Several weeks have passed since I changed zip codes, and I’ve settled quite nicely into a new life as a Georgian.
‘Y’all’ has become an even more regular part of my vocabulary and there’s always sweet tea in the fridge. My cooking skills have been put to the test now that I’m not eating Papa Murphys pizza for nearly every meal, but thanks to years of observing my mom, I think I’m doing pretty well for myself!
Going from living in a house with just my parents to a house with six other women has been a bit of an adjustment, but I’ve loved every moment of it.
I’m living in an authentic, loving community, and I feel blessed to be able to call my roommates my friends.
CGA at the Adventures staff bowling day, via Justin Marshall
My days are pretty full during the week. I’m an apprentice in the marketing department at Adventures in Missions. I’m a part of the writing team, so I spend my marketing time sipping on coffee writing content for the World Race and Adventures blogs.
Marketing is a whole new realm of learning for me, and I’m gaining so many valuable tools!
My afternoons are spent packed into my living room with the other 15 or so members of the worship track. We spend our time on a variety of worship-related things. Our topics of study have included identity, inspiration in worship, and the gifts of the Spirit.
Our group is marked by a sense of camaraderie, and every time we meet, there is an expectancy for God to show up.
We also are responsible for leading the office in a worship session every Monday morning. Its such a wonderful way to start the work week, and for us to sew into the Adventures staff. Its amazing to be apart of an office that values and encourages intimacy with the Lord.
We also held a 24-hour worship burn this last weekend at the Adventures office.
Myself, Melissa and Haley at the Burn, via @hs_coulter
I was there for the whole thing, and it was an incredible time! It was a long 24 hours, but there was nowhere else I’d rather have been. Everyone who led worship brought their own flare, from pounding, faced paced tracks to calm, instrumental stuff. I led worship for an hour with my friends Melissa and Haley, and it was such a fun, exciting, authentic time of worship.
We plan to have a burn every month, and I’m thrilled to see how the Lord moves in this community through that expression of worship.
Worship and intimacy have been defining themes for my time in Gainesville thus far, and I’ve recently been offered an opportunity to take it to a different level. When I first moved down here, I heard that my roommate Hannah and my house mentor Josh would be heading to Guatemala in February.
Josh is the director of worship track and was going to be taking six others from the fall semester to go down to a brand new long-term missions base at Lake Atitlan. The area is rich with things like witchcraft and idol worship, especially on certain mountains around the Lake.
The vision was for a team to climb the mountains and worship atop them, ushering in God’s presence.
A snow storm hit Georgia the week the team was scheduled to leave, and just an hour before they were set to head to the airport, all flights were cancelled. Most would see this as a devastating wrench in the plans, but both the team here in Gainesville and the team down in Guatemala saw it as an opportunity for bigger plans.
The sense was that God was calling a larger team down, and that team includes all of worship track.
Some of the members of worship track leading at the Burn.
From the day I heard about the original trip to Guatemala, I wished I could go. I had a passion for the vision, and wanted to be a part of the team worshipping on the high places. With the change in plans, that passion has become a reality.
From March 21-28th, a team of us will be traveling to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to minister through worship.
This trip will cost around $700, which will cover airfare to Guatemala and all food and local transportation costs. Through fundraising for the World Race, I learned about God’s incredible provision. I have worked hard to be able to fund my time in Gainesville, but this trip is something I can’t do alone.
Not everyone is called to international missions, but anyone can be a part of the work God is going to do through my team and me.
If you are interested in hearing more about what this trip is going to look like, want to join in praying for me, or feel called to support me financially, please email me! I’d love to chat, either via email, phone or Skype.
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
If you are ready to become a financial partner, please click on the ‘Support Me at CGA’ tab on the left side of this page. All donations are tax-deductible.
I will continue blogging as we prepare for this trip. I also post quite a few pictures on instagram via @iamthekaytah. That is a great way to keep up with whats going on in my life, both in ministry and otherwise.
Thank you for your continual support and encouragement!
