How do we begin to describe our summer to you? It would take several pages to tell you everything that happened. The Lord did some amazing things this summer!
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We staffed our first summer project in Traverse City, Michigan. This is where students from all over our region come in and get summer jobs during the day. On their days off and in the evenings, they meet in Action Groups, get discipled by their staff member, plan weekly meetings, plan outreaches, and of course, have fun! Each student works on average 30 hours a week, participates in an Action Group, and serves on a ministry team. It is a fun-packed, God-condensed 8 weeks.
Probably the most life changing part of Summer Projects is the opportunity for the students to share their faith a lot. Many of them come to Project with that goal in mind. A lot of these students feel nervous or unsure of themselves and they want the practice. In Traverse City, they were far away from people who knew them, had more time dedicated to evangelism, and were surrounded by people with similar goals. This year, we seemed to have a very dedicated student group. Every spare afternoon, they gathered in small groups and went to the beach to share their faith.
On one afternoon, a group of students went sharing and met a girl named Erin, who prayed to receive Christ. As they were talking with her, they discovered that she worked at the McDonald’s that many of them worked at. During the summer, Erin was exposed to these students almost everyday, with the opportunity to have spiritual conversations and follow-up at work. The students were really excited about this opportunity to see life change up close and personal, and learned an important lesson on influencing those around them.
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After four weeks of being trained and led by staff, we turned the project over to the students. We, as staff, prayed over and discussed who would be the new leaders. Each student received a job, with the overall importance placed on participating in the project, not focusing solely on a position. We formally passed the leadership on during our mid-project banquet and left, many of us with tears in our eyes.
One week later, we found ourselves in Colorado, at our National Staff Conference, where we heard from multiple speakers, attended various seminars, and reconnected with friends from all over the country. This was a time for renewal, refreshment, learning, and inspiration to start the new school year.
Rachel and I are very excited to start the new school year off with a bang. I am ready to be in the office, tackling new projects and meeting our new interns. Rachel is excited to take what she experienced and learned this summer back to the campuses and students she works with (and so am I).
Please pray as we transition back to the fall, for us to feel prepared, as the first 6 weeks are the busiest. Please also pray that the Lord will continue to provide for us, as He has so graciously in the past. We are realizing that our needs are increasing and the summer took a toll on us financially. We really appreciate all your support and prayers! Thank you so much!
Please Pray
> As we transition into the Fall and that the Lord would be at work as we interact with students these first 6 weeks.
> That our current support needs would be met quickly so that we can continue in ministry without interuption.