beaches and babies.

Welp, I'm here. I'm back. And it's great.

I arrived on Sunday after a lovely drive down with Catherine. I took it easy on Monday and Tuesday. It always takes a while to realize that I'm done with school. It's so weird not to have a bajillion things pressing down on me at once. I don't miss it though-- not for now anyway.

Wednesday, Jess and I started watching the staff kids while staff does orientation. Emma and Harper are both 2, Abigail is 1, and Evie is a couple months old (we have only watched her once). It's been fun, but exhausting. Definitely don't have an urgent need to be a mother for now...haha.

I'm excited to meet the rest of the students and officially start project! Can't wait to see what God will do in us and through us!

I'm at about 87% for support and am continuing to pray and trust in God's provision! He's so good to me!

Lastly, here is my address for the summer. I LOVE MAIL.

Brooke Currier

205 2nd Ave S

North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

Oh and:

for your viewing pleasure :)

Cray Cray

Wow, this is almost surreal. I reread through the posts from a year ago, and I couldn't help but just smile. Both on this blog and in my journal, I wrote over and over again, "I don't know what it is, but God has something huge for me on project. I can't wait to find out what it is."

hahahaha what a difference a year makes, right? Had I known then just what God had in store for me, I probably would have run for the hills. Looking at it now and knowing what came of my little rendezvous with NMB 2010, I would probably go through it all again. The things He's done in me and through me as a result of my injury have been incredible and unbelievable and so thoroughly GOD and God alone.

The thought of trying to summarize everything that has happened in the past year makes me a little nauseous. It's been a wild ride, and the past 21 months or so has been the most important period for my spiritual and personal growth yet. I've learned so much more about the character of God, about His never ending goodness, faithfulness, and love, and about His absolute sovereignty over our lives. My understanding of what it means to entrust my entire life to Him has radically changed, and I am willing more than ever to follow Him wherever He leads, no matter the confusion, the pain, or the cost. I am freer in worship, more confident in my identity as a child of God, and able to love deeper and give more to those around me. This is all because of God's work in me. He broke me, He got my attention, and He made me His in a deeper and more satisfying way than I knew possible.

When I say "broke me," I'm not speaking figuratively. Well, okay, I am, but not just figuratively. On June 5th, 10 days into Project, I fell skimboarding and broke my ankle. Broke it realllll good. Basically destroyed it. I've always had an all-or-nothing personality...why should my approach to injury be any different? Long story short, I had to fly home and have surgery and waste away on a recliner all summer. I was on crutches for 8 weeks, a boot for another 7, and am still regaining strength and full movement now. (I am also rocking some sweet scars).

Ugh. The confusion and pain (physical and emotional and spiritual) I felt after the accident almost consumed me. It was nearly unbearable. I withdrew from God--I was bitter and angry and just so dang confused. I couldn't understand why God would call me on Project (something I swore I'd never do-- just not my thing, you know?) and then tear me apart like that, after experiencing Him in incredible ways for those ten days. It just seemed to contradict everything I knew and believed about Him. My body and my spirit began to deteriorate as I couldn't use one and refused to use the other.

But God beckoned me back to Him. Gosh did He beckon me back. I began to seek after Him harder than ever before. I wanted God to answer the question "why?" before moving on, but it became clear that I was to seek Him and Him alone, and not just His purpose or His answer to a single question. And I was absolutely rewarded for that. I came back to school ready to throw my self into ministry through Campus Crusade and to serve Him in whatever way He called this year.

This past year, I've had the pleasure and the absolute blessing of leading a freshman women's Bible study. I love my girls so much! Fall Semester we went through Mark, and we just completed Ephesians this spring. We have shared laughter and tears and have all drawn nearer to the Lord together. I am also discipling three of my Bible study girls on an individual basis. We have just been living life together and going through God's Word and learning more about who He desires for us to be in Him. (Side note of awesomeness: one of my disciples, Amanda, is joining me in North Myrtle Beach this summer!!) I swear my heart has grown three sizes as a result of getting to know and love these girls. I have also been serving on the Weekly Meeting Team this year, and will be taking over as the leader next year. Additionally, I am still serving on the worship team, and this semester have begun serving on the Leadership Team. God has worked through each one of these teams tremendously, and I'm blessed to be a part of them.

Wow, I could go on forever, but this post is already long enough. And I could definitely be studying for a final right now. But this is better. I am currently at 80% of support-I need another $550 to cover the base cost of Project. God has once again been faithful and incredible in His provision, and I am praying and trusting that He will continue to pour in the funds. I am leaving this Saturday, the 14th. Project actually starts on the 25th, but I have the awesome privilege of babysitting staff kids while staff prepares for the arrival of students. I am so excited for all that God has in store this year. (I say this while hoping that this time around it doesn't involve breaking any bones or leaving project 10 weeks early...)

Thanks for sticking through this. Your support (both spiritual and financial) is an incredible blessing, one for which I cannot completely articulate my gratitude.

Prayer requests:
-finals this week: focus in studying, joy in studying, successful completion of the semester
-support: that God would provide the remaining 20% and for my patience in the process
-safety: that God would protect Catherine and I as we drive to NMB this weekend
-friends: for upcoming weddings (shout out to Terry and Maggie!), for others going on project, for God to increase our ability to love Him and serve Him and love and serve others, for meaningful relationships within Cru to continue to grow and deepen over the summer

Thank you thank you thank you.

With love,
Brooke

Minor Detail

Before I head off for my first day (eep), I wanted to post my address. I keep forgetting.

Brooke Currier

Campus Crusade for Christ

North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

send me maillllll! I love it and I'll love you forever (though I probably already do).

Wow, God is so crazy flippin' good! As tired as I am right now, I need to give Him some major kudos/props/snaps/praise/glory etc before I hit the sack.

We're going to fast forward since Sunday starting right now:

Sunday: Discipleship. Sharing. Awesome dinner prepared by the wonderful Impact group gentlemen. Sunday night meeting. Worship on the beach.

Monday: Extended quiet time. More sharing. Sunshine on the beach. Massive amounts of sand in my shorts. First official Bible study. Awesome. Dairy King and mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone. Amish dice.

Tuesday: Pick up birth certificate from Post Office (praise Jesus it's safe!). Do paperwork at work. Still need Social Security Card. SERIOUSLY?! Sit at Social Security Office in Conway, SC. Order new card. Make little smokies and mac 'n' cheese. Set off fire alarm repeatedly. Again, SERIOUSLY?! More sharing. Spirit's conviction to pray for green shirt Stephen and Ben. Dairy King the Sequel: Same Order, Different Day.

Wednesday: Orientation at 9. Orientation over at 9:50. Meet supervisor. Discover I bought the wrong kind of khaki shorts. Of course. Go shopping. Buy running shoes. Figure out that 5 Guys burgers have two patties. Yuck. Kinkos it up. Dinner with Alissa and Biggest Loser. Which brings us to.........

DATE NIGHT WITH JESUS, AKA THE BEST THING EVER.

Seriously. Best. Thing. Ever.

I just changed positions on the couch, so you know this is legit.

Where do I even start? (Welcome to my brain, everyone. This is how it works. Or doesn't work, depending on how you look at it.)

Every Wednesday, we have 2-2.5 hours blocked out in the evening that are devoted to "Reflection Time," or "Date Night with Jesus." This is a chance for all of us to separately have an extended quiet time in whatever fashion we decide. I was mildly looking forward to it all day. I'd be lying if I said I was totally stoked, but I guess I knew that God wanted to do something tonight. So at first I had a really hard time focusing. I turned some music on and began to worship all by myself in the apartment. Corporate worship has always been my easiest "access point" to God, if you will. It's been a long, long time since I worshipped all alone. Originally I had planned on going to the beach since nature is my other big connection to God, but it was raining like nobody's business. Anyway, I started trying to worship, and when I realized I could sing however I wanted, it got easier. (So that's what it means to not think about what others think of you...hmmm...) I still struggled with focus, but was trying really hard to stick with it.

If you're scrolling/skimming, this is where it gets really cool:

So as I'm struggling with focus, Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall comes on. And I just felt this push to get up and dance. Ahhhh hahaha I cannot dance. I can car dance. And I'll make a fool of myself in crowds, but I can't just dance. But I stood up anyway, and started walking around really awkwardly. Oh, I'm sure I was a sight to see...but then Mr. Charlie Hall and I got to this line:

Sin has lost its power

Death has lost its sting

From the grave You've risen

Victoriously!

And suddenly, I was the greatest dancer EVER. I was fist pumping like nobody's business and jumping and twirling and I'm positive I looked like a crazy person, but I was experiencing freedom in a way I have not in a long, long time.

After my time of musical worship, I tried to pray. And I immediately lost focus. Again. But something happened, and I just began to talk to God out loud and really casually. No big words, no formal languages, no trying to limit the amount of times I say the word "just," simply talking to Him like I'd talk to Kathy over breakfast in the AMU. And it was GREAT. Suddenly I didn't want to stop talking to Him. After lots of time in prayer, and a couple chapters out of 1 Corinthians, I read a piece by Bill Bright that really did some work in me, and I wanted to share a segment (emphasis is added by me).

Suppose, when my two sons were young, they had greeted me with these words: "Daddy, we love you and have decided that we will do any thing you want us to do from now on as long as we live." What do you think would have been my attitude?

If I had responded to their expression of trust in me as many believe God will respond when they surrender their lives to Him, I would have taken my sons by the shoulders, shaken them, glared at them sternly and said, "I have just been waiting for this. I am going to make you regret this decision for as long as you live. I am going to take all the fun out of your lives, give away your toys, and make you do all the things you do not like to do."

Many people believe that this is the way God will respond when they say, "Lord, I surrender the control of my life to You." They do not understand how much God loves them. Do you know what I would do if my sons came to me with such a greeting? I would put my arms around them and say, "I love you, too, and I deeply appreciate this expression of your love for me. It is the greatest gift which you could give me and I want to do everything in my power to merit your love and trust."

Isn't that awesome?! And yet tragic at the same time? I looked at that first reaction that the father could have towards his sons, and I can see that I am often times guilty of believing that that is how God would speak to me or treat me. But the Gospel is so clear that the response of God is actually more like the second one. He loves us (and loved us first), and He is delighted in our living sacrifice. He wants us. He wants to honor us and protect us. He has so many great things for us, and yet we treat Him like He is the cosmic meanie. That could not be farther from the truth! Instead He desires us even in our brokenness, our sinfulness, our terrible condition. He has picked us, and He is waiting for our response.

Please consider this passage some more. What implications does it have for us? What response are we expecting from God? So many cool things to think about...

The following quote from GK Chesterson was laid on my heart in the process of this whole night:

Let your religion become less of a theory and more of a love affair.

It has become so easy for me to talk about God, and sometimes harder for me to talk to God. I think tonight really served as an opportunity to invest in the love affair of a relationship with Christ instead of building on my theory of Christianity. They can be so starkly different.

Anyway, God is moving. Bottom line. I am so thankful for the breakthroughs He is delivering, and the work He is doing.

Prayer requests:

Starting work tomorrow!

Cami/Israel and the riots and increasing violence

Ben (kid shared with on the beach)

Stephen (same as Ben)

My dead heart now is beating

My deepest stains now clean

Your breath fills up my lungs

Now I'm free, now I'm free!

I cannot believe it's only been four days here. Wahhhhh crazy. And I don't think it's sunk in that this is more than just a week at camp-this is life for a whole summer.

So I left off on Thursday...let's see. Thursday night we met our Impact groups, which is our Bible study combined with one of the Bible studies of the opposite gender. Shanti is my leader, and Erick Lettner (who is the staff member at Marquette, for those who don't know) is the guys leader in our Impact group. We all went out sharing and had a good time! Tim, James, Katie and I had a conversation with a guy who was a believer. He actually approached us, telling us he could spot us out "like drug addicts can spot out other drug addicts." I can dig it, haha. He asked us to pray for him and he would pray for us too, so once he left we followed through on our word. He isn't attending church right now, or really walking with God so we are continuing to pray that he'll be brought back into awesome fellowship with Christ!

The rest of Thursday night was spent chilling on the beach and really just meeting more people. We night-swam in the super warm water and it was great.

Friday marked the start of the job search, and for many of us, Friday also marked the end of the job search as well. Alissa and I got hired at Myrtle Waves, a family amusement park in the actual Myrtle Beach, which is about a half hour drive. We'll cross-train to learn to operate rides, serve food, and other stuff like that. It's going to be much different than any other job I've worked, so it will be challenging and fun. Right now we're unsure of when we'll start-I'm waiting to have my birth certificate arrive in the mail. Been kind of a hassle, but I have faith it'll come around eventually.

Friday evening, we had dinner as a Bible study and then had an AMAZING women's time. We got to know more of the women on project, listened to Londa's awesome message, and then had a time of sharing and prayer. Sharing time was so powerful. It marked the beginning of a newfound freedom in Christ for so many of us, and brought us together as a solid-knit family of amazing, beautiful, and Jesus-seeking women. I am so excited to see how we grow together.

Yesterday featured more time at the Shak listening to great messages from the staff, learning about our identity in Christ and learning how to share our unique stories about Christ's impact in our lives. After some solid quiet time, I headed out to the beach with a bunch of girls and we all just laid out and got to know each other more. I also hit the waves with a boogie board, which was a good time. Loving the warm water, let me tell you. So much different than the chilly Pacific waters, but I am still partial to the Oregon coast ;).

Last night we had a sort of "Iron Chef" competition between the Impact groups. We made some delicious chicken fajitas, spanish rice, and apple tart. Oh and homemade guac...always my favorite. Trying to jam all of us into one tiny apartment to chop all the ingredients and simultaneously cook everything was absolute madness, but I think we all got to know each other better through the process, haha. I managed to lose my keys in all the chaos, which is a real bummer, but I got a new one today. I just pray that the original didn't get into hands that will use it for evil :( please be praying with me! I've never lost my keys before, so it just shows how crazy it's been!

And today we went to Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church for Sunday service. It was much different from my previous church experiences, haha, but it's good to be stretched in that way. I've got to write a letter, work on Bible study material, and meet with Shanti for discipleship today.

Overall, I am loving it here. Once again, I know that God has huge things for me, and I can't wait to experience them. Every now and then I feel overwhelmed and a little freaked out, and I gotta say, I am so thankful for the peace that surpasses all understanding, because without it, I think I would have fallen apart by now. I have to face it- as much as I love change and love putting myself in foreign situations, it still takes me a while to adjust. I'm in the process of doing so now!

And So It Begins

apparently I'm going to start every post with a title that begins with "And." Hopefully creativity will hit eventually.

So I'm here and I love it already. I can just sense that God is going to radically change my life. I can't wait, and I am continually praying that I will remain open and sensitive to the Spirit through the whole adventure.

The car ride was fun with Dan and Alissa. Lots of singing and good conversation and some little speedbumps (some literal-raccoon- and some figurative-a police officer looking to fulfill his ticket quota) all brought us to Virginia Beach (or Va Beach as we referred to it) on Tuesday morning to stay with Alissa's cousin Raine, husband Daniel, and kids Gabriel and Lili. It was such a great time of good food and good rest, and amazing conversations not only with Raine but with her friends Barb and Thomas, whom she met in Germany while Daniel was stationed there for the Navy. Barb and Thomas have amazing stories and we were so blessed to hear them. They ministered to us so deeply. It was no accident that we all ended up in that little house on the same day. God was already at work before we got to project. He is just so incredible!

Yesterday morning, after a good night's sleep, a shower (which I needed desperately after the flight and then 17+ hours in the car...), and more excellent conversation, we took off for North Myrtle Beach. It took us about 7 hours and we arrived just in time for a torrential downpour. We were soaked the moment we got out of the car. Moved in to the room where I met my two roommates Jamie and Liz. They're awesome and I can't wait to make this place our little home.

Last night they filled us up with good food and then sent us on an intense scavenger hunt. It took a while, but eventually we found the Shak, which is our main meeting place. Since then, we've just been having orientation meetings and meeting sooooooo mannnnnnnnnyyyyyy peopleeeeeeee. I love it, but I gotta admit it's working my brain really hard to try to remember everyone's names. I met my bible study today, and they're awesome. Yup, God is GOOD.

Well I've got seven minutes til dinner. Always procrastinating....even when there isn't a deadline.

Oh, and as I'm sure you're all wondering, let me assure you that the weather is incredibly warm and sunny and beautiful. I haven't had a chance to run to Walmart yet, leaving me without sunscreen, so we'll see what burns in the shower tomorrow morning ;)

Love and peace.

And Here We Go

Well, I'm already doing poorly trying to keep up with this thing.

I finished the year (finally) and have been home for the last 9 days. It's been good to spend time with the family and a few friends. Not sure when I'll see them again, so I'm trying to maximize our time together.

I am at 90% for support. Just a little over $200 to go! I am constantly amazed by God's provision throughout the past few months. He put me on this journey for a specific reason, and has been faithful in showing me just that. I eagerly await whatever giant thing He has for me. I'm not even trying to figure it out because I know He will reveal it in time.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me financially. You have blessed me immensely. Even more so, thank you for your continued prayer support. It is amazing to know that so many people care for me enough to pray for my growth in God.

Ahhhhhhh! I'm getting so anxious to get down there and grow. Had a great message at East Hill today. God is preparing me for this summer in ways that I hadn't realized until today. He knows what He's doing, apparently. Every time I learn that, I feel as though I'm learning it for the first time. It is waaaaay too easy to forget.

Done a lot of shopping this week to get ready for the summer in the sun, and it's now time to go pack accordingly. I have a feeling I'm going to need to leave some things behind...eep.