...if you were wondering about my life...

I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me while I have been up here at camp. It is so evident that you have. In the last two months, I have witnessed God change so many hearts and draw them closer to Him. Some people even MET God this summer!!! I am so excited for the place where I am, and there is no doubt in my mind that this is where God wants me to be.

While I am continually excited for God and passionate about the changes He is making in these young peoples' hearts, I am also having a difficult time emotionally. The reason being that God brings me into these girls' lives for one amazing week, during which they gain so much love and understanding, and then I have to say good bye to them, knowing what kinds of homes some of them are going to. I struggle with having faith in God. And in my prayers. That my campers will continue to see and know Him for the next year of their lives. Please pray for me, and please pray for the campers, that they may come to love God with all of there hearts, and souls, and minds, and strenth!

Overall, camp is wonderful, and I am enjoying the work that God has given me to do. Praise Him for a wonderful summer of heart-changing goodness. I have two more weeks of camp. Please pray that they will be safe and effective. I love you all and continue to pray for you!

GOD'S PEACE & GOD'S LOVE

Ridin the ride

Hey all.

It's so encouraging to read all of your posts. I usually get the chance every couple weeks. It's amazing to see that we are literally all across the world, still connected and livin it up for God.

I usually don't have time to write in here, but I have a few moments today. Keep checking the Mission: CP blog.. I just updated it.

Most of you know the story of Christina. I continue to be excited about our relationship and her continued interest to learn about Christ. We will be done here in about a month. She is unsure of her future plans. She doesn't have the money to attend the school she was going to transfer to. She wants to go into the Navy, and every day there seems to be something else that she could possibly do. Pray that whever she may end up, that God would place a person to continue to guide her through her questions of faith, and that our relationship would continue to stay strong wherever she may be.

Pray for my relationship with Jessica(my roomie) and her walk with Christ. She has been going out drinking continuously throughout the summer. It's been very hard on me and our relationship this summer. She knows how I feel, and I've expressed my concern about how it's affecting her relationship with God. It's hard to not have that supportive sister that I thought was going to be there. The more I have to realize to lean on God for the support :)

Praise God for all of you and your support. Praise God for Andrew Barry and Britta for their support of me and our mission at Cedar Point. Their hearts are for God and it shines to all those who they've been building relationships with. Pray for each of them. Andrew is a lifeguard and Britta works as a hostess at a buffet in the park. Pray that we continue to listen and obey God's will till the very end of our time here.

I'm getting kicked off the computer in less then 5 minutes, so I will post this before it all is lost.
Take care everyone.

How great is our God!

How great is our God!
He wraps Himself in light
and darkness tries to hide,
but trembles at His voice.

He speaks, "No, this child is mine." And the demons flee.
He claims strongly, "MINE!" And the devil tucks his tail and hides.
He whispers a sound, "shhhh." And the shaking stops.
He lifts our eyes to meet his, and though the gaze pierces, in that gaze is the realization that nothing else matters. There is no life, no love, no hope, no joy, no peace, no friends, no ressurrection from death, no kindness outside of Him. In Him we can find everything we need. He meets our needs with more than we need. He promises that His grace will be sufficient for our lives.
and here's the best part.
it is.
He is.
Jesus, our messiah, is risen, is glorified at the Father's right hand in Heaven and has given us His Holy Spirit to live in us.
To guide us.
To calm us.
To care for us.
To keep us blameless in His sight.

I, at first, wanted to ask for prayer for a loss, but instead have found peace tonight in Him, and feel that this should be stated.

No matter how deep the pain, how far the transgression takes us. No matter how long we wander.
God's love is deeper, wider, and longer lasting than anything else. ever.
No matter where we are, up or down, He is there to care for us.
He promised.
And God keeps his Word.
Much Love,
David

what i'm learning now

if we aren't actively making peace, we are effectively making war.
Make peace where you are.
With those around you.
With yourself.
With God.
Stop complaining about a lack of peace and let Christ become the peace in the storm you seek. There is strength to do it.
Call for it, in faith, and He will grant it to you.
Christ can strengthen us to create peace where there is none.
Christ can make us peace in places where only struggle is known.
Be peace.

From Misr (Egypt)

Okay, so, it's Thursday at eight p.m. and I'm paying one pound (roughly twenty cents) for an hour to use this. I'll get out what I can. Forgive my spelling as this is an Arabic keyboard.

Please, continue to pray for this trip in general. We got here safely with minor incidences (one girl's flight was cancelled and in her connecting flight, a man died. Also, the plane's brakes caught on fire because of all the sand when we landed.) There is so much it seems I forgot to pray for. Our group is extremely divided. It just makes everything that much harder. There is a couple here together. The Muslim girl who is here only speaks to a couple people in our group now. Especially on the street, where locals can see the rest of the Americans. I find myself extremely on edge around a few people. It's hard to get any personal space. We have apartments but most of us are sharing rooms. In some cases I'm almost finding it hard to not be rude. There is one girl in specific who won't give me any space (she wouldn't leave the room while I was putting on my bathing suit. She was pouring a water bottle into her nalgene). I don't know how to ask for space in a situation like this. There is more to the story like there always is.

I let my temper get the best of me yesterday. It's really bothering me that I did. There's a guy on this trip (the one with the girlfriend who is also here) who has been... mean? He makes a lot of extremely rude comments. He acts as if he's got something to prove. I really tried to be civil (really, erally tried). Then there were four days in a row where he said something to me and I got tired of him treating me like I was stupid so I responded more curtly. Everytime, to everyone in the group, he said that I must be PMSing. The last time I went off on him because I was so... offended? I was erally hurt by the he was treating me and also tired of it. Regardless, my professor pulled me aside and agree that said guy is a jerk and that he does feel like he has something to prove. He also told me that he was considering giving me my own tutor because I get kind of bored in class. Not the point. Tensions are extremely high. Many people are angry. But it seems like everyone has something to say about everyone else. Satan is really working his magic here. Please pray for our group as a whole.

Also, pray for the people of this country. It just gets sad seeing all the people who don't work because there aren't any jobs. There's a lot to pray about. I believe God is present but I believe he needs soemthing to work with. Pray that I can begin to some things figured out and become a more positive influence on this group.

Also, a girl's fiance's mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She is leaving tomorrow night in order to be with her. Please pray for her travel as well as the mother.

I want people to like me, but this is a bit extreme.

Some of you may know this story, either bits and pieces of it or the whole thing. So a brief summary for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about. In March someone began leaving notes on my car while I was at work. At first they were pretty harmless, just a "Hi, how are you?" type deal. Then they began to get creepier. "I'm watching you. I love you." The last note I received commented on everything that I had been wearing for a week, made note of where I lived and where my parents lived and made vague sexual references. I've filed a police report and the cops are being generally unhelpful, saying there's nothing they can do because I have no idea who it could possibly be. Frustrating to say the least.

Then my apartment got broken into.

Whoever it was, possibly the stalker according to the cops, took my laptop and ipod (both good ways of getting to know me better, I should think) and a couple of randome things that don't really matter. Once again, I'm discovering that cops are not interested in helping you until you've actually been physcially hurt. Oh, and also, CSI? Full of lies. They don't actually do any of that stuff.

But here's the prayer request part. Obviously that this person will cut it out and leave me alone and that I'll be safe. Not just physcially safe, but that I'll feel safe walking around and being at work and in my apartment. Because I don't right now. I'm always worried that someone is watching me and I'm afraid to go and do things, which is not a good way to be. Fear accomplishes nothing. Also, my mom is making me move back home a month before my lease is up. Which I understand and quite frankly, I don't want to be in my apartment anymore anyway. But I have a really bad attitude about this. I'm angry that I can't control this situation and that it's forcing me from my apartment (I really love my apartment) and back into my mother's house, a place where the family situation is not exactly great. I've been taking all this anger out on my mom, which is completely unfair. I need an attitude change and I've been trying, but I keep screwing up. Eaiser said than done.

Thanks ~ Erin

Mission: . . . PRAY!

I'm finally on a computer!!! I have been so anxious to share with you guys this prayer topic that has been on my heart!

Pleeeease pray for Mission: Cedar Point. The day before I left for camp (which by the way is amazing- God is totally impacting some young people, like woah), I had the oppurtunity to go to Sandusky and visit with Emily and the others who are involved in the mission. I was able to see and hear a lot, and it hit me so hard that God is at work in that community and is doing some incredible things!!! Holy smokes! All I can say, is that that group of disciples is totally where they need to be and are doing an awesome job of being lights for Jesus. However, please keep them in your prayers, for spiritual, physical, and emotional strength, for oppurtunities to build relationships, and for their own faith lives to be enriched. This has really been chillin' on my heart, and I just know that we should be praying and supporting our brothers and sisters. THANKS!!!