Starting Out...

Hello everyone! I got here yesterday at 3:00pm and went through a long registration process and then unloaded and unpacked. We had an orientation meeting last night and orientation meetings all day today. These meetings are just to let us know EVERYTHING that we need to know administration-wise and get to know each other and begin to grow spiritually as well.
The condos we are staying in are all in a resort complex but are owned individually so some are nicer than others. Me and three other girls are currently waiting on maintenance to come Monday and fix our AC and fridge which are both broken. Right now getting settled, digesting tons of information, finding out how we fit in and meeting new people has kept us very busy. We did have a fun sand sculpture building contest tonight on the beach which is a quarter mile boardwalk walk away.
The aspect of this trip I am most excited about right now is the opportunity for spiritual growth. They have made this project very scheduled and organized which will allow for growth in discipline and time management. For example, we are required to spend one hour each morning on personal devotions, over an hour each Wednesday night for personal reflection time, and an hour or more every week night for various bible studies, worship times, men's/women's times, etc. Our hope is that as we grow in Christ and are filled to overflowing with Him, we will find it natural to share and overflow in our witness to those in our jobs, where we live, and others in the community.
I could write forever but I don't want to bore you. I do have a few specific prayer requests. For myself personally, I have been struggling with doubts from the enemy who has been trying to tell me I shouldn't be here or that God can't use me, he's thrown distracting thoughts, fears, a judgmental attitude and discontentment at me. Please pray that through God's strength I could banish those from my life and know that he will do above and beyond all we can ask or imagine.
Also, I know it's been said before, but please continue to pray for support. There is a Baptist Group that may help some of us out a little, I am praying for $500 more and several others are needing more than that.
Finally, please pray for unity and friendships among us, for roommate conflicts that may begin soon and that everyone will find a place they fit and friends to become close to. It is a 30-40 person group so small groups form and that sometimes creates exclusions and loneliness.
Thank you for your prayers and support, have a blessed weekend!

Basic Info

From May 30th to August 5th, I and approximately 40 other Clemson students and staff will be living in Bluffton, SC, an area that is 70% unchurched. We are going to be church planters for Crosspoint Church of Bluffton, an outreach of Crosspoint of Clemson. The purpose of our ten-week mission project is to help Crosspoint Bluffton build relationships in the community for when they launch in September. While we are there, we will get jobs in the community so that we may influence our co-workers for Christ. As people begin a personal relationship with Christ, we will be able to connect them to a church body so that they can continue to grow to spiritual maturity. The relationships that we build within the community will be a great catalyst for helping our church-plant get off the ground. It is our hope and prayer to see a thriving, biblically sound church that is having a tremendous impact in the community. On the weekends, we will do outreaches in the community to serve Crosspoint Bluffton.
I have created this blog to keep you, my friends and family, prayer and financial supporters, updated on what is happening in Bluffton throughout the summer. You will also be able to see pictures of what God is doing! I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your support, and your encouraging notes and prayers. God is using you as a strong foundation on which I can confidently become a witness for him. Thank you and God bless!