Hi friends! Its been a hot sec since the last time I posted; these weeks in Hampton Beach have flown by so quickly.
It's been a hot couple of days lately here in New Hampshire. I'm grateful for the beach!
Since I last posted I have been employed, was appointed to my servant team, attended my first Sunday morning service at the church I was assigned to, went to Boston twice, and spent a day in Maine with my church host family! On top of all that, I have been spending so much quality time with my team. Its getting to the point where I feel like I have deep relationships with most people here, and its literally been only 14 days! God is good, and its clear that this team was handpicked to be here together this summer. We may be a small bunch (18 students compared to 30 in previous years) but we are already taking steps to leave our mark on Hampton Beach this summer and let the Lord work through us!
My job is awesome! I get to work right on the boardwalk, with an amazing view of people creating their submissions for the Sand Castle Contest this week! I go in early to mop and do prep work, and then spend my shift working the counter and interacting with customers. Its a small staff, but my co workers are all so great. My commute down the boardwalk is also a highlight. I am so content with this job, and I am so grateful for the Lord's faithfulness in leading me to a job that makes me happy and is also logistically sound.
My weeks can get pretty busy. I work 10-4 every day except Sunday and Monday. Every day after work (with the exception of Saturday; my free night off) we do a group event, such as Women's Time, hosting a Community Dinner (an opportunity to open up our house and mission to our co workers and the people of Hampton Beach), a night dedicated to quiet time with the Lord, or evangelism on the beach. Sundays and Mondays are just as hectic between church, Host Family Time, and Ministry Partner Development (fund raising!) on Sundays and prayer meetings, cleaning time, servant team meetings, bible study time, one on one discipleship, and our weekly meeting. It's a crazy life, but I love every second. I am learning so much, loving so much, growing so much. I'm grateful for this opportunity!
I mentioned servant teams a few times now, so allow me to elaborate. The students here are split up among the five servant teams in groups of 3 or 4. The five teams are: Weekly Meeting Team (in charge of the Weekly Meeting, consisting of group worship, arranging a speaker, conducting mission wide announcements, etc), Prayer Team (in charge of promoting prayer and conducting the weekly prayer meeting), Community Dinner Team (in charge of planning and executing the community dinners and encouraging us to invite people we meet and work and on the beach to hang out with us at 20 G), Outreach Team (in charge of encouraging and equipping us to go conduct outreach in the community, as well as leading evangelizing on the beach), and Operations Team. I was one of the three students to serve on the Operations Team. Our job is to be keepers of the house, as well as running Sunday night Ministry Partner Development time. I have a key to the house, have to make sure the trash goes out, etc. but there are also fun parts to my job! I get to encourage and walk alongside of people as they continue to raise funds, I get to promote cleaning the house (we award a golden plunger trophy to the cleanest guys' and girls' bedrooms every week!), and I get to work closely with the finances of the mission. I strongly feel as though Ops Team was the best placement for me.
One of the main things that is being taught to me is effective ways to evangelize. We use tools such as Perspective Cards and the Soularium Photo survey to initiate natural conversation, then use tools such as our Testimony and the Knowing God Personally booklet to lead the conversation (if it allows) into a Gospel Conversation! We are spending a lot of time memorizing the key points of the KGP Booklet and refining our 3-5 minute testimonies (which I will soon present at a weekly meeting!) to make evangelical conversations more natural. We take strides to be personable and not 'creepy' missionaries. We want to have real conversations with real people, and have the Lord lead the topic where he may.
This past week I got to meet my Host Family, the McLaughlins! I was assigned by the mission to be a member of Hampton Falls Baptist Church (one of the two churches we have partnerships with), and through that congregation I was paired with a family who wishes to love me and encourage me. Although I don't literally live with them, I get to essentially become a part of their family. I share my host family with another girl here, Ashley, and we get to spend every other Sunday afternoon with them. This past week, we spent the day with Drew and Caleb and their host family in York, Maine. It was great to get to know the two families as well as spend quality time with Drew, Caleb, and Ashley! (Also, Drew, Caleb, and I got to jump off a bridge, so there's that) I am eager to see this element of my trip grow and evolve!
I love my team. I love my team. I love my team. I love Michael's eagerness to learn and willingness to ask lots of questions. I love Matt's enthusiasm for everything from his friends to baseball. I love Yeon's wisdom and how he's always there when I need a good hug. I love Kristian's subtle (yet effective) leadership skills and his ability to captivate a whole room with his charisma. I love Ashley and her content in everything she does, as well as her laugh and how easy it is to feed off of her joy. I love Drew's sarcasm and silly dancing, in addition to his caring spirit and his capacity to love me as if I really was his family. I love Olivia's silliness in all she does, and her ability to have a group crying with laughter with one sentence. I love Sarah's ability to lead as well as be led, and the way she is able to see the dynamics of everyone around her. I love Isabell's servant's heart, and her never ending flow of affirmation for everyone around her. I love Shane's talent and passion for music, as well as his deep desire to care for the whole team. I love Julie and her presence when she walks into a room, as well as her wisdom and patience. I love Emely and her desire to draw ever closer to the father, as well as her desire to grow her friendship with me. I love Josh and his kind heart, his desire to get to the bottom of deep theological questions, and his willingness to lead and be protective of everyone here. I love Viv and her deep love for the Lord, as well as her companionship that she has extended to me since day one. I love Sarah her loyal nature, her fun facts, and her compassionate heart.
Also, tonight was one of my closest friend from the mission's birthday Honestly, getting to plan a surprise for him and work together with everyone else to make it special was such a highlight of the trip. We are functioning as a family, and it's everything I ever wanted. I'm so in awe that I was called here among some of the best people I have ever met.
Something that has been on my heart lately is the concept of hope. Hope that, even though I see hurt and stress all around me and in many things I do, God has a plan for me. Jeremiah 29:11 and Hebrews 6:19 have been so good lately, y'all.
I stress that my relationship with the Lord isn't good enough, that my past dictates my future. He gives me hope that I will be growing in my faith until the day I'm called home, and that he died on the cross that my past may be forgiven.
I worry that I'm not good enough, pretty enough, special enough to find the husband I want; I worry that I will be single forever or will have to settle. He gives me the hope that my future is in his hands, and it is good. He will lead a man into my life who is God- fearing and notices me for more than what I look like. On top of that, I was made by the creator of the heavens and earth, in his own image. Who am I to say that I'm flawed?
I worry that I am not a good enough student and I have no future ahead of me. That my worth lies in my GPA and don't deserve an ounce of respect or success. He gives me hope that although I am weak, he is strong and wants to walk beside me. He has led me to exactly where he wants me (he's been very clear about that) and that as long as I keep my eyes on him, I will do great things for his kingdom.
I worry that I will not be a good enough mom someday, or that I will never even get the opportunity to have a family and children of my own. He gives me hope in the affirming words of my friends as well as in the love he instilled in me for children.
Joseph held on to the Lord's promises, despite being sold into slavery by his own brothers, and he was given one of the highest political positions at the time. Moses held on to the Lord's promises, and after centuries of enslavement, God used him to lead his people out of Egypt. Esther held onto the Lord's promises, and even though what he called her to do was seemingly impossible and deadly, God used her to save the Jewish race.
I've been through a lot of hurt, a lot of doubt, a lot of hard times, but with this hope as an anchor for my soul, I am strong. I will do great things. I am justified and forgiven. I will be loved by my husband, my children, my friends, because God loved me first.
God is so good. He is love. He calls me to be Christ like, and I stumble and fall short. We can work ourselves to exhaustion to be perfect, but we will never be worthy. I don't deserve his grace, but that's the whole point. Salvation is a gift. Absolutely free, no fine print or strings attached. All we have to do is believe in him. I don't know about you, but that's the best deal I have ever heard of.
Thanks for keeping up with everything I've been up to! I humbly ask that you keep me and my team in your prayers as we continue to try to reach the lost here in New England! Also, keep my team in your prayers as we work to raise funds for the trip.
Please please consider sending me mail! As someone who's Love Language is equally words of affirmation and gifts, a simple letter in the mail could be so encouraging!
Love you all,
-SB
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