The Start of an Unforgettable Summer

Back in January, I received a phone call that I was accepted to spend nine weeks in the Smoky Mountains on a Summer Mission Project through CRU.  Over the past two years, CRU has been the one thing that has changed my life for the better.  It has been a place of growth and learning for me.  If it weren't for CRU my relationship with Jesus would not be anywhere close to where it is today.  I accepted Christ as my savior when I was 7 years old, but never truly knew what it meant to have a relationship with God.  CRU has given me so many amazing opportunities that I would not have gotten anywhere else.  And this summer is no exception. So when I applied to go on a summer mission, I was trusting that this is what God had in store for my summer. I was willingly giving up an entire summer spent at home with my friends and family, and I can promise you that this was the hardest thing to do, because in that moment I truly wanted to be selfish, but I felt God calling me to be in Tennessee. So when that phone call came, I immediately thanked God for showing me what he wanted my summer to look like and later began calling my friends and family.  I was overjoyed by the amount of support I received, and would later receive from support raising and prayer.

Today I started my travels to the Great Smokies with Johnna, who is being my partner through this unforgettable summer.  We traveled to Salem, Virginia to spend the night and rest up and tomorrow we will finish the rest of the trip in the morning. Johnna and I have been talking all day about what we think tomorrow is going to look like and I think we are equally nervous, Johnna is just showing it a little bit more than me ;)  So as I sit here tonight, waiting for the Dancing with the Stars finale to come on (how appropriate!),  I am reminded that without the support of those around me, financially and prayerfully, that this trip would not have been possible.  Raising funds for this trip was without a doubt the most humbling experience of my life. I watched the amount that I needed continue to drop, day after day, and was amazed at how God works so graciously through those around me.  As the summer mission officially begins tomorrow afternoon, I am feeling a multitude of emotions.  I am anxious,  I am scared, I am excited, but most importantly, I am ready for God to take control of my summer. It amazes me that even in times of pure nervousness, God has a way of showing up and reminding me that this summer is not about me, that it is about glorifying him and spreading his love to the people around me. 

My ramblings and stories will be posted here.  I will hopefully do a better job at keeping this up to date.  It is to keep you all informed, but more importantly for myself as I look back and see the amazing things God is going to do this summer.
 

I appreciate all the continued prayers!

Much love,
Keara


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thank you, 2017

Image
2017. Wow. How weird it will be to be entering 2018 so soon, when I can vividly remember ringing in the new year with my best friends last year. What I didn’t know, was that 2017 would be the best, and most fruitful year of my life. Now, I look back and see my precious “end of the year” posts from years past and they all say “This was the best year yet!” and as much as I’m sure those years were wonderful, I truly believe God walked me into 2017 to show me how great He could make it, not how great I could make it, but how great He could make it!  This year brought trusting in the Lord, heartache, truthfulness, great great great community, humility, passion and so many more things.  As I entered the year, I had no idea what God wanted me to do and where God was leading me. After a rough end to 2017, spiritually and emotionally, I was longing for something to just click. And click it did.  After I stopped listening to myself and started listening to H...
Read more

God's Grace is a Kingdom - week two of Smoky Mountain Summer Mission

Image
  "Word Of God Speak" I'm finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it's okay The last thing I need is to be heard But to hear what You would say   It's hard to believe so much time has already gone by, but I am remaining optimistic because there is so much time left!  The Lord is certainly showing up in places I would have least expected, but that's just how it works...right?  This past week we finally began our "normal" schedule, and if you know me, you know I love consistency (keep reading to find out how God has been working on this aspect of my life).   Because our schedule is becoming normal, I was able to work my job at LandShark from Tuesday through Saturday.  My job has also allowed me to have really awesome conversations with some of my co-workers.  It is incredible how once I trusted God to step outside of my comfort zone, conversations just fell into my lap and the Lord began to work. So far w...
Read more

Until August Bloomsburg...

Image
Freshmen year is over.  Here I am, again, sitting in an empty dorm room.  Car is packed, my roommate already left, and I have one final remaining.  People are not joking when they say time flies, this has become so apparent.  It does not feel real.  I thought this day would never come.  Being swamped with homework, papers, projects, and studying for finals.  It is a lot to take in.  I have to thank Bloomsburg University, but especially Columbia Hall for being my home away from home (along with all my crazy floor mates).  As I sit here, I reminisce on move in day.  How crazy and hectic that was.  I was in an unfamiliar place and thrown into a jail-like room (or so it felt).  I am really going to miss being a freshmen living in a dorm.  It was always exciting to know this was where I was coming back to after a weekend home.  This past year has been a time of growth for me, that's for sure. The frie...
Read more