The Ultimate Guy Night

Last Sunday night the guys split apart from the girls and played ultimate Frisbee—this was a good way to release some energy and enjoy friendly competition.  We were split into four teams, and each team was able to play another team once.  My team had the outstanding record of 0 wins, 3 loses.  Although, I think that the teams were a little stacked (I can’t think of any other reason). After the games, Charlie Brooks gave us a talk about how we, as sinners, try to find comfort, significance, and satisfaction in things that ultimately cannot fulfill us.  We then split into rooms and talked about what these things were in our life, and how we might go about seeking these things in God.  I am constantly amazed by the openness and vulnerability that my room, as men, has with each other.  Things are shared that my upbringing would tell me to not speak about.  Project is a great opportunity for all of us to go beyond our comforts, and see ourselves for what we truly are, sinners.

Fun Fact:

Our time here in Garden City, SC has faced many rainy days.  When I asked a local about it, I found out that they don’t even consider this summer yet; it is still spring weather.  He talked about how he was sure that by the time summer came; everyone would be ready for it.  When will summer become a part of our training project?

Sunday

Sundays are special days on Project.  No one works on Sundays, so there is time to rest, go to the beach or a coffee shop, spend time journaling, or process through the mountain of information presented to us over the course of the week. South Project meets on Sunday mornings for “Life Training” sessions taught by Paul Poteat.  Life Training looks at life issues (such as money, time, community, work, etc) through a Biblical lens.  This morning, Paul spoke about having a “generous heart,” which is very applicable as Project participants think about jobs, groceries, gas, and support-raising.

After life training, there is about an hour of free time before the teams head to church.  Each team on Project is assigned to go to a different local church for the duration of the summer.

Fun Fact:

Near the hotel, there’s a diner called Sam’s Corner.  Coffee costs five cents, so it’s a popular place for people from STP to go to get off Project, get in the Word, or catch up with friends.

Saturdays

Athletes in training (AIT) are the only students who are required to wake up early on Saturday, they have to be somewhere for their workout by 8:00 am.  The rest of the students are free to do with their morning as they please.  Some students get up early to study the bible, catch some morning sun, or go out on a run; other students like to use the time for much needed rest—the week can be draining and sleeping in is considered a blessing.  Then it is off to work in the afternoons. Fun Fact:

Project is divided into three teams to help students to get to know each other.  The teams have quirky names. This summer, the team names are: Boom Goes the Dynamite, We Are Who We Are, and The Outsiders.  Each week a different team is put in charge of organizing the social, starting off theme night, choosing project meals, and choosing a prayer focus for the week.

Getting into the Swing of Things

It has officially been a week since the disciples arrived at the hotel here in Garden City - a week since they met the other students in their rooms, thought about jobs, and reflected on the summer ahead.  Now, the fact that we are staying here for two months is sinking in. Friendships are blossoming and deepening, training is finishing up in the workplaces, and the summer routine has been established.  Church, theme training, team time, d-group, evangelism training, project social, Bible study training – bring it on!  

Fun fact:

The North and South projects combine for Bible study training, the Friday-morning session about the Bible, its importance as the source of truth, and the how and why of studying it.

Boats in the pool

Last night, the South Project pool and pool deck was transformed into a stage for the third-annual STP Boat Social.  Team Rebellion opened up the night with a convincing performance of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, including floating across the pool in a steam-engine raft complete with billowing smoke.  The accents and characters were spot-on.  The second performance of the night was Team Awkward Encounters’ reenactment of the TV show “Whale Wars,” which documents encounters between Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherds conservationists in the Antarctic.  The performance opened with an inflatable killer whale, synchronized swimming, and the Japanese whale hunt, and continued with a Walmart commercial break and the encounter between the “hippie” conservationists and the whalers.  The final performance of the evening was the Squirtle Squad’s rendition of the TV show “Swamp People” (about hunting alligators in Louisiana) mixed with the “Bachelorette.”  This performance had a dramatic storyline which included the bachelorette being killed while wrestling an alligator and an ensuing battle between her proper Southern family and the swamp people.  

The night was an entertaining exposition of creativity, engineering and acting.  Thanks to everyone on Project for such a memorable Boat Social!  Oh, and 1^st place of the night went to Team Awkward Encounters.

Tonight was Bigger and Better

For the project social tonight we played the game bigger and better.  Every guy room was teamed up with a girl room, and we dispersed into the city armed with nothing more than a paper clip.  Our objective was simple: trade up.  We were to find something bigger and better than the paper clip, and keep moving to try to gain the biggest and best thing of all.  There was even a list of bonus items that project could use for this summer: some Christmas lights, bicycles, lawn chairs, surfboards, refrigerators, and the ever-desired golf cart.

It really is curious to see what groups end up with.  People end up just handing over their junk instead of trading with you, so between all of the groups there was a great pile of interesting items ‘donated’.  Among the spoils were many lawn chairs, two refrigerators, a futon, countless Christmas lights, a basketball hoop, light saber toys, and not only a bicycle, but also even a tricycle.  Not a bad haul for one nights work. Let’s just say that the project students successfully convinced pack rats to lighten their load.

-Michael Urch

Evangelism Training

Wednesday is the formal evangelism day at Project.  In the early afternoon, students attend a talk called “Evangelism Training” and then typically head to the beach near the hotel to start spiritual conversations with beach-goers.  The first evangelism training time took place today, but we were not able to go on the beach due to rain.  Instead, we went with the people from our rooms to a nearby mall to pray for the people walking by and for our coworkers.  That time was a great opportunity for the rooms to connect in prayer and think deeply about the reality of sin and grace.  

Evangelism training and beach evangelism are formal times to focus on evangelism and practice sharing the Gospel.  These training times are excellent for preparing participants for Gospel conversations that occur in other situations, such as in their workplaces.

Fun fact:

At South Project, the participants are divided according to room into three teams: the Awkward Encounters, the Rebellion, and the Squirtle Squad.  Team-time allows participants to get to know more people on Project, be encouraged, and have fun.

When do we start work?

Parents, I come baring good news.  The majority of students already began working on Monday.  I am placed with a large group of students at Wal-Mart.  In addition students have jobs at Piggly Wiggly (a grocery store) and McDonalds.  Most students will be working around 40 hours for the duration of STP.

What is known?

This year’s theme is known, which is taken from John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known”.  This summer is all about getting to know God through knowing Christ. Monday night is listed on the schedule as theme night.  We all scrunch into cars, and head over to Pine Drive, a church only a few miles from the Garden City Inn.  When we get there the evening starts out with some silliness.  The room leaders performed the well-known Y.M.C.A. song and dance, told funny stories, and other assorted things to “hype” everyone up.

After the period of silliness, there came a time of seriousness.  Linda Sandager came up front and shared a portion of her testimony.  Then Eric Lonergan spoke to us about “Yahweh”, the name of the LORD (this talk should be available online shortly for those who would like to hear it).  It was a great message speaking to the profoundness found in God’s name, that he is who he is.  If you are taking the time to read this blog, you should think about checking it out.

Memorize, Meditate, and Apply

The bible study training this week was about applying biblical truths to our lives.  Michael Wikenheizer (Wiki) has been leading bible study training in place of Matt Reagan since the staff left.  In order to really talk about applying scripture, Wiki mentioned first focused on the importance of memorizing and meditating on scripture. Application is difficult because we want to focus on internal application, and not just external application.  For example, the concern is not so much being able to show patience toward others, rather we want to have an attitude and mindset of patience.  The hope is to not be constantly thinking “patience…patience”; instead we want to have an attitude so focused on patience that our outward patience is only a manifestation of an inward reality.  We don’t want our patience to be a façade—we want to be truly patient.

Therefore, memorizing and meditating on scripture are important in the application.  In order to allow our hearts and inward sinfulness to be changed by the sacrifice of Christ (apply scriptural truths), we have to meditate on scripture.  In order to meditate on scripture, truly chew every morsel of truth from the bible’s pages, we have to memorize scripture.  These things are all related, and all important.

Parents Packets

We have posted the parents packets for the 2012 Summer Training Project on our Parents Page. If you have questions about project or want to know more information about parents weekend (June 15-17), then you should download the parents packet.

If your child attends Bethel University, Northwestern College, or University of Sioux Falls: Download the 2012 STP North Project Parents Packet here

If your child attends University of St. Thomas, University of Minnesota, South Dakota State, or Michigan State: Download the 2012 STP South Project Parents Packet here

Why Should I Bring A Car to Project?

Every year students are unsure about whether or not they should bring their cars to project. There are benefits to bringing your car to project. 1. Save $200!!! – If you bring your car to project, you don’t have to pay additional $200 transportation fee

2. Help serve the project – Every day you and your room will need rides to work, meetings, and/or church. By bringing your car you can help everyone on project get to where they need to be on time.

3. Freedom to go wherever you need while on project - If you bring your own car, then you will not have to wait on others or look for someone else's car to drive in order to run errands or grab a bite to eat or anything else you would need to do while at project. A few common objections:

But I don’t want my car to suffer all the wear and tear… It is true that a two-day trip can be taxing on a car, but every year we have dozens of cars that make this trip with our project and come back in good condition. We understand the potential risk, but we ask you to serve the project by bringing your own car.

I don’t want to have to pay for all the gas while we’re in South Carolina… We ask all students who did not bring their cars for the summer to help out for gas on a regular basis, so that the car owner is not stuck paying for gas by him or herself throughout the project. You can raise additional support to pay for gas while at project (so you can drive for free!)

I’m on my parents' insurance, so I don’t know if I should bring my car... Many students drive the whole way to project, or for short periods let other students drive their car.

I’m afraid of having to lend my car to other people while on project... It’s not a requirement to allow others to drive your car, however it does serve the project by letting your friends borrow your vehicle.

If you have any questions about bringing your car to project, please dont hesitate to contact our office. office@cominneapolis.org

Staff Return

This past Friday, staff returned to Summer Training Project! They are here helping finish up the last week and creating vision for the students' next year on campus. Yesterday, Eric Lonergan and Andrew Knight gave some mini-talks. In the talks they touched on longevity for students. Eric said our primary need in life is knowing Christ.  He said that we should continue to be intentional with relationships, be authentic in communty, and seek the body of Christ.  Eric said that growth is not individual, rather, we should be relying on the body of Christ to see Christ more.

After the talks, campuses split up to spend time together and set vision for next year on campus.  Today, students have the day off and many are spending the day in Charleston. Tomorrow, everyone will continue with our return training. Pray for students to persevere during the next couple days. Pray that they would feel equipped from this summer to go home in August and return on campus in the fall.

Wrapping up

This past week was full of lasts. Last theme training, last beach evangelism, last social, last Bible study training, last day of work, and last day at church. This morning, at the final Life Training, Mike Polley talked about staying awake to the gospel and spiritual realities when we go home.

The month of August isn’t always easy for students. It lies right between intense community at Project and at school, and without that community, it can be easy to sleep all day or forget about getting time in the Word.

Mike said this is something to be aware of, and he went through four areas of caution: pleasure, comfort, personal performance, and emotions. Many of these require us to look inward and determine whether or not what happens at Project is because of God or because of the community. Performing for others comes from forgetting the gospel, thinking we can add things to the table.

“It’s so dangerous because it just slips in,” Mike said.

He also stressed how falling into this still just brings us back to the gospel – how it’s these times of personal performance that we can fall back on the cross and know that we’re forgiven.

Talking about emotions, Mike said that they should influence our decisions in light of truth. In the moments of lacking or negative emotions, we get to cling to Christ, because he is what’s true.

“How we feel does not change what is and is not … He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.”

Colossians 2:6 says, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Going in home in August doesn’t mean we have a month to take a spiritual break. We should still do things out of a love and desire for God. But, if it’s hard, that doesn’t mean our faith has taken a huge step backward.

“You faith is perfected in Him and not what you do,” Mike said.

After Life Training we spent time meditating on these things. Then, after church, many people went to Garden City Baptist Church for a church potluck, and many others went to Rioz, a Brazilian steakhouse. Tonight is our final D-group, and this week will be filled with more lasts as we continue to prepare for home.

Vision to Evangelize

Every year at project, we place an emphasis on evangelism. While down here, students are encouraged to evangelize to their employers, friends, family, and even people on the beach.

Every Wednesday we set aside time for students to evangelize.  Everyone goes out on the beach and shares their faith. From what we have observed, this seems to be an excellent equipping skill for students.  Students are able to learn how to share their faith, their testimony, and explain who Christ is for the sinner.  This is equipping students to share their faith with peers on their individual campuses and in the workplace, both present and future.

Although students mostly share on the beach, some Wednesdays we evangelize in other ways. For example, a few weeks ago, we had students write a letter to a friend or family member back home.  In this letter, they explained the Gospel and the impact it has had on their personal life.  Yesterday, we called someone from back home that we would want to disciple us, minister alongside us, or disciple in the fall.  Students prayed through specifically who they want to be involved with next year.  Our desire is that they would go back to the campus in the fall with a vision to know Christ more in their lives and make Him known to others.

Loneliness in Community

Yesterday began students last week of work for the summer.  We have been blessed to form great relationships with employers and employees and are saddened to say goodbye. However, I am so grateful for what the Lord has done in the hearts of our students working the full-time jobs and in the hearts of the employees. After work, everyone came back to project for the project meal. Ultimate California Pizza was served to all the students.  After dinner, we went to the joint theme training meeting with South Project.

Larry Martini, South Project Student Director, talked about loneliness. He said that within all of us lies a deep longing of not wanting to be alone. Therefore, we cling to relationships, family, friends, and anything else we can grab onto so we don't "feel" alone. On the other side, we guard ourselves because we fear being fully known because we think others will not love us if they know the depth of our sin. Here lies the dilemna.  How are we, as believers of Christ, to love one another and love community while being genuinely sincere and yet not placing people above God?

Larry said that we feel alone when we lack intimacy with Christ. Ephesians 2:13 says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." This is the answer to our deepest heart's longings.  Because of Christ, we are brought back into community with God.  When we are in communion with God we do not have to fear loneliness for He promises to always be with us.  In addition, we can now use community as a means to know Christ more.  In Christ, we have every need and desire both met and completely satisfied. Now, we are freed to genuinely love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and point one another back to Truth.

Men and Women's Time

Yesterday evening, students enjoyed splitting up for men and women's time. Throughout the week, we had boxes for guys to ask questions regarding girls and vice versa.  The women team leaders answered questions the guys had about women.  Likewise, the men team leaders answered questions that the girls had. In the men's time, the team leaders addressed the fact that men are to be leaders and lead girls well in relationships. Therefore, they should protect the girl's heart. In addition, the women encouraged the men to grow in their understanding of Christ and seek male accountability. This is an essential lesson for their entire life.  We hope that they would seek Christ and community not just now, but for the rest of their lives.

In the women's tine, the men team leaders encouraged the girls to first find their satisfaction in Christ.  Relationships are a good thing that the Lord created, however in and of themselves, they do not fulfill.  Relationships are to point us to Christ and seek fulfillment and love in Him.  They encouraged girls to seek women accountability in their lives and seek satisfatction in Christ.

Both the men and women's time turned out to be highly beneficial and informative for the guys and girls.  Our aim is that they would both be satisfied in what has been done on the cross for their behalf.  From that, we hope they would be able to engage in healthy relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jobs Social

Last evening, we held our Jobs Social.  About 100 employees and employers came to enjoy fellowship with the students and hear a gospel message.

Everyone enjoyed light snacks and lemonade in the beginning.  Then, students performed skits relating to their job responsibilities.  For example, Wal-Mart student employees performed a skit in which they broke into dance and imitated their daily individial job duties.  After the skits, Greg Morse, a student from University of St. Thomas, presented a gospel message.

By holding this social, we hope to minister to the local employees and employers that we work with. Students have been able to build relationships with their employers throughout the summer.  Many have shared the Gospel with fellow employees. Our goal is that students would learn how to share their faith in the workplace. We also pray that fellow employees would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord.

Street Reach

C.S. Lewis said, “The very nature of joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting.” This is definitely a truth the Czech Republic team felt Sunday afternoon after spending five hours at Street Reach – a local homeless shelter and rehabilitation center.

This blog post is a little more subjective than what I’ve been doing. I just really want to tell you about the experience I had, which was similar to the other 20-some students who had the opportunity to volunteer.

Last week’s prayer focus was the local community, and going off that, Hannah Mihalko was able to find a place we could serve this community.

Once we arrived at Street Reach, we spent no more than an hour completing the various cleaning tasks they had for us. But then, we ended up staying four more hours to talk, worship, and pray with people staying at and visiting the shelter.

Each person had a different story. Some were mentally challenged, some lived in the woods, some couldn’t escape substance addictions, and some had families that seem beyond repair. I want to tell you about three people I talked to, and I would love for you to pray for them, even just once right now.

Frederic:

Sahr Brima gave a gospel presentation through what is called Spoken Word – a mixture of rap and poetry. After he finished, Frederic just said, “My life is so messed up.”

He said he has three kids from his ex-wife and one on the way from a different woman. He said he is a Christian, and he was able to articulate the gospel.

Pray that this would be true, and that Jesus would be so sweet to him. Pray that his brokenness would lead him straight to the cross.

Jesse:

In a way, he stuck out in the room. He’s 23 years old (much younger than most there), and he appeared to be educated and friendly. Still, there is a lot of brokenness. He has a six-month old baby who’s living with his ex-wife, who’s in a homosexual relationship.

He did not seem to know Christ, so pray that God would work in his heart.

Paul:

He gave me a brief explanation of what brought him to Street Reach. His house in Louisiana was flooded and completely lost. He found a job in the Myrtle Beach region, but the place was shut down because of health reasons. He told me: “I don’t do drugs and I don’t drink; this is just where God wants me.”

He was completely content. He said he’d been there for four or five days.

“You wouldn’t believe all the conversations I’ve had with these people in just a few days.”

He said he’s been able to share the gospel countless times, and he knows God has him there for a reason.

Pray that God would continue to do amazing things through Paul. Pray for his time at the shelter. I’m not sure if he’ll be there for just a couple more days or a couple months. But God is good, so pray his strong and steady joy in Christ would not falter even a little.

I was so encouraged by all three of these conversations, as well as all the conversations everyone else was able to have. I’ve been amazed what doors God opens when my identity is completely in him and what he’s done for me.

I – and the other students who went – were reminded about what matters. I think it’s important to have perspective on that sometimes. Comfort, fashion, education – all these things rarely ever crossed the minds of the people at Street Reach. All people, from all places and all situations, have one thing in common: a desperate need for the gospel.

End In Sight

In a little more than two weeks, we will be heading back to the midwest.  It is a sobering reality that this summer will soon be coming to a close.  However, I feel overwhelmingly thankful and incredibly grateful for the growth that has happened in the lives of students this summer. Cassie Weber, a Bethel University Junior, talked about the impact that Christ has had on her this summer. She said, "I am continuing to learn more of His grace to me.  As a room leader, I often see my selfishness. However, in those moments of seeing my sin, I run to Christ and trust that He continues to love me despite my selfishness. I am growing in understanding His incredible grace for me."

Joel Edwall said, "I've learned that there is nothing to life apart from Christ. I've realized how undeserving I am of His goodness to me."

Allison Substad, a Bethel Sophmoroe, said, "I think I've realized just how sweet it is that the Lord looks at me with love.  Because of Christ, He is always singing over me and delights in me."

These are just a few things that students are saying they have learned.  It is amazing to see the growth that has happened this summer thus far.  I have heard multiple times from students that, for the first time, they understand clearly the Gospel and what it means for them.  It is my prayer that we continue to grow in knowledge and understanding of Christ.  Please pray that we would continue to persevere this summer. Pray that the hearts of students may be changed forevermore because of what they have learned about Christ.

3 John 1:4,"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."