One crazy week!

this week was absolutely crazy! It starts with last Saturday...a couple of my friends and I rented a boat for the day and went tubing/wake boarding/skiing TONS of fun...I just love feeling the wind hit my face while I am boating through the ocean. Monday was my 21st birthday....pretty crazy- I feel like an old lady now- no more "kid"...but it was another day- found out that my college pastor and friend is going through a lot right now and so the day of my birthday was rough- but is going to be beautiful in the end! Praise God~ last wednesday, I left for the KEYS! My first trip ever down there and it was GORGEOUS! I had a great time with some family and a friend of theirs...learned how to lobster and actual got the guts to go down and grab one...definitely would have been more amusing if there was a video camera involved- no such luck with that though, sorry. Now, I am back in the Fort, getting ready for the week to start...OH another big thing- I start helping out with the Estero High School volleyball team tomorrow! I am stoked about it and what God is going to do through this opportunity. Ok- peace out I'm exhausted!

THE BASH!

Saturday was AWESOME! God is huge!!!!! His presence there was out of control, the way the families of Summit embraced this challenge and amazing opportunity showed me that they are starting to understand and live out reaching every man, woman and child. The way the Lord griped my heart about understanding and grasping the fullness of salvation. It has been a wonderful learning experience and even better, Summit is going through the mission statement- Summit Church exist to glorify God through presenting the gospel to every man, woman and child, connecting them into loving relationships with Jesus Christ and with others. Over the past two weeks were were breaking down "the Gospel" it has been a wonderful time of worship and teaching through the Gospel.

Here is the news cast from WINK news on the Bash, Saturday August 2nd.
http://www.winknews.com/features/education/26219864.html

Operation: Project Backpack

As you can see, Summit Church/Journey239 is putting on an event called, Operation:Project Backpack. It is a wonderful opportunity we have had/have to impact our community by presenting 750 students with backpacks throughout Lee and Collier county. These backpacks are full of school supplies that a team of us had the wonderful opportunity to go and buy. It was extremely funny to watch peoples reactions when we brought 4 heaping cart full of school supplies...people would constantly as us "um..are you going to have enough room for all that..." or "wow, what are you doing with all of that..." and my favorite are little kids, "Mommy, look at all those groceries!"

The craziest thing out of the whole process so far has been the conversations with people and seeing how God has totally provided the finances, volunteers, school supplies, backpacks, etc. So I will have more to say about this after the event on Saturday, but for now....

COME OUT SATURDAY FROM 1-3PM AT SUMMIT CHURCH! woo

GiDdY

The title explains me right now to the T! For the past couple weeks I have just been
absolutely giddy about God- what He is doing in my life, our relationship, learning
new things, and being able to gaze at all of HIS amazing qualities. It is the most
amazing feeling I have ever felt- dropping my jaw at every new "thing" that comes
up, waking up in the morning and smiling because I can-knowing that He is working
in and through me. I can't get enough of the word, hearing people talk about what the
Lord is doing in their lives, experiencing his grace and mercy, on and on!

I love it!

Greater things are yet to be done....

This morning in my quiet time, the Lord led me to 2 Peter. I was looking over some notes from the past series at Summit- STAND...and came across this passage of scripture from 2 Peter 3:9-

The Lord is not slow in keeping is promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but EVERYONE to come to repentance.

I cannot help but think about FGCU and all of the students and faculty on that campus daily...even during the summer. Last night during our leadership meeting, we were able to just go and spend time in prayer over the campus, walking and driving to different places all over, having the reality of God's heart right in front of us. Many of us come to college for a simple degree, to say we are a Graduate- woo! The reality is- we are here for so much more than that. God desires so much more for this campus- for the students that will be coming here and for the students that have been here for a while- for faculty that have to deal with so much-and for the visitors that step foot on its pathways daily. In 2 Peter 1:19, Peter (Simon Peter) is explaining prophecy and the prophetic message- it stated something that hit me in the head-

...and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts..."

Right before that he says, "For we did not follow cleverl devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were (get this...) eyewitnesses of his majesty."

God, I know you are doing a mighty work in and through the campus of FGCU. Thank you for letting me be apart of it, Lord guide each of us to a place of peace and comfort in you-God, be with the students that are going to be coming to college for the first time or even back into college from the summer, and stir a passion for you in their hearts. God- let them find you- find that amazing comfort and peace and experience your unfathomable love you so graciously disperse. Help those of us who do call upon you to show your love to all of these students and faculty- God show us your heart for this campus...

Tremble?

I know I haven't posted in a while, but don't worry- God is at work in my life. I feel like I have been pushed and pushed consistently...the funny thing is at first my reaction is-man, again? already? this stinks! this is hard! can't I relax for a minute? Oh how my response should just be YES, Lord- and excited to see what He is calling me to. Be eager to learn and grow by pursuit of Him. For about 2 months or so I have been doing a study on 1 Timothy, which is about the pursuit of Godliness. Great study- it leads you through the whole book of 1 Tim. and leads you to correlating verses throughout the word. I have been so challenged and pushed to limits I never thought were there. It is awesome! Recently, I have been encountered with my dependence on God and living a quiet life being saturated by the Word of God. I was reading in 1 Tim 6 where Paul is writing to Timothy explaining the relationship between slaves and their masters.

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slave.

The study then led me to 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11.

"Now about your love for on another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers and sisters in Macedonia. Yet we urge you, dear friends, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily like may win the respect of outsiders so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

I cannot even begin to explain how boldly this speaks in my life. I have a great job, I love my job, great "boss" and staff that passionately pursues God, and how easily it is to think of them more as friends at times and get tasks accomplished on my time and not as quickly as maybe they would like...ouch! On top of that- living a quiet life, not full of pride and "look at my great accomplishments", but a lifestyle quiet and humble, one of service and Godliness. THEN- to not be dependent on ANYBODY- did you catch that...I really think when I read this I felt a slap on my face. I can blame my dependence on being an only child and the lifestyle of growing up with my amazing parents so focused on me and supporting me through everything- to learning that my only dependence should be God. Recently I led a group of High School students on a trip and before I left I was so adamant about getting others approval and opinions about going. Knowing God had already called me to going on the trip, but No, I still had to go to others...why? Because my dependence was not on God, it was on the opinions of others that I knew would support me and care for me.

Why is God's call not always enough.....

THE HIKE

We arive at Windy Gap- a Younglife camp in Weaserville, NC....absolutely gorgeous site-pretty much takes your breath away. The Georgia group meets us there and we make our way up to Everest (not that high up, but it is where all of the backpacks and hiking gear is). We are all standing there with our suitcases and we are instructed to take out different numbers of clothes to but in the other backpack...I have to admit, it is pretty funny watching all of these students whining because they can't take everything they brought...

On to the hike....

PREFACE- When I decided to go on the trip, I was told the hike up to Plunge was about 1 1/2 miles....so Im in a pretty good mood:) THEN- I was re-directed to the understanding that it is just about 5 miles up. This is a steep mountain people! 5 miles feels like 25 miles....NUTS!

ok- we start the hike....not so bad at first- oh, and let me say that I have never been hiking or backpacking before- WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE...about 5 min in I am already sucking wind...haha I got a good laugh at that.
About an hour into the hike I began to think about why in the world I was doing this...I mean, God totally told me to go, so that is enough reason in itself, but man it was rough. I began thinking about my family and missing them already, its funny how you don't see them for a while and you miss them, but its like a "miss" you always have, but when you go away you really "MISS" them. I also began to think about the good ol' Cabrera family. My heart began to hurt thinking about the kids and not seeing them for a week or able to talk to the "rents"...I knew it was going to be hard-it was way harder than I thought- I started to focus on Max...thinking about what he has to go through daily- dealing with Autism and not being able to get his thoughts across as easily as we all wish. Think about the hike that must be....It is funny how a little boy-almost 3 years old can inspire someone who is almost 21 or really any age- to get through this crazy hike I was on. I kept picturing his little chubby cheeks and big brown eyes with that heartbreaking smile running in front of me. He really, honestly kept me going. There were so many times I wanted to stop and take a break-my heart was pounding- legs were cramping- sweat was pouring out of me-but this little boy running ahead of me pushed me to a place of perseverance. I began to look at life and our spiritual journeys...thinking about the fact that there will always be people in front of us- no telling how far in front or how close and ultimately God and knowing they are pulling us up, encouraging us, loving us....and then there are always people behind-once again don't know how close or how far, but they are there....we are never last- those people are pushing us- sometimes encouragement come and sometimes struggle comes (like a tug-o-war) but at last- YOU REACH THE SUMMIT. As you can tell- my mind was racing...I did it- I made the hike, shaking a bit and all- but we did it...as a family!

Here is a quick quote from a book I just started... CRAZY LOVE " There is an epidemic of spiritual amnesia going around, and none of us is immune. No matter how many fascinating details we learn about God's creation, no matter how many pictures we see of His galaxies, and no matter how many sunsets we watch, we still forget. Most of us know that we are supposed to love and fear God; that we are supposed to read our Bibles and pray so that we can get to know Him better; that we are supposed to worship Him with our lives. But actually living it out is challenging. It confuses us when loving God is hard. Shouldn't it be easy to love a God so wonderful? When we love God because we feel we should love Him, instead of genuinely loving out of our true selves, we have forgotten who God really is. Our amnesia is flaring up again."

This past week was a huge expression of God's unfathomable love- it was awesome!

"I can do all things through-who- CHRIST- who gives us-what- STRENGTH!!!!!!!!!"
Phil. 4:13