these two ladies to heaven and back. Thank you from the depths of my being, Abby and Sara. Not sure if you will ever be able to realize how much you guys have meant to me.

Keeping up with the APD (Assistant Project Director) duties and working 40 hour weeks is tough. Oh boy. I know that the next 5 weeks of project will be impossible without Christ giving me strength each and every day. Be praying for his strength. I try so hard to sleep, but it just doesn’t happen.

I know that this is another long post that is poorly written but I just HAD to get something posted! I keep trying to update this every couple days, but it just doesn’t happen. I know that it’s not fair for you all who are reading, because so much happens each day and you deserve to know—and I want you all to be able to know ALL OF IT! But I also want to apologize for not responding to e-mails, letters, and the like. I will do my best to  do that ASAP!

Love you all. At first I thought that no one read this blog, and every time I post I am learning about new followers and individuals who want to hear about how I am doing. That really means a lot to me and I thank God for all of you! Jesus Christ has blessed me with irreplaceable friends.

Thanks for all of the support, love and prayers.

Hopefully I will write sooner than later!

He's Faithful to the End

I am now in the 4^th week of project. I have been here exactly one month today. That just seems crazy to me. But life is great here in Hew Hampshire. I can’t help falling in love with the area and the people. I miss you all back home, but let me just tell you, New England is one special place. Home (good ol’ Virginia) will always be first in my heart, but New England, specifically New Hampshire is a close second. I kind of don’t want to leave—so I’m glad I still have about 6 weeks left. And I know that God will be faithful until the end of this project.

My job at the Hampton House Hotel, as I have mentioned before, is wonderful. My co-workers make me smile, and honestly, the hotel has enough character to create a hit sitcom.  The Russian kids that work there are hilarious (I say kids, but most of them are older than me). I have been learning a little bit of Russian here and there, and whenever I come in to work and have a new phrase to say, they all laugh and smile. I’m hoping to be fluent by the end of the summer…  But working with them has ignited an interest once again in my heart of other countries and languages. God definitely knew what He was doing when he placed me at this job. Am I am so thankful. It reminds me a lot of my job back at the YMCA in Staunton, with the old cash register and a lot of things done with pen and paper and not the computer. It is very old fashioned, and I love it that way. I spend my days answering the phone, checking guests into the hotel, and taking reservations as well as keeping up with the housekeepers to make sure all the rooms that need to be cleaned are, in fact, clean.

Time is something that I have been struggling with over the past couple weeks, which is why I have not posted more often. The project just keeps getting more and more busy. I honestly have not had time to sit down and write. I was struggling to just write letters back to friends, which takes like 5 to 15 minutes, but even then those few minutes were no where to be found. It is intense. My schedule has never been so full, and it will only be filling up more as the summer continues. This week especially, I will be going to bed and will think to myself, “I can’t wait to sleep in!” but then realize that I will not be sleeping in pat 8:30am until I am home on August 10. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are work days, so I wake up at 5:45 and am at work by 6:55. Sunday and Tuesday I get to sleep in until 8ish because I don’t have to be ready for the day until nine. But still, having activities go until 10 or 10:30 every night does not leave time for much rest. That has been a struggle. Then, on top of work and planned activities finding time to dwell in the peace of the Lord. Do I wake up earlier? Stay up later? Both of those options are kind of impossible and would end up killing me. But if I do not have a time set aside to spend with the Lord, I feel as though I would die spiritually, which is much worse. So I have found some time between getting off work at 3 and starting the evening activities around 5:30 to try and be still and know that He is God. With his spirit leading me and giving me strength daily, I will be able to keep on keeping on.

Here is the entire group.

The weekly meeting team!

The lovely ladies with whom I share a kitchen.

Here is something neat that happened within our group recently:

One of the guys on project, Santei, was walking on the beach during the first or second week we were here. He was trying to meet people and get immersed into the community, so he walked up to this one girl who was reading a journal. He began small talk by asking her if she keeps a journal regularly and what types of things she writes about. He soon discovered that the journal was not hers, and that she had found it and that it has some suicidal thoughts written within its pages. As the conversation ended, she headed toward the trash to throw the journal out. Santei chased after her and then took it from her and said he would try to return it to the owner. And he did just that. Before he shipped it off to this girl, he asked all of the students to sign a card and write an encouraging note to this girl, Annie. So all 24 students in the house wrote something, letting Annie know that people in this world do care about her and her well-being, even though we had no idea who she was. A couple days later, Santei heard from her mother. She was touched beyond words and wanted to meet with us to say thank-you. So Saturday night, we all went outside on the porch as this girl Annie, her mother Jill, and friend Emily came to the front of the house. Annie was very nervous and would not make eye contact with anyone. She looks frightened and there just seemed to be darkness around her. So one by one, each of the students walked up to her, and introduced themselves. This is a moment that I will never forget. I could feel the love pouring out of everyone, and then came the tears. Annie had tears streaming down her face, and her friend and mother stood by her side for support. Her mother was very touched as well. Because having 24 college kids introduce themselves to a 13 year-old can be somewhat overwhelming, a couple girls and myself took Annie inside and talked with her for a good while. Here she began to open up, and let her personality shine through. She was funny, spirited and just lovely. One of the strangest things was to see not only this emotional transformation, but the physical transformation. I cannot explain in words exactly what she looked like walking down the street to meet us, but after I had been sitting and talking with her for some time, I realized that she looked nothing like the girl who had reluctantly traveled down G Street. Remarkable. While some of us were talking to Annie and her friend inside, another girl was talking to Jill, her mother, outside on the porch. I do not know all of the details, but one important fact I do know.

 Jill came to know Jesus Christ on that porch.

Yesterday Jill went to jail. I am not sure for what crime or for how long, but at least a few years. She did tell the girl who was talking with her that she had been scared about going to jail, but then when Annie received that letter and encouragement from us, she wanted to talk to us. How magnificent, He is. Jill now has hope. While she still has to serve her sentence, she will no longer be alone.

I Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”…

..and my prayer for Jill is that she will not feel imprisoned while in prison, but feel the liberty that comes through Christ Jesus.

Thank you all for prayers and support. Toady I received a check for $50 dollars, which means I have raised all of the support for my trip!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!

It is so encouraging. It amazes me. I had really thought that no more support would come in, but of course, God is faithful and proved me wrong. I received one check from a family who had already supported me earlier in my support raising, and then the check came today. So I have received the exact amount I need. 

So again, I cannot express my thanks enough. You all are such a blessing, and I am so very thankful for you all. 

Have a Little Faith

For those of you who don’t want to or do not have time to read the more in depth parts of this post, I will do a short little summary of what is going on in my life!

I’ve had a rough week, but the Lord is never far and His arms of love and comfort are right there waiting for me when I finally decide to turn back and face his wonderful embrace. THUMBS UP!

I GOT A JOB! I’m working as a receptionist at the Hampton House Hotel here in Hampton Beach and am also helping to train new housekeepers and make sure that they clean all of the rooms necessary. I love my job. My boss is great and the lady, Andrea, that I work with is a sweetheart. Here’s something cool: the hotel has a coffee shop attached to it and I LOVE to go and sit in it to journal and such. Well last Wednesday I was there journaling and this guy came in and was playing guitar and singing. Music is a passion of mine, and I was entranced by his great skills! It was one of the most peaceful times and I was completely lost in the music. Well, I walked into work Saturday and who do you think my co-worker is? COFFEE SHOP GUTARIST! I walked in, and the first thing I said was, “Hey, you played in Jumpin’ Jacks!” Great start to our co-worker relationship. He’s a fun gent to work with, though. If anyone is planning a vacation up this way, feel free to call the hotel in order to book a room and talk to me!  But God has TRULY blessed me with such a wonderful spot to work.

So you know the family that I have mentioned, Amy and Dave? Well here is another way that the Lord has blessed me: I have them as my host parents while I am here. I cannot even begin to explain the deep respect I have for them and how much they mean to me. I hope to be half the person they are 10 or 15 years from now. Incredible. 

And now a special thanks goes out to those who have sent me snail mail. Honestly, I cannot even begin to say what an encouragement it has been. The other day I received a letter from a  dear friend and it rbought tears to my eyes. My friend Kayla and I usually have a letter every day when we check our mail boxes and its just so comforting to know that people back home are thinking about me. I think about you all a great deal as well and am really missing spending some lazy summer days with friends and family but loving being right where God wants me. With all that said, if anyone would like to send me any snail mail, I’ll post my address again:

Rachel Hrovat

20 G St.

Hampton Beach, NH 03842

I am also doing pretty well for support raising. God really has been providing. I still need about $500 but know that the Lord will bring it in. So many of you have contributed and I appreciate it in more ways than you can imagine. But if you would like to support me, please don’t hesitate! I would deeply appreciate it! Here is where you can: DONATE

Now on to what God has been teaching me and working on me with:

I know its been quite a time since I have actually written a decent post. I’m going to be completely honest with you all by saying it is because I’ve had one of the most trying weeks that I can remember. It felt like I was hanging from a precipice with the devil pulling me downward by my ankles. Because I felt like I had nothing to share, I thought that “if I had nothing nice to say, I wouldn’t say anything at all”. But things began to change Saturday and then yesterday at church God was basically taking a respite on my earlobe and opening my ears to hear a great message from Him via one of his faithful servants.

I’ll start with a quick re-cap/background info to let you guys know why I was feeling spiritually drained and just out of sorts. First, it was because so much information has been thrown at us. All of it good. But my mind can only hold so much, so I have been frustrated because I cannot harbor these great thoughts, ideas and stories of Christ. Basically, I have been upset by my lack of knowledge. I’ve been a Christian for around 15 years, so of course I should know just about every Bible story and characteristic of God, right? Well I certainly thought so and was beating myself over the head for not knowing these beloved stories. For not knowing what was the focus of a particular book of the Bible. For not knowing or understanding who Jesus was as he roamed this earth. So instead of humbly accepting that I did not know or recall all of this information and striving to learn more, I became angry. Bitter. Unwilling to listen and annoyed with many around me.

So Saturday morning rolled around and I’m not sure how my mind got on this track, but I just became SO very aware of the wretched state my heart was in. I have not been loving towards others that are on project with me. I have been nasty. My heart began to ache and I then I Timothy 1:15 came to mind (which I shared on this blog) and states: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Sitting and comprehending that I am no better than anyone else, but in fact, much worse than my neighbor was quite a humbling and breaking realization.

My discipler, Abby, said something to me in our Bible study last Tuesday that has stuck with me. When I was explaining to her how frustrated I was that I cannot remember verses, stories or anything from the past 15 years, she just simply surmised that perhaps it is a humbling experience.

Pride really can get the best of a person. I am reminded of spring break when I went to Orlando with CRU for their “Urban Immersion” trip. I spent a whole day cutting vines and clearing brush and thorns from the side of a highway in the blazing sun. The women who had asked us to do this said that they don’t even remember when it got so overgrown…it just seemed to happen out of their view. Hebrews 12:1 came to mind when it mentions the “sin that so easily entangles”. That brush overtaking the fence along the highway is a great picture of what it looks like when sin overtakes our lives.

So back to what Abby said: this hit me like a sack of corn off the side of a train. Maybe….no not maybe, it IS God humbling me. Him desiring for me to draw close to Him and to dwell in his presence. To soak up his goodness, his love. To start afresh with my knowledge of him.

This pushes me to spend time with him—more than I ever have. And this is all very good. And I am looking forward to it.

Yesterday at church during the Adult Sunday school the pastor was discussing reason, and how there are all of these books trying to prove that the Bible is true and that Jesus really existed and so on and so forth. I have dealt with some doubts here and there and especially in talking to others about the Lord, trying to somehow convince them that He is the truth! But that is just not the way it works. The Holy Spirit himself moves in others hearts. God prepares people and all that we can do is be His vessels. And we must be willing vessels at that. Anyways, the pastor said that if we use reason to try and “win” people over to Christ, than we are totally leaving the Holy Spirit out of it. We with our brains want to convince people why they should believe rather than just letting Him move in their hearts to lead them to believe. God says that he is true. What more do we need? By having faith in the Lord, we believe what He says. He says that his word is true. Therefore, we have to believe it. Sure it’s nice to have all of these ancient scrolls and artifacts that solidify it as being true, but nevertheless we must still just BELIEVE! This has been revolutionary in my life—to have a little faith…

A Trustworthy Saying

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. "

-I Timothy 1:15

P T L

I have found a job. Praise the Lord (PTL). At the end of last week I went into the Hampton House Hotel inquiring about a job. The owner, Bob has hired students from project before so he said that he would try to make accommodations so that I could work there. I filled out an application, then went back Sunday afternoon to talk with him again. He told me to come in Thursday morning at 8am to work out my schedule and start working!!! I am thrilled. I was so excited I neglected to ask what my pay would be or what I would be doing exactly…but I am pretty sure I will be the hotel receptionist! It is so true that good things come to those who wait. As Lamentations 3:25 says,   “the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him”.     He has been so good to me and I am in speechless adoration and awe of his goodness.

Here are some photos to share the adventures in Boston from last week!

The three amigos! Me, Collena and Santei.

Mike and Santei.

Santei and I.

Collena and I waiting to board the Duck-Boat tour.

Driving the Duck Boat! 

Riding some chap's long-board.

Chatting with the local musicians in the park.

Tourist "thumbs up"!

Santei, Collena and me at the start of the Freedom Trail!

Dave, Mike, Josh, Amy and Collena. This family is going to be my host-family while I stay here at Hampton Beach. God is GOOD! Collena and I both have them as our parents and we are excited to get to know them even more than we already have. Honestly, this couple is incredible and I'm thankful I am able to spend some more time with them during the summer. Their sons are gentlemen, too and have the same serving hearts as their parents.

Ice cream right outside Quincy Market! It was so good (I almost dropped mine inside and so I was  reenacting the moment here)

Ok, so these next photos are a little strange but I thought I would share this fun moment with you all:

A pigeon somehow flew into Quincy Market and then made friends with this little chid. We watched the boy and chuckled as he tried to get the bird to sit on his arm. Even when we smiled at him, he chose to look at us in this manner. It was somewhat frightening.

He was captivated by the pigeon.

Still no smile.

Now talking and trying to persuade the bird to sit on his arm.

I Am Blessed.

Today has been 4^th full day of project. Let me tell you, this week has been tiring. The rest of the students arrived on Tuesday, and I was not at all excited about them coming, but as soon as the first girl got here, I could not help but love the idea of having a house full of friends! And that is how this week has been—we all have been getting to know one another, spending time talking, learning about each other and laughing. The sense of community, and how quickly the community was built has been truly amazing to me. I attribute it all of God, and do not think that one can say that it is because of any other reason. All 24 of the students share many commonalities but the greatest thing we share is our love and faith in Christ Jesus. That is what has helped us grow so close so quickly and be comfortable around one another and vulnerable. I have loved it. There are some pretty special people here.

Two very special people who are near and dear to my heart are Amy and Dave MacArthur—the couple who purchased this house in order for the Hampton Beach Summer Project to continue. Because I was here a week early, I was able to watch this couple, their sons and family members come quietly into the house, work late at night, then slip quietly out. They are self-less. God has blessed them in great ways and they turn right back around and bless people with what the Lord has given them. I have never met people as giving as they are and cannot even explain how much it has meant to me to watch them. On top of ALL of that, they also decided to use their day off (Memorial Day) to take three strangers (myself and two other students) to Boston to tour the city. We got to go on a Duck Boat tour—which is awesome and I recommend it to anyone who ever travels to Boston—and they fed us at Quincy Market and walked all over the city with us. Completely self-less. Dave and Amy, the Lord truly shines brightly through you two!

Some beautiful Boston scenery (this picture is bad, I know, but I was unable to get other photos from my first trip yet! Sorry I'll try to post them when I get them! )

Wednesday evening we had our first group nightly meeting. All of the students and staff gathered in the church, sang some songs of worship, listened to Jeff Highfield (the project director) bring the word of the Lord and then we got to choose our servant teams. Long story short, one of the members of the staff team basically called me out and told me that I was going to be worship leader for the summer because I was the only student who brought a guitar. This made me very uncomfortable. While I adore music and singing and playing guitar, I in no way, shape or form enjoy playing in front of people. But, as Jeff Highfield recently shared, 

“the great thing about Jesus is that he loves us too much to leave us where we are.” 

I feel like that is going to be a consistent theme throughout my summer. But I have been praying for growth, and what better way to grow than to be put in situations that are awkward? This is surely going to be awkward. But one thing that I have to keep reminding myself of is that this is in no way about ME (once again I am realizing this) and that the focus should not be on me. I do not need to be worried about leading worship, but rather just praying that God would use me as His vessel. That through the music I create through the gifts He has given me others may enter into a worshipful state with their creator. That is my prayer.

Every spare moment this week I have been job-hunting. I have been leaving my name at many different locations and exhausted the main strip along the beach to no avail. Earlier this week I thought that I had a job set in stone, but when my friends Will and Shelby and I returned to the sub shop, the lady told us that she only needed 2 students instead of three. That meant I was out. Sometimes it is hard to just leave things in God’s hands but I know that whatever He has planned for me and whatever job He has for me is better than anything I could have chosen.

Ok, here is something awesome that helped me out a great deal this week. One of the main focuses of this trip is relational and initiative evangelism. I have always said that I prefer relational evangelism—however, I repeat, God will not let me be comfortable this summer. Lisa (Jeff’s wife and a woman on staff with CRU) told me that 

“initiative evangelism should be relational and relational evangelism needs initiative” 

which makes perfect sense. If I am sharing something as close to my heart as my walk with Christ with someone else, I always want to know that person. To have known them. To have had a long relationship with that individual. Something that I had never considered is that I can meet new people and begin relationships with them BY sharing the most important thing in my life with them. This happened on Tuesday afternoon.

After the students arrived there was a group meeting in the living room of the house. We all sat and listened as the staff introduced themselves and their families. Then Jeff just came out and told us we were going to have to go out on the beach and share our faith with people. Looking back, there could have been no better way to start off the summer. So out we went (I went with a student named Kathryn and a staff named Abby) and at first we just prayed as we walked. Abby and Kathryn pointed to two girls on the beach and said we should go and talk to them. I was looking at two completely different girls so when they walked by the first girls, I was confused. In spite of this, we proceeded on to introduce ourselves to these two girls who happened to be from Macedonia!!! Now I will give you a bit of insight into my life: I LOVE PEOPLE FROM OTHER CULTURES. From other parts of the world. Those who have traveled all over. Those who are visiting or who have immigrated to the United States. I love the US and am proud to be an American and all, but my heart for sure does NOT lie here in the United States. I honestly feel the Lord tugging at my heart to work abroad, whether it be in ministry or just pushing papers. So having the first people I share my faith with here in Hampton Beach be from Eastern Europe was just a nod from God letting me know that it is He who has shaped my heart to have such a love for other cultures. Pretty awesome.

Good grief this will be my longest post yet. I will try to post something more often so there is not so much to catch up on! I am even leaving out some stuff just because I can’t fit it all. But this WILL be the last thing!

We have discipleship groups here on project. What these consist of is one discipler (mentor) and then two or three disciples (students). We meet with our discipler and go through scriptures and pray with one another. It is really a special time. Today we took a trip into Boston (yes, this IS the second time in one week that I have been to Boston—I consider myself SEVERLEY blessed! ) in order to have a “Soul-to-Soul” time. 

Abby, Collena, Kayla and I = My discipleship group!

During this time, each woman shares her life story: things that she has struggled with, regrets, hurts, relationships, friends, school, just all the details of her life. Each of the girls in my group took around an hour to tell their story. I cannot emphasize how meaningful this time was to me. To see so deep into one another’s lives just drew us closer as sisters in the Lord. We were vulnerable before one another. We confessed the mistakes we made, realizing that we have forgiveness in Christ alone and wiping the tears from one another’ cheeks to show that no matter what we had gone through or were going through, we would be there for one another. Powerful. This day is very draining though. To hear the hurt that has occurred in the other girls’ lives made my heart ache in an inexpressible way. I found myself growing angry—angry at God for allowing these horrible things to happen to his daughters! Angry because my life has been nothing but a life of ease—nothing horrible has happened and I was raised by an incredible man of God and a humble and strong woman of God. My parents have been incredible…no where near perfect, but hands down awesome parents. I aspire to be half as great of a parent some day. But to sit and hear of broken families made my heart ache something terrible. I found myself wishing that something had happened to me to replace the hurt and pain that these wonderful women went through. I finally just sat and convinced myself that all that happened was in the past. Nothing can be done. These women were hurt, and all that I can do is be there for them now. Instead of desiring bad to befall my own life, I need to praise the Lord for bestowing so many blessing upon me. Thank Him from the bottom of my heart. I do not deserve the wonderful life that I have had thus far but must fall before the King of Kings praising Him for his sovereignty in my life. For his overwhelming love being shown to me each and every day. Thank you, Lord for being so magnificent!

Kayla! Beautiful woman of the Lord. God is doing some great things in this girls life and I am so excited to see where He takes her! I have loved getting to know my fellow-Virginian friend!

Abby, my discipler at Boston Common (is that what you are supposed to call this park?) romping through the green grass! We treasure lush grass when we've been walking in sand for 2 weeks.

COLLENA! My roommate and great friend. LOVE her and her heart for the Lord. He love for God is amazing. Awesome woman of God, for sure.