Yes, summer is long over, but (thankfully) God's work is never-ending and his love is everlasting!
Spending
all summer in Virginia Beach with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) was
incredible – it was so great that it is
impossible for me to find words to justify everything that occurred. One thing
that I can say is that God is
so
good,
so glorious, and
so amazing in every single way, and He
did amazing things this summer.
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| So much love for these sweet friends! |
Going into
Virginia Beach Summer Project, I excited to see what was going to happen
throughout the summer, but God exceeded all expectations. I could not wait to grow in my relationship
with God and share His love with others.
While learning so much about God and growing closer to Him, I also
realized a lot about my brokenness, which enabled me to see God in an even more
glorious light. The chasm between my human self and God’s holiness and
perfection is so wide, yet He loves me no matter what and sees me as his
perfect child.
One (of
many) of my favorite things that I got to experience this summer was strong
Christian community. This community was
the closest thing to heaven that could be experienced on earth! I was
constantly surrounded by other students and staff on project who love God so much, who desire to grow in their
relationship with Him, and who long to serve, follow, and surrender their lives
to Him. It was obvious to see Christ shine through each person on project as
they were used to speak truth, encourage one another, and radiate joy. Being
with these people, I not only learned how to live out the gospel with other
believers, but it also allowed me to feel God’s love and care so much, which
resulted in me falling more in love with Him.
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| The best roommates I could ever imagine! They are such a blessing! |
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| I can't even explain how much I learned from these beautiful godly women! |
This summer
I also really loved being a part of a small group Bible study, or action group
as we called it. Action groups typically
consisted of four to five people, and provided the perfect environment to study
and dig deep into God’s word together.
We studied Galatians for the first half of the summer and Colossians for
the second half. It’s so beautiful to
study the Word with others and grow together!
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| Action group for the first half of the summer! Love love love them! |
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| Action group for the second half of the summer! Love love love them too! |
Another big
aspect of this summer was to make God known.
We had weekly outreaches that we did as a
project, and we also went out on the boardwalk throughout the week to share the
gospel. At first, I had no clue how to go about sharing my faith with others,
but it soon became more natural.
We had
surveys that we used to start conversations, and then we would transition to a
little booklet called the KGP, or the Knowing God Personally booklet.
This booklet outlines the fundamental points
of the gospel, incorporating Bible verses and Biblical truth. God presented so
many opportunities to share this
awesome news
that God loves you and has a plan for your life, but because of our sin and
brokenness, we are separated from a relationship with Him, but He loves us so
much that he sent his son Jesus to live the perfect life and die the death that
we as sinners deserve so that we are forgiven and can have a relationship and
eternal life with Him!
This news is
so good, and as believers, it is our
command to make it known!
Mark 16:15
says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
As it takes courage to share with others, it
is something that we are commanded to do: to take a step of faith in the power
of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God!
I thank God
that it was in His plan for me to go on Virginia Beach Summer Project 2014; it
was definitely a life changing and transforming summer! Thank you to everyone
on project for making it wonderful, memorable, and full of laughter, learning,
and fun; I love each of you so much! Thank you also to everyone who supported
me – financially and prayerfully – I appreciate you all greatly for
participating in God’s work in Virginia Beach with me.
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| Left a piece of my heart in Virginia Beach, but had so many takeaways from each experience! |
I could literately talk for days and never be able to relay to you how great this summer was! Thanks for reading, and ask any questions you have!
xoxo, love Roxanne
