The Deathly Hallows

2 Things I love- Harry Potter and a Midnight Premiere. I have pretty much been planning to go to the midnight premiere of the Deathly Hallows since the release date was announced (was not sure if anyone would go with me) but it was fairly simply to convince 12 college girls to attend the midnight showing.

Clinton, being the charming small town that it is, does not have a movie theatre so me, Jessica (my new roommate) and 12 PC girls ventured out at 9:30 to attend a 12:02 movie (the movie theatre is about 45 minutes away). We returned home around 3:30 am and did not go to bed until 5:30 a.m.(pretty much the next morning).

But it was all worth it- the movie was great, we got some quality time with girls who are in my freshmen Bible study, and we started a game of Harry Potter trivia with our whole movie theatre. Overall very successful.

(Natalie, Ally, and Joy drew lightening bolts on their heads for the occasion)

Here are some tips I learned from the experience

• brings snacks- people get hunger between 9:30 and 3:30 am
• dress in layers- it might be cold outside but hot inside
• sit on the top section front row (at 1st we thought this would be a bad seat but the railing provided a great place to put our feet up)

My New Favorite

Cannot stop listening to this song- the Sandra McCracken version is so good!

Then I looked up the history of the hymn and became even more obsessed. The author, Anne Steele, lost her mother at age 3, suffered a handicapping hip injury at age 19, at 21 her fiance drowned a day before their wedding, and she spent the last 9 years of her life bedridden. Just so amazed that she could write the words to this hymn despite immense suffering and hardship. I am in awe if a God who is just as this song describes- trustworthy, gracious, sovereign!

Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet

In no particular order

Things I miss about LP (in no particular order)

· Ashley, Jennifer, and Lauren- These girls were my roommates at LP and although the four of us could not be more different we had so much fun in our room and I learned different things from each of them

· Dance Parties- I think this might have been the LP of dance parties…we just could not get enough (special thanks to Nicole and Sarah for always joining me and bringing their own interpretive dance moves)

· Living in community with over 80 people- so thankful for a job where I get to spend a summer at the beach and invest my life into other girls as I walk with the Lord

Things I am excited about for this year (in no particular order)

· PC- So excited to be at PC at the start of this school year and can’t wait to see what God will do on the campus this year

· My new roommate Jessica- Jessica just graduated from Wofford College and is coming on staff with Campus Outreach, so happy she will be my roommate and that we will get to partner together with the girls ministry at PC

· Can’t even begin to imagine what God will do in my life during the next year- looking back the last year seems like a whirlwind, but I am so excited for the adventures ahead

80s and Cows

A couple new pics from the LP to give you an idea of what we do for socials during the week... usually it involves some sort of costume.

Here we are at the Women's Social- Everyone dressed up in 80s clothes for a night of kickboxing (thanks Mellette), a dessert contest, and a movie.

We dressed up like cows in order to get a free meal at Chick-Fil-A. I hope everyone has experienced this once in their lifetime. All you have to do is dress up like a cow and you get any meal from Chick-Fil-A free! It is kinda amazing and they are pretty lenient in determining if you are fully dressed as a cow.

All the PC girls got together to enjoy free Chick-Fil-A and some great time together!

CCP

Campus Outreach Greenville sends a team of staff and students to Pretoria, South Africa every summer to partner with Campus Outreach Johannesburg. The the Cross-Cultural Project (CCP) is currently visiting the LP in Myrtle Beach before they leave for 5 weeks in South Africa. The CCP team will spend their time building relationships and sharing their faith with students at University of Pretoria (aka Tuks).

The CCP visit has caused me to reminisce about my time last summer in South Africa. Here are a couple favorite memories...

2009 CCP Team

We started a bible study with girls from Magrietjie (one of the dorms at Tuks)

Girls I discipled on CCP

(We named our group Mahala which means freedom in Zulu)

Confederation Cup Game- US vs. Brazil

And last but not least...

We almost got trampled by an elephant on the Safari

Please Pray for the CCP Team this summer- that the Lord would use them to impact the students at Tuks, for their community as a team, and that they would love and delight in the gospel

This summer I am a Team Leader on the LP- that pretty much means I am leading three older girls who are Group Leaders at the LP. So I am helping them know more of Jesus this summer, as they are helping 4-5 girls in their room do the same.

I am so thankful to be at LP this summer and excited to see what the Lord will do in and through me throughout the rest of the summer. LP is always a stretching environment so I have been learning a lot about how to lead these girls well -pointing them to Jesus and not to myself, balancing my time between time with PC girls and the girls I am leading this summer, and how to lead through my weakness and depend on the Lord.

Here are some of the girls on LP (I would love for you to be praying for their summers !)

The girls I am leading this summer (Catie, Catheryne, me, and Nicole)

PC girls on Project

Leadership Project 2010

So this is my first post from the Leadership Project in Myrtle Beach. It has already been a whirlwind of a summer, but has been so fun to be back at LP and get to be a part of what the Lord is doing in students’ lives this summer.

Here is the rundown of what happens at LP: students from four campuses (PC, Furman, Wofford College, and Western Carolina University) move down to Myrtle Beach for 2 months and get jobs at local businesses in Myrtle Beach (for example: Wal-Mart, Sketchers, Build-a-Bear). At night we have different training times including Bible Study Training, Evangelism Training, Prayer Training, and Disciples Groups.

Here are some pics of the LP so far (I will try to explain through captions)

Welcome Day at the LP (my favorite day)

A theme meeting

Putt Putt Social

(each team had a theme- I was Hannah Montana...of course)

The whole project at Putt-Putt Social

Our theme for the summer is Witness…so what does that mean and how does that impact our summer?

We have been learning that created us for a specific purpose as image bearers of Him. So as we begin to worship Him and He continues to transform our lives we bear his image and his message. Thus, we not only witness Him with our lives but also share Him with others as a result of worshipping Him. All of our meetings, talks, and training times will be viewed through this theme. We are all studying 1 Peter this summer and our theme verse is 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Coming Soon: More LP updates!

So you might be a little curious about the name of this blog...why I would give my blog this title? What does that even mean? Since this intent of this blog is to provide a glimpse into my life and job working with Campus Outreach at Presbyterian College, I thought it would be fitting to pay homage to the magnificent city of Clinton, SC.

If you know me at all you probably know that I have never lived in a small town (grew up in South Florida and went to college in Greenville, SC) and many have described me as a "city girl." Thus, the last four months I have spent in Clinton have been quite the cultural experience. However, there are many things I love about Clinton and I would like to share a couple today.

Firstly, the motto of this wonderful town...which is in fact "Clinton: Where the Tea is sweet and the T is silent." The sweet tea makes sense (in the south people drink sweet tea) so what about the other T. The locals do not pronounce the "t" in Clinton...thus it sounds more like

"Clin'on". I love that this is the town motto.

Trains...if Clinton is known for anything it is trains. I am not exactly sure how many trains pass through daily but rumor is upwards of 37. So, I am often stopped by trains on the way into/out of town (which I have to admit is usually frustrating). I can also hear trains from my house and they have started to lull me to sleep. Therefore...I have developed a love for trains.

Steamers is one of my favorite places in Clinton. It is a great lunch place, often frequented by locals, and whether it is lunch with a PC girl or a meal with my roommate (who has enlightened me to the joy of Steamers lima beans) it is always delightful. If you visit me in Clinton...we will go to Steamers.

My last newfound love is Presbyterian College. Not only for walks around the campus or the spring weather. But because of the students I hang out with and the joy/blessing of being on Staff with Campus Outreach at PC. I am just really thankful for where the Lord has placed me and can't wait to see the Lord's work in and through me during my time at PC.

Hope you enjoyed the blog...look forward to many more anecdotes about Clinton, updates on ministry, and stories from my life.