My Brothers and Sisters in Arms

Here is a picture of the beautiful people I will be spending my summer with on the battlefield. (Minus 2)

Certainly every CCP team is super pumped about their teammates but I am pretty sure, without any bias, that my team is the best CCP team ever!

When I say these are my brothers and sisters I am completely genuine in that sentiment. These are the young men and women I grew up in the faith with. The students I met and "Transformed" with on our first OP. Some of us learned what it looked like to labor on a college campus to see it impacted for the Kingdom of God. Together we saw how the Gospel could "Redefine" our lives in Christ on our second OP, our Servant Leader summer.

And now as a team, as a unit, as a family we are learning how to raise support for a much bigger adventure. Bigger than the road trip to Orlando or the that awful scavenger hunt at City Walk. Together we are crossing the Big Blue to another continent, to a foreign land.

I get goosebumps just thinking about it!!!

Please be praying for my team. It is imperative that we raise our support not just on the individual level. God has done amazing things in providing what He has already and I can't wait to see how He will further be sustaining this team on many more levels beyond finances.

I know this was a quick update but I just wanted to share this simple grace that God has bestowed upon me. Another family to love and cherish in this life and for all eternity.

Grace and Peace Beloved!

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Well friends the reality of my trip is starting to sink in deeper. You may be wondering why now and all of a sudden. Could it be that in approximately nine weeks the CCP team will be boarding a plane to leave the country, for many it will be the first time? Could it be the excitement of another team meeting this coming weekend where we get to dream big together and bond as a team?

Or could it be the incandescent joy I have recently experienced via the Lord raising up my personal support after 3 months of letter and phone calls and meetings, and almost 5 weeks ahead of schedule!! (Psalm 89:1 “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.)

As you know in order to participate in the Cross Cultural Project we personally have to raise $5500. That is $121,000 as a team! It is a long process that is humbling and sanctifying for many reasons. With this process come fears and anxieties I have not really experienced in my walk with God before.It tests the trust that I claim to put in the Lord.

When asked what my biggest fear is in raising support my answer was basic but toxic all the same; “What if God doesn’t raise my support because He doesn’t want me to go to South Africa” Of course I know the answers and the truth but I found that it was a truth that I did not really cling to nor held it close to my heart.

 I would like to say that I battled these fears as a mature Christian would; that is by digging in His word for comfort, or by writing my thoughts out to God until my hand cramped, or by spending hours on my knees pleading with God for the peace which surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). There were so many things I could have done or actively pursued God during this trying season.

But I did not…at least not to the extent I could have or wished to now looking back. Though there are many things I could have done differently I would not go back and change one thing. Because there is no doubt in my mind that God is sovereign over it. It was a part of His plan, before the foundations of the world were set (Eph 1:4), for me to fumble my way through the process of raising support. He saw it best that I would be far more humbled this way rather if I had done all I “could”.

Oh how sweet it is now resting in the simple grace of knowing I could have done “better” yet also knowing ultimately it has nothing to do with what I do or don’t do. It’s God’s money and if he wants to raise it He will in His timing, not mine, and whatever the way he chooses is His best for me.

Now I am very excited to be able to help out my team with the extra support God decides to send my way. So please labor in prayer that I would be faithful; Faithful to the process, faithful to my team and the commitment to our goal, faithful to seeking out my Father who loved me first (1 Jn 4:19).

My Story

There was a religious man named Paul. He was what you would call a “Hebrew of Hebrews”.  Everyone knew who he was and what he stood for. He was advancing in Judaism beyond many of his own age among his people; so extremely zealous he was for the traditions of his fathers. He loved the law that the Hebrew people were under and when a man came preaching a different message he hated him and sought to destroy everything he stood for.

I was a religious girl and my name is Kayla. I was what you would call the perfect little goodytoshoe Christian girl who had it all together all the time. Everyone knew who I was and what I stood for. My peers knew not to ask me to parties because I would say no, boys didn’t ask me out because they knew I took dating seriously. I loved living my life bound by the rules that a “good girl” lives by: don’t drink, don’t cuss, don’t flirt around with guys, do well in school, talk about Jesus when it makes you look good, pray before meals, etc)

Paul started out on a journey to a place called Damascus. There he had an encounter with Jesus Christ. He appeared to Paul blinding him and speaking to him. Paul came to realize through this divine encounter that all of which he had been living for, all these laws and rituals he had been living under were for nothing.

You see Paul had a heart problem. Because he was still a sinful person all those “good things” he had done were from a bad heart. When he did “good things” he did it so he would receive respect, boost his reputation, and give him the praise.  He finally saw that all of those good deeds were as if he were taking filthy rags to a Holy and Perfect God and thinking it was enough to please him.

He saw for the first time truly how far he was from God and that there was no way to be reconciled with him unless there was one who could live the perfect life Paul could not.

I started out on a journey to a place called college. There I continued to live my “perfect life” and sought friends who thought the same way I did. I met these young women who also called themselves Christians and we became very good friends. As time went on I began to notice some differences between them and myself. For one they not only read their bibles but they actually studied them, everyday they sat down with their bibles and personally studied it on their own. I only picked up and looked at my bible when I wanted to feel good or write a verse for someone so I would look good. Another thing that was different was that since I was the “good” girl I didn’t associate myself with the “bad” people. People who partied and slept around and had foul language. I judged them and didn’t want to expose myself to their sinful lives. Yet these new friends had friends that were like that and they loved them, they prayed for them and tried to tell them about Jesus. That’s another thing I noticed was different these new friends talked about Jesus all the time and at first it kind of made me mad, after all I didn’t want to talk about Jesus all the time…but why didn’t I? After all I called myself a Christian and so did they but why was there such a huge gap between us?

Over time I came to realize that I was like Paul. I too was zealous for the rules I lived by and thought that they made me right with God. I had a heart problem just like Paul. Because I was still a sinful person all those “good things” I had done were from a bad heart. When I did “good things” I did it so I would receive respect, boost my reputation, and give myself the praise.  I finally saw that all of those good deeds were as if I were taking filthy rags to a Holy and Perfect God and thinking it was enough to please him.

I saw for the first time truly how far I was from God and that there was no way to be reconciled with him unless there was one who could live the perfect life I could not. And it is here that Paul and I both saw the gospel for the first time. For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. That God made him who knew no sin to be sin so that we would be made right with God. God shows his love in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

We had to see that we could not be made right with God on our own and we had to trust in Christ’s act on the cross, that he had taken on our sins and died for them. He took on our dirtiness so that when God looked at us he see his Son on a cross and sees us clothed in Christ’s righteousness, not our own.

Once Paul saw the gospel truth he deserted his life of living for the Hebrew law and the very belief he sought to destroy he ended up being martyred for. He died because he preached this message to everyone all to God’s glory and praise, not his own.

Once I saw the gospel truth I deserted the life of the “perfect little Christian girl”. I began to love to read God’s word and study it on my own. Knowing that there is literally no difference between me and those “bad people” I once despised I love them all dearly and pray for them that they too would not live their lives captive to their masters, whatever that may be. I do love to talk about Jesus because he is the one who changed my life and the only reason I now preach this message to everyone all to God’s glory and praise, and not my own.