An amazing start to an amazing adventure

So I fell asleep last night before I could tell you all about my yesterday! But now I have to tell you about my today so you will have to get the shortened version. The big thing that happened was that we took the kiddos at my work to a baseball game. That doesn't sound that bad... Except there was 250 of them... And it was like 100 degrees. We had quite a few throwing up incidents but no one got lost or kidnapped so all in all I would say it was a success :)

Rylee just before we boarded

Now for today! Rylee (the other person coming from Omaha on the trip) and I had to leave at about 5:50 am to get to the airport on time. All our flights were on time and we didn't really have much of a lay over at all which was good because we were pretty anxious to get there.When we arrived at the hotel, we were a little surprised... let's just say it leaves much to be desired. But it has beds, showers, and is really close to the beach so I'm not complaining :) Speaking of the beach, I got to see the ocean for the first time in my whole life!! It was sorta cloudy out but it was still hard to believe that it was that big! With the waves crashing all around and the horizon completely covered by it, I found myself just sort of staring at it in amazement. I mean... compared to that, I am so small and insignificant. It really shows me how much God must love me. Because He can create something that beautiful and big and complex, but still love me more than all of it. Kinda just takes your breath away (pardon the cliche).

This is Jake. I think the picture kind of speaks for itself :)

There are 22 total people on the trip. 16 girls, 4 staff, 2 boys, and a partridge in a pear tree. I have already met some really amazing people! I somehow received the name of "the hugger". It's probably because every time someone arrived I would say "HEY! I'm Abbie. By the way I'm a hugger" then would proceed to hug them. We have all kind of become instant friends, which is pretty awesome when you think about the fact that we are all from different schools, in different walks of life, and have pretty different backgrounds. I know that God has a really huge plan for all of us as a group and as individuals. Pretty cool :) We have a meeting room that we call "The Underground". It's actually the hotel's fitness center (and by fitness center I mean a room with a small weight set in the corner) but the staff decorated it all up and it looks great! One of our staff was great enough to bring a Keurig so we will all be good in the coffee department. After we ate, we broke into small groups and shared a little about ourselves. I actually shouldn't say a little because we all shared some pretty deep stuff. Even though it was tough, it really made all of us feel a strong bond and connection to each other, so it was definitely worth it. The leaders also informed us about our "Challenge" which we began tonight. Our groups were assigned a school here in Myrtle Beach and we are laying the ground work for a ministry group to go into the school. My group got a middle school. We had to call experts in the field of starting ministry to interview them. Unfortunately, our interviewee didn't answer so we interviewed one of the leaders instead. We have another one to call tomorrow morning and hopefully we can get in contact with the one we missed later tomorrow. My group also researched the school and area to try and help us set this ministry up. I never really realized how much work really goes into setting groups like this up. We have already done so much, and we still have so much more to do for it. Definitely makes me see how hard ministry can really be.

Even though I have had so much fun today, I am exhausted. Tomorrow starts at 8 am with breakfast at the hotel. And if the looks of the place are any indication on the food, I may be skipping it... But that's ok! I usually skip it anyway :)


I am taking a huge step of faith tomorrow. But no matter where You take me, Lord, I will follow You wholeheartedly. You've gotten me this far and I know You will never leave my side.

It has been a long week... and it's only Tuesday

I officially leave for Myrtle beach in just over 24 hours! I am so incredibly excited and nervous all at the same time. I have no idea what to expect so I am just jumping in head first :)

Yesterday was an extremely eventful day. I was at home (in Aurora) just laying around at 10 am. Hadn't showered, brushed my teeth, or really done anything. I was trying to recover from my week at Masonic Band camp where I helped as a Junior Band Assistant and was also spending a little more time with my niece before she and my sister and brother-in-law heading back for Colorado. After they left, I saw on my phone that I received an email from my boss at the after-school program I work at with this weeks schedule. Since I didn't get one earlier, I assumed that meant I wasn't working but I decided to read it anyway. Good thing I did because low and behold there was my name! I was scheduled to work from 11-6 in Elkhorn. I instantly panicked because Elkhorn is about a two hour drive from Aurora. I quickly grabbed my shirt and my keys and ran out the door. I eventually got a hold of my boss and explained to her what happened. She was very understanding and told me to get there as soon as I could which eased my stress a little. But I still really hate being late. And since I left in such a hurry, all of my stuff was still at my house back in Aurora, so after work I drove all the way back. I then woke up extremely early this morning to pack and gather up all my things so I could drive back to Omaha and head in to work at 10 am. I am actually pretty excited to go to work today though because we are going on a field trip to a baseball game. I'm sure this will be a very interesting trip since we will be taking around 160 to a baseball game in the middle of a hot day, but we will see what God has in store for that little adventure.

Today, my devotional (Jesus Calling) was talking about seeking perfection and how Jesus wants to fulfill out yearning for perfection. This devotional has been so amazing because I feel like ever single entry speaks right to my heart. I am always striving for perfection. From big things like classes and work to small things like packing for my trip. And, obviously, I am never going to reach it in everything I do. But having God with me and knowing that He is all perfect is so comforting. Because no matter how far from perfect I may be, He will always love me 100% and he will fill my need for perfection.

Even though I am nervous for my project, I know that if I give it everything I have, the Lord is going to use it to transform my life. I just need to follow Him and trust him.