Master of the Cones

Alrighty first day on the job and the boardwalk is hoping my friends! I work for Whiting Foods which is a company with around 20 various food places around the boardwalk. One of the perks about my job is that I switch locations through out the week so I am not just at Pizza Hut all summer long. Because that would be boring. So today I started at Carousel Cones which, you guessed it, is all about ice cream. The beginning of the day began with more training which included learning how to make the perfect ice cream cone, which is harder than you would think. It took me and my friend Kelly around 10 trys or more and each time we looked at one another as we witnessed each perfectly good cone (well perfect not in looks wise but taste wise ) be thrown into the trash can. Not even a taste! A taste! If you ask me we should have been allowed to try it because I later had a woman ask me what was better and I sadly had to explain to her that it was my first day and I had never tasted anything. She was slightly disturbed by this and jokingly said she would write the manager so this no tasting thing could be fixed. haha. Anyways, past the ice cream.... It is awesome because leading up to our first training yesterday we have been told numerous times that people know when the Campus Crusaders ( or Crusaders) come into town. This is sooo true!

We showed up to work today and the others I was thankfully working with ( because often we don't work with people) knew we were with Crusade! They would say " so yall are the Crusaders right?" Then we would say yes and they would say "yaaayyy!!" After 20 years of Campus Crusade coming to Santa Cruz God has established quite a name for Himself and His ministry. Pretty cool huh?

Along with work training, we also started training yesterday and today on evangelism. Honestly yall, things are starting to click. God is bringing me to that breaking point I asked Him for at the beginning of spring semester. I asked Him to break me of the things that were not of Him and bring me into a new, deeper love for Him that I have never known and He is doing just that. It has been no easy task either. I am talking months He has been involved and continuing to lead me down this path. Which is awesome and I rejoice in that! Well most of the time, through the hurt there is still that small trumpet that plays. Where I am going with this is that God is displaying a bigger picture currently and it is not appealing to look at. This morning during my quiet time I was rejoicing in what He is showing me. But since the middle of training tonight I have found it hard and found myself not wanting to face it because nothing happens/changes instantly. Changes are made in God's timing but also made when we finally surrender and stop being the controlling, want to know everything, think we are angels, fearful, humans we are. You following me?

Here is the thing.

My action group leader, Kristen, recommend a book to me 2 days ago, The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. I started reading it and let me tell you, I am all up in that book! Tim writes about the parable of the lost or prodigal son and how the story is not just about the son who takes his inheritance and wastes it all only to return to his father's good graces. There is a whole other side to this story. The story about the son who stayed with his father and "did everything right". You see, that is me. I am the son who does everything right. And that my friends is a really tough place to be. To know that you are the proud, selfish son is a great thing to recognize, and it is not to say I didn't recognize this, I did, but not like this. It is like all the sudden it clicked. I mean really clicked.

-This is completely random and a different topic - I don't think I can even explain what just happened in my room with my awesome roommates.

Mary Gordon aka MG - " So I bought two of them. And now we have friendship cacti. Like it is not everyday that that happens." ... a little later... "they are certified! This ends in September 2011"

us - "what does that mean?!"

MG - " You can't travel with them!"

BAHAHAHAHHHAHAHA I was crying yall!! I know you don't understand.

Back to my seriousness for a wrap up after that short intermission... Yall I need your prayers and your encouragement. God has placed me here for a reason, some which He is revealing now. But I know there is more to come. And I am thrilled!! The process is just hard and God never said it would be easy. I know this was long and slightly all over the place but I am so grateful for all of you. Thanks for reading!