Thoughts from Rachel

Here's just some thoughts that I had yesterday, which I posted on my other blog for this summer:

Well, it's confirmed: There is brokenness everywhere I look.

Here are some examples of brokenness that I've encountered since I've been here, but not all of them are from the students; some are from other people I know from back home.
-Sexual abuse
-Divorce
-Shattered dreams
-Physical injury
-Unhealthy relationships
-Death of a loved one
-Watching a loved one slip away
-Feeling like you need to be perfect
-Apathy toward the Lord and others
-Pornography
-Fear of trusting people
-Loneliness
-Confusion about what God is doing
-Not knowing who your real friends are
-Depression
-Anger
-Broken families

...and those are just the ones I could think of on the spot.

Sin literally taints everything. You can't look anywhere in this world and not see some way in which that thing, person, or place has been damaged by sin. Because we live in a place that's fallen, we are not meant to be able to prove God's goodness toward us by using evidence from what we can see. This world does not have more good than evil in it. And if we could make a case for God's goodness based on what we can see, then there would be no need for Jesus. How do we know that God is benevolent towards us? We look to the cross. We look to Jesus. And we see that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We see that when we were dead in our sins, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. We see that He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And because redemption is a reality, we can look to everything that is tainted by sin and see that, in Christ, everything is made beautiful in its time.

Update from Texas

Hello People,


I got Loho's email while I was in Cambodia and completely forgot to update this blog when I got back. But thanks to our good friend Rachel Cohen I am here and only a few months behind schedule. 


Anyways, I will jump right in to an update on my life. My summer has been way busier than I anticipated. It began with a trip to Cambodia and Thailand where I got to see God's Kingdom in a completely different context. It was an amazing trip that I am still working through and would take far to long to cover in detail. So, I will just leave it like that. 


But... Since getting back I have been working full time in a furniture warehouse. Its hard work, but it has allowed me to share the gospel and my own experiences with some rough people that have never met a kid who goes to a christian college. On top of that I have been training for Cross Country and hanging out with old high school friends in my spare time. Lots to do, not a lot of sleep, but still really fun.


This leads me to my prayer requests:


1) That I would make/find time to spend with God to think and pray about next year. With my schedule it has been crazy hard to find even 30 minutes of unplanned down time. 


2) That God would help prepare my heart for next year and the trials and joys that I will experience through being an RA. 


3) Finally, That God would continue to work in my heart and help me embrace every ministry opportunity that presents itself. Whether that is with my family or coworkers or friends. 
Thanks for reading. I am really looking forward to hearing about everyone's summer when we get back. I know the Lord is doing great things in everyone's lives and it will be such a joy to hear all the stories when we are all back together. 


Till then, I will leave you with a verse I read today. I Cor 16:13 "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." 


Do everything in love,
-A

An Update from Rachel

I hope that all of you are having a great summer so far, and know that I have been remembering each of you in my prayers regularly. One of the coolest things is praying for each other over three months and then coming back together in August to find out that God has exceeded our expectations.

Here's a little update from me:

I arrived in Orlando last Tuesday, and I hit the ground running. For those of you who don't know, I'm serving alongside eight other interns, six of whom are fellow Covenant students (Karen VanderHart, April Hoekstra, Kasey Welsh, Evan Kline, Sam Egertson, and Sam Bowman). I've really enjoyed getting to know them all over the past few days. We went through some training the first day, and we got to meet some of the high school students at youth group on Thursday night. The interns went on a retreat to St. Augustine on Friday and Saturday, which was an awesome time of getting to know one another and hearing stories of God's grace in each person's life. It was so encouraging to hear people being so honest about the wounds and brokenness in their lives, as well as the transforming grace that God has extended in those situations. I don't think I've ever wept over God's grace like I did this past weekend. This week will be full of contacting and hanging out with students, planning our small group lessons, and going through more training, studies, and meetings.

I wanted to share with you all something from a book that all of us interns are reading this summer. It's called Whiter Than Snow by Paul David Tripp--meditations on Psalm 51.

"God doesn't want you to come to Him empty-handed.
No, you can't come to Him full of yourself,
And you can't come to Him based on your track record
And you can't use your performance as a recommendation.
No, you can't come to Him based on your family,
Your personality,
Your education,
Your position in life,
The success you've had,
The possessions you've accumulated,
Or the human acceptance you've gained.
But God requires you to come with your hands full.
He requires you to bring to Him the sweetest of sacrifices,
The sacrifice of words,
He calls you to bring Hosea's offering.
'Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. 
Your sins have been your downfall!
Take words with you
And return to the Lord.
Say to Him
"Forgive all our sins
And receive us graciously,
That we may offer our lips as the sacrifice of bulls."'
God doesn't want you to come to him empty-handed.
He asks of you a sacrifice.
Not a grain offering.
Not a lamb or a bull.
No, that requirement has been satisfied
By the blood of the Lamb.
Yet God asks of you a sacrifice
It is the offering of words,
Words of humility,
Words of honesty,
Words of moral courage,
Words of moral candor,
Words that could only be spoken,
By one who rests in grace.
Words of confession are what you must bring.
Place words,
Free of negotiation or excuse,
On His altar of grace,
And receive forgiveness and cleansing.
Uncover your heart, 
Exposed by words, and say:
'We will never again say, "Our gods!"
To what our own hands have made,
For in You the fatherless find compassion.'
What David willingly did He requires of you,
Come with words,
It is the way of grace,
It is the way of freedom,
It is the way to God."

Catherine's Summertime

Well hey, ya'll! 

Since I did not reply to Loho's email as quickly as most of you did, let me fill you in on my life and how you can be praying for me...

I just recently got a part-time job working in a summer care program run by the Academy of which is a ministry of my church Pinewood Pres. Basically I will get paid to play with kids outside all summer! I'm so excited to be paid to play with and love on children. (And to work on my Chaco tan! My heart is bursting, thinking about how good it will be come fall.) Working at Pinewood is the last thing I thought I would be doing this summer and it is a great reminder to me that God is in TOTAL control of my life. 

Here are some ways you all can be praying for me...

1. That I would make time (and enjoy that time!) to spend time in the Word and in prayer. 

2. That I would be a blessing to my family, my friends, and those I work with. Pray for patience!

     

3. My sister is getting married in September! Please pray for the planning process as well as for both families as we transition into a new time in our lives. 

4. Finally, continue to pray for 3C.

-Cath

Summer Prayer Requests...

EMILY McKeon - 5TH South

1. That I would make time out of my day, everyday, to spend in God's word. With my jobs starting this next week I will be a lot busier and I really need to make it a point to stay in Scripture and prayer. I really don't want this summer to be one of complacency and stillness, but rather one where I still learn and grow as much as I did at Covenant. 

2. That this summer would be a restful time at home with family and friends and I would come back to Covenant rested and ready to go again. A lot of my friends became very different while away at college and our differences really stand out now. I really want to keep the friendships strong, but it's been hard to see the direction some of them are going in and I'm not exactly sure how to keep the friendships going. So prayer for wisdom and patience in my relationships with them would be great. 

3. And just prayer in general for next year. I'm not really sure what to expect and I'm trying not to have expectations (but they have a way of working their way into my head anyway!). I haven't really thought sat down and thought about it and for that reason I don't feel nervous yet, but eventually I will need to think more seriously about it. So pray that God will keep developing and preparing me for all that next year will contain. 

RACHEL Cohen - 5TH North

I will be in Orlando, FL working as a youth intern (primarily with high school girls) at Orangewood Presbyterian Church. Please pray that:

• That I would be teachable and willing as I work as a youth intern at Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Orlando.

• That God would cultivate a spirit of humility in me.

• That I would be quick to listen and slow to speak; that my words would be healing and not hurtful.

• That I would have peace coming into the new year. It will be really hard for me to get acclimated to a brand new staff and a new RD and ARD.

HANNAH Freel - 4TH South

I'll be at home in Macon, GA, this summer and working as a camp counselor for a day camp. My job will basically be babysitting a group of 10-12 six-year-old boys and leading them in activities (like canoeing and archery), taking care of them, tying their shoes, and kind of acting as a surrogate mom to them. I did this last summer and absolutely loved it.  

Summer Prayer Requests:

- I would be able to clearly share and show the Gospel to my campers. 

- Christ would teach me to give and love from His strength, not mine. 

- I would learn how to be satisfied with being seen and loved by Christ, and not expecting that from other places which can't satisfy my heart.

ANNA KATHERINE Horne - 4TH Central

-prayer for my trip to Cambodia (May 8th-May 22)-- that I will learn, grow, and serve the people there, and that the Lord will use our team as a blessing to the Cambodians.

-prayer for my trip to Maniwaki, Canada (June 25-July 5)-- that God will enable me to minister to the high schoolers on my team as well as the people of Maniwaki. Pray that the locals (French origins) and the natives (First Nations) will be reconciled, will receive our friendship, and will respond to the Gospel.

ANNE Patterson - 4TH North

Please pray:

-That I would be a blessing and a witness to my friends and family while I am living at home this summer

-That God would continue to grow my faith and cause me to lean and depend on him for all things

-That I would find a nanny job that is pretty full time or another job. Right now I am just babysitting as much as I can.

ASHLEY Roach - 3RD South

My sister is getting married in the beginning of August, and I'm going to be working two jobs so this summer is going to be a really busy one. If you guys could just be praying for me that:

-planning for my sister's wedding/the actual wedding will go well

-I will be able to balance my time and keep God as a priority in my life

-I'll be faithful in praying for my hall and fulfilling the other expectations that come with being an RA

CATHERINE Kercher - 3RD Central

Please pray:

-for Catherine's summer

-for the girls of 3C and the future of the hall

JARED LeFebre - 2ND South

Please pray for my:

- discipline at work as I drive a moving truck all over the United States this summer

- integrity, wisdom, and a desire to grow 

-  relationship long distance with Beth this summer

ALEXANDER Weir - 2ND Central

Please pray for:

-Alexander's summer abroad and at home

-the future of Second Central...pray for the hall

CHASE Foster - GHETTO

My summer prayer requests are first, for my little brother, Blake.. He has been struggling in his walk and has been battling worldly things, and I am concerned for him as he plans to go to college next year.  

Secondly, I am going on a two-week mission trip to Greece, so I guess prayer for safe travel, and that God will work through me and the rest of the team to further His kingdom.  

Finally, prayer for the hall would be greatly appreciated!  We can pray that over the summer, God starts to work on every individual, and that we may grow closer to Christ through fellowship with each other.