Amy's Ocean City Adventures

John 15:16-17

2009-09-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
All I can say is wow. Summer Project was so amazing! Now and in the future, I can look back on my summer in Ocean City, NJ with laughter, tears, and great memories. I made incredible friendships that will last a lifetime. These people are the ones I lived with, ate with, talked with, worshipped with, and lived in community with for the entire summer and I will never forget them. But the most important thing about my summer was growing closer to Jesus and learning how to love and glorify Him.
I saw some really cool things happen this summer! I witnessed the power of prayer, what it was like to be a persecuted Christian, the importance of developing vulnerable relationships with women, and how to lead a Bible study among so many other things! I absolutely valued the insight I gained about being a disciple and what that means in my life. Everything I learned this summer can be taken for life application and is something I will use my whole life. I was so blessed to have two amazing women disciple me this summer: Michaela Avery and Jenny Kim. Michaela graduated from Northwestern college and is married to Pete Avery, who was also on staff on project. They are going to have a baby! I was so excited to be disciple by Jenny Kim because she is amazing! She is a senior at Toledo in Ohio. Both of these ladies guided me in my walk with the Lord and passed on convictions they had in their lives. I had some great discipleship times with my roommates this summer as well with my role of action group leader and they taught me so much about Jesus, grace, the importance of the Word, and how to have a passion for the lost.
There was one day on project that specifically stood out to me though. I was out sharing with Jenny, and I suddenly felt really nauseous. After drinking some water, I laid down on a bench for over half an hour. I didn’t have the strength to make it back to ‘the mansion’ on my own – it was 9 blocks away and I was so dizzy I couldn’t even stand up. I needed someone to take care of me. Two project boys, Andy and John, were also out sharing on the boardwalk, found me, and waited with me until I was able to stand. With arms around them and eyes closed, the three of them walked me back to the mansion, encouraging me and talking to me the whole nine blocks. My roommates and others made sure I was taken care of and in bed! I was in awe of the unconditional love that was on project! I thought, this is what the body of Christ looks like. I could be completely sick and weak on the boardwalk, but I have 110 people willing and ready to help me despite who I am and three were right there that day. I felt like I had complete freedom to fail in so many relationships I made. I didn’t have to be embarrassed that I was sick or try to impress anybody with my strength. Because that day, I didn’t have any. God taught me that I can’t live this life on my own. I need to trust in Him and the others that He has put in my life. It was a really humbling experience for me because I had to admit that I needed help in order to get home and feel better. This was huge for me because God broke so many barriers for me this summer with feeling that I need to look like I have it all together.
I loved the night where I got Eve, my Israeli coworker, to come to a Monday night meeting at our church. Though she was reluctant to come to the meeting at first, she changed her mind by the end of the evening. There is this worship song that goes, “Ask and I’ll bring the nations to you.” I reflected on that line, and the quiet time I had earlier that day in which I wrote, “Jesus, allow me to get Eve to a meeting or to tell her about you.” At the meeting, I looked over to my left and saw answered prayer sitting next to me! I thought about the song more and realized that God ‘brought the nations’ to me. He brought me THE nation. His nation: A sixteen year old girl from Israel, who at the beginning of the summer did not think that what I had to say about Jesus applied to her, but now, felt goose bumps from the presence of the Holy Spirit. My friend Jen and I knew that God has used us that night to reach out to her. Walking away praying, I had never felt a moment so sweet because I knew we had “planted a seed” in her life. It was so cool to see the Spirit work!
Outside of these sweet relationships I made in our direct Campus Crusade ministry, I grew to love the town of Ocean City. It had its own distinctive flavor: saltwater taffy, legendary Boardwalk funnel cakes, 6 person surreys’ and seagulls that dive bombed tourists for food. Over the course of the summer all 110 college students had over 12,000 spiritual conversations with tourists and co-workers, and were involved in 672 decisions for Christ. I would have never imagined Christ giving me a heart for the lost and for evangelizing. It was an intimidating concept to me and something that I thought was only for people with the gift of evangelism. But it was really cool seeing Jesus reveal his mission for believers to be sent out. In every book of the Bible, He talks about this mission. Now that I am home, I feel like I have a responsibility to share my faith – a lifestyle change for me. After becoming so equipped this summer, having so many authentic experiences centered on Jesus, and learning so much about His word, and His people, I want to be sent out by Him. My mission field was the beaches of Ocean City and the 2.5 mile long boardwalk. Now, my mission field is the campus of Chico State University. After this summer, I see the importance of the ministry in my life and would really like to incorporate it into my future teaching career and be sent out into more nations speaking the Word of Jesus.
I am REALLY excited and expectant for my sophomore year of college. I will be leading a bible study for sophomore girls. I am looking forward to sharing my life with these incoming girls and I can’t wait to get to know them. Last year I was in their position, searching for a college home and seeking out what Jesus really meant to me. I want to speak truth to these girls and get them involved in community quickly so they can start feeling connected in the CRU community. Thank you again for supporting me and/or staying in touch with my summer. Your support has been invaluable to my summer experience and it is such a blessing to share my life with you!

In Christ,
Amy

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: love each other.” John 15:16-17

Ask and I'll bring the nations to you, oh lord that's the cry of my heart

2009-07-27T20:10:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it takes a lot to convince yourself that you aren’t crazy. I had one of those weeks where I was asking myself, “Why do I believe what I believe?” And what makes me so sure that what I’m living for is true? God. Jesus. The Holy Spirit. Such strong words. And I’m learning what they mean.
I’m living on an island all summer isolated from the rest of the world. My world. I mean think about it. I spent over $3,000 to live in New Jersey, a state of humidity and not too much excitement. I share a bathroom with 7 other girls, my hair is forever frizzy, my skin feels sticky all the time, I sweat instantly right when I walk out the door, and I never feel clean. The house is always dirty, the bathroom floor is disgusting, and I haven’t had a good home cooked meal all summer. I’ve had to look for three jobs this summer, never fully having a set schedule. I miss my family and friends back home and I miss In N Out. I’m here on summer project being challenged every day, being broken every day, being tested every day. I share my faith several times a week, I start spiritual conversations with people, and I lead a Bible Study. I’m responsible for meeting with three girls every week for 6 hours to develop their walk with Christ and to go sharing with them. I’ve been trained in evangelism to share the Knowing God Personally booklet, the satisfied booklet, and Soularium. I wake up early to do quiet times and go to bed late to make sure I invest in people. I do Sunday school before church every week and outreaches every Saturday night. I am tired and busy.
I’ve struggled with comparing myself with other girls and thinking that I’m not spiritual enough. I can’t grasp God’s love or His grace and have realized how I need it so bad. I don’t know what grace looks like and I ask God to show me this free gift every day. I’ve found out that I really can’t do life on my own anything I try to do has no worth in God’s eyes. It’s just not glorifying to Him. I’ve found out that isolation and lack of vulnerability is the heart of all my problems.
But God is good. Halleluiah, God is good. God created the heavens and the earth and saw that it was good. He created man in His own image and saw that he is good. God is good! And I wouldn’t trade my brokenness, my frizzy hair, the disgusting pig sty of a house that I live in, the situations I’ve been put in, or the 11 girls that I live with. I love those girls. I wouldn’t trade all the laughs, or dance parties, or late night talks. God is using me this summer and feeding me His truth. I need that truth. I’ve believed so many lies and I need God and women to speak truth to me. I desire so much to be a channel for God that He might use me to share His love and grace with people. I’ve discovered that that is my purpose. I am God’s messenger, his channeler. I know that’s not a word, but it’s my purpose, so it has to be! The only reason that I am validated, and can have life is because He died on the cross for my sins. We are born sinful. We deserve to die. We deserve to go to hell and to be eternally separated from God. There is nothing I can do to get to heaven. It’s not about what I’ve done – it’s about who He is. We are created in His image. God loves His Son. When we love His son, and become His son, God sees past our sin, and lets us into heaven. Jesus stands in front of us on judgment day that we might not be seen as sinners. Jesus is out Savior! Without Him we cannot go to heaven, and what is the point of this life if we are not living it for the sake of Jesus. Where will you be in 10,000 years? I will be in heaven with the Lord. Will you? I know this because the Bible says it. If you believe in Him and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Savior, then you will be saved. I have dedicated my life to surrendering to Him, and knowing His heart because I chose that path. I know the other life bonded by sin and I don’t want that. That is not a life of truth or salvation. God is continually teaching me to have a heart for the lost, for my family, and for my campus. My hope is that I leave a part of my heart in Ocean City- that I leave summer project having been fully invested in the people here.
He continues to break me, and force me to deny myself…this brings him glory, and that is His purpose and mine. Praise God.

OC Update Letter! :) Midway Point... ish! 7 weeks in, 4 to go.

2009-07-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,
I have been learning so much on project that I want to share with you how God has been using me this summer! Thank you all for thinking about me this summer, supporting me financially, and/or praying for me. It’s a long and demanding summer and it’s nice to know I have supporters back home.
I honestly can’t believe that I have already been in Ocean City for 6 weeks already! Time sure flies on project when God is showing you so much! Themed weeks, an international dinner, action group and impact group time, Bible studies, discipleship time, quiet times, date nights with Jesus, action group leader assignment, job hunting, campus time, outreaches, and constant note taking from staff. It’s awesome! I can’t imagine an environment where I could be growing with God more at this time.
Last night we had our Fourth of July outreach and we saw a couple people come to Christ! We watched a great firework show on the shores of Ocean City all together on the beach. During Killing the Giants week, we had about 5,800 spiritual conversations with people on the boardwalk, and 261 decisions for Christ in one week alone! The point of the week was to “kill the giants” we had with evangelizing. My “giants” were talking to large groups of people, speaking with older adults, and going by myself. While I was able to address all these giants, I feel like I can keep growing and learning how to be more effective at sharing my faith with people who need Jesus but may not realize it. Giving grace and feeling an urgency to share the gospel is a continual learning process for me and can be a struggle.
Getting a job is part of project requirements. I’ve had two jobs so far, but have been laid off by both bosses because of my short time commitment until August 8th. I know God has a plan for my summer, and I need to trust that He has it under control, but it’s so hard when I don’t know what my job will be or what the rest of my summer will look like. He’s teaching me reliance on Him. At one of my previous jobs, at a clothing store called Sun Island, I was able to share the Knowing God Personally booklet, which is the Gospel of the Bible condensed, with my co-worker named Eve. She is 16 years old, from Israel, and is Jewish, but does not practice the religion at all. She does not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, so I am excited to keep meeting with her this summer and inviting her to our biweekly meetings. I pray that God would reach her and her lost family through me!
God has continually been growing me in more ways than one. This Friday our entire staff will be leaving Ocean City, and all the students will be running the show! So we will have everyone acting as the Body of Christ: someone managing the bills, someone being director of the entire project, and lots of people becoming action leaders and disciplers. I take on the role of Michaela, my discipler, so I will disciple all my roommates! I find out the full extent of my job this week and I’m excited to be put in a challenging role. I’ll be growing so much and I can’t wait to see how God shows me to be a leader.
Ocean City Baptist Church is a big part of project as well, and has sponsored Ocean City Summer Project since 1967. I was lucky to be one of the four students “adopted” by Bob and Carolyn Stieger, who are part of the Baptist Church community. They have 11 grandchildren and live in Philadelphia, but come to Ocean City on the weekends during the summer. They are like our family away from home and will have us over their house frequently for lunch.
I was able to go to New York last Friday on our day off with four other project students. We took the bus from Atlantic City to New York for a roundtrip price of only $31! God was so faithful in getting us there safely and we were able to have some spiritual conversations with people on the 2am bus ride back home! One guy named AJ believed in a religion based off of “JAH” that Bob Marley originated, and another man had tattoos written in Hebrew and Arabic showing his belief in all religions. God put us on that bus to talk to these people, and it was amazing to see him work!
I can’t wait to take back what I’m learning in Ocean City, back to Chico campus, and at home. God is completely working my life and I can’t wait to grow even closer to Him!
Love, Amy
p.s. Feel free to write me letters! I would love to hear from you and would love to tell you more about project. My address is on my blog. 

Summer Project Part II

2009-07-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I miss you all. I can't believe I have been in New Jersey for over a month now, and I'm getting a little homesick! Don't get me wrong, I'm loving project - I just miss being home at all for the summer!
So I plan on having an update here on all the weeks we have done and what their themes are and what I learned each week. But it is two in the morning right now, so I will wait to post that when I can be more thoughtful. :)
But! The reason why I feel like we are getting into part 2 of project is because staff is leaving this friday! this means i take on the role of action group leader, and I get to disciple my roomies! I get to know them so much more indepth and I'm excited to develop my people skills and really know how to disciple women. I want to be able to have this skill for next year and years to come.
Also, I went to New York last Friday with 4 other students! It was amazing and I got to see the city for the first time! I think the highlight was taking the statten island ferry, seeing the statue of liberty at sunset and the city lite up. How beautiful! The bus ride back home at 2am was definately interesting and we were actually able to have some spiritual conversations with some of the passengers! New York Pictures to come up soon....
Today was awesome! I went to the farmer's market with my mansion mate, Katy. She is from UC Davis, which is awesome because she is awesome and we live so close to one another! We tried some apple and peach salsa, and peach cider. We are both from ag schools, so we appreciated the farmers market atmosphere. :) After that I had discipleship time with Michaela, which was so encouraging! She went over my strengths and weaknesses, my goals, and how I can improve as a woman. It sounds odd, but it is so helpful. Pretty much she just built me up the whole time! I'm going to miss her terribly, but I am so grateful for the amount of time she spent pouring into me! I have learned so much from her, and I can't wait to apply what she has taught me. Her and Pete have been awesome leaders! I'm really looking forward to seeing all us students step up, and getting to know my impact and action groups more!
Just watched some slumdog millionaire, and am thinking about going to bed. :) Update on my job: I got laid off, so I'm on the hunt again. Poo. But it's okay! I'm learning to go with the flow of things. JJ, one of the guys from Chico, called me saying his boss needs some extra help in her store. He works at Sun and Fun, a store that sells umbrellas, hermit crabs and such, and I will be stocking. So I have a job on Friday and Saturday! yay!! Now I just need a permanant job for the rest of the summer. Being an action group leader is going to take up a lot of my time, but it is project requirement that I have a job, plus I would like to make some extra money. So far my options are between CVS pharmacy, and WAWA, the greatest convenience store you will ever lay eyes on. Pray that I get a job!
No work tomorrow, and I get to sleep in!

Praise God.

2009-06-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

God is good. Think about it. He really is! I'm so grateful for how he provides for me! I finally got a job today! God is incredible.
I just got hired at Bennie's Bread today and I start Monday! It was such a God thing because amidst all the phone calls, walk ins, and endless applications, I felt compelled to check in on my application at Bennie's Bread. Not exactly my top choice, but it looked busy enough where I wouldn't be twidling my thumbs, and hey, I needed a job. I go up to the counter and tell Ann, my future co- worker that I wanted to check my status. I wait for the customers to clear out, and speak with Ralph, the owner. He tells me that he was just in the back rolling out bread thinking that he really could use some extra help at the bakery. And out he comes to the front, and I am looking to be hired. He said I was heaven sent! And I think that he is so right. God meant for me to have my hours cut at Sun Island, He meant for me to be proactive with the job search, he meant for me to be weary, He meant for me to rely solely on Him, and He meant for me to walk in to Bennie's Bread at that time.
I can't wait to glorify God at my job and serve Him by showing how hard of a worker I am. I believe that he will bless me with the days off that I need and the amount of money that I need for this summer and the next school year.
Thanks for reading my blog, and praying for me, and keeping track on my life. It's so encouraging to have such support back home! Continue to pray for me that I'll be strong in God's work and that this job is just what God had in mind for me!
He is everything glorious.

A Beautiful Rainy Day :)

2009-06-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

A Summer of Unexpected Abilities…
Who knew? Amy Beloved Blessed Beautiful Princess Elizabeth Geurin is in Ocean City, NJ on summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ! Oh my gosh! God is growing me in so many ways I can’t even imagine! Just a few blessings I have – I have been blessed with amazing roommates. I get along so well with all of them, but I especially connect with Liz. I look forward to getting to know Chelsea and Elizabeth more. I am blessed to have such an amazing impact group, action group, and discipler, Micheala. Glory to God! God has provided such an abundance of godly college men and women here for me to learn from, grow with, and establish friendships with, it’s impossible for me to not walk in my walk with God. Whether I’m having a meaningful conversation with someone, or finding out how they are growing in their faith, or asking them about their testimony, I’m learning so much! God works in beautiful ways.
He’s currently blessed me with a change of job. Today, I found out that my hours got cut from the clothing store I work with, so I needed to find another job! And surprisingly God gave me a peace about it and I felt like He was in control with where I end up. And he presented an incredible opportunity for me to work for my owner by babysitting her kids! It would involve me driving her kids of the island to her house three times a week, and tutoring her two middle school boys for 2 hours, and entertaining him throughout the day, and “teaching them how to be polite”, Sharon says. I really respect her and am amazed she is willing to let me drive her kids with her car to her house, and entrusting her kids lives to me for 21 hours every week. On top of that, I will be working at Sun Island on Saturdays, with a Fridays pretty much open for free days! I may take advantage of Fridays off for weekend trips to New York or Washington D.C. Word is out that some project students are going to a Philly’s game, which would be a once in a lifetime experience!
As this summer relates to having unexpected abilities, God has shown me that I’m equipped with every spiritual blessing. And that has just been an awesome reassurance that I don’t need to be anything else. I have the Holy Spirit working inside me, and He has given me everything I already need and could ever want to be a servant of God. This truth gives me full confidence and boldness to share His message to those who don’t know them. So keep that in your prayers that I would keep up with the urge to initiate with people about God, and to have that urgency that the Gospel should be shared.
This week’s theme for project is called Killing the Giants. We are “killing the giants” of the lies that Satan tells us to prevent us from sharing about God. My giant is sharing on my own with big groups or people, or people older than me. So keep that in your prayers as well! My goal is to share God with 60 people this week, which is such an intimidating number! But God put it on my heart.  So I’m excited to see how he will work with that! So far I have been blessed to have 22 spiritual conversations with people on the boardwalk, both with partners and on my own. God is growing me exponentially and I know Him more and more. My heart is sold out for God this summer and it is interesting. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me, and for the friendships he will put in my life.

i see a near revival

2009-06-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day i've been having! I am currently at the Grind Garage, an awesome coffee shop in downtown Ocean City. I've been here for a couple hours with some other people from project :) I enjoyed a blueberry coffee, and a pesto chicken panini that was so delicious! My housemate Kaylan works here, which is like the coolest thing ever! Just about everyone in the mansion now has jobs, and I am so grateful!
There is this girl named Sara who someone on project talked to from the boardwalk and she always hangs out at the Grind Garage! It's so cool to see her connecting with us and I think she even accepted Christ! There are so many crazy stories like that, and God is really using us in this city. I have had some great spritual conversations with some people on the boardwalk, but I have yet to lead someone directly to pray the prayer and accept Christ! I'm looking forward to that day.
Last night was awesome! I stayed up till 3 am with Lauren, Stephen, and Brooke. We all watched Juno together and talked for a while! It was just one of those good nights :) And to top it all off, after an amazing and spontaneous worship session in the penant room, God revealed his soverignty to us with a lightning show afterwards. I felt as though my picture was being taken by the sky- it was such a bright flash!
As for the rest of the day, I'm getting ready to take some time to spend with Jesus, and hopefully going to the beach later with my impact group!! The rest of the day is unplanned, so we'll see where the day takes me! Until next time... <3 A

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, it's about how to dance in the rain" -Unknown

2009-06-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

In case you wanted to know what my days look like in Ocean City, here is a little insight! Some of the activities vary, but here is what a typical week consists of. It's jam packed, but so much fun!!

Monday

9:00 am: Breakfast Nook
10:00 am (soon to be 9am): Work at Sun Island Clothing Store
5:00 pm: Dinner with students and staff
7:00 pm: Ocean City Baptist Church (worship and message)
9:00 pm: Free Time!

Tuesday

9:00 am: Brekafast Nook
10:00 am - 5:00 pm: Work
5:00 pm: Date Night with Jesus
8:30 pm: Evening Activities and Debrief

Wednesday- This is my day off!

9:00 am - Breakfast Nook
10:00 am - Free Time (Quiet time, hit the beach, go for a run, go out sharing)
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Discipleship Time with Michaela, my action group leader
5:00 pm - Dinner
7:00 pm - Action Group TIme

Thursday

9:00 am - Breakfast Nook
10:00 am- 5:00pm - Work
5:00 pm - Dinner
7:00 pm - Ocean City Baptist Church
9:00 pm - Free Time

Friday

9:00am - Breakfast Nook
10:00 am - 5:00pm - Work
5:00pm - Dinner on our own
Evening: Investing free time with project students

Saturday

9:00am - Breakfast Nook
10:00am - 5:00pm - Work
5:00pm - Dinner
Evening: Outreaches

Sunday

9:30am - Sunday School
10:45am - Ocean City Baptist Church
noon - Lunch on our own
Afternoon - Free time (ususally consists of grocery shopping, cleaning the mansion, updating my blog, e-mail)
Evening - Dinner with Impact Group at Piccini's or Dinner with Chico student and staff =)

Starting June 12th, I will get "adopted" by a family from Ocean City Baptist Church, Every year, families adopt Campus Crusade students and invite them into their homes for fellowship and a homecooked meal. This will happen on Sundays after church.

2009-06-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

-Week 2 of Ocean City-

2009-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

-Week 2 of Ocean City-
So I really wrote that last blog of week one on May 28th, but I couldn’t post it till today! Lack of internet connection at the mansion… So I got a job! And I had a great morning. I got hired last Thursday afternoon when we all went out searching on the boardwalk! We started out on Wednesday night, and I just took in all the places I wanted to apply, and I picked up applications at Kohr Bros, which is apparently a really good place to get frozen custard. I know it sounds gross, but Brian Barela says it’s better than ice cream and he wanted me to work there so he could get a discount. Haha Also I got one somewhere else but I can’t remember.
The next day I saw Lexi, Alexis, Lindsay, Casey, and Jen walking on the boardwalk and I asked how their job hunt was going and they said they all got hired and the same owners were looking for another girl! So I ran to the beach club (which is the clothing store they all went to), and I got hired on the spot by Shannon! Crazy! No application or anything. Wow, does God really provide. I didn’t have to go through the stressful process of applying for jobs and I’m already getting hours! I got two and a half hours yesterday and today is my day off, but I can get up to 40 hours a week at 8 dollars an hour I believe! So it’s looking good for making some money for college and a car next year.

I love my job. I think it may get slow and boring at times, but it’s great so far. This is it to the left and it’s called Sun Island! I work for a family that is from Israel and they all speak Hebrew, which I think is so neat! It sounds like a language I will never be able to understand or know, but I think it would be cool to learn. I sort of want Eve to teach me when it is slow in the shop. She is the granddaughter of Collette, who owns the shop. And then there is Gila and I’m not quite sure how she fits into the picture. She is some member on their crazy family tree. Sharon hired me, and then her cousin I believe, Idid walked me to Sun Island on my first day. She is so awesome and I’m excited to get to know her! She’s really beautiful. One of the first things she said to me was, “Get comfortable; this is your home.” And I just thought that was really cool because Ocean City is my summer home, and I will be working in this store for 40 hours a week give or take getting to know this family and talking with the mission field.

It was funny the other day I was taking a bunch of pictures of nothing, and I said, “Geez I’m such a tourist.” And my house mate, Kaylan said, “No Amy, you’re a local!” How tight to be a local in Ocean City! I could not ask for a cooler place to live. I live by the beach on an island where I can easily walk to both sides to see the ocean. I live in a mansion with twelve girls, and 85 more people are a block away in a huge inn to talk to, go to the beach with, and share in this exciting summer we have. We are each other’s family now and we are learning how to grow with each other in our walks with God. We have this amazing wraparound porch in the Ambassador Inn and I love seeing people on their taking their time with the Lord seriously. I love going on there myself especially when it’s sunny and there’s a little bit of a breeze. I really enjoy being outside when I’m having my quiet time.
Speaking of that, my morning was great! I went to the breakfast nook with Liz, my crazy twin roommate who laughs at everything just like me. We had a crazy night last night cracking up till two in the morning… haha After breakfast, I went down to the beach and found a teal box to sit on. With the ocean breeze my face, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and sand between my toes, I opened my Bible and continued on my devotional through Ephesians. I got so into it I did two days worth! I came up with a plan for my quiet time that will consist of prayer and lots of meditation. I figured out that it’s really important to sit and be still to wait on God, so that you can process all the information you just took in. I have a tendency to just go, go, go, pray, read the Bible, and not think about what I just did and how it applies to my life. I really want to focus on what God is saying to me, and really building on our intimate relationship rather than making it all habitual. So I’m very excited about organizing my quiet time! I found this great gazebo on the other side of the island that overlooks the ocean that I am thinking will be my quiet time spot. Yay!

On another side note, I love the girls that I room with! We call ourselves the twelve disciples, since there are twelve of us. However, there are five more quarter student girls coming into the mansion next weekend so we should have a full house! I hope everything works okay with shower time and space, but I’m excited to meet more girls and get to know them. My hope is that these girls will be really good friends of mine by the end of the summer. I struggle with wanting to be close to everybody on project, but I know that I don’t have enough energy to pour myself into everyone. So! I’ll mainly be focusing on the girls in the mansion. There are a lot of girls! Well I think that’s good for now. I have discipleship time with Michaela in half an hour and then time with our action groups tonight, which consist of my two roommates and Michaela! And possibly a movie night! <3 A

Ocean City Week One!

2009-06-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

I’m in Ocean City!! I can’t believe I’m here!! Woo!!! Right now it is 12:30am in New Jersey, but only 9:30 pm in California! And of course, I can’t sleep. So here I am writing in my blog! And so happy to do it because so much has happened so far.
Monday night was a blast. We got to stay at JJ’s house for convenience to the sac airport for our 6:35 am flight, and for the coolness of all being together for a sleepover before we took off as a team. We went to leatherbys for some ice cream sundaes, but I went for the French fries to mix up the flavors between salty and sweet. After a fun car ride of riding home “Viking style”, we didn’t go to bed until “midnight-thirty” and woke up at four o’ clock to leave at five.
The flight was….annoying. First bad experience with southwest. We flew into Las Vegas and that was fine, but once we got into east coast territory, there was heavy traffic and we ended up flying around in circles around Philadelphia until we had to stop in Baltimore. Patience was running thin when our “19 minute” delayed flight turned into an hour, and we ended up in Philly two hours behind schedule. This made it difficult for Eric, who is part of staff who was picking us up. He was so great! Not bothered at all that he had to wait so long and he was so helpful with our bags and getting us there. We fit almost all our luggage and 7 people into his Odyssey!! After a pit stop at the sketchy Burger King with stale Whoppers, we got into Ocean City right in time for our 10 o’ clock informal meeting. So many people! When Chico walked in, everyone was happy to see us and there was so much energy and excitement. This is my new family for the summer!
There is so much to write about what’s been going on; I’m not sure where to start! It’s been great getting to meet everybody and it’s so awesome here!! I’m staying at the Mansion, which is a block from the main house, The Ambassador. I love my roommates. Their names are Chelsea and Liz. Chelsea goes to college in Madison, Wisconsin, and is studying Psychology! She always tells people that she is not going to be a psychic, but a psychologist! Apparently she gets joked around a lot about that. Liz is the only person from Georgia and she is an education major at University of Georgia! We are actually a lot alike. She laughs at everything and has almost fallen over a couple times, or has tripped. I tripped twice today in front of her and we both laughed. I also have a third roommate Elizabeth, but she isn’t coming for another week or two because she’s a quarter student at Cal Poly. It was fun going job hunting with Liz and Chelsea today. Liz might already be hired at Shriver’s, this cute little candy store!! I’ve applied a couple places, but I’m just going to pray about it and hope for the best wherever God wants me to work! It would be great to work on the boardwalk though, for a view of the ocean and to get the most contact with tourists.
On another note, we had a killer dance party after our monkey bread social that almost broke through the floor! There were a lot of us jumping around. And another thing I love: we eat every meal on the porch! The ambassador has the sweetest wraparound porch ever! It’s such a cute blue beach house with white trim. A lot of the houses in Ocean City have at least two stories with large porches. And the weather has been great so far! Not too humid, and actually a little bit chilly with somewhat of a breeze. Got to go to the beach today and walk around on the boardwalk. What a cool place! Dipped my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, and looked at all the shells on the shore. Can’t wait to be a beach bum, and embrace God’s beautiful creation with all these new people. Fun stuff! Well it’s almost one here and I don’t want to be too worn out for the week, so I’ll sign off until next time… A

So say what's on your mind.

2009-05-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank everyone again for making my trip to Ocean City possible! God has blessed me in so many ways and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful life right now. I can't wait to see how God will provide for me this summer spiritually and how he will take me deeper to strengthen my faith. It's going to be great!!! And it's summer time, and summer always brings great things!! Lifelong friends, beachside housing, a job!, valuable conversations, roommates!, walks on the beach, sunsets, volleyball, and watermelon!
I have some exciting news for you all!! My new address for this summer! And yes, it's a new jersey address :D

Amy Geurin
c/o Campus Crusade for Christ
1301 Central Avenue
Ocean City, NJ 08226

It would completely make my day if you wrote me or would give me some encouragement or let me know that you are praying for me! I accept postcards, letters, and care packages!! :) They're greatly encouraged. haha I will have my cell phone and limited internet access, so I can be reached that way, but there is nothing like some old fashioned snail mail!! I look forward to hearing from you all and continuing to update you on my journey!

"Cause I need more time, just a few more months and we'll be fine.."

2009-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

So little time, so much to do! Ocean City is 11 days away and I am no where near ready! Lately I have been feeling so stressed out and not myself lately. Today I was feeling really frustrated and overwhelmed with all my classes, and everything I need to do before I leave for summer project. It's amazing how easily drained I can get when I have too much on my plate.
I have 3 finals to study for, including a theatre performance and a current event paper for political science that I have not started. On top of that, I am moving out of my dorm on wednesday, may 20th by 3pm, and this involves me packing up all the accumulated stuff I have gathered throughout this year, and deep cleaning my entire room! This is going to be a big task for me because I'll have to clear everything out, vaccuum, and fill in all my wall holes by myself.
On May 17th, my friend Jami from high school is getting married in Placerville and I get to be a bridesmaid! =) While I am so excited for this weekend, I can't help but think how stressful the preceding days will be and how thankful I will be to have finals week over. I won't have very much time to study for finals this weekend, which is not very good news considering I have a final on Monday, Tuesday, and two on Wednesday.
I was recently encouraged by a passage in the book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.
"Learn to relate to others through My Love rather than yours. Your human love is ever so limited, full of flaws and manipulation. My loving Presence, which always enfolds you, is available to bless others as well as you. Instead of trying harder to help people through your own paltry supplies, become aware of My unlimited supply, which is accessible to you continually. Let My Love envelop your outreach to other people.
Many of My precious children have fallen pray to burnout. A better description of their condition might be "drain out." Countless interactions with needy people have drained them, without their conscious awareness. You are among those weary ones. Take time to rest in My Presence." I will gradually restore to you the energy that you have lost over the years. Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and you will find rest for your souls."

A Beautiful Beginning...

2009-03-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am loving this whole process of relying on God to provide for my summer project. It's so incredible to have no idea how the support letter process will turn out, but is more encouraging to see the response of your growing support team. I have loved getting letters and notes from you all whether you are praying for me and my summer or are just interested in what's going on in my life. It's so refreshing to have others be concerned with my life and genuinely in favor of the summer project I'm about to go on. I think that's the part of receiving mail back from you guys that I treasure the most. So thank you for your source of encouragement and support! It makes all the difference in the world to know I have so many friends and family who so thoughtfully contribute to my life.
I'm excited to find out where this summer takes me, and even more ready to share with you all my experiences! I honestly can't wait to see where God takes me.I'm looking forward to responding to all the great feedback letters I got from you! I'll be going to Bidwell Park this weekend, to take some time reflecting on the letters I've gotten so far, and thanking you guys! It's going to be a beautiful weekend in Chico, and Bidwell park is a very beautiful place to spend some time outdoors! It's one of my favorite spots to go in Chico.
As for some information about how the preparation is coming along, we have our flight arranged!!We will be leaving on May 26th departing Sacramento airport at 6:35am. Early!!! But JJ (another student who is going to Ocean City with me!) is graciously letting us stay at his house in North Highlands the night before so we don't have to get up as early to arrive at the airport. We're lucky we have someone that lives only 15 mutes from the airport! So we will go on to stop in Las Vegas with a one hour lay over, so no time to hit the strip. =) We get back on at 9:10am and then arrive in Philadelphia at 5:15pm! We will then have to take the train from the airport to Atlantic City, and then I believe Brian ( our Campus Crusade Director) will be picking us up to take us to Ocean City, our final destination!! Atlantic City is about 20 minutes away from Ocean City. As for the way back, I'll be returning home to Placerville on August 8th leaving Philadelphia at 12:05 pm and returning to Sac at 5:45pm. Keep us in your prayers as our whole team is flying together that we will have a safe flight!!
I'm very excited to be in Ocean City for this summer! I'm already catching the summer bug because the weather has been so nice in Chico lately. The sun is out and students are already breaking out their shorts and flip flops. I can't believe I will be by the beach and working on a boardwalk right on the coast for 12 weeks! I'm very excited about the job I will have too, and am so grateful I will be getting one! God is good!
As you all may be wondering, and I am excited to tell you, I have raised $1,838!! That's 53% of my total need for Project! It's been incredible seeing God work in such a short amount of time. The first day I checked my mail when I got back in Chico, I had eleven letters roll in! It was incredbile! Looking forward from hearing back from more of you!!! 60 days to Ocean City....

Hello!

2009-02-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!!!

I'm going to Ocean City this summer and I'll be blogging to let you know how I'm doing! I'll be updating this frequently, even before I go on summer project to keep you updated on my support fund raising. I'm looking forward to writing to you and thanks so much for being a part of my summer project journey!!!

Amy