Vines, Scorecards, and Testimonies

I don’t feel like 2 weeks of my 9 weeks here in Florida should already be gone.  That whole “time flies when you’re having fun” thing is real and so sad because my time is passing by so quickly here! This week was full of tremendous growth for me.  I had a lot of projects (everything from VBS prep and some office decorating to meeting lunch hosts for this upcoming Sunday and purchasing supplies for upcoming events) and a lot of personal discernment.  The number of paper vines I made for VBS is actually ridiculous – my hands are still covered in paper cuts. This church definitely goes ALL out for this event.  People 15 feet in the air hanging decorations and other pitching tents in the larger meeting room to ensure the kids get the “campy” feel.  Even though it’s all going to come down next week when the kids leave, I know the kids’ reactions will make all of the ridiculous labor worth it.  Part of my “office design” project this week was to decorate a cork board in the corner of the room.  I thought it would be great fun to create a scorecard for all of the interns and keep up with points of cool things that everyone is doing.  It may or may not have been aimed to pick on my boss a little too because I have to have a little fun 😉 But it turned out to be an awesome investment to reward people, some without them even knowing, for all of the hard work they are doing.

All other adventures and activities aside, my favorite moment of the week was our intern devotion/breakout last night.  I’ve had my fair share of bible studies and Christian gatherings, but this was something completely different.  To be genuinely poured into and to be just a small part of these incredible people’s lives is such a cool experience.  We started by just checking in with everyone. Very honestly sharing our interpretations of the internship so far was both informative and exciting.  Then we had some worship time, which was much needed.  Just 20 people sitting outside together, eyes closed, heart open. And just when I didn’t think my heart could be any more full, we opened up time for testimonies.  In all honesty, I was a little scared about what this time would be like.  There are a lot of people I know that have these amazing stories of tragedy/sin/heartbreak where God showed up and totally rocked their world.  And frankly, my story is just not that special.  Or at least so I thought.  After my 2 new friends opened up their lives for all of us, I felt completely different.  As if God had broken my heart in a whole new way so that He could come in. I had the opportunity to realize and personally admit some of the difficulty/brokenness in my own life that I had originally conceded.  I wish I could have words that made more sense to truly put this experience into words. I feel like I finally had the chance to put this change I’ve been slowly encountering the last 6 years into a consolidated idea.  Even though it’s not really consolidated at all haha. It’s as if my prayer has changed from “God show up in my life” to “God, I totally see what you did there.” Life changing. Of course this all occurred less than 24 hours ago, so I still have quite a bit figuring out to do.  But I am on fire.  I am on fire for the call God has put on my heart.  I am on fire to chase the person that God is calling me to be.  I am on fire to make a difference in this world.  And most of all, I am on fire about just how amazing our God is.  His grace is enough.  His love is transforming.  His payment is more than we can comprehend. And the only thing we have to do is love Him and those around us in return.  I can do that.

So just when you think you have a plan or direction in life, don’t be too upset when God changes it.  I promise His plans are better than anything we could begin to imagine. God knew exactly what He was doing when He called me to Fort Lauderdale.  He knew exactly what He was doing when He brought the other 23 interns here, too.  It’s only been 2 weeks, and my life is changed forever.  I can’t wait to see what He has next.