Week 1: No words. I've thought and thought about how I could describe the experiences I shared with this amazing bunch of youth and adults alike...and to be honest, all my praise goes to God for bringing them all into my life. I could not have ask for any other people who could nurture me and stretch me any more than they did. I came out of this old mold I have been comfortably in, and for a lack of better terms, allowed me to be me. The me God created...and every single person (I feel) saw me in that light. After our Wednesday night prayer walk, I told my staff share. A staff share is kind of like a testimony, but more so about how the Lord has changed my life through ASP. I was continuing to pray that the Lord would be heard through my words by the volunteers, and that one person fell in love with this place as much, if not more, than I do. I ended my share with the song I posted last time. I feel like my share brought me a lot closer to many of the volunteers for many different reasons. Saturday morning came and that's when reality hit. I had to say not goodbye, but "See you later" to all of my new family members. ASP has a way of bringing people together for one week and turning relationships into lifelong ones. The reality that this was going to happen 7 more times was not something I was not looking forward to. BUT...what a perfect way to start out this amazing summer!
Week 2: Although I went into this week with still the longing for my Week 1 churches to come back, the Lord ceased to amaze me in what He had in store for Mingo County. I feel as if I grew more in my relationships with the families than with the volunteers, which I think is important to have a balance between the two. I quickly learned that I could only cherish the memories with previous groups and not automatically begin drawing comparisons to later groups. By the end of the week, I saw the beauty in the growth of the volunteers which I found to be extremely encouraging. As with Week 1, these people loved and uplifted me right when I needed it most.
Week 3: Again, the Lord provided new things for me to experience, grow, and struggle with this week. Last week, I was beginning to grow weary, but I refused to believe it was because of the lack of sleep. Although, I'm sure that plays a role, I was growing weak because I wasn't putting as much discipline in my efforts to spend time with the Lord everyday. How can I, whom God chose to be alive every day up to now, surrounded by mountains, people and love, forget to make my Creator my number one priority?! Silly, Katie. Isaiah 40:31 reminded me that God provides all that I will ever need. Even though I often find myself doubting whether or not I can do this job...I know I can because of the Lord's Will and strength that He so graciously provides. To end this rollercoaster of a week, my mom and brother came down to get a taste of what I love so much. Praise God because my mom finally understands what ASP means to me! What an answer to prayer!!
So that is all...for now!
PS---I'm a brunette now (:
Also, check out this link to get a better feel as to what I'm doing this summer...and to look at some pretty sweet pics!
http://asphome.org/group/mingo-county-wv
Song of the Moment: Slumber by Needtobreathe
Verse of the Moment: John 16:33
