Saturday, July 18, 2009

Check it Out!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEerX_sELE0

Our "Friday Night Live" groups made this video. We're trying to reach 10,000 views on it, so pass it on to everyone :) It's super good, and the song is amazing. Don't forget to look for me in it :)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

You're the Next Contestant on the Price is Right!!

Oh how I wish I would have heard that phrase in reference to MY name last week!

Last week was our projects "So Cal Fun Day!" On this day, the community life team plans a WHOLE day of fun California activities. For our project, we decided to go to LA and be on the Price is Right! We left San Diego Wednesday morning at 1am and arrived around 3:30am. They start handing out tickets at 6am, so we wanted to make sure that we would all get one! The bus ride there was SO MUCH fun! We were all too excited about the day to want to sleep. However, once we got to the CBS studio to wait outside for a couple hours, we started getting wayyy tired. 

After we got our tickets, we were then told to come back at 12:30 to make sure we would get in. At that time it was about 6:15 in the morning...and there was nothing to do in LA. A group of friends at I decided to head to the local Starbucks, get some breakfast and caffeine for the day, and plan out what we're going to do. 

After our coffee fix, we then decided to walk the 4 miles up to Hollywood Blvd. to see the walk of fame. It was SO COOL! We went up and down the whole thing (it's super long!) and took pictures with lots of stars. By the time we finished that, it was time to head back to the CBS studios.

Words cannot describe how excited I was to be going on the Price is Right. I'm going to try to put everything that happened a few coherent paragraphs:

We were all put in a line according to our ticket numbers. I was number 13, so I was close to the front! We then had to show our SS cards and licenses to prove that we're citizens. While they were checking those, they made our OFFICIAL Price is Right nametags!! So exciting!! Then we had to wait while they did this with all 315 people. We were then brought in by groups of 12 to do mini interviews with the casting director people. They asked us what we do, what we're studying, and things of that nature. But since there were so many of us, we were able to tell them who we're with and why we're here for the summer. Once that was over, we were brought to another seating area and waited till they finished the interviews with everyone else.

THEN...we were brought in the Price is Right audience!! Ah it was so cool!!! Music was blasting and everyone was so pumped and excited while coming in. Because I was contestant #13, I was SECOND row RIGHT BEHIND where the 4 playing contestants sit! I am definitely on tv! Every time they contestants would place their bid, I was sitting right in the background :) and there were soooo many times that they would stick a camera in our face and tell us to cheer :)

Sadly, I did not get called down. BUT there were 3 people from our project that were! None of them won, but it was so cool to see them get called down and play!

It was definitely an amazing experience, and I cannot wait till it airs and I can watch it! Speaking of which…everyone tune in on OCTOBER 14th to the Price is Right!! Look for me in the second row behind the contestants :) You can also watch October 13th to see the other two project people who were called down. 

**I keep trying to upload pictures on the trip, but it keeps disconnecting. So check back in a few days and there should be some sweet pictures :)




Thursday, July 9, 2009

a week with my parents! :)


Sorry that I haven't been able to update in a while..we've been so busy! But here's a few pictures of the time I got to spend with my parents. It was so nice to see them and show them everything and everyone here. :)

At La Jolla!
On top of Mount Soledad!
At the beach :)
They came to FNL with me

Eating yummy burritos at La Playa! YUM! :)

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

women's retreat pictures!


the women's retreat was AMAZING! It was so great to get away with all the beautiful women on project. we swam, hiked, got dirty, didn't shower for two days, ate A LOT :), and made some commitments that will change our lives forever.
at the bonfire making smores! :)




we did some low ropes courses and then did an obstacle course and got super dirty!

**FIERCE** (america's next top models)


after our hike up the mountain we had some photo shoots :) the last picture is my amazing growth group!

Friday, June 26, 2009

"The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him."

I wanted to update you all on my support raising...but warning - I am SO excited about this all, that it may not all make sense as I type haha, and I have to leave in 15 minutes for the women's weekend retreat :)

A few days ago, I was on the phone with my mom and the topic of coming home came up. Since I have yet to find a job and still have support to raise, it would be better if I came home. Even if I couldn't find a job in St. Louis, I would still not be spending money like I would here (for food, bus passes, etc.). These past few days have been really rough. I spent so many times crying about the thought of coming home. I knew that the Lord wanted me here, but I just couldn't see His provisions. 

Then last night while talking to my growth group leader, Emily, she helped reassure my faith in the situation. We went through different scripture that reminded me of how the Lord is made strong through my weaknesses, and how even when I'm suffering, He's compassionate. We read through Lamentations 3:22-26 and 2 Corinthians 12:8-10. I would type it out all here, but since I'm in a time crunch I cannot. But I HIGHLY suggest that you all read it :) So after two rough days, I finally had a sense of peace again. I didn't want my love for Him to decrease just because I didn't necessarily get what I wanted HOW I wanted it. I want to have a consistent relationship with Him; where no matter what happens, I will always praise Him.

After we talked, she then told me that she wanted to help support me...with $500. WOW! Her support came in so much that she has some left over, and rather than spend it on food for herself, she's giving it to me. I couldn't believe it!

Then today, about an hour ago, I was telling my accountability partner this amazing story. Afterwards she told me that she had good news for me. She told me that back when talk of me having to go home (as well as others) came up, she sent out a Facebook message to friends asking for help. Her friends replied, and sent in $250 for me...WOW! People that I don't even know, and probably won't even meet, are supporting me. Not only that, but there are still some that are sending money in. God is just TOO GOOD.

I have to run! BUT I'll write more later! I just wanted to tell you all so you could be as happy as I am right now :) LOVE YOU ALL!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Every War Has an End

Today was the day I spent at the Invisible Children Headquarters! It was so great! We arrived at the offices downtown, got a tour, then started stuffing envelopes. While we were doing so, they played a LIVE showing of the conference that happened in Washington DC. We also got to see another movie of THE RESCUE. It was amazing!


Tonight is women's NOR (Night of Reflection). This is a two hour time for all of us to have dates with Jesus! Most girls go to a coffee shop and read their Bibles, journal, or listen to a surmon. Last week I went to a Starbucks that was fairly far away, just so there wouldn't be too many girls there. But since I'm still unemployed, and trying to save money, I think I will avoid temptation and have my NOR by the beach. 

I ask you all to keep being a prayer about my job situation. It's getting difficult to keep on going without a paycheck coming in. I am also $800 away before I am done with my support raising.

Tomorrow will be my second day on campus at SDSU! I'm excited! I'll be leading a presentation on "Why We Can Trust the Bible," and then leading our Bible study on Hebrews. Pray that we can continue to have good conversations with the students, and that a few will be able to join our Bible study. :)

Love you all :)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

I Love My Daddy!!







Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! You are all greatly appreciated!

I love you Dad! :)

Saturday, June 20, 2009

His Love Endures Forever

How great and amazing is the Lord's love for us? He knows every struggle, every sin, and every imperfection. Yet His love for us is never ending. I wish I could love others the way He loves me.

About 30 minutes after my last post, Shelly came home. However, she immediately packed her bags to head to the airport to go home. The doctors officially diagnosed her with shingles, and she will be contagious for 4 weeks. Because of everything that's going on at home with her family, and the pain she's in here, she thought it would be best to go back home. It was extremely hard to see another girl leave. Those who were here when she left walked her to the car, prayed for her, and watched her drive away. It was really sad, we just all have to keep remembering that this is in God's plan.

Last night after Friday Night Live, representatives from Invisible Children came to spoke to us. I was so excited for this! They showed a movie and sold some merchandise, which was super hard for me to buy! The also told us that they needed volunteers to work on Monday at their headquarters in San Diego. Since I am still unemployed, I signed up! I'M SO EXCITED! I think I'm going to go up to the first important person I see and ask them to ship me over to Uganda right now haha. I'll let you know how it goes and what I do while I'm there :)

Tonight is our Photo Scavenger Hunt around Mission Beach. After that, we have Saturday night family dinner (condo 3 dinner). Since the scavenger hunt will most likely go into normal dinner time hours, we'll probably just order a pizza :)

Beautiful San Diego

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

We have Internet!

The girl's condos officially have internet :)

UPDATE ON ILLNESSES: Rachel is over her cold and back to normal. Allie is fine, but still debating on whether or not she wants to have surgery here or go home :( Shelly has been diagnosed with shingles. She spent a day here in our condo, but yesterday was moved to the Holiday Inn :( Last night we all went to visit her and brought her Yogurtland, but it was so sad to leave her there alone. Shelly is also debating on whether or not to stay here or go back home :( sad.

Yesterday was our first day on campus at San Diego State University (SDSU)! It was so great! The campus is HUGE, but beautiful! We arrived at around 9am, I did my training period with the group, then we were sent off with our Bible Study Groups (Rachel, Jared, Will, and I) to go share some Jesus! It was really good! It was hard to initiate conversations at first, but after awhile we all felt so confident. We were given surveys to ask people, but the last question leads into the discussion of the gospel, which we then transition to. We got a few students to say that they wanted to come to Friday Night Live and some who said that they wanted to join the Bible Studies we do on campus :) God is definitely at work on that campus already, and I'm so excited to see what He does!

I found out that my sorority (Alpha Chi Omega) is located on the SDSU campus. I'm so excited for this! I hope and pray that I'll be able to find some sisters to share with and invite to our Bible study. 

Today I'm going to spend making some job phone calls, tanning on the roof, and then going out with my church doing some community service. It should be fun!
My growth group! Shannon, Katelyn, Emily (leader), myself, and Rachel :)

Visiting Shelly at the Holiday Inn!

My Bible study co-leader, Will!

Monday, June 15, 2009

"Nothing is greater than the power of Prayer."

That being said, we need a LOT of prayer.

First off, illness has taken over Condo 3. Shelly, a girl from St. Louis, has spent the past two nights throwing up with horrible stomach pains. This morning, we woke up around 6:30 with her in tears. About 15 minutes later, she was sent to the hospital. We still haven't heard word back, but please be praying for healing, comfort, and compassion from her boss at work as she's absent. Secondly, my friend Allie was sent to the hospital about 2 days ago with stomach pains as well. After 6 hours in the emergency room, they told her that she has a small internal hemorrhoid with the possibility of surgery. Please be praying that she will be healed without having to undergo surgery. And if so, than that the recovery process will be quick. Lastly, Rachel has come down with a small cold. As little as it sounds, colds can really take your energy away from ya! Please be praying that she will be healed soon so she can return to the job searching.

Speaking of jobs...I'm beginning to come to the terms with the face that God may not want me to have a job. After 20 or so applications and numerous phone calls, I'm thinking that He may have something else in mind. I ask that you continue to pray for this situation. That if there is a place He would like me to work for the summer, that it will be revealed to me and I'll be led in the right direction. And if not, that another opportunity would arise, whether or not I received a paycheck from it. I know that He'll provide financially for me, so I just need to find a way to spend my days here that would be glorifying to Him.

These past two nights have been amazing. Saturday night we had our "family dinner." Each Saturday two girls from my condo make dinner and all 13 of us eat together. I LOVE these girls SO MUCH! We have a blast hanging out with each other. After that we had a project bonfire at Belmont Park. We sang some worship songs and shared some stories of what God's been doing so far. Last night, after our project dinner, myself and group of 30 other students went up to Mount Soledad. The view from up there is AMAZING! We spent some time in prayer and the sang some songs. 

The theme for the week is "Killing our Giants." This week is the start up of the extreme outreach. Each night we will spend either along the beach, the bay, or at Belmont sharing our faith. Killing our Giants is all about facing our fears, and stepping out to the people that "intimidate" us the most. I'm SO EXCITED to see what's going to happen this week! I'll keep you posted on the conversations that arise this week. Please be praying for courage/boldness for us all and that God will start opening up the hearts of those we come in contact with.







 

"God of This City" by Chris Tomlin

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope of the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have YET to come
and greater things are STILL TO be done in this City
For greater things have YET to come
and greater things are STILL TO be done in this City!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

He is the King of Glory, Strong and Mighty

What a great start to the weekend!

Yesterday was another day of job searching. Applied to two more places, and then did some small shopping. Let's still keep praying that a job opportunity will arise!

Last night's Friday Nigh Live was so good! Dan spoke on how God is not only our King, but He's our brother as well. It's crazy to think that the God of the universe, who knows every bad thing about myself, is not ashamed to call me His family. :)

After FNL there is usually some fun event planned for project. Last night's was a big project dance party on the bay! It was so much fun! After about an hour, SeaWorld shot off some fireworks that we could see from Mission Beach. It was great!

Today was our FREE DAY! I spent the day at the beach laying out and surfing for the first time! It was a blast! I didn't get up all the way, but I rode a wave in on my knees! I thought it was a pretty good start :) 

Tonight we're having a Prayer/Praise/Sharing Night. We're having a bonfire down at Belmont Park, singing some worship songs, then going out to share along the beach/board walk. Please be praying for the hearts of those we talk to, and also for courage for myself and the other students.

I'm excited to go back to my church tomorrow! We're going through 1 Samuel (such a good book!). Last week the pastor put a really different spin on a passage, so I'm excited to see what else he has to say. 

Here's some fun pictures!






Thursday, June 11, 2009

My God is Mighty to Save

Not much has gone on these past two days. Yesterday we got up early and saw Brittany off as she went to the airport. Then we spent the rest of the day job searching again. I applied at Burger King and Gold's Gym (childcare). Hopefully I'll be getting a call soon!

Last night the two female directors, Holly and Marta, came over to our condo and made cookies with us. We talked and had some fun, but for some reason we were all EXHAUSTED. So around midnight they left and we all crashed.

This morning I woke up early and went for a run along the boardwalk. The past few nights I've been running IN the sand for a couple of miles. So I wanted to see how running on land would go. 

After that I ate, showered, got ready, and went to Starbucks for a day date with Jesus. We were supposed to continue job searching, but it's getting too tiring. I'm planning on making some follow up calls later on. But today I just wanted a break.

Tonight we have "Women's Time." All the lovely females on project get together, play some games, and have our own Bible study. We're spending the summer on how to become better women in Christ. Last week we went through Proverbs 31, and I believe we're looking at Ruth tonight. :)

Next week we start the extreme outreach. I believe every night we spend out on the beach, the bay, the amusement park, or just around town sharing our faith. I'm so excited for this! I know that the Lord will be working is amazing ways through all of this. :)

Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Love you all! :)

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Beautiful Girls of Condo 3!


Shannon, Katelyn, Rachel, Wendy, Ashley, Jaclyn, Whitney, Brittany, Shelly, Omega, Amber, Allie, and Laura. I love these women so much! Every one of them!

Last night was pretty rough. After we all had our dates with Jesus, we then had a family meeting. One of our girls, Brittany, told us that she had something she wanted to share with all of us. She informed us all that she would be switching projects in just two days. She has felt that God has been calling her to the Lake Tahoe project, and that she will grow more there than here. It was really sad at first, and we all cried in shock. But after we all prayed for her, I began to fully realize that God really is going to use her wherever she may be. I have so must respect for her to see just how much trust she's putting in the Lord through all of this.

After all that, we then began to celebrate Laura's 21st birthday! We made about 40 cupcakes, ate a TON of batter, and recorded some sweet dance videos :) It was cool to see how God turned such a sad night into something so great. It was so good to have a night of bonding with the girls. :)

I WANT TO DEDICATE THE LAST PART OF THIS POST TO...ASHLEY TUSCHEN

haha, happy? :)

Monday, June 8, 2009

1 week down, 9 to go!

It's crazy to think that we've already been here a whole week. I feel like I've been here way longer. This week went by super fast though, I hope the rest of the time doesn't!

I can't get over the weather out here. It's simply amazing. I was telling my mom just today over the phone how there's no need to look up the weather each day. Love it!

OH! I haven't had a chance to talk about my ministry team yet! Since all the staff leaves at the beginning of July, the students are left to take over project. We are all divided into ministry teams (depending on our skills and preferences) to take over a different part of project. My top two were Community Team (which plans fun events for project) and Training Team (which trains the project on how to better share and defend our faith). Fortunately, I was put in the Training Team group. I'm actually really excited AND really nervous about this. Each Sunday, we will meet with our staff members and learn what needs to be taught that particular week. Then on whichever day we go to campus to share (my day is Tuesday at San Diego State University), we then train the other project students. I'm really excited to see what I learn through it all, but also nervous about teaching it to about 40 other students. But, I know that God has prepared me for this and I will do just fine. I just hope and pray that what I teach the students will help them during their sharing times. 

Last night we got paired with our Bible Study groups for the summer. A group of two guys and two girls. It should be a really good experience. Each week we'll take turns leading the Bible study on our campus. As we spend the day at campus sharing our faith, we will also invite the people we meet to our Bible Studies. In the beginning the study will be just us four, but hopefully by the end of the summer we'll have a number of college students attending.

I spent today continuing trying to find a job. I've been stopping by places that I've applied to and making some phone calls. Right now, I'm sitting on the bay relaxing in the sun. Someone randomly found internet connection out here, so we now have some place closer to go to to get online! :)

Here's some pictures of my apartment!

The first picture is half of the room I'm in. The second picture is the other half. My bed is the top one with the purple and pink sheets!




















This is our kitchen! It's really nice compared to the other girl's apartments. The last picture is the other room in our apartment. They're a whole lot more squeezed together than my room.














-Sarah :)

"When you trust in God, it's like giving Him a big hug."

Saturday, June 6, 2009

"I wanna move out west where the sun is always shining"

Hey everyone!

Here I am again, sitting at the outdoor cafe shop drinking some Izza Sparkling Juice :) These past few days have been wonderful! Yesterday we had a morning meeting on "how to be filled with the spirit." I just love our talks out here. Sitting in the San Diego sun as we here the word of God..amazing! After that we were sent off for some more job searching. I was told by both Starbucks and Taco Bell that I would find out if I am for sure hired there by Monday. So, let's keep our fingers crossed!

After job searching I then headed to the beach for an hour or so. Since we've been so busy this past week, we haven't had any time to spend out at the beach. It was great to hang out with some friends as we throw a nerf ball around on the beach. Some of the guys taught me how to successfully throw a nerf ball haha, so I'm thinking by the end of the summer I'll be a pro! :) Then we had our weekly "Friday Night Live," or FNL for short. Sang some great worship, heard a great talk, and won a game for being the fastest texter on project :) Mom - you ought to be proud!

After FNL, myself along with 4 other girls and 5 guys decided to go running on the beach! It was the best time of my life! Running barefoot on the sand as the waves kept splashing on us. After our "fun run" we then all held hands and ran into the ocean :) It was so fun! After that we decided to shower and walk to Yogurtland! (For those of you that don't know, Yogurtland is a local yogurt/ice cream place. About 14 different flavors, all self-served, and only 30 cents an oz. So yummy!). After Yogurtland, the boys decided that they were still hungry, so we headed across the street to Denny's for some late night breakfast :)

On our way back from our night out, we saw an ACTUAL high speed car chase! We randomly saw a helicopter in the sky with a massive spot light. As we were looking up at it, this 80's minivan came flying past us going about 80mph, followed by seven cop cars haha. It was crazy! I've never witnessed a high speed car chase before. Every couple minutes or so there would be another two cops cars racing down the street after them. I'm going to have to read the newspaper to see what exactly happened.

So today is our free day. :) Which meant that we got to sleep in till about 7:30! haha, I would never ever thought I would consider 7:30 as "sleeping in." Once I got ready, I met up with my growth group leader, Emily, and went to breakfast. We went to La Playa (the place with the french fries IN the burritos) and had some breakfast burritos as we got to know each other more.

Today I'm going to be learning how to surf!!! There's a surf board rental store right down the street that gives all rentals to project students for FREE. So, let's hope I don't break a bone! :)

Love you all!! Give me a call or text me sometime :)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

goodbye STL humidity, HELLO San Diego sun!!

WOW! Words cannot describe how these first few days have been! maybe "busy"..but it's been so much more than that! Just to warn you, this post will probably be very long. But I HAVE to tell you what I've been doing! :)

MONDAY:
Traveled to San Diego! My plane ride was super good! Long, but good. I ended up sitting next to an old lady. At first I thought, "uh, old lady..this trip is going to be so boring." But I was SO wrong! We started making small talk before take off. I asked her why she was going to California and she told me that she was going to visit Lego Land with her daughter, son in law, and grandson. Then she asked me why I was going, and whether it was vacation or if I'm moving there. I preceded to tell her why I was going, who I'm going with, and other little information. She was SO excited for me! She ended up being a Christian and knew so much about Campus Crusade and the project that I was going on. Who knew that little old ladies knew stuff like that?? Then for the next thirty minutes I listened to my ipod and read my Bible. Then, out of nowhere, she tapped me on my shoulder to get my attention. I took my headphones out and she said, "Sarah (we exchanged names by then. Her name was Janet.), may I have the honor of buying your lunch on this flight today??" I was so surprised! Before I could say anything she continued, "It is in honor to serve someone who is serving the Lord this whole summer." WHOA! So, she bought me lunch! haha. We then spent a majority of the remainder of the flight sharing our testimonies (where she cried for a good 15 minutes) and sharing why we both love the Lord! It was so amazing! God is just too good. :) Before we got off, she told me that her last bit of advice for me was "To remain with the Lord and not fall astray. Life is too hard to be living without Him."

Once we arrived, I met up with about 5 other project people and we got on the shuttle to head to our condos. Once we got there, we were bombarded with staff members! Our luggage was carried to our rooms and then we had registration to begin. After about 30 minutes of sign-ins and paper work, I headed up to my room to meet my roommates! I live in Condo 3 (the biggest one, yes!) with 13 other girls. Yes, that's 14 girls to one apartment. There's two bedrooms (one with 6 girls and one with 8), two bathrooms, one kitchen (with microwave, refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher), and a small living room with two couches. I haven't taken any pictures of our room yet, but once I do, I'll post them for ya'll to see!

Then that night we had a pizza party as we all got introduced to each other. We had a chance to stand up, say our name, and where we're from. But since there's 120 of us, I only remembered about...10 people, haha. Then went back to our rooms, unpacked, and went to bed!

TUESDAY:
Woke up around 6:45, went for a run along the beach with some girls - which was AMAZING!, then showered and got ready. We had orientation from about 10-12. This was where we learned all the rules and whatnot. Then the good time began!

Soul-to-soul! Within project we are put in small groups of 5 (four students and one leader). Soul-to-soul is time for the each person to share their story. Not necessarily their testimony, but so much more! Every event, person, and situation that impacted their lives. This time was so great! Our group took around 7 hours to get through every girl, haha. We began on the beach, took a break, walked to a park, went to an amusement park (it was half off tuesdays!), got dinner, then finished along the beach. I absolutely loved this time together with the girls. It crazy how girls can spend just a couple of hours together and become best friends :)

We had dinner that night at a little mexican place called La Playa, home of the famous California Burrito. So of course, I had to order one. Steak, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and french fries. That's right, if it couldn't get any more bad for you, they added french fries. Mom - you would have loved it!

WEDNESDAY:
Job hunting day! Went spent from 10am-6 job hunting alllll over San Diego! CRAZY! And sadly, I only filled out 6 applications. Ugh. But I am certain that God will provide for us all.

Then that night we had our first "Teaching School." Here, we got introduced to how to "effectively share our faith." We were given tools (QuEST surveys and KGP's) to help us better share the good news. After only a 45 minutes lesson, we were then sent out on the beach to practice! 

Since job searching ran late, we were only given about 30 minutes to do this all. So sadly, my group of two other girls was only able to share with three girls. It was so cool though! It's so cool to see the Lord working in other's lives.

After that experience, I spent about an hour sitting outside our condos talking to people. The girls condos seem to be the place where everyone hangs out. The building has a huge patio in front. So at night, that's the place to be. I figured since I had spend the previous two nights unpacking or going to bed semi-early, I ought to be a little bit social! I still have been able to meet all 120 students, but I'm sure I'll get there soon!

THURSDAY:
So now, I'm sitting outside at an internet cafe :) In about 20 minutes, we'll be meeting up to pray, then sent out to job search for the afternoon again! Please continue to pray that God will provide in this area. Not only that, but please be praying for strength. Even thought we've only been here for a couple of days, we've been SO busy! I can already tell that sleep is not going to be something I'm too familiar with this summer. :/

I'll try to keep updating this as much as I can! Hopefully, the girls condos will be able to figure out a way to get internet connection through out neighbors. But until then, I'll continue to find time to head away to this cafe.

Love you all! Feel free to text me at any time! I may not be able to reply right away, but I will try my best! :)

Sunday, May 31, 2009

tomorrrrrow!!

Ladies and gentlemen...in less than 24 hours, I will be in my new home in San Diego! :)

I am really getting excited to leave! I can't wait to see what this summer will entail and how God will use me. I can't wait to get to the point where I am share my faith with others comfortable and effectively :) I'm also SUPER pumped to meet the other 119 students who I will share this experience with and become so close with...YAY!

All this packing business is crazy! Too much stuff to bring in too little of room. I was exhausted after the seven loads of laundry I did, and NOW I have to stuff it all into two suitcases! Shorts, shoes, shirts, dresses, jeans, swimsuit, towel, toiletries, AND bedding...sheesh!

I ask that you all be praying about my job situation once I arrive. The staff has already been there for two weeks setting things up for our arrival. In doing so, they did some job searching for us and found a few places that were hiring. Please be praying that I will be able to find a job, a means of getting there (bike, bus, trolley), and that it will meet my financial needs for the summer.

Since I last posted about my support status, I have received two more checks totaling in $75! So as of now, I am only $845 away! God is just TOO good! :)

Well friends, I ought to get back to this packing nonsense. Next time you'll here from me, I'll be in sunny San Diego! :)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Just 10 More Days!

Ahh! I'm so excited!!

Here's a few little updates...

As of today (May 22nd), I have reached $2,065...God is so good! I remember when I received my first $25 and I thought I would never get this far, and now look! Once again, God showed off His power and control in the situation.

However, $920 is still needed by June 30th for the trip to be completely paid for. I ask that you please pray about whether God wants you to give to this cause. Checks can still be sent to my home address, or to my address in California - which brings me to my next topic!

You can write me this summer! :) I love getting mail and encouraging letters from friends and family! My address is:
Sarah Johnston
Campus Crusade for Christ
824 Santa Clara Plaza Unit #2
San Diego, CA 92109

Some other exciting news...

I received a phone call a few days ago from my discipler for the summer! This was SUPER exciting for me! My discipler, Emily Schlichting, is from Wisconsin and attends Wisconsin Green Bay College. We talked on the phone for a little bit and discussed some concerns, questions, and prayer requests. I'm so excited to finally meet her! I'm looking forward to the relationship I'm going to have with her and the other girls in our group :)

Well, my brother and sister in law are over, so I should go mingle :)
Talk to you soon!

-Sarah

Friday, May 15, 2009

Welcome to my blog!

Hi everyone :)

I thought I would start a blog to keep you all informed on what I'm doing and how I'm doing this summer. I'll let you all know how you can be praying for us and how God's been using us out in California. 

I'm still getting used to this "blogging" thing so bear with me as it picks up! :)