Let's Catch Up....

Welcome to the first posting of Stephanie's Scrapbook! I'm hoping that you will enjoy reading about my adventures in Missoula and beyond. I'm praying that through this blog you will feel even more connected to what God is doing at the University of Montana and beyond.

But first, let's catch up....I wanted to share some pictures from my summer adventures with you. As you might know, I work with Campus Crusade for Christ and spent this last summer on a summer project in Lake Tahoe! I know what you're thinking, "Wow, what a cool way to spend the summer months!" I felt so blessed this summer and God really refreshed my heart through the students I worked with and the other staff I learned from.

Wait a second...what's a summer project? Good question (always feel free to stop me when I'm getting ahead of myself :) )! Summer projects are short term mission trips through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Students can pretty much go anywhere in the United States and overseas. For summer projects spent overseas, students go to a location for about 6 weeks, with a team of Crusade staff and other college students and they learn about the culture, engage with people, and share about Jesus with others. Stateside summer projects, like Lake Tahoe, are a bit different. Students spend about 10 weeks in a location in the U.S. They get jobs in the community, participate in personal development, and do outreaches where they can share about Jesus with others. This summer 69 students came to Lake Tahoe. They got jobs at places like McDonalds, Taco Bell, local hotels, KMart, Jamba Juice, Cold Stone, and others. They learn how to share their beliefs in the context of natural relationships and get to earn some money as well. During the week in Lake Tahoe, there were things planned to help students grow in their personal walk with God and we also did things in the community to serve and share about Jesus. This is where the Crusade staff come in. For the first 5 weeks we are doing ministry alongside the students then we hand over the responsibilities to them and they are "in charge" for the last 5 weeks! These projects are often considered "greenhouses" for students' faith as God uses this time to really develop and refine them. So, does that information help?

Okay, so I know you're probably really wanting to see more pictures. Aside from all the cool stuff I saw God do in the lives of students, Tahoe is just a beautiful place to experience God's creation. I also learned a lot from the 25 other Crusade staff that I got to live with, work with, and play with. It was so fun! Here are some pictures. Enjoy...