#ltsm16

I spent the second summer in a row in South Lake Tahoe, California on Cru’s summer mission there, but this time for a different reason: I went to provide childcare to the staff kids! Four of us (plus five 12- to 15-year-old helpers) cared for 34 kids aged 1 to 9 for six weeks, and I couldn’t have dreamed up a better summer job. I fell in love with the kids, spent time relaxing at the beach and hiking (which I didn’t have time to do last year), and became very good friends with my fellow babysitters (sharing a cabin has that effect) and many of the students on the mission (if you want to read in detail what that experience is like, and about the mission itself, read my posts about Lake Tahoe 2015).

This year, we studied the book of Romans and the book Fireseeds of Spiritual Awakening by Dan Hayes. I highly recommend Fireseeds to any Christian, particularly those wanting to learn more about revivals that have taken place throughout history (and even as recently as 2011!), the common threads that tie them together, and how we can see revival today, particularly on college campuses.

My main takeaway from the summer has been the equipping of my mind and heart to step up as a leader of Idaho’s Cru movement. Reading Fireseeds has been so inspirational and encouraging, and has cultivated within me a desire to see revival on my campus. God’s given me a vision of what our spiritual atmosphere could look like, and through my time this summer has equipped me to bring this into reality. And he will continue to equip me: I will use the rest of my time before school starts in August to finish reading Fireseeds, and I’ve committed to introducing praying for revival into my prayer life. No dream is too big for God: I will pray for great things to happen; God’s greatness will shine through human darkness.