CAMP!!

Hello again,

I'm trying to make it a habit of posting every one to two weeks. This past week has been filled with amazing encouragment that I am so blessed and thankful for. I just recently found out that my support was due August 1st and was freaking out about it, but through my devotionals and friends and family members God has totally put those worries aside. It's amazing!! Talking with a wonderful friend, Heather Kogler, she even said as the week has been progressing she could see the worry and nerves slowly disappear. God is sooo good!

For this next week I'll be up at high school camp with my beautiful freshmen ladies. Please be praying for them and the rest of the Rock students going up. That their hearts may be truly touched and their lives changed. Also for the leaders going up, that we may be filled with the Lord's energy and God would give us the right words to say and the right moments and that we would be open to hear God's call on our lives. Camp isn't just for students lives to be changed, but also for leaders lives to be stretched and grown also. BUT most important, we leaders need patience : ) haha so please pray for that and that we don't suddenly lose it and want to break one of our students.

I'll also be giving a presentation tomorrow morning for two great Sunday school classes at Beachpoint called Sojourners and Truth Seekers. I am definitely not gifted with words and eliquent speech..so it'll be interesting to see how that goes : )

Prayer Request:
~Continued encouragment
~Rock Students at camp
~Leaders at camp
~My presentation tomorrow for the Sojourners and Truth Seekers
~Financial support for Journey Corps
~The Journey Corps team as a whole

My encouragment:

"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." -Psalm 25:4&5
"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." -Matthew 6:34
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" -George H. Grabarkewitz (my dad..yes yes I do listen. Although it is so annoying when he says it, it totally applies haha so thanks dad)

I hope these words of truth will be encouraging to you whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed or troubled.

Thanks so much for the encouraging words this week and for taking time out to read my blog. Love you tons and until next time have a wonderful week or so.

First Update

After giving a super quick preview of what Journey Corps is I thought I should give a quick update on what is going on with my life and how I discovered Journey Corps.

Well I suppose I should start from the beginning. I have a huge passion for Africa. My passion for Africa started in high school and I told Bill Staffieiri (our then youth pastor and now senior pastor). I then started praying for the country that night. I have not a clue to why that is, why out of any country or place or people did I have such a yearning to be there. Well it's a God thing and all I know that it is from God and for some odd reason or another that is where I am supposed to be at some point in my life. Last summer I had a strong erge or calling or whatever you'd like to call it to just go! After meeting with Bill Staffieri about my erge and the numerous possibilities of finally going to Africa, he suggested that I slowed my rolls and go to the Urbana Missions Confrence in St. Louis. I think I bought my ticket that day haha. There I met a man who was from WorldVenture and he heard about my situation in school being between a JC and a 4 year college and not knowing what to major in yet and my pull towards Africa and he shared with me about a training program. Well that was the only thing that caught my interest or attention, even the programs specifially designed for Africa and Africa alone didn't pull on my heart the way the Journey Corps did. When I got home I checked them out and met with a few people on the phone and was accepted a month later.

As of now I am still in the process of raising money to go. Although it is stressful it is sooo amazing! God is totally revealing Himself in bigger and better ways than I could ever ask for or hope for. It's awesome. In just the process of raising money I am learning how to be faithful and obedient and how to just give God control of my life. It is unbelievable!!! Dude if this is what I'm learning in just the preparation to leave, OH MY! I can't imagine what He'll be revealing to me when I'm actually on my trip.

Thanks so much for checking out my blog : ) If you have any questions, comments or concerns just let me know!

A huge help right now would be prayer! I wouldn't be any where near of where I am today without it and without the people who have been praying for me. So after every blog I'll be writing a Prayer Request list and any prayers that have been answered. So if you feel inclined to be praying for me here you go : ) I would love to be praying for you also so please please please let me know specifically how I could be doing just that!

Prayer Request:

~I may be faithful in this process and obedient to His word and command on my life
~The $18,000 would come and I would be prepared to leave in just two months!!
~That I may be used for the advancement of God's Kingdom
~My life be a testimony to many
~My life become less and less and Jesus become more and more prominent in it
~and as always His will be done and His kingdom come :)

Love you all and have a great day!!!

What is Journey Corps?

Journey Corps is a one to two year cross cultural, service ministry, designed for young people to use their gifts and passions, as they live in community, learn missions, and labor together. I will be living and working with the very people whom we are ministering to. Our base is stationed in Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) West Africa. It is an awesome opportunity one of which I am so thankful to have the chance to be apart of. For any specific questions just email me at alyssagrabarkewitz@hotmail.com and the webiste for Journey Corps is http://www.myjourneycorps.com so that you can check it out and go more in depth about who and what Journey Corps is. Thanks for visiting : )