Tradition, tradition!

Anybody know what time it is? That’s right, its time for the annual emotional (possibly even sappy) wrap-up blog post #1!

I’ve reached the end of another summer adventure. This year, I feel like it’s almost unfair to call this a “summer” adventure. It started back in January, actually. There’s a huge college conference around New Year’s called Passion that Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, and many others put on in Atlanta. During the fall semester, I decided that the cost for the conference was too high so I wouldn’t go. I’d watch online, and that would be enough, right? The night before the OBU group left, however, my BCM director James told me that a girl slot for the trip was available.

So I made my way to a conference I wasn’t supposed to be attending.

When you register for Passion, you get two wristbands. One is for where you sit during the big worship gatherings and the other is for your “small group” (Community Group) of about 1,000 people. James handed out our wristbands, and I got a blue-stripe community group band. One of the guys on the trip, though, received a lavender band. Of course, seeing as it’s downright illegal for boys to wear purple, he had to trade bands with someone. I was the only one that hadn’t already put their band on, so I switched with him.

So I made my way to a community group I wasn’t supposed to be a part of at a conference I wasn’t supposed to be attending.

And let me tell you something, God did some great things in my life over the course of those couple of days. From healing wounds I received last summer to leading me to surrender some things I had been holding back. In addition, He brought Aaron Coe (my Community Group leader) and a ministry called SendNYC across my path. I talked to Aaron one night, and he said they had an internship program that still had openings for this summer. I figured it was a long shot, but I might as well try for it. Everything else I had applied for seemed to be a closed door: it couldn’t hurt to try this one too.

So I applied for a job I knew I wouldn’t get because of a community group I wasn’t supposed to be a part of at a conference I wasn’t supposed to be attending.

The Lord had it all planned out. But, as always, the enemy had plans to try to spoil it. God allowed him to bring a lot of…stuff…into the last semester. My poor family and suitemates! But even through the stress and sin and struggles and heartbreak (sorry, no “s” word for that), the Lord had a plan. While there are times I can’t quite see His hand, I have faith that someday He’ll show me the purpose in all that He allowed.

And now I’ve spent two months living in New York City and working for SendNYC!

It’s been an incredible summer with some amazing people. If you’re reading my blog, then you know that it hasn’t all been rainbows and daisies falling out of my back pocket. It’s been challenging, stretching, trying, and difficult at times. If I could’ve planned it, there would have been a couple things that would’ve happened differently. But if everything happened the way we would plan it, we’d never grow. We would become stagnant and lifeless.

Summer Adventure 2010 (like all the others) has both taught me a lot and left me with a lot of questions. Decisions to be made, faith steps to take, and uncertainties to surrender. Thankfully, though, I’ve learned to trust His leadership even when He only shows one thing at time. He tends to only give me a step ahead of where I am. But I can make the entire journey that way.

I’m still not entirely sure how I’m going to leave on Wednesday. But I guess I still have a few days to figure that out. I think for the most part it’ll be because of the sweet half of bittersweet. I finally get to spend time with my family!! I get to hear all about my little sister’s first full summer of missions. She took her first Summer Adventure a year before I did. I’m so proud! I get to hear stories about crazy students from my brother who’s finishing up his third summer (I think) as a youth group intern at a great church in Arkansas. Just a couple days after I get home, a good friend of mine is getting married. I also have some exciting opportunities this school year. Then, of course, there’s school. Even with the intense culture shock of going from New York City to Arkadelphia, I’m so excited to be back with those friends, hear their summer stories, and spend another year with them! This year is going to be incredible.

And I think the fact that I’m now crying without access to any Kleenex is probably the sign that this post has come to an end. But we’ll leave it on a fun note. Go listen to Michael W. Smith’s “Friends are Friends Forever.” And if you make it through the whole song without either laughing or cringing, you have a hidden talent I didn’t know existed.