Project Social: Olympics against Greenville

Last night, we got together with the Leadership Project Greenville, which is the same thing as STP, but instead of being students from the Minneapolis Region, it is students from Greenville and Lynchburg.  Leadership Project Greenville is located in Myrtle Beach, so we found some fields at a halfway point, and we met on neutral ground. The Olympic games were comprised of six events: soccer, kickball, softball, tug-of-war, ultimate Frisbee, and dodge ball.  Each event was done with surprising intensity, but the competition was all about encouragement.  At the end of the six events, the games were tallied.  Our project won soccer, dodge ball, and softball.  Their project won kickball, tug-of-war, and ultimate.  If you are keeping count, that makes a tied Olympics games.  Ties are not acceptable.

In order to determine the title of athletic victory, a final relay was set.  Comprised of dizzy running (spinning around a bat before running around a cone and back), an old fashion wheelbarrow race, leapfrog, and a final sprint (down and back a football field, this relay was the deciding factor.  Our summer training project proved to be athletically superior.

Regardless, the purpose of getting together was not to compete, but to be encouraged by other believers, and to allow us to interact with brothers and sisters beyond our project.  After the final games were played, we split into small groups and prayed with each other.

Co-workers

Here at Project, we are blessed to have TONS of resources for spiritual growth: Biblical teaching, an emphasis on Bible study, a community of believers, and more.  In recent weeks, there have been several co-workers who have come to Project talks or have hung out at Project.  It is cool to be able to encourage them towards Jesus through sharing the resources we have been given.  

One set of co-workers that came to a talk was a Mormon family that works with a lot of students from Project.  They are receptive to us as people and are willing to talk about spiritual things.  Please pray that they would become believers!

Another girl who has come around a lot is our age and is a believer already.  She works with a lot of us, and is excited to learn more about living life in light of the gospel.  She’s heading to a local university in the fall and has talked about getting involved in Campus Outreach there.

Synchronized Swimming

This week, we did the synchronized swimming social at South Project.  Basically, each guys room developed a synchronized swimming routine to perform for the rest of Project in the hotel pool.  These were about two minutes long, complete with music, props and drama.  Thursday night’s routines included a Super Mario Brothers re-enactment, a routine to music from Tangled, and a Pokemon re-enactment.  

Each of the girls rooms planned a group date (Sadie Hawkins style) and chose a guys room to take out based on their synchronized swimming performance.  Overall, the evening was filled with creativity and laughter, and was a great opportunity to get to see the different personalities of the rooms on Project.

Another week at Project

The Squirtle Squad (the team led by Jared and Meredith) were in charge of organizing the hype and skit before theme training, the encouragement, the prayer focus, and the social for the week.  The hype was a “synchronized swimming” routine around the room, which served a dual purpose in advertising the social of the week… synchronized swimming!  For the skit, Jared and Meredith played a prank on us: they said that one of us had been seen stealing at work and asked that that person would come up and confess.  We were all stunned and unnerved until we found out that this was actually all false and only a prank.  

The prayer focus of the week was the India CCP Team, as they arrived in India this week!  For the encouragement, the Squirtle Squad wrote personalized letters of encouragement to everyone on Project and put them in the mail boxes.  Getting mail on project is always a special treat. J

Evangelism, Letter Version

Storm clouds rolled in as we finished evangelism training time on Wednesday.  People were leaving the beach as we were about to head over to do beach evangelism, so we ended up not going.  Instead, we spent that time letter-writing.  

Each of us wrote and sent a letter to a nonbeliever in our life to engage them over the Gospel.  Letter recipients included roommates, friends from college or high school, family members, etc.  Writing letters helped mesh what we’ve been learning about this summer (our life here at STP and the emphasis on the Gospel) with our lives back home or at school, where we’re in contact with people who are dear to us but do not believe the Gospel.

Wally Versus the Pig

Walmart and Piggly Wiggly are two of the primary employers for project this summer.  I work at Walmart, and recently I have talked to some people from Piggly Wiggly, and I am beginning to see some inherent differences. Walmart management is a bureaucracy.  For this reason, it is easy for management to be distanced from us as employees.   Therefore, there is a very “we are here for business and nothing else”.  Piggly Wiggly is much smaller.  Ergo there is a much closer relationship with the management, and working there is almost like being part of a family, not an army.

Piggly Wiggly is for the most part strictly a grocery store.  It has better food, fresher meat, and higher prices.  The sort that shops at Piggly Wiggly is often upper class, and might even “dress up” to go shopping.  To the contrary, Walmart is all about low prices.  Therefore people do not dress up to go to Walmart, and people buy the cheapest brand when getting items.

Piggly Wiggly creates an atmosphere.  There are often little tables set up to eat at, one Piggly Wiggly has a Starbucks with seating, and it is just generally a nice place to go.  Customers look foreword to going to Piggly Wiggly—customer’s just want to get home from Walmart.

Time Management

Jay Ripley spoke with us today during life training on time management.  I often think of myself as very good at managing my time, but I was convicted by the lesson this morning.  Jay talked about how our desires are reflected by how we use our time reflects our desires.  When we leave the earth, there will not be a regret for not finishing tasks that are only related to the world.  He challenged us to not spend all of our time accomplishing things that ultimately won’t matter.  I think that I almost always accomplish tasks that don’t ultimately matter.  It is not that I want to stop doing my homework, cleaning my room, and reading literature—those are all wonderful things; however, I think that I should spend some more time in prayer, more time in the bible, and more time evangelizing.

Cowboys, Aliens, Cavemen, and Egyptians?

This week’s social was a bowling night with a twist.  Every team was assigned to dress up as cowboys, aliens, cavemen, or Egyptians.  You should have seen the lot of us showing up to take half the bowling alley’s lanes in costumes which where home designed and bought at a thrift store.  It was a strange but fun happening.  It is fair to say that we weren’t the best bowlers, but we did have a lot of energy, a lot of strangeness, and most importantly: a lot of fun.

A glipse into another slice of work life

We have about 14 work days remaining before STP is over.  The majority of people on South Project work at Walmart, while the others work Chick-fil-a or Crystal Burger or have internships.  Two girls on Project have internships at a local animal hospital and everyday come back to Project with cool stories.  Here are some of their thoughts on their internships: 1)      It’s interesting and fun because they’re getting experience in their future field.

2)      They get to see surgeries (for example, today they were bubbling with excitement as they anticipated watching a hip surgery).

3)      Some downsides are that they don’t get paid and don’t experience much workplace community since they are not working with other people from Project and most of their coworkers are older professionals

Overall, despite being scratched by animals, getting thrown up on, and getting headaches from the barking dogs, these girls are really enjoying their time at the animal hospital!

Memorize, Meditate, 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.

Big O’s First Theme Talk

Mike Owczarek, the project director, affectionately referred to as “Big O”, gave tonight’s talk.  It was focused on the theme of Christ being the name of our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6).  In essence, Big O preached the gospel tonight. I was impacted by the significance of the finished work on the cross—it has been DONE.  We do nothing to gain righteousness; we do nothing to earn salvation; we only believe in Christ.  Righteousness is received as a gift, delivered by grace, and done entirely by Christ.  Jesus + nothing = everything.  God’s righteousness is imputed upon us through Christ’s death upon the cross.  I cannot stress the point.

It is this realization that radically changes the minds of us as believers.  If there is one thing to know from this summer, this is the talk to remember.

Okey the Theologian

Theology time is an optional gathering where we can all come with questions about the bible.  It is a wonderful opportunity to ask difficult questions of someone with more wisdom and experience.  It is a time to gain understanding and glean intelligence, and I personally really enjoy it. Tonight we were blessed by a theology time with Okey Landers, the pastor of Pine Drive Gospel.  The man is a bible wielding evangelical preacher with a mission.  He has biblical knowledge that is truly a blessing to partake in.  He answered a waste array of questions from “is Hell a real place” to “what is the purpose of prayer”.  I really wish I could go into depth about what he said, but I don’t even know where to start.  The most important thing that I realized is that I want to know more about scripture.  The unbelievable thing is that I almost think that theology time ended with me only having deeper and more profound questions—not really black and white answers.

CCP Send-off

The India CCP team left Project on Friday.  People from South Project gathered at 6am on the beach to pray for India, the CCP team, and our own hearts for missions.  Mike Polley gave some direction for the prayer time and presented some related scripture, and then we formed groups around each CCP person to pray.  The early-morning light on the ocean and the sand beneath us was a great environment in which to praise our God and ask him to work.  It was refreshing to pray for the CCP team and remember that we can partner alongside their team through prayer this summer.  

Later that morning, before Bible Study Training, there was a joint North-South Project send-off time for the CCP team.  The project directors prayed over the team as a whole, and then the CCP team gave us an “encouragement:” Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chai tea.

Saturdays at Work

The pace at work picks up on Saturday afternoons.  Saturdays are the turn-over days for tourist rental spots, so a new batch of tourists comes into Garden City (and the store that many CO students work at) every Saturday afternoon.  The parking lot of our store is full, and as you walk into the store you hear families devising shopping game plans (“You go get the eggs and milk.  I’ll pick up two beach chairs – should I get three? – and we’ll meet by the sunscreen in fifteen minutes.”).  The reinforcement cashiers are called to the front and managers direct cart traffic in the main aisles.  

Despite the hectic pace, I enjoy working on Saturday afternoons.  As a cashier, I have the opportunity to talk with each customer, hear a little about them, and share why I’m spending my summer in South Carolina instead of Minnesota.  Many of the families going through my line are worn out from a long day of traveling and stressed from reuniting with family members from around the country.  There are high levels of stress, frustration and excitement evident in their faces.

Working in the retail business in this tourist area has given me a perspective both on the economic impact of tourism (hundreds and hundreds of dollars are spent on food and supplies for a week-long vacation!) and on the fact that spending a week on the beach isn’t ultimately satisfying.  As humans, our desire for rest needs to be satisfied by something much deeper than a change of scenery – we need to find our rest in the only true Source, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Scavenger Hunt!

This past Thursday night, our social was a photo scavenger hunt at “Broadway at the Beach,” a shopping and dining area in the Myrtle Beach area.  Each team (each guys room was paired with a girls room to form a team) ran around Broadway at the Beach, taking pictures as they did the crabwalk in front of Joe’s Crab Shack, rang the bell at the Fudgery, made a human pyramid with three strangers in front of the Hard Rock Café pyramid, etc.  

There was an added twist to the scavenger hunt: the CCP team members were disguised and were at Broadway at the Beach too.  We got points for finding them, so the hunt was on!  They did an incredible job disguising themselves.

At the end of the night, everyone raced back to project to tally up scores and watch a slideshow of all the pictures.  A great time was had by all!

Cross Cultural Project (CCP)

This week has been the cross-cultural project week here on STP. The CCP team visits us for ten days before they take off to minister in India for a month. They will be teaching a physical education course at a university in New Delhi, and they will use their down time in order to spread the Gospel to the students.  It is a great opportunity for them to experience a new culture and minister to one of the most desperate parts of the world.

Due to their presence, this week has had a large emphasis on missions, and it has really pressed us to think globally—perhaps even about becoming missionaries ourselves.  The CCP members have been available for us to talk with, they visited our D-groups and gave us a summary of what they will be doing, and they encouraged us to pray for a heart that breaks for the lost nations.

This morning, we bid them farewell, and they are now returning to Minnesota to finish packing before they head to India on Tuesday. It has been fun to have them around, and they really help us realize the importance of missions.  Keep them in your prayers as they go to preach the gospel.

The convictions of the Word

Today’s verse is Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  While there is not enough space to describe all of the observations, interpretations, and conclusions of this passage, something in particular has really hit me.  “There is salvation in no one else.  Now it is not as if I had never heard this, but I have begun to think about it more deeply.  If someone does not repent and put their faith in Christ, then they cannot have salvation.  Therefore, we need to tell more people about Christ, that they may be saved.  It is a cause for evangelism. I believe that this describes why CCP goes to India, because they want everyone to believe in Christ, so that they may be saved.  As we prayed for the team before we said our farewells this morning, I started thinking about how little I seem to care about the salvation of others—why don’t I tell more people about Christ?  What keeps me from sharing the gospel?  Why doesn’t my evangelism reach farther than evangelism training on Wednesdays?  The implications of this verse are powerful.

Random comments

The staff kids have left, which means that their inflatable toys have now been adopted as pool accessories.  

Walmart was incredibly busy on Saturday night; the tourist season is definitely picking up!  We met a family there whose daughter attends the University of Minnesota – talk about a “small world after all” sort of moment.

Being at Dunkin’ Donuts is basically like being on Project – it’s close to Project and has free WiFi, so you can expect to see a number of Campus Outreach students any time you enter its doors.

Each week, a team is in charge of planning the theme night hype, a social, and an encouragement.  For the encouragement this week, the Awkward Encounters chose to make breakfast in bed for the entire Project.  It was wonderful to wake up to cheerful faces, pancakes and eggs!

Thursday

This week was busy.  Five talks, one d-group, and one social, all on top of 40 hours of work.  Therefore, the Awkward Encounters team chose going to the movie “Brave” as our social for the week.  While it was very relaxing to go to the movie, sit down, and be entertained for two hours, this social was not your average movie-going experience.  Each room had to dress up their room leader as a Scottish person (the movie was set in Scotland), and the room leaders were presented in costume for the Project and had to speak in their best Scottish accent.  Lucy Liu won “best costume” for her creative attire and accessories, which included a homemade bagpipe.  The room leaders remained dressed up at the movie, which prompted many stares by fellow movie-goers.  

Before the social, Project participants split up according to campus for “Campus Time.”  “Campus Time” is an opportunity to get to know other people on your campus, pray for each other and your campus, and to think strategically about ministry opportunities for the coming year.

So Long, Farewell

On Wednesday night, we had a “Staff Send-off.”  The team leaders started out the time by performing their own version of “So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music.  It was very well done, and definitely appropriate for the occasion. J  

After the team leader skit, the staff members separated by campus, shared prayer requests for the next month, and were prayed over by the students from their campuses.  It was great to hear specific ways we can be praying for the staff as they are raising support (etc.) during their month away from project.

There were also several birthdays that day… so, you guessed it: there were many splashes in the pool.