And So It Begins...

On May 31, 2010 the students arrived for the San Diego Summer Project 2010. Exactly a week ago I was sitting down in my condo on the San Diego Mission Bay thinking, "Wow, all the students are going to be here in just a day! I cannot wait!" It was for good reason that I was excited about them all coming...it has been such a blast so far!

On the first day we just moved everyone in and got people settled down in their respective houses and condos, and then the fun started! It first started when I got to meet all of the guys who are in my "Growth Group" (which is just a group of us who meet regularly and really get to know one another). Their names are SPENCER OBERSTADT
(Stevens Point Freshman), CHAD REINHARDT (Florida Statue University Freshman), CHRIS BARILE (North Carolina State Sophomore), PAUL FRIZ (Truman State University Sophomore), and MIKE COSTELLO (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Freshman). Me and another staff member by the name of David Coulter are the leaders of this Growth Group and we are both so stoked for them all.

On the second day we had this thing we like to call "Soul-To-Soul" in which we spend the entire day with our Group Groups basically spilling our souls to one another. Even though we are all strangers to one another, we telling each other EVERY major thing that has happened in our lives. We talk about our victories, our struggles, our pains, our fears; EVERYTHING. This is such a scary thing to do when the people you are doing it with are strangers, but it is one of the coolest things we have done so far. From this we have become so close with one another just in a weeks time. It seems like we have known each other for such a long time when really it is the opposite.

What David and I do with these men is pour our knowledge, wisdom, abilities, etc. into their lives so they can apply these things to their summers and their entire lives. We have been job hunting every day this week and also sharing our faith with people on the beach, on the bus, walking down the street, when ever there is opportunity. It has been so encouraging to see all five of these guys take steps of faith and start conversations with strangers to tell them about their faith in Jesus Christ.

We also have been job hunting with them and they have been so amazing. They are stepping out in faith, expecting that God will provide jobs for them and provide for them what they need. They have become discouraged at some points in the hunt for a job, they have mostly stayed on top of it and have really been getting after it. Once again, it has been such an encouragement for me to see them do these things with such faith going into every and any store asking for applications. This is a big feat in itself because the unemployment rate in San Diego is 11%.

Each of them really want to grow closer to God and are here on the San Diego Summer Project to do just that. I am so excited to see what God is going to do with each of them over the course of this summer.

For myself, I am excited to learn more about what it means to be a leader. I am ready to learn more about discipling other men like Christ did. I am also thrilled to grow closer to God over this summer. He is stretching me in ways that I have yet to be stretched and I am ready to take on more of this.

I pray that God would stretch, mold, and shape me into the man he wants me to be this summer and for the rest of my life. This is something you can be praying for me as well. Thank you all for your support in me, it is appreciated more than you know.

God Bless