Sunday, June 3, 2012

Post Numero Uno.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

( pic of Miami from the airplane wooh! Miami Summer Project has a LOT of ground to cover ;] )

Hola amigos y familia!

I cannot believe it has been five days since arriving in Miami! The project took off the moment I landed in Miami and has not ceased since. The project officially started with a welcome dinner Tuesday night where I had the pleasure of meeting 40 wonderful students along with an absolutely incredible staff of solid Christ-followers! The night concluded after a lovely time of Cuban food and great fellowship, and the work began bright and early on Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, we were oriented for job hunting. The job hunt has definitely proven to be quite exhaustive but is also causing us to lean on God in patience and confidence. While the majority of students have landed jobs, the rest of us are continuing to complete application upon application in a mad scavenge for hiring businesses. We are all confident in the Lord's plan for us and know that He has prepared the perfect "ministry location" for us this summer.

A rough agenda of Cru's Miami Summer Project includes establishing jobs (aka "ministry locations"), partnering with two local churches, actively participating in small groups, attending weekly Cru worship meetings, engaging in discipleship, evangelizing weekly on college campuses, and ultimately, being a light wherever we go, harvesting the land toiled by project teams that have come before us. As a team, we will be studying the book of Ephesians throughout the summer with Ephesians 2:10 as our theme. From Ephesians 2:10, the following project objectives have been set for the summer: (1) that we will grow in our understanding of what it means to be made in the image of Christ, (2) that we will be faithful, teachable learners of what it means to serve Him, (3) that we allow our relationship with Christ to overflow and influence those around us: "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are being perished" (2 Corinthians 2:15).

A few nights ago, a Cru staff member flew in to teach us the importance of "our stories:" the compilation of experiences God has placed in our lives to shape us into who we are today. Lindsey, the staff member, explained to us that our stories make us relatable to other people, and they allow us to see God working more clearly in our lives. Sharing our unique testimonies with others is a great tool when evangelizing, but before doing so, a lot of refinement needs to be done in order to be impact-ful. I ask for prayer as we shape our testimonies into powerful evangelizing tools in preparation for our work in weeks to come, whether it be on college campuses, at our ministry locations, or even in our growing relationships with the hotel staff.

This morning, ten of us traveled to Christ Fellowship- one of the project's partnering churches- and had the wonderful privilege of serving with their homeless ministry. This special ministry offers hot showers, clothes, meals, and a Church service to the homeless in Miami. It was such a blessing to be able to greet and love on the visitors, and I cannot wait to develop growing relationships with these people throughout the summer!

Further prayer requests...

  1. patience and confidence as we continue the job hunt   
  2. sweet fellowship and strengthening of bonds among team members and staff 
  3. that GOD is glorified in our obedience    
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!! God bless you :).                                                                                                                                    

1 comment:

  1. Sounds great, glad you made it in safely Alex!
    --II Peter 1:2-3

    James Haynes

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