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