Summer Recap!

I know I've not written much since returning from Costa Rica, life has been rather crazy this summer! I doesn't even feel like I've been home for 3 months, but at the same time I feel like my GAP experience was a million years ago. I miss my GAP and Costa Rica family so very much! I cannot express how excited I am for the 2014-2015 GAP class! I'm so jealous (the good kind) of the interns that get to witness and be a part of the spiritual growth of these students. So friends and family here in the states, be in prayer for my friends and these new students as they embark on this grand adventure! After my summer of working in my church's youth department, having the time of my life ministering to and being ministered by these students, I am going to continue on with my plans to pursue a degree in youth ministry! This summer, and I never expected this, but I've really fallen in love with teenagers and working in a youth department. This hasn't even really felt like a job, except days the copier wouldn't work. Sure, there have been days that I would go home and just crash, there were moments I did mess up, but this has been such a great experience! I have fantastic bosses, Bro. Ryan and Bro. Bill who have been great in building me up and helping me get a handle on inner church ministry. One huge reason why I was looking forward to this position was because I've done every kind of ministry except this kind. I've worked with kids, grown up in street ministry, spent a year looking at missions work but I had no idea what went into behind the scenes work to keep a church up and running! It has really given me more of a passion for the Bride of Christ and love for others. One thing I know for sure about myself, I really don't love people without the love of Christ teaching me how to love. The highlight of summer was definitely Youth Alive. It was such a wonder to sit back and let God do His God-things and move in our teenagers! There were so many walls knocked down, there were so many hearts turned back to where they need to be, there were so many life changing decisions and I'm so blessed to have been a part of it! That one week was what my job for the summer had been for, and the fruit from it was so abundant that we are still seeing the after glow! I love how our youth department is slowly becoming more and more unified, God is so good and His blessings are so wonderful. To be quite honest, I was scared of this position. Isn't it funny how satan makes us afraid of the biggest blessings of our lives? I mean, think about it. What in your life were you first afraid of once that later became your passion? What ministry have you held back from because you thought "Oh, I'll never be any good at that" or "The people in that ministry do a good enough job without me." What a bunch of baloney! If God has put it on your heart to pursue something, go after it! He's given you the vision, watch Him take care of it becoming a reality through you! I promise, nothing will bless your heart more than when you allow yourself to be used by God.