Charleston in a Nutshell

Dear Amazing Supporter,

Where do I even begin? I journeyed to Charleston, South Carolina on June 1, 2016. My initial reaction was that it was hot and I had no idea what the summer was about to unveil before me. My emotions were heightened and my heart was pounding. I took a leap of faith as I said goodbye to my parents and hello to over 40 new faces. I never could have imagined that these faces would change my life for the better. Three people that I treasure dearly are my roommates: Emma Carson, Taylor and Angelica. They have been a major blessing in my life and I regard them as my lifelong friends and forever sisters in Christ. I am so incredibly glad I met them and had the opportunity to serve God side by side with them. They taught me to not be so focused on the small things, but to look at the big picture. The big picture that God is in complete control of our lives and the only way we are saved is through having a relationship with Him. In my second semester at Ball State, I was accepted on the Charleston summer mission and I had to trust in God that all $3,500 of my support would come in. I am happy to say that I was fully supported and that is all thanks to you and God’s provision. There were definitely times when I doubted the process and was confused as to why God wasn’t providing all the funds when I wanted them to be met. This journey pushed me out of my comfort zone in ways I could not even imagine.

For instance, our group of 28 students were split up into five different teams: outreach, community, operations, worship and prayer. I was on the outreach team for the summer. Our job was to plan out evangelical or service-style events where the summer mission team could go out and make an impact on the Charleston community. I had no idea how hard of a job that would be until after our first outreach. We had to split up our group into two teams, one at Battery park and one at Waterfront pier. The eight of us on the outreach team had decided to give everyone spiritual surveys that would be a great tool to use when walking up to people. My discipler, Erin, and my bible study buddy, Becca, and I were stationed at the Battery. The very first people we walked up to was a loving couple who are from the Charleston area and were extremely open to us and our intentions walking up to them. The woman conveyed to us a deep, spiritual background in which she was raised and continues to raise her children in. She was very forthcoming with details about her life and relationship with God. She gushed over not only her children, but also the way God has shown himself even through the hardships in her life. On the other hand, the man was a little more reluctant to release information about his spiritual background and life up until now. What made the biggest impact on me, though, was the pure fact that the man was paying attention to us as we shared the “Knowing God Personally” booklet. The root of this booklet is simply how much God loves us and gave His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins, and that He came down to us to be our Savior. I have definitely struggled with this same concept in my daily life. Why did God die for our sins? Why does he love me? How do you really know? All of these questions became less vague to me as the eight and a half weeks flew by.

Love. Love unconditionally. Without any strings attached. Love like God loves us. Love even when you don’t feel loved. The world is doused in darkness, that is until you realize that the light is dictated by love. Christ died on the cross for us because of His overwhelming love and grace for us. God gave up His one and only son because of His unconditional love for every saint and sinner. Charleston was/is a city of darkness. I was amazed by the culture in this beautiful city. Even though there was a church on every corner, the pain and anguish echoed through the streets after all the shops had closed at six o’clock. You would probably think that the realm of the city is only just beginning when the sun fades and the moon shines. In a way, yes it does. We witnessed a moonlit wedding in a stunning garden area, as well as gazed at fireworks flying off the naval ship into the night sky. It is both exciting and saddening to see the very evident freedoms that we have here in the United States, whereas others do not. The freedom to choose to marry the person whom you love, and to celebrate the independence day of our great nation. However, our country is not and has not always been full of love and happiness. The people I met and the stories I heard were both disturbing and enlightening. Part of our mission was to work alongside Charleston locals. I had the opportunity of working at Michaels Art and Crafts with some pretty incredible people. I would be lying if I said it was an easy job. I was amazed each and every day not only by my coworkers, but the children and parents that I interacted with during kids camp. A few of the children I met wound up teach me way more than I taught them. They are filled with curiosity, love, and are extremely genuine. In a world ripe with hatred and anguish, children are glimmers of light, that if not cultivated will burn out. Summer of 2015 there was a racially-instigated shooting in an all black church in Charleston. Some might know it as the Emmanuel 9. Summer of 2016 the shooting in Orlando began to open old wounds that haven’t completely healed. One of the kids’ father, from kids camp, began to tear up as he recounted the story of each person affected by Emmanuel 9 forgive the shooter. It was heart-wrenching to hear the struggles and details of this unbelievable event. My life as a young woman from the Indiana suburbs seemed miniscule compared to the world I was in right then. People in our own backyard were struggling with the same issues as someone halfway around the world. There was one service outreach that my group went to called “Under the Bridge.” My heart broke watching all the men and women that came for the warm cooked meal and worship music. It was so simple, yet incredibly powerful. Every week a new church would come with food and a small sermon and music to reach out to these people who were down on their luck. I can recall one man standing up after he was finished with his food, then he rose his hands high to give glory to God in the highest. Even through all the pain and struggles, he was a continual witness for God. I admire this man. He has the courage to stand rooted in Christ, even after all the bad events in his life. It took me nineteen years to fully recognize the presence of God that I needed in my life. The people of Charleston probably changed me more than I did them. They helped strengthen my love and relationship with Christ each and every day that I was in the holy city.

I could go on and on about how the people I met in Charleston changed my life, but there were a few special mentors that taught me, so that I could in turn teach others. In a lesson about adulthood and responsibility, one point that definitely stood out was learning that there is no arrival point, everything is still just a journey. I am in a time of my life where everything is just one big transition. The transition from teenage girl to adult woman, from high school to college, from small time to big time. Everything is now on a much grander scale. It isn’t what do you want to major in. It is what kind of job are you going to get in a couple years once you graduate. All of these questions are extremely daunting and I thought I would have all the answers once I matured and got further into college. But sadly no, I just became more fretful and delirious. My summer mission to Charleston helped clarify a lot of these things for me. For instance, I am less worried about what won’t be, and am more excited about what could be. I am quick to go to God for guidance, rather than meandering in my own self pity. I now know that we should not wait around for God to make all these grand gestures, without being content in the day to day mundane of life. I tried to live this way over the past six months. It is incredible the results God has showed me. My eyes would be opened and my voice slow to speak as I heard the incredible stories my coworkers told me about their lives and the struggles they have gone through. I was amazed by the strength they had to carry on after such tragedies. One coworker recounted a story about how she use to be a 911 operator and a frantic dad called about his baby not being able to breathe. She shared every detail of that heartbreaking phone call. I had tears at the brink of sliding down my awe-struck face as she told me the baby was long gone and there was nothing the father, EMT’s, nor she could do. After finishing her story, she turned to me and said how glad she was not in that field of work anymore, simply because of the toll it takes on you. If this is the type of stories I hear in the United States, I can’t even imagine what it would be like for those in East Asia or Africa. I felt compelled to continue talking with her about my faith and how it lead me to where I am to see if she felt the same way. Sadly, I did not get much traction as she had to go back to the frame shop to assist customers. Without this experience, though, I never would have had the strength to continue talking to my coworkers and friends not only in Charleston, but back here in Indiana about God and His great love and mercy he bestows on each and everyone of us. I learned in nearly every experience this past summer that “Christ is an avalanche of faith,” and that we cannot always control where it leads us. Sometimes it will send us down a super scary path that we do not always want to take, but we know we should. These pathways allow us to plant seeds along the way in which others can continue to water until they bloom into beautiful creations of Christ. I could keep writing about all the conversations I had, the late night adventures and jam sessions my group did, and the people I met. I want to stop here and say thank you again for allowing all of this to be possible, and for the love and encouragement you gave me continuously. I would love to talk more with each and every one of you, so if you would like you can call me at (317) 625-6214 for more details about my life altering summer and how it still affects me six months after the fact. Thank you and I love you all! God bless!