Summer Highlights

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I was still sixteen when I took this photo, but not anymore!😄

     
    Good afternoon! I cannot believe that summer is almost over. Though I already did a week of school just because I had too much free time on my hands, school officially started today! Which means I'm officially a high school senior! It's crazy and exciting all at the same time! As I look back on this summer, I'm so thankful my final summer as a high schooler was so amazing! I thought I'd take a moment and share some fun summer highlights.

    Firstly, I'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to perform in our local community theatre's production of 'The Sound of Music' this September. I will playing Liesl von Trapp! Auditions were held in May and June, and rehearsals began in July. As a committed theatre kid, this is such an honor and a privilege. I'm beyond excited, and come September I will be posting plenty and plenty of pictures! 

    Secondly, I had the privilege of going with my church on a missions trip this July. When I usually think of missions, foreign locations such as South Africa, China, or Ukraine come to mind. In these locations, there are many suffering people who have never heard the Gospel before. But I was semi-oblivious to the people in my own general location that need God's love. That's why I'm so grateful that God allowed me to serve at The Camp Grace in Roberta, Georgia for a week (check them out! Their mission is incredible, and there are a myriad of ways to serve, from sponsoring a child to organizing a mission team like the one my church sent!) My eyes were opened to the need that so many local children possess. And I'm not just talking about a spiritual need. Most of the kids came from underprivileged homes. While our work was mostly behind the scenes (setting and cleaning up meals, organizing shoes in the corral, laundry, etc.), we did have several opportunities to interact with the precious campers. For example, we taught the craft lesson that each of the cabins participate in once during the week. Additionally, the campers sign up for elective classes such as football, pottery, gardening, archery, and cake decorating, to name a few. My friend Kara and I were asked to help out with the cake decorating elective. There were thirteen girls and three boys. As you can imagine, it was chaotic, but we also formed some sweet bonds with the children. My favorite day of the trip was Wednesday, when we participated in the foot washing ceremony. Since many of the campers suffer from some sort of need, the camp strives to show them the most love imaginable! One way they do this is through a special service in which each camper's feet are washed and then he or she receives a new pair of shoes. I washed three, seven-year old boys' feet. Their gratitude and excitement was so overwhelming for me, and I cried afterwards thinking about how much this small act meant to them. Another highlight of the week was Thursday night, when the Gospel was presented and explained in the simplest terms, and the children have the opportunity to accept Christ as the "Boss of their lives," as they word it at the camp. Overall, it was a great week! I do have some photos, but I will not be posting any pictures of the children, to respect their privacy. 

This is a sweet pic of the gals from our team along with one of our friends who was the official photographer from the camp!

This is a pic of me and my friend Kara at Zaxby's on our way home from our super fun week at camp!

This is a pic of most of our team, along with two ministry partners for the camp.

This is a pic of some of us ladies on our way to GA!

    Thirdly, I toured two colleges this summer: North Greenville University and Charleston Southern University. My favorite of the two was NGU. They have an amazing theatre program which strives to glorify God through the gift of acting! That's quite rare for the theatre world, so I was definitely impressed. I can't wait to see where the Lord leads me!

    Finally, I'm officially seventeen years old! I don't feel any older, but it is cool to be able to say that on my next birthday I'll be a legal adult! 😉

    I'd love to hear all about y'all's summers! I hope everyone had a blast! 

With His Love, 

Alyssa 

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