Yay!! High School is all over, I’m graduated, and I have a summer full of things to do, and a 9 month mission trip to look forward to in September! What the heck?! That’s crazy! Now the question really is, What Do I Do Now? Well I’ve formed a list of things I need to be faithful to and not lose sight of!
GOD
During school, and just being busy all the time I constantly lost sight of who is putting me on this trip, who’s plan it was for me. The person who handles every single one of my problems everyday. I wasn’t in the word everyday and I would choose friends over my savior. This summer is devoted to putting God first and letting Him control my life! He always comes first! And for some healthy reading I’m throwing in a book called, “When Helping Hurts,” to not only help me dig deeper into the word of God, but to really view things in a different light. It’s time to start being IN the world, and not OF the world.
Fundraising
$6,246
This is where I’m at! I have three more months to make double this, making my trip fully funded with $12,487! I look at this really as my constant homework for the summer! It seems like a lot, but the Lord has been so dang faithful already that I know He will provide for me! My next goal is $9,000 by June 23rd, and I fully believe with God in control that I will reach that! Support is what I really need and especially with most importance, support by prayer! Prayer is powerful my friends! My fellow team mate, Carmen Vigil, and I have some fundraisers coming up that would truly help us, Beau Jo’s on June 11th, and a garage sale June 7th at Peace Lutheran Church. If you would like to help out, feel free to get in contact with Carmen or I!
Marissa
My girlie! Yes she is great! From day one, God had seriously without a doubt blessed our relationship so much! Every single time we are together it is a different adventure and we never know what is going to happen. To have a girlfriend that loves Jesus with all her heart is such a great and wonderful blessing in itself. I don’t know if there has been a time when we haven’t talked about our Savior or faith in some way around each other! She’s Christian, she’s silly, she laughs at my jokes that aren’t funny, she’s respectful, definitely can be more mature than me (cause let’s face it, I won’t be fully mature till I’m 25, the side affects of being a guy), and she’s absolutely beautiful! I love every single dang moment I get to spend with her and it’s always fun and laughs! I pray every day that God continues to just bless our relationship this summer and even bless us together in unknown ways while I’m gone on my trip. Our adventures will always continue to increase and get greater all the time! I am so blessed to call her my best friend!
Work
I’m going on almost a full 9 months with my job at Family Christian Stores. This job is a blessing, but yes it is work. Work is work and there is always a job to get done. It can be a bummer at some points and sometimes I don’t always want to come in. The one thing that keeps me going though, and the awesome thing I get to do is, is further the kingdom! Everyday I get to talk to people about Jesus and help them find things within our store that will bless them or whoever they are shopping for. My most favorite thing to do is ask for World Vision Sponsorship, the rare occasion when someone decides that they want to sponsor a child, that is the most exciting moment of the stores day! We just changed a kids life for the next however many years until they are 18. Work is what I got this summer and I’ll be doing a whole lot of it! Making money that will also help support me to go on this amazing trip! Thank God for this job!
Youth Group
I love these people!! I love them so dang much! These are some of my best friends! I have grown up with them for such a long time! Quite a few, I have even known since I was baby! To grow up with them for 18 years and adding new people in all the time is so exciting! My freshman year our youth group got a new youth leader, Stephanie. Honestly, at first I was bummed, but very quickly I learned to love her and she has blessed my life so much as well! To go through 4 years of loyal and trustworthy friends is great! I have gone on 3 mission trips with these fellas and this July I will being going on another mission trip with them to Puerto Rico, which I am really excited for as well! I have received so much support from many of them for my 9 month trip this fall and it’s so exciting to feel that! An even greater blessing is that I’ll be going on the World Race with Carmen Vigil who I’ve grown up with in my church for a good amount of my life as well! And back to Stephanie on just how amazing she is, I seriously would not be going on the World Race if it wasn’t for her. She gave me the organization, she gave me the idea, and she was supporting me from the very beginning! God took it from there!
So yah I have a lot lot lot lot to do this summer, but thank God that they are all good things. I know Jesus will carry me through and be with me every step of the way! He is the one who is sending me on this trip anyways! If people think I want to live poor, and only have a few change of clothes, and go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground, eat food that I’ve never tried before, and drink dirty water, they are wrong! So wrong! God had placed it on my heart to help people, and to talk about Him wherever I go! He said Go! So I am going! I am obeying Him! I Love Him! And it is 100% my duty as a Christian to first know Him, and then make Him known to all nations! That’s what I plan to do!
