Last Week

So this is our last week in AZ! it has been amazzaaazing! i have learned so much patience and restraint this summer! i have made so many new friends that i will be very sad to leave...they have made me feel old and young all summer long and i have gained a lot of confidence in myself that i didnt have when i got here. being the second oldest out of all 11 of us (yes ladies and gents i am 21 now!) made me realize how much i have to give to those younger than me and how awesome it is to mature in Christ! i have seen myself and more importantly, others, grow so much throughout this experience and it is a blessing. God truly had His plan when He brought me out here and i will always remember the enthusiam that can change the course of a VBS or the smile that can make a room brighter! Faith anf faithfullness are really taken for granted out here and finding a church and church body that has been around for many many years is not possible. most if not all of the churches are 50 years or younger and the "church" mentality we are born with in the south just doesnt exist here. its been eye-opening to see children in the US who dont know how to find chapters and books in the Bible and who come face to face with cult activity everyday. The diversity here has really shown me that everywhere is ministry and truly everyone needs Jesus. There are so many unreached right in our backyard; all we have to do is make the effort to find them! i havent kept up with this blog or really anything all summer due to business and Gods wonderful sense of humor, but thanks to all those who call and write to me...it really means a lot to know that i am not forgotten at home! All for Him, Courtney

AZ the sunshine state

So i have been here for two weeks and it has been amazing beyond compare! orientation was so great, with meeting the craziest team ever and going around AZ like we owned the place...my first week was with Tali, who is now def a sister of the heart! we were by ourselves in Queen Valley, which is a retirement community, and there was absolutely no cell phone service! lol i know, i know, a tragedy! haha no really it was nice not having to worry about our phones and we could just focus on God and the people around us He put in our paths! we did a VBS for the few children in the community and i think they enjoyed it a lot! we were there for the community as well as the children. we rode around in a golf cart and talked to people like we had lived there our whole lives! it was great! we got really close to our host mom and she def was a blessing! God showed us so many example of faithfullness that first week, i know He was preparing us for the rest of the summer! My second week has been a blast! my host family are awesome! ms Holly is so real and so independent, i love just talking to her. i have learned so much from just her life and then i start talking to all the other people at VBS and its so amazing! i realized how important VBS is to drawing children in and making it fun and easy for them to know Jesus! im humbled all the time that God is using me here for His glory! it so easy here to walk up to people and say," hi my name's Courtney and im from SC" its a great convo starter and since im putting myself out there, people will open up to! when u have nothing to lose, courage is easy to come by! God is changing how i see the world everyday and slowly but surely im coming around to His way of thinking! everyone wants to be loved and when we realize that its a whole lot easier to give them a smile or hug and ask how their day was. "Everyone you meet is going to spend eternity somewhere."

Before i go...

Hey ya'll! so i leave tomorrow morning for the most awesome of awesome trips of my life! God is going to work in HUGE ways and i am completely humbled and awed that He is allowing me the opportunity to witness His Amazingness! I get to tell all those beautiful children of God that He loves them! How awesome is that?! im packing like crazy and the stress is starting to creep up on me, but i KNOW God is going to provide everything i need to do His will! Next time you hear from me ill be in AZ smiling my way across the state! Everything for Him, CQ