Kaleo: Week 8!!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well we have now entered the final week of Kaleo....
It's kind of bitter sweet knowing that its over.  But, I can honestly say I've had the best summer ever!  It wasn't always easy or fun but I wouldn't have wanted to spend my summer any other way!

Week 8 consisted of lots of rain, which meant for some very busy days at work.  And for me it consisted of car troubles.  My car has been through a lot this summer and finally bit the dust, but thankfully the people of Niceville are really nice (no pun intended) and I got it all taken car of and she's running like a race horse!

Minus the car and work stress of this week it was overall a great week!
We got to spend some times in seaside which is always fun, and of course we got to spend some quality hours on the beach!

Evangelism this week was absolutely AMAZING!!!! Each week when we go out to the beaches I also go to the person who is already a believer but still doesn't fully understand the gospel which does bring its challenges, but most of the time we show them the bridge and move on to someone else.  This week was different.. me and a girl named Christian went up to these two women, one my age and the other was an older lady.  We ended up sitting and talking with them for almost 2 hours!!! they were both so incredible and we were able to share our testimonies and hear theirs.  Their love for Christ was so visible in their lives.  Both of them had gone through some really tough times and they were able to remain strong in their faith and find hope in God which was incredible to hear and see how God is working in other peoples lives.

God has done and is continuing to do amazing things in my life.  I can't wait to see what he throws at me after Kaleo is over but I know I'm ready to head back to campus and share the gospel with others!

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Kaleo: Weeks 6 & 7!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Week six was a week for the books!!  It's starting to sink in that the summer of my life is almost over and I'm really sad about that. (I’m pretty sure I talk about being sad that Kaleo is almost over in every blog post…sorry)  This week though was a fun one for sure!! It was the fourth of July and we spent it in seaside!  Seaside has become one of my favorite places to go this summer! We got to walk around and eat at one of my favorite food trucks down there, The Meltdown.  Then we got to watch the most amazing firework show on the beach!  This week also marked a monumental moment for me…I had my first waffle house experience haha!! Abby and me decided to treat us to an all-star special Sunday morning before church!  I have to say that I am now a waffle house lover!

Week seven we had mission’s conference! I was kind of dreading it… I was excited because it meant a short work week and a long weekend but I was quick to judge what would happen that weekend.  Going into missions conference I was convinced that all that they were going to talk about was the StuMo team in India and try to recruit us to go to India with them next summer blah blah blah.  But no it was nothing like that.  I learned so much about what it means to be a missionary and how missions got started in the United States and a lot of history behind mission work.  Todd Aaron was our speaker for the weekend and he was INCREDIBLE!!  

I can not think everyone who helped me get here enough!  Because of generous friends and family I have been able to grow in my relationship with  Christ, watch others grow, and learn so much more than I ever thought I could learn about the gospel and what is looks like to share my faith.  I've made so many new friends, and even more unforgettable memories this summer!

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Kaleo: Week 5!!

Dear Family and Friends,

It's crazy to think week 5 has come to an end!! I only have 10 more days of work and three more weeks at Kaleo!! This week was a really fun week. We had our big Kaleo dance party!!  All the D-groups got paired together and were given a letter and you had to dress according to whatever letter you had.  My group had the letter H so we did H is for heroes and all dressed up like different super heroes!

H is for Heroes!

The dance party was for sure one of the biggest highlights of this summer! It couldn't have come at a more perfect time!  I was feeling really run down and exhausted from the long work days, but the dance party was a real recharger to keep everyone going through these last few weeks of Kaleo!

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Kaleo: Picture night!

Dear Friends and Family,

The other day after work we had a chance to get the whole Kaleo Destin crew together for a group picture on the beach.  The Destin project of Kaleo is students from the University of Arkansas, University of Central Arkansas, Missouri State University, and Northeastern State University.  After we finally got everyone posed for a group picture we all just started taking random pictures so I thought I would share some of those pictures as well as some random pictures from the past week.

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Polo crew!

Just a little roomie love!

she'll forever be my favorite dolphin!

alpha tri delta pi????

Ben Rector concert!

Ben Rector!!

StuMo nights and Dylan's photobomb!

Love my Chi O's!

Love my Michelle!

Diamond love!

Kaleo: Week 5!

Dear Friends and family,

As week 5 of Kaleo comes to an end I've started to realize how quickly its gone by.  Thinking about how there are only four weeks left makes me really sad! I'm going to miss living with Abby and Michelle in our cute little condo at Bluewater Bay and eating dinner together, I'm going to miss my morning car rides to work with Elaine and Hannah, and our jam sessions we have! Its hard to believe in four short weeks Kaleo will be over.

This week it really hit me how much I'm missing home and how much I miss my friends and family.  I Dont want Kaleo to end, but I want to be home with my friends and family.  If only there was a way to combine Kaleo and being at home.  I love getting to be a Florida native for the summer but I sure do miss Arkansas! (WOW I never thought I would say that!)  Even though I've been feeling a little home sick lately I know for a fact that this is the plan that God had for me this summer, and when its over I cant wait to go home and share the gospel with my friends, my sorority sisters, and my family.

If you remember please keep us Kaleans in your prayers this week.  We need prayers for strength to make it through the long work days, courage to share the gospel this week, and prayers just that we continue to learn and grow in these last four weeks.

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Kaleo: Week 3 & 4!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

The past two weeks have been crazy busy!! we finally got into a daily routine! But, what was really exciting about last weekend was that we had our relationships conference.  Relationships conference was so amazing!!!  We had amazing speakers and we got to hear from some of the married couples that are on staff with StuMo.  My favorite part was when we had one of the girls break out sessions and we got to sit and listen to some guys talk about guys in relationships.  We also got the chance to ask them questions which was really cool to pick their brains about relationships.  What relationships conference taught me was what a relationship looks like when you follow Christ and put him first, and for both people in the relationship to have that close personal relationship with Christ and then to start a dating relationship.

Its hard to believe that this week marked the half way point of Kaleo!!! I feel like I just got here yesterday!  Im having the best summer of my life and I dont want to leave, but Im ready to see my family when Kaleo is over!  I miss them so much and its been hard being away from them.  I know that I'll get to see them in a few short weeks which makes me really excited but sad at the same time because it means Kaleo is over!

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Kaleo Week 2!

Dear Family and Friends,

                   As week two of Kaleo comes to an end I have to say that this summer just keeps getting better and better!!! I didn't think it was possible for it to get better.  Probably the most fun this week was that we had two surprise parties this week here at Kaleo!  One for my friend Hannah who I work with and one for Tiffany, a d-group leader!  So something i've learned is that here at kaleo we really like birthdays and surprises! We had a blast getting everyone together to celebrate this week!  My wonderful mother also sent me a starbucks and a panera gift card which made for a great week considering the fact that I haven't received my first paycheck yet so i'm living off raman and peanut butter sandwiches!

Hannah's 19th Birthday surprise party!!!

                  This week started out just like last with evangelism training.... Evangelism is such a scary thing to me, but for me personally it is one of the areas that I want to grow in most while i'm at Kaleo this summer.  This week I was paired with my friend Abby who is in my d-group and we are roommates for the summer!  Me and Abby clicked instantly and always have so much fun together so I was excited to get to share with her.  This week the first two people we talked to were two older ladies and as we were sharing the gospel with them it was clear that they had both come to know Christ and were very strong in their faith.  After we were finished sharing the bridge diagram they hit us with some hard questions!  Which was exciting and challenging because we were being taught while we were sharing the gospel to these ladies.  then we shared with two girls who were about a year younger than Abby and I, and they were really encouraging.  They told us that they thought what we were doing was awesome and that we were encouraging to them.  Then we talked to possibly the most real woman we could have picked out of everyone on the beach.  She was so open and so honest with us, which for us we are always really nervous and we never know what to expect from people so for her to be so open and honest was absolutely amazing!

taking a little beach evangelism break with a selfie!

                   This week at StuMo we talked about hell which I feel like is sometimes an avoided topic just because people are scared of it and the reality of hell.  The whole sermon was about facing the reality, the reality of time and the reality of hell.  Then Brent our speaker for the night kept repeating something that stuck out in my mind and that was that reality requires a response.  His message was really powerful and deep and really put into perspective that even though we already know hell is a very real place, but that if you don't come to know christ you will spend eternity there and that is not a place you want to spend eternity in.

 

StuMo night with Natalie!

                   

With some of my favorite Polo co-workers!

                   

                Work this week was tough.  It's tough waking up early, I work 8-9 hours everyday, and working at polo is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I did get lucky in the fact that I love everyone I work with and me and all the Polo girls have really bonded and become best friends!

              tonight me and my d-group went and just sat on the beach and talked which got me really excited for this weekend since it's d-group weekend and I absolutely can not wait to spend the weekend away from Niceville with my group and relax and just to grow closer to them and spend quality time with them.


              


In Christ,

Mary Kate

         

Romans 6:23

Dear Friends and Family,


               Today I was wanting to share with everybody the one verse diagram we share when we go out and do beach evangelism.  Beach evangelism was probably one of the most terrifying things I've ever done.  I was super nervous and I wasn't really sure what to expect from people.  Lucky for me I got paired with my D-group leader Michelle, who is an experienced veteran is sharing this diagram.  Being paired with her made me a little less nervous because I knew she would ease my nerves and really help me and guide me.  So we got to the beach and I was nervous but really excited to share Romans 6:23!! here is the diagram that we call the bridge diagram.

When we share this we start off by having the person read the verse aloud and then we break it down word by word.  We start off with wages and talk about how a wage is something you earn, for example when you work you get paid a wage.  You have to work in order to receive the wage.  Then we go to sin and sin goes in the middle of the diagram because it separates us from God.  Next is death, we discuss if they think it is a spiritual death or a physical death.  Its a spiritual death because a spiritual death is a death apart from God.  Then we talk about how a gift is free, a gift isn't something we have to pay or work for, for example we don't have to wash the car or do the dishes to get our birthday presents.  Next is God and eternal life. Without God in your life you do not have eternal life.  Then we ask them if they have or would like to receive Christ today.  Most people either say they already have or some people will say no.  This summer I hope I am able to lead someone to Christ just by sharing the bridge diagram with them. 

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Kaleo Week 1

Dear friends and family,

I've only been in destin for a week and I'm already having the time of my life! They weren't lying when they told us that coming to kaleo would be the summer of my life! This week has been an absolute blast!

On Monday we had our first evangelism training and then we got to go to the beach and share the one verse bridge diagram. We shared the verse Romans 6:23, "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Me and my Dgroup leader Michelle got the chance to share together, and even though it was scary and nerve wracking to walk up to people on the beach I really enjoyed it. One of my personal goals for the summer was to be able to build my confidence in sharing my faith with others, and even though I've only done it once I can't wait to go out again and share the gospel.

On tuesday we had our first day of work! It was a very long and tiring day I absolutely LOVE my job and all my coworkers!! Then that night we had our first Dgroup night where we cook dinner together and have a bible study with just the four of us which is really awesome for us to get to spend that time together.


On Wednesday night we had inductive training which is where we basically take a section of Colossians, which is the chapter we will being doing this summer, and break it down word for word, verse by verse and really get deep into the word.

Thursdays are my favorite day and not only because I don't have to go to work until noon, but it's also StuMo night! Back in Fayetteville StuMo is possibly one if my favorite parts of my week so the fact that we get to have StuMo here at kaleo is amazing!

Prayers are still needed and appreciated while we are down here. So far this is the best summer of my life and I can't wait to see how much I grow in these nine short weeks.

In Christ,

Mary Kate

Au Revoir!

Hi Family and Friends,

Today is the day I finally get to leave for Kaleo and to say I am excited is an understatement, I'm ECSTATIC!!!!!!  The car is loaded and today I will head down to Destin Florida for nine weeks!

The past month has been a whirlwind.  I finished my freshman year of college....hallelujah for that....I said goodbye to all of my new best friends I've made this year, and the best part of this past month was meeting my D-group.  My D-group are the other three girls I will be living with this summer!  I remember when I got the call from my D-group leader Michelle, I knew before I even officially met her that she was going to be such a blessing in my life.  I was so excited to finally get to meet Abby, Michelle, and Natalie, the girls I was going to be spending nine weeks with.  The first time we met we spent hours just talking about everything!  I instantly knew that these girls are going to become three of my very best friends!  I have only known these girls for a short time but I already know that they are going to be such a blessing and a light in my life.

Abby, Me, Michelle, and Natalie

As the month went on God continued to answer more and more prayers!  I prayed and prayed that God would provide me with the support I needed to be able to go to Kaleo, and with the help of so many amazing family and friends I received more support that I could every ask for!  I can not say thank you enough for everyone who has helped to support me in going to Kaleo!  Then yesterday as I was packing my suitcase I got even more good news that I got a job at the Polo Outlet!!!  The call came at the perfect time,  I was getting really stressed about job hunting in Destin.  I prayed about it and God answered more prayers for me!  I'm really excited to start working next week and to meet all my new co-workers.                                

Thank you so much for everyone who has supported me!  Please keep me and the other students from every campus in your prayers and we all head to our locations in the next couple of days.  I can't believe that Kaleo is finally here, I'm going to miss everyone from home so much, but I know God is going to do some amazing things for me at Kaleo.

In Christ,

Mary Kate

The Final Countdown.....

Hi friends and family,

          Its hard to believe that in 2 weeks I will be done with my freshman year of college.  This year has been so full of up, and downs, friends, laughter, and tears, but in the end it was such an awesome freshman year Im almost sad to see it end.  I'll miss dorm life and living next door to all my best friends.  What I will not miss is the community bathrooms. With this year ending that means new adventures are ahead. I cant believe that after all this time and preparation in 5 short weeks I will load up my car and head down to Destin for 9 weeks.  The closer it gets the more anxious I get about going.  I know it will be hard being far away from home and not getting to see my family for 9 weeks, but I know for a fact that it will all be worth it.  I couldnt think of any other way to spend my summer other than diving into the word of God and learning and growing so much.  Not only will I be able to learn so much and grow in my own faith, but I'll get to share my faith with others.
           Please continue to keep me and the other students going to any of the Kaleos this summer in your prayers.  May 22nd will be here before I know it!! There is still so much I have to do before I take off to Destin.  Im still job searching and still working on getting sponsors, and raising money to go.  Im so close to $2500 which makes me feel so excited and so overwhelmed by the number of people helping me raise money for Kaleo.  I cant say thank you enough!

In Christ,
Mary Kate

God's Love

Hey Friends and Family,

               This year coming up to Fayetteville I was always thinking about what church I was going to go to.  Back home I attend New Life Church, and I absolutely LOVE it! Going to New Life each week is so amazing.  The people always have smiles on their faces, the pastors are awesome about speaking on topics that target all ages, and the community and love for God at this church is incredible.  When I came up to Fayetteville I had heard of a couple of churches that would be similar to my church back home, one of those churches was Cross Church Fayetteville.  I have been obsessed with Cross Church since day one.  It is very much like New Life which instantly made me feel right at home.  On Wednesday nights at Cross we have C3, which is for college aged kids.  I love everything about C3, the praise and worship to Noe, the college pastor.  This week at C3 we talked about God's Love for us, a very simple topic, but its not something we often truly take the time to think about.  Lately at C3 we have been discussing really deep and tough topics.  So this week Noe wanted to take a break from some of the heavier topics and talk about something that I think all of us need to be reminded about.
              God's Love for us is so much greater than any of us realize.  We followed 1 John 4:7-21.  In these verses alone the work LOVE is used 21 times, and uses the statement "God is LOVE" 2 times.  How much God loves us is incredible and it is an incredible feeling to know that he loves us so much, even though we are so undeserving of his love.  The Noe talked about 1 Corinthians 13:4-13,

-"⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

If that is God's LOVE, why do we not reflect that in our own lives?

God is fully committed to us! God doesn't take a day of or even an hour, minute, or second off from loving us.  He is all we need to be complete, we don't need anyone to make us complete when we have God, because with him we have all the LOVE we need.

I hope everyone is as amazed by God's love for us as I am!

In Christ,

Mary Kate

God is GOOD

Hi Friends and Family!

           Wow is all I have to say.  I am so overwhelmed by the support I have received thus far for Kaleo.  I never imagined that so many people would sponsor me.  I have reached a little over half way to my goal of $2500 to attend Kaleo.  At this point I never imagined I would be over half way there.
            With my freshman year of college coming to an end and Kaleo getting closer I starting to hunt for jobs.  I have checked into several places, but I am really hoping to get a job a Publix which is one of the grocery stores in Destin or at one of the resorts in Destin.  I really want to work at the outlet mall at a cute store there, but knowing me I'll spend all of my hard earned money from working shopping everyday!  Sadly shopping is my weakness.  The perk to working at Publix or a resort is that there isn't anywhere for me to spend my money on frivolous things.
             Through this whole experience of applying for Kaleo and being accepted and sending out sponsorship letters I have learned how good God really is and how he places people in our lives to help us and guide us where we need to go.  I have also learned that I have some amazing family and friends in my life whom I am so so so thankful for.  I don't think anyone truly understands how thankful I am for all the support and prayers as I take on something completely new.  I can't say thank you enough to all of my family and friends.  So THANK YOU again!
             Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I work towards raising the rest of my funds to attend Kaleo, and as I begin the job hunt.  Also pray for the rest of this semester, and that I make it through finals and moving out of my dorm.

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

In Christ,

Mary Kate
             

Welcome to my blog!

Hi everyone!
Im super excited to start this blog so that everyone who helped sponsor me in my trip to Kaleo can keep up with what I'm up to and what I'm learning this summer.  I'm so excited to share this journey with you all and I hope that you all enjoy reading my blog and finding out what I'm up to.  I head down to Destin May 22nd, Im hoping to secure a job before I head down there.  Nine weeks is going to be a long time to be away from my family, but I know everything that I will learn I will be able to take back home to share with my friends and family. I hope to grow in my Faith and be able to be more confident to share my Faith with others.  Im so excited to head down to Destin and meet so many new life long friends.  Thank you all so much for your support and I hope you enjoy my blog!

~Mary Kate