NMB day 1 & 2

I'm in North Myrtle! It's only been 3 days (including travel time) and I feel like there's so much I want to share!

Seven cars road tripped from the Dakotas/Twin Cities and picked up a few Wisconsinites along the way (like me!). We left at about 4-5 on tuesday and drove straight through the night and I rode with John (NDSU) and Michelle (UW-Steven's Point). I'd say we got to know each other pretty well in the 22 hours that we were together. There was a lot of "what's your favorite ______ ?" I learned a lot of fun and random facts but we were able to talk about Jesus so openly and on such deep levels. I normally do well when meeting people, but knowing that I was going to be meeting 90+ people was a little nerve-wracking. Getting to know John and Michelle appeased the anxiety a bit :) So thanks guys! Anywho...we didn't run into any trouble with cars and we didn't get lost either! Fortunately, our car didn't have a ton of stuff. We were able to turn the backseat into a little bed! 2 pillows + comforter + Jenny = 7 hours of sleep! And the last 20 minutes of the car ride before we arrived consisted of us (mostly John) getting really restless to just get there. But we finally arrived on Wednesday at about 3pm. After registration and settling into the apartment, a few people went to the beach...which was of course wonderful :) From there, we ate dinner as a project at the park.

It's incredible how quickly I have fallen in love with my team. The staff, my roommates, my bible study...I love them all. Shortly after consuming burgers, salad, ho-hos and nutty bars, we all played a game called "The Amazing Pace." Which yes, is like the Amazing Race. There were 5 places we needed to find. We all started in one place and got different clues to each of these places. Someone called it "an intense scavenger hunt" which it was. We had someone throw up from running too much. Eek! But nonetheless...it was fun. Our director (Gary) said that even if someone got sick...we were doing it for the Lord...and it pleased Him. Funny as it sounds, I totally agree with Gary! I'm so ready to dive into this summer and worship Him in all that I do. I'm sure there will be days where I will want to leave and will make some mistakes. But I truly believe that with the power of the Holy Spirit and trusting God, I won't leave with any regrets and will consider this summer one of the best summers of my life...even if it is hard...because the hard things are the best growing experiences and always bring you closer to Jesus.

Last night, Michelle, myself and a few others went outside and sat down to play guitar/sing when these 3 guys came up to us and said "can we listen?!" I thought they were part of the project but they soon told us that they were graduated seniors who came to NMB to came for a vacation. Their names were Josh, Ryan and Shay. As more people joined the group, these three men started asking questions about what why we were here and what we'd be doing. This is where some bold men on the project stepped up and engaged in a sweet spiritual conversation. While I wasn't actually a part of the conversation, I sat along and played my guitar with others and sang. When I could, I listened in on the conversation and heard what Josh understood to be how someone enters heaven. He has the head knowledge and said that he loves the Lord. I believe that with my heart but it seemed like he was trying to say that he hasn't had any fruit from that love. Shay came from a Lutheran background and considered himself and doesn't believe in God. However, due to his need for acceptance, the disbelief in God comes from what thsoe around him and what the world tells him he should/should not believe. Meaning, he believes that he has conformed to what those people believe so that he will be liked/approved of/etc. We all hung out til about midnight and when these guys left, phone numbers were exchanged, hugs were given and we invited them to come back tonight! The 5 of us that were still around when they left were able to pray for them and ask the Lord to continue to work in their lives. So please pray that they do come back :) I could say so much about these guys....but it was an incredible way to end the first day and I'm so glad I'm finally here :)

Email/call/text/write if you want!
(don't use the first one I put in the first blog!)

Jenny Vang
205 2nd Avenue South
North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

Things to pray for:
-Job for the team
-Developing deep and sincere friendships based on the Lord
-Boldness as we do outreaches (first one tonight!)
-Those we'll talk to on the beach
-That the team would be broken for the people we'll encounter.
-Most of all...pray that we would each walk closely with the Lord and trust Him