Opportunities to shine...

Most of staff left today (now the student and teams leaders are in charge of everything!) and after work and AiT all of the students had a BBQ from Jack’s and went bowling for the social! The themes for each team were: Funk, Punk, Hip hop, Country, Reggae. But here is one testimony of what happened upon interacting with the locals here. “One Sunday at Barnes and NobleI met a 21 year-old named Ashley who started talking to me and the conversation got to STP. I explained that it was a growth experience for believers in Jesus Christ.  She told me she was a Christian and when I asked her what that meant to her, she said that she tried to live a pretty good life and believed in God.  She further explained that her mother and brother are atheists - her father is a Muslim.  She said that she became a Christian through a friend.  I asked Ashley if she would be interested in coming to one of our STP meetings, possibly on Monday night, and she seemed very interested.  We exchanged numbers and I will be calling her closer to Monday.  Please pray that Ashley would come on Monday night and that the Lord would speak to her and that she would believe in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.”

Linda Sandager

What is a D-group?

Discipleship groups are an integral part of project. The disciples (3 to a room) are discipled by their room leader. The room leaders (6 to a team) are discipled by their team leaders and the team leaders are discipled by the student leaders who are discipled by the staff. Accountability and fellowship is vital for a Christian and as Project still has over a month to go, people really start getting to know each other and sharing in struggles. In the discipleship groups everyone can update about their week, what they have learnt, sin they have seen or are struggling with and then go over the Philippians study and the talks for that week to try and process them more. Finally there is the chance to pray for one another and for somewhere in the world (this week, CO Thailand).

Disciples D-group

The D-groups were at night after a morning off for most people, the Evangelism Training (Obstacles to Evangelism: Unbelief) and beach evangelism. At 10.15pm there was the staff send-off (they are leaving Project to travel and use the summer time to raise support before coming back for the last week) where some students said a few words (open mike) and then gathered in campuses to pray for their own staff.

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Relationships – Part II

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After another long day of work and AiT everyone rushed back in time to be ready for team time at 6pm. It is sweet to be part of a team and spend time getting to know not only each other but what everyone else has been learning up till now. At 7.30pm everyone headed to the chapel for Relationships Part II. There was a focus on the gospel as the most important thing, biblical principles, advice as well as Matt and Lisa's story. We then went to Garden City Baptist to finish the meeting and had guy/girl breakouts for Q&A sessions. Curfew was extended until midnight.

Monday morning again...

At Project the sun rises over the ocean, light stretches across the sky and little by little people appear out their rooms to spend time in the word alone or with others. By about 7.30am there are lots of people sitting around tables finishing up and the cars start to pull away and by 8am a lot of people have left for work. There was AiT in the afternoon and a Project meal at 6pm (Kyoto, japanese food) followed by the Relationships talk Part I given by Matt and Lisa Reagan. Before the talk we watched a “news broadcast” team Identity Crisis made where they interviewed Stefan Deeschѐre and showed a funny video of interviews they had with people on the pier.

End of Week 4...

The parents had a great weekend, on Saturday there was breakfast as well as a talk from Matt and Paul about what happens here and the students had a chance to share their experiences with the parents. Other than that there was AiT and work for the rest of the students. In Life Training on Sunday Charlie Brooks shared about God’s will (ultimately, our sanctification – the important thing is the person that we are becoming, not our circumstances). Everyone went to church at 11am and had a day of rest. There was Praise & Worship led by Elliot Stokes and then Theology time with Matt Reagan and Jon Saunders.

Welcome parents!

Parent’s weekend has started and they have a chance to see their kids, see Project and get a feel for what we are doing here – as well as enjoy the beach! In Bible Study Training Reid Jirek talked about “What if I don’t want to study the Bible?” I don’t have time, I don’t feel like it, I don’t need it are some of the excuses we give but the root comes from unbelief – we don’t see how much our whole Christian life is one massive need because of our sin and don’t believe how good the gospel really is. There was a very useful informal Q&A session on Philippians and then everyone headed off to their different jobs.

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Low Country Boil

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Another great project social – the Low Country Boil! After work, AiT and a heavy rain shower and thunderstorm, the students gathered at Project dressed up as Hicks or Southern Belles. After lots of pictures being taken, Paul led the students in song, improvising with his guitar! Then the potatoes, shrimp and sausage were sieved and throw on top of the tables so everyone could grab the food and eat! There were about 4 rounds of food, then we had Banana Cream Pie and some dancing went on. We finished an amazing night watching the NBA final.

Excessive desire for the approval of others...

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After a quiet morning for the disciples and leadership training, Elliot Stokes talked about how our fear is an obstacle to evangelism because the excessive desire for the approval of others keeps us from obeying God. When we fear, we seek approval from others but if we don’t fear we can love instead of needing people. We are to focus on Jesus and set our eyes on him, not on ourselves so remember how big our God is. The different teams headed to the beach or the pier and shared the gospel, this time equipped with not only the bridge diagram but the possibility to share their testimony with what God is doing in their lives now by the gospel. There was free time and then the guys and the girls split up  – the guys played ultimate Frisbee and then had a talk and the girls had the equivalent of a sleepover (for 3 hours) and heard a testimony, a talk and had a Q&A session. Learning and gaining wisdom from the staff was very encouraging, humbling and useful.

Work, Team time, D-groups...

Another very hot day (heat index of 110 degrees) at work and AiT just stayed in the gym! People arrived back to Project in the evening for team time as did the AiT group, after going to eat at Cici’s Pizza. The different teams split up – some went to the thrift store to get ready for the social on Thursday (Low Country Boil), others just spent time getting to know each other and Identity Crisis planned for next week (every week is organized by a certain team – this week: The Sandlot). At 8pm everyone was back at Project to get into D-group time in the rooms.

100 degree days...

After a 100 degree day at work and an intense AiT work-out everyone gathered at Project for subs from Dagwoods with chips and salad. The students all split up and ate with their campuses. The Sandlot were in charge of Theme Night and so there was a presentation about the future of all the staff on campus! Then Kirsten Trace from CO in Thailand gave a short presentation on the work the CO is doing there and the need for staff and support. Matt Reagan spoke on “The Cost of Self” and how we are already perfect in God’s eyes by Jesus’ blood; to believe the gospel is to be holy – we just don’t believe it and try to be God, the heroes of our own story and we must kill self and trust the gospel.

End of Week 3

Saturday found some people up at 8.30am to go and play soccer and others watched the World Cup but most people were working throughout the day (some until 11pm or midnight) and basically people came back at night exhausted to talk and socialise before curfew. Sunday was a welcomed day of rest, at Life Training at 8.30am Charlie Brooks shared about The Church and out attitude toward it – we are to dive in, the church isn’t there to serve us, we are to serve her! After that everyone had some time off before heading to church and afterwards people hit the beach, went out for a meal or just slept. At 7.30pm we had Praise and Worship time followed by Theology time with Okey. That was cut off by approaching lightening followed shortly after by heavy rain showers. Time here is suddenly starting to go by a lot faster!

Back to childhood...

After a long day of work (and a very hot day for the athletes in training) lots of old students trooped into their rooms with work or sports clothes and emerged with pigtails, superman t-shirts tucked into their pants and at least 10 years younger (if not 15). The social? Recess! Everyone had to make a packed lunch – PB and jelly sandwiches and other snacks (Gushers!) and then they all headed to the parking lot of Garden City Baptist. After going to the nearby playground to eat their packed lunches there were games of kick-ball, four square and basketball or just skipping, drawing on the ground with chalk and finally, a game of “Ships on the ocean”. A very fun night finished at Project with Toy Story!

No ordinary people

Yesterday was a very welcomed day of rest (for the disciples!) and in the afternoon for Evangelism Training one of the points was quoted from CS Lewis, that people matter. There are no ordinary people, we will be immortal horrors or everlasting splendours and they must know about Jesus because what they believe about him will determine what they’ll become. Evangelism is not our job but our joy – we are to share it because the gospel should be resting deep in our hearts, so we should repent from our lack of desire to share the good news, rest in what Jesus has done and know we are accepted in him, so don’t have to be accepted by the people we are sharing with. After going on the beach for an hour or so to share the gospel, we debriefed and then had the evening off – time for group dates, games and time to chill.

Learning to juggle on a group date

Most people headed to work yesterday - really getting into the swing of things now. Athletes in Training met in the afternoon and there was a short devotional on why they play sports and that it should ultimately be done thannkfully as they rejoice in what God has done, not to prove themselves or find their identity there, but to lift their teammates up above themselves and care about them more. There was team time at 6.30pm, the team in charge of this week and next week got some planning done and the others played games and had fun. In the D-groups (discipleship groups) everyone had time to share about their lives, talk about Philippians and the talks we have been having as well as pray over Bhutan.

We can’t hear the gospel enough...

Thank the Lord that most people are now starting work (except a group of Wal-mart people that start on Thursday), Project is definitely quieter. The Athletes in Training had a sprint work-out, lifted and then had a time of praying and sharing what they were all going through. This week's team "Forever Young" (I wanna be...) are in charge of the events so everyone had pizza, ants on a hill and watermelon quickly and then everyone headed down to the pier for the group photo to be taken (that picture will appear here at some point). It took a while, but it was a beautiful sunny day and a great time. At 8pm we had the Theme Night meeting and after a game of the staff pretending to be someone else (and getting students to guess who they were) we had a talk on “The Cost of Freedom” where the gospel was explained again and many were overwhelmed by the fact that the cost of us getting to God has been paid for in Jesus’ blood. Christianity is about us resting and celebrating what God has done for us. The costs he asks us to give up for should be no cost at all, but something given up joyfully.

Mat 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field”

Day of rest...

At 8.30am everyone met in the chapel for Life Training – the talk was on money and generosity. The cost is that we are to kill the love of money but it is ultimately for our joy, so we are not enslaved by it but free to give it away because we are eternally rich in Christ. Everyone went off to their church (the students are split into 3 groups and go to Garden City Chapel, Garden City Baptist or Pine Drive Gospel Church). There was a time for rest – some slept, read, went out for a meal and others lay on the beach or were in the pool. At 7.30pm there was an optional time for Praise and Worship lead by the staff just behind the motel. At 8pm Pastor Okey came for theology time where students were able to ask him all sorts of questions about the Bible.

Time of Praise and Worship

Friday: The Bible... and some donuts

On Friday mornings no one is working, and there was a Bible Study Training session lead by Paul Poteat on “What is the Bible?” That day many people headed to either Dunkin Donuts before or after the meeting to celebrate national donut day (buy a drink, get a free donut) and then in the afternoon and evening a lot of people were working. Those that don’t start until next week spent time in the word, on the beach or at the Laundromat.