This week has been so busy but oh so good! The Lord has been so good to us this week!
On Sunday we had worship with the attenders and the three mission teams from the south, and it was so beautiful to hear all the voices singing praises to the Lord. We had lunch at the church with all three of the mission teams, and it was so nice getting to know the teams that are here to serve with us this week. After lunch we went to Yreka, California to work on the church replant. There were so many people working there since all three mission teams were there. We got a good bit of work done and it was a great start for the week!
Monday was our first day of soccer and skills camp for Christmas in July! Skills camp included baking, games, disc golf, creative writing, agility, and basketball. We got to the church early to get everything ready, do some last minute details, and go over our plan for the camp. During skills camp I was a floater, so that meant that I got to meet people and participate in every skill! Which was a really fun job!!! I got to meet several youth girls. Most of the kids who came to the camps do not go to church at Living Hope or go to church at all, so this one of the church's biggest outreach programs. I got to learn about some of the students life and be a friend to them! Later that day I got to do some park ministry and hand out free snow cones and cotton candy with some of the Bellevue team. I was able to meet a brother and sister who were so sweet. They sang for me, we talked about all kinds of stuff (specifically how we are going to catch bigfoot 😂), and I was able to invite them to church! They were such sweet people! Park ministry has been very effective for us this year. There are a lot of families in the area that are looking for good and fun events for their kids to attend during the summer.
On Tuesday we had our second day of soccer and skills camp! It a blast again! I got to meet and connect with some new people. I was able to learn some new skills today as well! After the camps I was able to go with the Calvary team (shoutout Mississippi) Yreka. The team did a lot of painting, working on ceilings, and putting up trim. During the week the teams were here they got so much work done that would have taken us weeks to complete! We are so thankful for their help and willingness to love others and love God! On the way back to Medford we got to see a beautiful view of the sun hitting the top of Mt. Shasta! God's creation is so beautiful! We also were able to see a beautiful sunset on the way back. I love how God intentionally starts and ends the day with beautiful masterpiece. He is so loving to give us such beauty to live in!
On Wednesday we had our last day of soccer and skills camp. Last day, Best day!!! I was able to learn some new skills, connect with some more of the youth girls, and we got some snow cones! All the kids loved the camps! This week could've been the first time these kids heard about Jesus! Each day we did a short devotion during snack time, so each day of camp they were able to hear the gospel! Also some of the parents were there to watch their kids, so some of the adults were able to hear the gospel as well! After the camps Miah and I had discipleship and a piano lesson with the girl we are discipling and her cousin joined us today! Then we had youth worship practice and practice for Sunday morning worship. Then it was time for youth! A girl who I met at skills camp came to youth and it made me so excited to see her! I was able to share the gospel with her while we were eating dinner and answer some questions she had. Tonight was our (the interns) last normal Wednesday night, so it was super sweet to be able to worship through music with the youth students. I cannot wait to see how the Lord will work in their lives over the next few years! I also am so glad that they are able to worship God through music each week now at youth, and I'm so grateful that there are adults who are willing and able to help out with that! David's message was very good and was just what I needed to hear! We played a fun game to end youth! After youth we went with a group of local friends to a nearby park to play volleyball for the last time with the GenSend group before they head back home! It was a lot of fun!
On Thursday we were able to go with two of the three mission teams to the Redwoods and the California coast. We went on a trial that I had not been on before in the Redwoods and it was GORGEOUS! I could have sat there for hours and sat in awe of just how good God is. The trees were so so tall and beautiful. Then we went down the trail to the Klamath river and the water was crystal clear (and freezing). I am in awe of God's creativeness and his kindness to give us such a beautiful world to live in. How could someone not believe that God is real after seeing his creation?
We went to the coast and ate a delicious seafood lunch! I also got to see seals in the water which was really cool!! It's so crazy to me how the coast here is about twenty degrees cooler than the rest of the state.
On Friday we started out in a meeting with the pastor and his wife at the church in Yreka. We had a call with one of the workers in the Mississippi Baptist Convention. In Yreka the Karuk Tribe makes up a big population of the town, so Taylor, the pastor, wanted to also reach the tribe with the gospel. In our phone call/meeting we received some great ideas and advice on the best ways to connect with the tribe and share the gospel! After this meeting the interns had our development meeting! This week Collin and Miah led, and they did so good! Miah talked about meditation. Not meditation in a sense of doing yoga and saying "hummmm", but meditating on God's word. Thinking about what the Lord has been teaching you and listening to what He is trying to tell you. I know it can be so easy to have our quiet time with the Lord and then go throughout our day and never think about what we learned the rest of the day. Meditation is thinking deeply on what the Lord is teaching you! Collin talked about encouragement and then at the end of his lesson he asked us all to go around our table and give encouragement to each person. This reminded me of something my Mom makes us do (haha shoutout Mom!!). We probably sat there for thirty to forty five minutes encouraging each other in all aspects of life! It was so refreshing to me and everyone else! That night we went with some friends to a concert and fair! We got to see cows and pigs, a bunch of rides, lots of food, and got to see Clay Walker perform. It was such a fun night!!
Saturday we rested which was so awesome and needed after such a busy week! That night we went to go play volleyball at a local park again! On Sunday I helped with worship which is always a blessing! This week we have two more camps with Christmas in July. One camp is basketball camp happening in the morning and the other is Kidz camp happening in the evening. Kidz camp is Vacation Bible School, but it is called Kidz camp because they had about triple the amount of kids come when they changed the name. We spent the afternoon decoration the church. The theme is beach, so we put beach balls, kiddy pools, palm trees, and so many more decorations around the church. That afternoon we had our first night of Kidz camp. We had dances, a lesson from David, crafts, games, and a waterslide! There were a good amount of kids that showed up for the first night!
What you can specifically pray for:
Basketball camp and Kidz camp. These two camps may be the first time that a child and a parent hear the gospel. Pray for salvations! Pray that Living Hope will be able to make connections with a lot of families.
Continue to pray for the church in Yreka. There is a lot of work that has been done this week, but there is still a lot more that needs to be completed before the church can reopen. Pray for the town, and that the church will be able to be a light in their dark town. Also pray that there will be somebody in the Karuk tribe who will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior because if somebody from the tribe accepts Jesus into their heart the rest of the tribal members are more likely to accept Jesus into their heart. The members of the tribe trust people from their tribe more than people who are not from their tribe.
The connections made at skills and soccer camp. There are a lot of kids who heard about Jesus for the first time, so pray that they will have the desire in their heart to learn more about Jesus! Pray that new families will become plugged in at Living Hope Church because of these camps!
Continue to pray for the girl that Miah and I are discipling. I can tell that she is wanting and desiring to learn more about the Lord! Pray that the Lord will use her in mighty ways for His kingdom!!
The youth group as they will start having regular youth services again in two weeks. Pray that there will be a lot of spiritual growth within the group and that the others will see their need to have a relationship with Jesus. Pray that the youth band will continue, so that the students will be able to worship Jesus through music!
The people we will continue to meet as we play volleyball! This has been such a good outreach place because we play with people our age. Most of the people we have come in contact with at the park are not Christian, so we are able to make relationships with people who are lost, and we can share the gospel with them! Pray that the hearts of people we meet in the future will be softened to the Gospel!
Pray for the basketball and Kidz camps happening this week! These two camps will be awesome opportunities for children and families to hear about Jesus!
Pray for the girls that we have made relationships with who do not know the Lord. It breaks my heart to see them searching for things that will satisfy them in this life when Jesus is the only one who can satisfy us!
It is crazy to think that we only have two weeks left! Time sure does fly by when you're having fun! I am so excited and expectant to see what the Lord is going to teach me and what I'm going to learn from Living Hope in these last few weeks! Thank yall for encouraging, supporting, and praying for me!
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