Hit the Ground Runnin'

It has been a very busy couple of days since my arrival at SMP. Thursday we arrived around 5pm eastern time, signed in, paid rent, and unpacked. We had a social that evening which was a lot of fun. 

The very next day started at 7 am with a morning spent with God. The activities were not far behind, at 9am we started orientation which consisted of 2 sermons from 2 different leaders in Campus Outreach(CO) about studying the Word and evangelism. We then had lunch, then found out where we work at Dollywood. I will be working at Red's Diner, which is a 50's diner. After that we had some social time, then another sermon from our head leader Mike Jackson. He talked to us about humbleness and about submission to authority. Two things I really need help with, if you know me, I dislike Brentwood cops because of their abuse of power. But Mike told us that it is God's will for us to submit to authority, unless it directly contradicts God's will. We will be blessed for these humble actions.

Saturday consisted of the best orientation I have ever had. Dollywood is a Christian theme park with Christian goals and values. The people that work there and in management are amazing and Christian as well. We started out getting our costumes, then we went to check out the park, which consisted of riding the rides and getting some free food. Yea, it was awesome! But God really convicted me that He wants me to not only evangelize to me coworkers but to show Christ to the people we are serving. 

That evening we had our first Discipleship Group meeting(D-Group). Our leader, an older student, took us to Outback for a steak dinner on him. It was awesome and I was very humbled to accept the free meal. We then had an awesome time playing free mini-golf, because of the awesome benefits Dollywood gets us. Needless to say, it has been an awesome time so far.

Today was a time where I pretty much just spent time with God, rested and read the Word. We went to church in the morning and evening, but I felt like I needed to spend more time with God. The Holy Spirit really revealed a lot to me and hopefully I can come through on these convictions this summer. I am learning so much about myself and my Christian walk, and it is just day 3. I know this summer is going to get even better. Please continue to pray for me, that I may gain every ounce that I can from this trip. Thank you so much for your support and prayers I cannot tell you how much I appreciate them.

Your Growth Spurting Brother in Christ,

Lane