Hi everyone! :)
I just wanted to share what God has been teaching me this week. Especially, tonight at the Women's Event. I titled this blog the season of friends because it is something I have been learning to be thankful for. The season of friends that I've had this past year and a half at Marquette Cru. I got plugged into Cru by Gina George and it was totally a God thing how we met! Needless to be said, she has been a spiritual mentor of mine and I am so thankful for her! Another person who has been very influential in my walk with the Lord is Kathy Clay. She was my Upperclassmen Bible Study co-leader my first semester of sophomore year who I learned so much from. Also, there are two young ladies who have been very influential this past semester in my discernment process of coming on Milwaukee Summer Project. My discipler Kristin Rooney and her roommate Anna Mumm who will both be interning with Cru this coming year! Kristin will be interning with Cru in Montepellier, France and Anna will be in the Metro Milwaukee Team. Her main campus will be Marquette along with other campuses as our Cru woman staff leader Catherine Canham leaves to Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has been promoted to the Upper Midwest Region to serve as a Director of Campus Field Ministry. It was a privilege to have gotten to know Catherine this past year. It is because of the time she took to sit down with me to talk that I am here on this Summer Project. Otherwise, I would of never considered it. It was because of the encouragement and wisdom that I got from these ladies and many others that I am on this Project!
This past week someone from Cru Headquarters contacted me asking me if I could share my story about the obstacles that I faced with my mom and sister in coming on Project. It reminded of how blessed and thankful I am for the family that God has given me within Marquette Cru. I will be writing a story about the obstacles that I overcame to encourage other students in my position to be bold and courageous and to take a step of faith! It will appear on the Summer Project 2012-2013 Brochure.
With that being said, God has been tugging at my heart a lot. I'm considering doing full-time ministry with Cru possibly after graduation whether it be with Here's Life Inner City or overseas in a Spanish speaking country. Today was our third outreach and I was getting frustrated towards the end because people keep shutting me down. Then a young man was walking by and I asked him if I could ask him a few questions. He was like sure and I went through the Solarium with him. It's a tool Cru uses to initiate spiritual conversations. It consists of 50 photographs and 5 questions. Let's just say the guy was from Ecuador. I was definitely blown away by God! It was a divine appointment. He said that he had a relationship with God, but that it could be stronger. He gave me his contact information and hope to be following up with him. I plan on bringing a young man from Project with me to this follow-up appointment. I have been blown away by how God has created these divine appointments where I can use my Spanish. The first person I got to share the Gospel with this summer was in Spanish!
I have been considering doing a mission trip next summer overseas with Cru. Either in El Salvador or Ecuador. Two places that I feel God has put in my heart and where I could use my Spanish. In all honesty, the amount of stuff I have been trying to process this week is so much. I'll try to keep it brief :)
Last thing, tonight at the Women's Event we did an activity called Stand up for your sister. It was such a powerful experience! We talked about our identity in Christ as his beloved daughters. Being reminded of our identity in Christ. We were able to confess to one another our sin and to be freed from it. It made me think of my parents. I've struggled so much trusting my Heavenly Father because I've never felt loved by my earthly Father. Being reminded that my Heavenly Father loves me at my worst and for who I am was definitely needed. There was so many tears of pain and suffering of things just built up over the years that I was hiding. I'm working on bringing the things in hiding into light which is exactly what we did tonight. I cried tears of joy with my small group because for once in my lifetime I felt completely free. I had been carrying all this pain with me all these years along.
I am constantly reminded that it is the Lord who has brought me this far. I owe it all to Him. This summer is not about me or anybody else. I will continuing serving Him this summer and focus on my relationship with Him. Continuing to grow in my understanding of Him and His heart for Milwaukee. Along with growing in my understanding of what it means to be a Woman of God.
As always, a few prayer requests:
1. For our upcoming Tuesday Night Weekly Meeting at 7pm. I will be sharing my testimony for the first time with a large group of people that God would be able to speak through me and that I would be calm and natural.
2. For my follow-up with the guy from Ecuador. Hopefully, he can find others to come alongside him to encourage him in his walk with the Lord.
3. Patience and being gracious to the Project Staff
4. Project Staff leaving next weekend and for the transition to be smoothly
5. For God to be continued to be glorified through our Project
Once again, thank you all for your continued support and prayers! It means a lot to me!
With joy,
Rosa
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
New Beginning
Hi everyone! :)
Summer Project Orientation ended yesterday. It was by far one of the hardest weeks of my life. On Thursday and Friday, I returned to working full-time. This summer I will be working with Summer Crew which is through Marquette University's Office of Residence Life. We do renovations and prepare the residence halls and university apartments for the Fall. Also, we have been preparing rooms a lot lately because we host conferences. Some of the residence halls function as hotels for these conferences. The job itself is physically draining. On Friday, I just wanted to cry from how exhausted I was in the afternoon. It's really hard for me to keep myself going all day when I am exhausted all the time. Friday after work I had dinner with my Action group and we formally meet for the first time. This summer we will be studying the book of Ephesians.
Yesterday was the highlight of my week. Probably the best day ever! :) I got to sleep a few extra hours and it felt good just to recharge myself. We did our 2nd Outreach at 2 local parks in Milwaukee. I personally spoke to 5 individuals. I was really blown away at how God is working in the city of Milwaukee. All of the people that I talked to after going through the Quest survey (Cru tool we use to evangelize) with them rate their desire to know God as a 10! I remember one conversation in particular that really just broke my heart. There was an 8 year old boy alone on a swing and we approached him. One of my Action group leaders gave him a Gospel bracelet and I got to explain what each different color bead meant. We asked him if he went to church and he said no. I asked him if he would want to go to church and he said yes. It just really broke my heart to see the desire this little boy had to know God and pray that God would place people in his life that can pour into him. After the Outreach, we returned to City on a Hill and were left instructions to go find the Staff. They were scattered throughout Brady St. which is a very colorful street in Milwaukee with a lot of restaurants and businesses.
Here are a few pictures from yesterday:
The Staff Scavenger Hunt was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we went to the Urban's condo for dinner and to watch a movie. We were on the rooftop and the view of Milwaukee was beautiful! Our Project Director Jeff Hoffman shared his love and vision for the city of Milwaukee with us. It was really touching just to hear him talk about the city in that way. I'm starting to see Milwaukee in a whole new different way. My desire is to get to see this city and the people in it the way God does. We prayed last night over the city and the different ministries that we will be working with as well those who are in the Marketplace track.
We finished the night by watching Remember the Titans. Today is a rest day or what we call a Sabbath Day. We will be visiting an Ethiopian Church this afternoon.
This coming week is our first typical week for us students. Those in the Vocational Ministry Track will be working with various ministries that partner with Here's Life Inner City and will be working with children. As for those of us in the Marketplace Ministry Track, they will start working. In my case, continue working. Please pray over our week and that God would give us opportunities to share the Gospel with these individuals whether it be children or our co-workers. My prayer requests remain the same as my previous post.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there! Have a great week everyone! :)
Summer Project Orientation ended yesterday. It was by far one of the hardest weeks of my life. On Thursday and Friday, I returned to working full-time. This summer I will be working with Summer Crew which is through Marquette University's Office of Residence Life. We do renovations and prepare the residence halls and university apartments for the Fall. Also, we have been preparing rooms a lot lately because we host conferences. Some of the residence halls function as hotels for these conferences. The job itself is physically draining. On Friday, I just wanted to cry from how exhausted I was in the afternoon. It's really hard for me to keep myself going all day when I am exhausted all the time. Friday after work I had dinner with my Action group and we formally meet for the first time. This summer we will be studying the book of Ephesians.
Yesterday was the highlight of my week. Probably the best day ever! :) I got to sleep a few extra hours and it felt good just to recharge myself. We did our 2nd Outreach at 2 local parks in Milwaukee. I personally spoke to 5 individuals. I was really blown away at how God is working in the city of Milwaukee. All of the people that I talked to after going through the Quest survey (Cru tool we use to evangelize) with them rate their desire to know God as a 10! I remember one conversation in particular that really just broke my heart. There was an 8 year old boy alone on a swing and we approached him. One of my Action group leaders gave him a Gospel bracelet and I got to explain what each different color bead meant. We asked him if he went to church and he said no. I asked him if he would want to go to church and he said yes. It just really broke my heart to see the desire this little boy had to know God and pray that God would place people in his life that can pour into him. After the Outreach, we returned to City on a Hill and were left instructions to go find the Staff. They were scattered throughout Brady St. which is a very colorful street in Milwaukee with a lot of restaurants and businesses.
Here are a few pictures from yesterday:
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| Some of the students on Project |
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| My summer family! :) |
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| Summer Project Staff |
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| My roommate Laura Velasco! :) She's from Sacramento, California. |
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| Beautiful view of Milwaukee! |
This coming week is our first typical week for us students. Those in the Vocational Ministry Track will be working with various ministries that partner with Here's Life Inner City and will be working with children. As for those of us in the Marketplace Ministry Track, they will start working. In my case, continue working. Please pray over our week and that God would give us opportunities to share the Gospel with these individuals whether it be children or our co-workers. My prayer requests remain the same as my previous post.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there! Have a great week everyone! :)
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Summer Project Orientation
Hi everyone! :)
Today was the 5th full day of Summer Project! Although, it feels like I have been here for longer. Everyone arrived safely on Friday. On Saturday, we did a scavenger hunt and got to explore different areas in the city of Milwaukee. On Sunday, we went to Berean Family Worship Center as a Project. Also, we had our first Outreach at Bradford Beach. GOD IS AWESOME! He is definitely at work in the hearts of the people in Milwaukee. I got to share the Gospel with a woman in Spanish and she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. Praise God! I was just amazed at how God was already at work in the hearts of people before we even arrived. On our first Outreach 6 people accepted Christ as Lord & Savior! We will be doing another Outreach on Saturday in 2 local parks in Milwaukee. Please pray that God would prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Good News and continue to work in the hearts of those who accepted him as Lord and Savior this past weekend.
On Monday morning, I woke up to one of the Staff members banging on my door. We were told we had 10 minutes to get ready and to be downstairs in the Chapel. We went through a 24 hour poverty simulation and we were homeless for 24 hours. It was a very powerful experience and it definitely brought us all closer together. Our cellphones and keys were taken away at the beginning of the simulation. We were given $15 (fake money for the day). We were allowed to buy breakfast, lunch, or dinner for $5 (each meal) and had to pay $3 for a housing fee. Also, we were only allowed to have 3 possessions for the day. I choose to keep my bag, my toothbrush, and a blanket. 2 out of 10 in the group were really homeless for the beginning. They had no money and no possessions. We were given a list of tasks to complete before we returned at 6:30pm. I bought lunch which ended up being a can of Crush grape soda and a small bag of Lays. One of tasks on the list was to ask someone for a quarter and to give it to another homeless person. I asked someone for a quarter and I was ashamed. I felt my pride and dignity had been taken away as I took the quarter. Also, we had to collect 20 cans/plastic bottles which involved going through people's trash in dumpsters. It was really gross.
For me personally, it did not hit me until my roommate started crying in the morning. She was allowed to brush her teeth or to get a drink of water which were very basic needs. We ended up eating dinner at St. Ben's where they serve meals for the homeless. I was so thankful for the meal. I must admit it was strange being on the other side. I was so use to being the volunteer and not the homeless person. At the end of the day, I felt really gross from all the humidity and sweat. To make matters worse, we slept in the cage which was a room with concrete floor. The floor was very hard and the room was hot making it difficult to sleep. One of the Staff members spent the night with us. It ended up being a sleepless night which is typical for a homeless shelter. The Staff member could not find his water bottle so he turned off the fan. One of girls had a breakdown after wearing a sweater and pants on a hot day. After finding his water bottle, he turned it back on. An hour or so later a Staff member came to turn it back off because they were told to so by City on a Hill. An hour or so later again we were woken up because there was a rat infestation and were told to evacuate the building. Afterwards, we went back to sleep only to be woken up again an hour later. We were told to go back to our rooms because of the rat infestation. In reality, we had a long day ahead of us and the Staff wanted us to get some rest. We were to be out of the building before 7am. We ended waking up on time and meet in the Chapel again. The poverty simulation was over, but mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually it was not.
The poverty simulation gave me a whole new appreciation for things. For the very simple things in life. Like being able to drink water, brushing my teeth, showering, and eating a warm meal. It was that day that I learned what it really meant to rely on God. He was all I needed. It was thanks to the strength that He gives us that I made it through the day and the amazing and encouraging people on my Project. The experience brought us a closer together. We had no choice, but to trust one another. It was neat to see us come together and to see Christ in each one of us.
This song capture exactly how I felt during the poverty simulation.
I encourage you to click on the link and take a few minutes to listen to the song!
Overall, these past few days have been long, tiring, and busy. I have been learning so much about God and His heart for the poor. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us as the summer continues!
I do have a few ways that you could be praying for me and my team.
1. Pray that God would be my source of strength and that I would be able to find soul and physical rest in Him. Especially, as Project moves forward as I try to get into a new routine of continuing working full-time and with daily Project commitments.
2. For the people in Milwaukee who will hear about Jesus: for God to prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Good News
4. For honesty and vulnerability in our Action groups (small groups). We meet for the first time yesterday and shared with one another our life stories. We will be officially meeting for the first time on Friday and will be going through Ephesians this summer. Also, I will be meeting with my discipler tomorrow for the first time as well. Just that God would be honored and glorified through both and that we would be able to encourage and build one another up.
5. For all of us to continue growing closer to Jesus and fall more in love with Him as we share the Gospel with people in Milwaukee
6. That Jesus continue be honored and glorified by our Project
Thank to all of you for your continued support! I hope to be able to share updates on a weekly basis as time allows. Have a great week everyone! :)
Today was the 5th full day of Summer Project! Although, it feels like I have been here for longer. Everyone arrived safely on Friday. On Saturday, we did a scavenger hunt and got to explore different areas in the city of Milwaukee. On Sunday, we went to Berean Family Worship Center as a Project. Also, we had our first Outreach at Bradford Beach. GOD IS AWESOME! He is definitely at work in the hearts of the people in Milwaukee. I got to share the Gospel with a woman in Spanish and she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. Praise God! I was just amazed at how God was already at work in the hearts of people before we even arrived. On our first Outreach 6 people accepted Christ as Lord & Savior! We will be doing another Outreach on Saturday in 2 local parks in Milwaukee. Please pray that God would prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Good News and continue to work in the hearts of those who accepted him as Lord and Savior this past weekend.
On Monday morning, I woke up to one of the Staff members banging on my door. We were told we had 10 minutes to get ready and to be downstairs in the Chapel. We went through a 24 hour poverty simulation and we were homeless for 24 hours. It was a very powerful experience and it definitely brought us all closer together. Our cellphones and keys were taken away at the beginning of the simulation. We were given $15 (fake money for the day). We were allowed to buy breakfast, lunch, or dinner for $5 (each meal) and had to pay $3 for a housing fee. Also, we were only allowed to have 3 possessions for the day. I choose to keep my bag, my toothbrush, and a blanket. 2 out of 10 in the group were really homeless for the beginning. They had no money and no possessions. We were given a list of tasks to complete before we returned at 6:30pm. I bought lunch which ended up being a can of Crush grape soda and a small bag of Lays. One of tasks on the list was to ask someone for a quarter and to give it to another homeless person. I asked someone for a quarter and I was ashamed. I felt my pride and dignity had been taken away as I took the quarter. Also, we had to collect 20 cans/plastic bottles which involved going through people's trash in dumpsters. It was really gross.
For me personally, it did not hit me until my roommate started crying in the morning. She was allowed to brush her teeth or to get a drink of water which were very basic needs. We ended up eating dinner at St. Ben's where they serve meals for the homeless. I was so thankful for the meal. I must admit it was strange being on the other side. I was so use to being the volunteer and not the homeless person. At the end of the day, I felt really gross from all the humidity and sweat. To make matters worse, we slept in the cage which was a room with concrete floor. The floor was very hard and the room was hot making it difficult to sleep. One of the Staff members spent the night with us. It ended up being a sleepless night which is typical for a homeless shelter. The Staff member could not find his water bottle so he turned off the fan. One of girls had a breakdown after wearing a sweater and pants on a hot day. After finding his water bottle, he turned it back on. An hour or so later a Staff member came to turn it back off because they were told to so by City on a Hill. An hour or so later again we were woken up because there was a rat infestation and were told to evacuate the building. Afterwards, we went back to sleep only to be woken up again an hour later. We were told to go back to our rooms because of the rat infestation. In reality, we had a long day ahead of us and the Staff wanted us to get some rest. We were to be out of the building before 7am. We ended waking up on time and meet in the Chapel again. The poverty simulation was over, but mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually it was not.
The poverty simulation gave me a whole new appreciation for things. For the very simple things in life. Like being able to drink water, brushing my teeth, showering, and eating a warm meal. It was that day that I learned what it really meant to rely on God. He was all I needed. It was thanks to the strength that He gives us that I made it through the day and the amazing and encouraging people on my Project. The experience brought us a closer together. We had no choice, but to trust one another. It was neat to see us come together and to see Christ in each one of us.
This song capture exactly how I felt during the poverty simulation.
I encourage you to click on the link and take a few minutes to listen to the song!
Overall, these past few days have been long, tiring, and busy. I have been learning so much about God and His heart for the poor. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us as the summer continues!
I do have a few ways that you could be praying for me and my team.
1. Pray that God would be my source of strength and that I would be able to find soul and physical rest in Him. Especially, as Project moves forward as I try to get into a new routine of continuing working full-time and with daily Project commitments.
2. For the people in Milwaukee who will hear about Jesus: for God to prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Good News
- Specifically, for our upcoming Outreach on Saturday that will be in 2 local parks in Milwaukee
- For the 6 people who came to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior that God would continue to stir in their hearts and for the people we initiated spiritual conversations with
4. For honesty and vulnerability in our Action groups (small groups). We meet for the first time yesterday and shared with one another our life stories. We will be officially meeting for the first time on Friday and will be going through Ephesians this summer. Also, I will be meeting with my discipler tomorrow for the first time as well. Just that God would be honored and glorified through both and that we would be able to encourage and build one another up.
5. For all of us to continue growing closer to Jesus and fall more in love with Him as we share the Gospel with people in Milwaukee
6. That Jesus continue be honored and glorified by our Project
Thank to all of you for your continued support! I hope to be able to share updates on a weekly basis as time allows. Have a great week everyone! :)
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