Contentment

Hey friends! Hope this finds you doing well. I have decided that I will probably never be a consistent blogger as many times I have tried to be! I did however, want to share with y'all some verses that the Lord has been using in my life and I hope will be really encouraging to you.

I am currently going through a book/study called "Call My Anxious Heart." Labeled as "a woman's guide to finding contentment," this book talks about the things we look to fulfillment for that always let us down, offering a remedy, the contentment that we can find in Christ. I know I look for contentment in things other than Jesus every single day and I am  so thankful for how the Lord is using this book to remind me and show me the true contentment that can be found in Him no matter where we find ourselves!

Just wanted to share the verses and an exert from the first week...it is my prayer that we would allow Jesus to "fill us up" more and more!

¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)

"A look at Paul's life reveals how amazing these verses are.  His life was full of anything but positive circumstances.  He wrote them while imprisoned in a dark, dreary dungeon without sanitation, heat, or exercise equipment--elements that are a part of our American prisons...Paul followed his extraordinary declaration about having learned to be content in all circumstances with the secret of how (Philippians 4:13). This often-quoted verse is translated literally from the Greek as "I am able to face anything by the one who make me able [to do it]"...At all times, in all circumstances, Christ is able and willing to provide the strength we need to be content.  Contentment occurs when Christ's strength is infused into my weak body, soul, and spirit...He infuses contentment into us through His word.  As it seeps into our minds, it transforms us."

 -Linda Dillow (pp. 14-15 Calm My Anxious Heart) 

Hey Friends!

Hey everyone I am so sorry it has been so long since my last post. This one is actually from my phone so I will have to keep it brief. This week marks the start of my fifth week in Charleston and fourth week at work and I can hardly believe it. I have met so many wonderful people and time is going by way too fast! God is really using my time here to teach me the importance of being prayerful in all things and finding my joy in Him. He is also showing me how great His grace is despite my imperfections. I know that I don't always trust Him as much as I should and even when I don't, He still cares for me and has a great plan for my life!

Please pray that I would grow on my love for the Lord and the realozation of how much I need him. Please also pray that we would not pass up opportunities to share Christ with people we come in contact with. Miss and love you all!

Week 2!

Hey everyone!


So sorry I haven't kept y'all updated over the past week...needless to say things have gotten much busier since work has started!


Orientation for McDonald's was on Monday and on Tuesday we started in the full swing of things. I have mostly been working at the front register and I really like it because I get to  interact with both customers and employees. We are beginning to get to know our employees and that is very exciting! One of our employees was even so sweet to invite us to her little son's birthday party yesterday!


I have to admit work has been much harder than I had thought it would be.  I have a deeper respect than ever before for  people who work "behind the counter" because it is hard work for sure!


Please be praying that the Lord would give everyone on project the opportunities this week to get to know our employees more and have conversations with them in which we are able to share with them the truth of the Gospel, that Jesus love them and died for them.


As for this past weekend, Friday night I went with a group to eat at a mexican restaurant downtown and then we just came back to the hotel and talked...one of my favorite things about the trip so far! Saturday we did outreach with an awesome ministry called "Without Walls." This organization brings church into neighborhoods and it was an awesome opportunity to partner with them. I was so blessed to talk to one of the older ladies in the neighborhood, Mrs. Martha. She was one of those people who loves the Lord so much and and is completely satisfied in Him that she can't help but to talk about Him in all of her conversations. She really encouraged me and reminded me of how we need Jesus in every aspect of our life. (I hope to share more about Mrs. Martha as we will be going back every other week!) Once we came back, I went with Mitch and Abby to the birthday party which was a lot of fun!


Every Saturday night we have a project social and last night was a tacky-skate party. It was so much fun to get to know people better as we goofed off and had a great time skating...I had forgotten how much fun it was despite a classic fall that has left me so sore today! After we got back, some of us changed and went downtown to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza...I hadn't ate there in a while and almost forgot how good it was! The best part of the night was when Lauren, Ashton, and I hopped on a bike taxi to take us just a few blocks to where we had parked. Charlie, Kevin, and Patrick had no clue where we had gone, so the look on their faces were priceless were places when we passed by them on the side walk waving and laughing as hard as we could!


This morning we went to a wonderful church service on the book of Psalms at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Please be in prayer for them as the church is most likely to be torn down to build an apartment complex in its place.  I was so amazed by this church body's trust in God that if they aren't able to keep the church, the Lord will provide them somewhere else to worship since a church is not defined by its building.


Sunday afternoon is one of my favorite times of the week and I was so excited to spend it relaxing at Meme and Dede's and then cooking with some friends after. Once we got back we had prayer and praise....a great way to kick off the week ahead!


I would like to ask you to specifically pray for the girl I met on the beach last week, Beka. She was not able to come to our Thursday night Cru Worship service this week, but I am praying that she will be able to make it this Thursday.  Even if she can't come, please be praying the Lord would tug at her heart because I know she is going through a lot of hurt and really needs the Lord to fill that hole in her heart.  Also please continue to pray for our co-workers and that we would be so eager to tell them about Jesus and what he has done for us!


Y'all have a wonderful week...miss and love you!

Update!

Hey y'all! Hope your Sunday has been great and everyone is ready for a wonderful week ahead!


The past two days have been wonderful here in Charleston.  Yesterday our group went to Folly Beach which is only about a 15 minute drive from downtown.  That morning, the staff provided us with some great tools for starting spiritual conversations with others.  When we went out onto the beach, my Bible Study, Caroline, Laura, Elaine, Kelly, Ashley, and I, divided up into groups of two or three, in hopes to meet new people and strike some conversations up.  Caroline, Ashley, and myself ended up talking with some girls who were a few years older than us for over an hour.  It was awesome because we were able to hear what they believe and then share with them a little bit about what they believe. One of the girls began to talk about a lot of difficult things she is facing right now and asked where we went to church down here. We even exchanged numbers and she wants to come to our Campus Crusade worship night this Thursday! Please be in prayer for her that we would be able to build a relationship with her this summer and that she would realize just how much Jesus loves her and want a relationship with Him! We will have the opportunity to go out and talk with people every Saturday for the next ten weeks so please pray that the Lord would prepare people's hearts to hear and experience the Gospel. 


After we came back from the beach, we headed over to a park across from our hotel where we had our very own field day. Yes, we played some of the exact games I remember playing in elementary school at field day. :) For example, we played "dizzy bat," in which we had to go around ten times and then hit a baseball. This was quite the problem for me considering I can't hit with a bat on a normal day when I'm not dizzy. After "Field Day" was over, we headed to a beautiful pier and gazebo where the amazing staff  were making us fresh smoothies! I think this may be my new favorite spot down here considering the sun was just getting when we got out there...it was so beautiful!


Afterwards, a group of us went to play putt-putt. We were split up into three groups and my group made a rule that whoever won got to play their fight song in the car on the way back. I was at a slight disadvantage being the only UNC student  against two Michigan State Spartans and two Tennessee Volunteers. Needless to say we weren't singing "I'm a Tar Heel born, I'm a Tar Heel dead" on the ride back! 


Afterwards, Lauren, Charlie, Patrick, Alex, Colleen, Kelsea, and I,  went downtown to the pier at Waterfront Park for the second night in a row. I take back what I said about the gazebo, I believe this is my favorite spot in all of Charleston so far.  It was so beautiful!


This morning we attended the churches we will be at this summer for the first time. I will be going to Redeemer Presbyterian Church, which is located right downtown or "don-ton" as the Michiganders would say it. :) The people there were so welcoming and loving. We will be studying the book of Psalm this summer and I am really looking forward to it!  After church, they were so sweet to have us for lunch.  Different families in the church "adopted" us for the summer and I was "adopted" by a sweet couple, Mr. and Mrs. Joyner. I am really looking forward to getting to know them! I also signed up for which area I would like to serve at Redeemer and it looks like I will be helping plan events for some middle school girls in their youth group a couple times throughout the summer and I am really excited!


This afternoon I went to the pool, did some laundry, read, got some mail and then tonight, Lauren and I made tacos for dinner! Later, we had Sunday night "Prayer and Praise" which I think is going to be one of my favorite things about project. This time consisted of just singing and going to the Lord in prayer with one another about the upcoming week and summer. I really want to grow in my prayer life this summer, so this was very encouraging and refreshing!


Well I better head to bed I have McDonald's orientation in the morning! Sorry for such a long post I was just so excited to share the past couple of days with y'all! Most jobs will be in full swing starting this week so please be praying that we would make good first impressions with our employees this  and that they would notice something different in us, that difference being Jesus! Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week ahead!


-Kerry :)

Saturday Update

Hey y'all...Quick rundown of what's been going on in Charleston!

Yesterday afternoon, a couple of us biked downtown and had lunch at Moe's. It was my first experience riding my bike down here and was a lot of fun! Then I came back and went with a friend to run errands in preparation for the teaching job she will have this summer. After a Wal-Mart trip, we came back and left for my first ever "Low Country Boil." Apparently this is a Charleston tradition and it was so delicious! The project coordinators wife's parents had us over at their beautiful home where shrimp, corn on the cob, and potatoes were all boiled together to make a yummy, southern, dinner. We all hung out there and talked with one another and then a few of us went down for frozen yogurt and walked along waterfront park. It was such a beautiful and fun night!

This morning we have been in evangelizing equipping and are headed out to the beach in the next hour to begin some outreach to share Jesus with others.  Please be prayerful that the Holy Spirit would direct us and that we would not rely on our own strength! 

This summer, we are doing a study on Galatians and I wanted to share the verses with you that we are studying this week. Click Here! We have been using a study by Tim Keller, in which he reminds us that  unlike any other type of righteousness, righteousness through Christ is "passive" in which the work has already been done. It is a gift. What a beautiful reminder that the Gospel is nothing that we can do but everything that Jesus did for us! 

Happy Saturday! 

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday friends!


Like I mentioned the other night, my orientation that was supposed to be yesterday but was switched to Monday so some of us had a free day yesterday and headed to Folly Beach to spend time with and get to know one another better. I was so excited to go here because it brought back so many childhood memories...my favorite being when my uncle John bought me a pink hermit crab there when I was five that I named Folly. :)


I am so thankful for the way the scheduling worked out because I think having time to hang out with a lot of the students yesterday gave me the chance to get to know them so much better in a short period of time! I was talking to one of the girls about how it was hard to believe that we had only known each other for less than 48 hours at the time. It was so encouraging to hang out and just hear how God is working in all of our lives, while getting to know everyone's sweet different personalities!


After the beach, we came back and showered to go to one of our weekly project dinners. It was held in the fellowship of the church I will be attending downtown, Redeemer Presbyterian Church. A very sweet lady named Mrs. Yvette prepared us a home cooked meal which included two of my favorite things, mac-n-chesse and Funfetti cupcakes! :)


Once dinner was over we returned back to the hotel where we were split into our ministry groups for  the summer.  I will be a part of the Community team, in which we will planning weekly socials held on Saturday nights.  We really want to build an environment on project in which we are not only sharing the love of Christ with the people we meet while we are at work and such, but we also want to just love and build each other up within the group of students and staff here on project! I am looking forward to learning from this role as I will be apart of the Community team when I returned to school in August.


As for today, I woke up and had a devotion at a beautiful spot outside the hotel and then worked out with some friends. Later I am hoping to maybe head downtown for lunch and then I am going to run some errands with a friend named Lauren.  I am so excited to have met her for so many reasons. Yesterday she shared her story with me of how she came to know Christ and it was such a great reminder of how much God has sought us out and loves us! She is also from Michigan which makes for funny conversations as I "make fun" of her northern accent and she makes fun of my southern one. I feel like I could write an entire blog contrasting all of the different southern and northern lingo...fun stuff! :)


Hope everyone is doing well and has a great weekend! I can't wait to get into the full swing of things next week and share with you about my job!

It's sunny in Charleston!

Hope all of y'all have had a wonderful Wednesday and the weather has been nice back home!

After it rained all night here in Charleston, we woke up to lots of puddles but blue skies and sunshine. One of my roommates, Caroline, and I got up at seven this morning to check out the gym for the first time. (we'll see how long that lasts!) We then got ready and headed to our 9:30 meeting which consisted of some more orientation things...we also found out who we would be working with and which McDonald's we will be working at. Some of our job orientations were supposed to be tomorrow but the corporate office had to switch it to Monday. I am excited to find out I will be working with two other students on project, Abby and Mitch! 

After our meeting, my roommates and I went to the grocery store and grabbed a quick lunch downtown.  When we came back, each Bible study was  given a list of things to photograph on a photo scavenger hunt so we could get to know each other and Charleston better. It was so much fun getting to walk along the battery and waterfront park and explore Charleston with these girls. Needless to save we did LOTS of walking and bonding. :) While we didn't get the most points and win the scavenger hunt, we had a great time! 

 Beautiful day to be at Waterfront Park!

After grabbing dinner in the room, we had a time of worship with everyone and a couple more orientation type meetings. Tonight we had the opportunity to meet with our Bible study and share some of our life experiences and talk about the things God has shown us and how He has worked in our lives over the years. It was so neat getting to hear the different stories of God's love in all of our lives and how He has brought each one of us here! 

It was great getting to meet even more people today. I am so excited to grow closer to one another as we grow closer to the Lord...I am thankful for a free day tomorrow but can't wait to get in the routine of things starting Monday!

All settled in...

Well we are all settled into to the hotel for summer project! I arrived with Mama and Daddy at three this afternoon to check in. I soon met some of my new roommates, Caroline and Laura! After we moved in, I went with Mama and Daddy to look for a bike.  After going to two Wal-Marts we finally found the bike I had been looking for...Bless their hearts they were so ready to get back on the road and they ended up staying an extra hour or two so I was able to go ahead an get the bike now...Thank you both so much for your help and everything you did today. Love y'all!

I arrived back at the hotel where I met my Bible study group for this summer and my other roommate, Elaine! We all had some pizza and introduced ourselves to one another.  I am so excited to grow in the word together with these girls! I was also excited to find out one of our leaders is a UNC graduate I met my freshman year at Carolina and will be back at UNC on Campus Crusade staff in the fall and  will also be helping with the Bible study I will help with this year!

We then had a small orientation to go over some of the logistics for the summer and then afterwards had an ice cream get together with everyone...it was great getting to know a lot of the staff and students! Originally we were supposed to have it outside but because of the rain, we had it under the parking deck of the hotel and it's so funny because the first Campus Crusade event I ever went to at Carolina, Freshman Picnic, was under a parking deck due to the rain!

Afterwards, I went with some of the new people I met to get a few groceries afterwards at my favorite grocery store in the world! It's a Harris Teeter down town that used to be an old train station! It was so fun just getting to talk and go to the grocery store with people from different parts of the country as we talked about the different way we pronounce certain words, whether or not we call a coke pop, soda, or a fountain drink, whether we say "you guys" or y'all" and the list goes on...some of them had never even heard of Harris Teeter so it was our first fun little adventure of the summer. :) 

I am so excited to see what tomorrow brings as we will be learning more about our summer jobs! Thank y'all so much for your prayers and encouragement. I am so excited to fall more in Love with Jesus through this process! Good night. :) 

Almost Time!

I can't believe I leave for Charleston in just a couple of days!

The first few weeks of summer vacation have flown by.  Spending time with friends, family, and the Lord away from the hustle and bustle of school has been so refreshing. I have been so spoiled getting to spend time with my friends from home and school!

I already miss my sweet family and friends but I am also very excited to grow close to the sweet people God has chose to put in my life this summer. Two years ago, before going into college, I would have never pictured myself being away from home for ten weeks.  Before I was "broken into" my homesickness as a college student, I felt like I was the most homesick individual in the world. This meant freaking out about leaving home for a week on a mission trip with the church and even getting homesick at Disney World with my family... Actually all of which were with my closest friends or family...embarrassing, I know. :)

I recently found a journal entry  from one of those very trips in which I wrote about how homesick I was. In that same entry I wrote on this particular trip with the youth group during the summer of 2008 about how I would love to be a part of missions in the future, but I just knew I could never be away from home longer than a week. While on another mission trip the next summer, I was confident God was calling me to missions in the future, but at the time I had no clue what that looked like or what God was preparing for me at this present time, some three years later. While I can't say I won't get homesick or miss my friends and family from home, because I will,  it has been such a sweet reminder to reflect on the fact that the Lord is always working in our lives even though we may not even realize it...His timing and plan is truly perfect!

I am so thankful for this opportunity to learn more about Jesus' love this summer and in turn be able to share that same love with other people. Thank y'all so much for your love, support, and prayers. I will keep y'all updated on the awesome things God does this summer!

Charleston Summer Project

Hey family and friends!

Hope everyone is doing well! I am currently preparing to spend the summer in Charleston on a 10-week mission trip with Campus Crusade. I am currently raising support for the trip and if you are interested in learning about what I will be doing, I have attached a portion of my support letter below. Thanks for reading! 

Over the past couple of months, God has been showing me how selfish I have become with my own ambitions and life goals. Too often I put myself first and forget that my main purpose of existence is to make the name of Christ known to other people.  Frankly, I do not understand just how much Christ loved me to die for my sins when He himself was sinless.  As I get just a small glimpse of how great this love is, I am more eager than ever to share it with others and grow deeper in the understanding of His love.

This summer I will have the privilege and blessing of doing both of these in Charleston, South Carolina through a campus ministry known as Campus Crusade for Christ.  Campus Crusade for Christ (http://campuscrusadeforchrist.com/) is a Christian ministry that has been caring for college students since 1951. The group is very active here and at other colleges all around the world.  Campus Crusade is one of the many facets of my life the Lord has used to draw me closer to Him and burden my heart for the unsaved.

During a 10-week summer mission project, (May 29^th, 2012 to August 7^th, 2012), I will be joining alongside approximately 50 other college students from across the country as we reach out to different members of the Charleston community.  A major portion of our outreach will involve working at a fast-food restaurant like McDonalds where we hope to build relationships with our co-workers and share the love of Christ.  We will also partner with local churches to help serve and minister to the less fortunate in the community.  At the same time, I will be in a small group Bible study and discipleship ministry.  Through all of these experiences, I want to fall more in love with Jesus so that I become more burdened to share that same love with others.  While I am nervous having never done anything like this in my life, I am also very excited.   As I applied for this project and prayed for God to show me whether or not I was to go, He opened up the doors for me to be a part of this trip in a matter of two weeks!

If you feel led to donate to this mission project, all gifts are tax-deductible and checks can be made out to Campus Crusade for Christ. Gifts cane be mailed to my address or made through this safe website when you click here.  More than anything, I would appreciate your prayers for those of us on this project and those we will be interacting with!

Thank you so much for your support throughout the years and the time you took to read this letter.

If you have any further questions about Summer Project, feel free to contact me by phone or email!

In Christ,

Kerry :)

Ever find yourself in a spiritual drought?

Wow...it's hard to believe it has been over four months since my last blog post! I have to say I have really missed being on here because I feel like blogging gives me an opportunity to regurgitate the things God is doing in my life.

I have to be honest. Over the past few months I have experienced what one might call a "drought" in their spiritual life. Over the course of the past few weeks, God has opened my eyes to how important His Kingdom is and reminded me that the sole purpose of my existence is to make His name known to others. Shamefully, I have seemed to forgotten this truth that should dominate everything I say, do, and think. While I could make a list of to-dos on how to "dig myself a well" and exit this drought, I know that it is not something I can do by myself. I know this drought is a result of me being focused on my selfish ambitions rather than Jesus's love for me, so there is no way I can "hydrate" by my own strength....and praise the Lord for that. 

In addition to spending more time with the Lord, I have decided to re-read/finish a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I began the book last year at this time but never completely finished it. Because the book focuses on the unmeasurable and yes, crazy love we have been shown through Jesus Christ and I know that is the direction my heart and thoughts need, I thought it was a good time to read the book.

Here is a short two-minute video that goes along with the book....If you, like myself, find yourself, wanting to read more, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Crazy Love. I only have one copy but when I am finished, you are more than welcome to borrow mine!

Also, click here! for a helpful website that goes along with the book. 

Have a wonderful Monday!

-Kerry :)

"For Christ's love compel us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."
2 Corinthians 5:14