I definitely planned to write and post this blog about a month ago, so I guess the fact that it's happening now attests to the title of this post. Thanks to good ol' Spring Break, here it is.
The weekend after I went to Birmingham, I loaded into a car with these friends and drove to Gastonia to help lead another disciple now weekend.
My roommate, Olivia, and I were assigned to the 6th grade girls. My reaction to this news was probably similar to what I'd imagine any normal person's would be: Lord help me.
I remembered what I was like as a 6th grader and was not so sure that my already exhausted mind and body would be able to handle a weekend filled with drama that I wouldn't be sympathetic towards. I prayed for no drama, sympathy for any that may come, and sustaining grace through it all.
And oh how good the Lord was to my doubting heart. These girls were awesome. They provided us with tons of laughs, bowling lessons, and great gospel conversations.
Even though they are probably the most draining things in the world, I really love disciple now weekends and was thankful I got to be a part of this one.
The weekend after the Gastonia disciple now, some of the college students at my church in Clemson drove to Raleigh in order to attend the Go conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
The campus is beautiful and I learned so much from that weekend.
I learned about the role and importance of the Holy Spirit, and my soul was reminded of the satisfying and beautiful power of the gospel. More importantly, I was reminded of the person of the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ. My heart and mind were rocked anew with His goodness, beauty, and love.
One way the Lord taught me was through these women. I don't think I have ever had people speak such Gospel centered truth into my life in such a loving and honest way. I really would not be the same person without Emily and Marie's friendship and discipleship.
There were a lot of people from my home church at this conference, so of course we had to get a FBCFM group picture. Represent.
There was also a significant number of girls from the small group I lead that went. The Lord has been gracious in allowing laughter and truth to be abundant on Tuesday nights with these girls.
And the whole group from Crosspoint...
The next Friday, students from Crosspoint's college ministry hung out on Library Bridge, a common walkway for students on campus. It was the day before Valentine's Day, so as an avenue for sharing the gospel, we asked students passing by what they thought love is. It opened up tons of conversations for sharing the true meaning of love, shown by Jesus Christ in the way that He suffered as He walked on this earth as man so that He could die for our sins, and how He rose again to free us from them!
This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10
That night I spontaneously got to see Wicked in downtown Greenville thanks to some sweet and generous friends with a last minute extra ticket. It was incredible.
On Valentine's Day a few of my friends and I drove to Blythewood to go skeet shooting with Logan and his family. I'm not a huge gun person, and I'm definitely not good at hitting targets, especially when they're moving, but it was a lot of fun.
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| Photo cred: Mackenzie Morgan |
Some people got a little crazy with their shooting techniques...
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| Photo cred: Mackenzie Morgan |
Logan's sister and Miles both brought hand guns (that's the most technical term I know).
The boys set up some clays as targets.
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| Photo cred: Mackenzie Morgan |
I was pretty terrified to shoot them, because these kinds of guns are the ones I see used in crime fighting shows. I feel like only a cop or a FBI agent should be shooting these off. I finally got convinced to give it a try, and I'm glad I listened, because it was fun.
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| Photo cred: Mackenzie Morgan |
I ended up spending the night in Columbia with this lovely lady. I went to church with her the next morning and got to see some people that I don't get to see very often, which was great.
The next weekend was Olivia's birthday. We threw a rocking surprise party filled with good friends, food, and lots of dancing, which was perfect for Olivia. Then that night we went to downtown Greenville for dinner. I'd say her 20th birthday was a success!
The following weekend we had the Restore conference in Clemson. Crosspoint and Clemson Presbyterian host this conference together every year. It's a sweet time for two local churches to come together as the body of Christ. This year the theme was Sent and the speaker was Danny Akin, the president of Southeastern Seminary.
These are the girls I'm living with next year!
Matching shirts at church conferences always provides great photo opportunities.
Candid pictures are my favorite kind of pictures.
Clemson got snow/ice stuff twice this winter. The quality of the "snow" definitely was not as good as it was last year, but because we live in the south, it was enough to cancel a significant amount of classes, which was really nice.
And I got some sledding action in. The most snow we got was on a Wednesday night. I was scared that it wouldn't last until the morning (I was right), and I was dying to get out and play in it, even if it was just for a little bit. I texted some friends, and Emily - bless her soul - went sledding with me while it was fresh on the ground and still coming down. The quality of sledding was slightly subpar but the company was wonderful and we laughed a lot.
There was one day that IHOP served free pancakes. Free food is always a magnet for college students, so the place was a mad house..but it was totally worth it.
I went to my first basketball game of this season, which was also the last game of the season. This is really sad, since last season I went to almost every basketball game. I think it was the freshman excitement. Since this was possibly the last game in Little John before they remodel it, I was able to convince some friends to join me...on a school night!
The sun finally decided to show it's face in Clemson and it was glorious. We spent the day at Y-beach playing volleyball. I can't wait until the weather is consistently warmer and I can spend more of my days out here.
Just in the knick of time, spring break rolled around, and here I am! The beginning weekend of break overlapped with the Student Life conference in Charlotte, so I got to see these beautiful friends from this summer. I am so thankful for them and the time we had to catch up.
After this, I spent the first half of my break in DC with Crosspoint and some international students (blog post coming soon). The rest of my break has been spent with my family and it has been wonderful to relax and log quality time with them.
Speaking of Student Life...several blogs ago I mentioned being torn over summer plans. After a whole lot of soul searching, seeking the Lord, and submission to His will over mine, I am not working for Student Life this summer. Instead, I am officially going to India!
My heart was more than set on working for Student Life, and when the opportunity to go to India was presented as a real possibility, I was less than thrilled about it. The Lord began to do a real work in my heart, and helped me remember that I confess Him as Lord. He graciously reminded me that calling Him Lord means that He can do whatever He wants with my life.
This isn't scary or even burdensome. It's hard at first to let go of what I want, but at it's core it is a joy. It is incredibly freeing. Because He is good and I trust Him completely. How could I not with the way that He has boldly displayed His love for me on the cross? (Rom. 8:32)
My mind hasn't really grasped the reality that I will be in India for four to five weeks. While there, my team of about ten will be encouraging, discipling, and training Indian believers on how to make disciples for God's glory. We will also spend our time there sharing the gospel with the lost and dying people around us. I am becoming increasingly excited about it as it becomes increasingly real.
We will leave near the first of July and come back a week or so into August, but there is so much to be done. More than anything, I ask that you would pray these verses for me, as I pray them also for myself, and that God would grant me this even now as I do life in Clemson:
Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel...Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
Ephesians 6:19, 20b
