Week One Complete

Hello from Gatlinburg, Tennessee!

What an amazing time I am already having.  I feel like I have already been here for weeks and I love that feeling, it only makes it feel more like home.  The Smokies are INCREDIBLE!  There has been so much hurt here in the recent months due to the wildfires that broke out in November unexpectedly, but that does not take away from the beauty of this place.  God truly knows how to take something so terrible and turn it into a humbling experience for many.

Johnna and I arrived early Wednesday afternoon, after driving a little bit from Virginia.  We woke up feeling ready and excited, but nervous. We were about to meet 40 other students plus staff, and if that's not the most intimidating thing, I don't know what is.  However, by God's comforting hand, we are on day six and I feel like I've known some of these people my whole life.  I have four awesome roommates, two of which are from North Carolina, one is from Chicago, and the other is from West Virginia, so throw in me, a girl from Pennsylvania, and we've got quite the group.

We have had a lot of training over the course of six days and I even found a job on one of those days!  I applied at Landshark, a new restaurant here in town, before coming to Gatlinburg, but was able to secure for the summer, on Thursday.  However, the Lord had a way of testing me.  It was not as smooth as I had hoped it to be. I was not offered the amount of hours needed for our mission, and so with a lot of prayer and support from my roommates and two co-workers, we were able to settle that situation.  It was hard for me because I was comfortable with the fact that I had already had a job and did not have to do much looking, so when this problem arose, I immediately was wondering if this is where God wanted me to work this summer.  And low and behold, we were able to get the number of hours we needed AND we even had a great conversation about why we were in Gatlinburg this summer with one of our co-workers.  I felt such a sense of peace over the whole situation after that occurred.

Impromptu Worship Night in the parking lot

Our theme this summer is Unite My Heart.  Our main goal of coming to Gatlinburg is to outreach to the international students that are here for the summer working, just like us.  Giving them a safe environment, regardless of their background.  And let me tell you, it takes a lot of faith to go out and talk to random strangers, but God works in mysterious ways.  The second night we were here we were already going out into the town to look for some of the students and invite them to a game night we held on Sunday.  Hello nerves.  I have never gone out and made conversation with a complete stranger trying to invite them to a safe place, but wow, did God show himself through it all.  I was blown away on Sunday.  We were truly only expecting about 10-15 students to arrive, and we had well over 40 students!!  WOAH GOD!  It is so amazing to see how God is already working.  Conversations were happening and things went pretty smooth! 

The power of prayer is becoming evident to me.  Prayer has a way of healing and creating peace in my heart.  I was always scared to pray in front of people in fear of saying the "wrong thing" but I can promise you that I quickly learned that God is not looking for a perfect prayer.  He just wants us to talk to him and be open with him.  Prayer is powerful.  Last night we went to a beautiful scenic outlook and prayed over the city of Gatlinburg.  I cannot say enough how awesome God is. 

I have learned so much about myself in the past week and I continue to learn more and more about God as the days go on.  I am excited to continue learning and growing in my walk with the Lord.  I cannot wait to watch friendships build and grow.  These people I am here with are amazing and I love hanging out with them already and getting to know them better.  Their hearts are so pure and their love for God is off the charts.  Here's to week two!

Check back next week for another update!

Keara