Great Adventures

    Topic of the Week:

Week 6 was all about the Holy Spirit.  The speaker, Dennis Reanier, talked about spiritual gifts, impartation and activation.  This week was a hard one for me because I didnt necessarily agree with the speakers beliefs.  He said some things that I found questionable and unbiblical, but it was also very good in the sense that it challenged me a lot.  It made me question what I believe and why I believe it.  Was it my faith?  My parents faith?  In the end I was able to reaffirm my beliefs and dig deeper into the word of God and find scripture to reassure what I believe.
 

Life is Hard:

    On my track focus outreach we went back to the same family. It was sad to see the dynamic of the family and how they now have to function.  The dad stayed at the house with us while the mom ran the errands she needed toget done. Another girl and myself got to talk with the dad a lot.  He told us story after story about his old job (being a police officer) and it was extremely difficult to hear him struggle with each memory.  Everytime he would stop and couldn't remember what he was going to say next he would say, "Sorry, I have Alzheimers."  You could just tell how much he loved his job and how much he wishes he was able to continue to work and provide for his family.  As I was listening to him tell us about how he was chasing after someone one time, I couldn't help the tears that welled in my eyes.  As I was listening to the kids finish his sentences for him, I couldn't help the tightening in my chest.  As I had to make dinner for him because he isn't allowed to use the stove, I couldn't help the burning sensation I felt in my throat.  As he told me that he was making a box that he could put the memories that he wanted to remember in, I couldn't help but feel intense remorse for all the small things he won't be able to remember.  As I rocked his granddaughter to sleep and watched tv beside him, I couldn't help but feel extremely grateful for my own dad.

Stuck in the Sand:

    On Saturday10 of us girls and two girl leaders decided we wanted to take a trip to Lake Mead to get away for a little while, so we all piled into the 15 passenger van and took off.  We arrived- somewhat sketchily down a big sand/dirt hill- around 3ish and went cliff jumping and just swam around for a bit.  Around 5 we decided to head back, so we all hopped into the van and started praying the van would make it back up the hill.  We started going and were doing pretty good and then all of a sudden we just stopped and couldn't move any further. We all got out of the van to see our tires just completely stuck in the sand. Another car was stuck in the sand behind us and then two of their friends pulled up to help them out only to get stuck in the sand as well. We decide to help them with their cars first, so we went over and started to help them push each car out of the sand. 

    Two and a half hours later (7:30) our van was still stuck in the sand, it was dark, the people helping us had left, I had just found cell service, we had no food or water, we had seen a scorpion, we had run out of gas, and it was starting to get cold.  I finally, got ahold of someone at the base to bring a truck and a chain to pull us out of the sand... Little did we know when they finally got there at 8:45, Brett (one of the leaders) would bring three other girl students with him, he would bring a piece of "rope" to pull us out, and he would be on empty himself. I felt like I was in the twilight zone and anything that could go wrong would go wrong. 

    After trying to pull us out witht the "rope" and it breaking twice, a park ranger pulled up and offered to follow Brett to the nearest town (that is 45 minutes away) to get gas and a chain.  Just in case Brett ran out of gas on the way the park ranger would be able to drive him the rest of the way in to town.  That's 45 minutes in to town, however long it will take to get gas and a chain, and then 45 minutes back.  So, we all got back into the van (to avoid scorpions lol) and started telling stories, singing worship music, and reading the book Captivating out loud. 

    At 10:45 Brett finally pulled up in the truck and gave us the news that he couldn't find a chain, so we were all going to have to pile into the truck- let me remind you there are 16 of us at this point- to get back to the base.  We had nine people in the cab and eight people riding in the back of the truck.  Praise be to God that we finally made it home around 12:30 am!

    What I learned through that adventure was patience, faith, and hope.

Adventures to Come:

1. We leave for Mexico today at 1:30pm- We will be going to Ensenada and Tijuana to work at a rehab center and an orphanage.
2. Arizona in two weeks (week 9)
3. Leave for international outreach on November 28th

XOX,

Katy Melton

    

 

Agape Love

    Week five was all about discipleship and what that word truly means.  Our speaker, Jeremy, went deep into the word to show us what God has called us to do.  Jeremy had us "clear our mechanisms" every day so that we could start lectures with a fresh new look with out any preconceived notions.

    My track focus outreach switched to Mondays and we went to a family that has eight kids- five girls and three boys- and also have a granddaughter that they have guardianship of right now.  The dad who is only 46 has been a police officer for his entire life, but they have just discovered that he has the beginning stages of Alzheimers.  Now the mom is having to take care of all nine children and take her husband to doctors appointments 2-3 times a week.  We come over for 3 hours in the evening to clean, cook, and watch the kids so that she is able to run some errands.  This usually consists of her picking up two from daycare and bringing them back to the house, taking one to dance, picking up Stew from the brain doctor, running to the grocery store, picking up the one from dance, and then picking up one from school.   I dont know how she does it, but she does and not just on Mondays, but every day of the week her life is like that.

    For small groups this week we went to Starbucks and then went to a thrift store.  At the thrift store our leaders gave each of us a name of someone within our small group and we had a $1 budget to buy  a gift for the person that we got.  It was a little difficult to pick out a preesnt for someone you've only known for a month and find something for only $1, but the challenge was also fun.  We all wrote an encouraging note to go along with our gift and were given instructions to give the gift to your person whenever you felt they needed it.

    On Saturday about 16 of us decided we wanted to go thrifting for clothes.  I think it takes long when it's just my mom and I shopping...  I had no idea how long it would take for 16 girls to go shopping!:). I mean we are talking about 16 very different females with very differnet types of style, at a thrift store, who all feel the need to try on every article of clothing...  Just imagine.  It was actually really fun though and we all found things that would be good for outreach.

Erika (the one in the middle) is my crazy roommate (;

Aloe water is disgusting btw

Erika doesn't smile in pictures (probably because she's from Canada lol)

You're a Good Good Father

    Week four has come to an end! We talked about our identity in christ and what that looks like for each of us individually. The speaker, Dawn, also went on our local outreach with us at the strip, where we took a stand for the voiceless - the ones that are scared to use their voice or aren't allowed to. We demonstrated this by putting duct tape on our mouths, standing side by side in unity, and having two people speak for us. It was very eye-opening to all of us to see how many people kept walking, and even though there is no imminent danger upon us, it makes you realize how many poeple continue to walk away even when there is a true problem and how many people do nothing about those who are in need or that don't have a voice.

 

On my track focus outreach we went back to the same family we've been going to for the last three weeks, for the last time. We took them to the park, cooked them dinner, cleaned some of the house, and then watched a movie (or what we could with five kids lol). When it was time to leave, it was hard to say goodbye. We were just getting to know the kids and them us, but we were all already attached. There were lots of hugs given and many "I'll miss you's" spoken.

    On Saturday some of us went camping on Mt. Charleston... I love camping...you know the kind where you're slepping in a tent and on an air mattress with blankets and it isn't freezing cold outside. Imagine my surprise when we showed up to the campsite and I asked where the tent was and some of the girls informed me that we were sleeping outside and on the ground... Oh and did I mention that we are in a drought in Vegas so there was no running water at this campsite (that means no toilets, no sinks, and no showers). I pushed all that to the back of my mind to process later and continued to have fun until bedtime. We went on walks, hung out in a hammock, sang campfire songs, ate smores, and went stargazing. It was so much fun that I almost forgot that we were going to be sleeping on gravel. When it came time for bed, eight of us slept in a row, trying to snuggle for warmth (it was about 40 degrees out). It's pretty safe to say we might have slept for about two hours and now have permanent indentations of rocks in our hip bones and spines!:)

XOX,
Katy Melton

You can support me at:
 GoFundMe.com/taj8tg8

I'M GOING TO...

Family & Friends,

    

    Week three's topic was the Nature & Character of God. There were four different speakers that were all local pastors from around the community. It was interesting to hear from pastors who all had different beliefs, yet speaking on the same topic.

    On Tuesday we had local outreach (we go out once a week and do our best to witness to others) at the strip, where we wrote a letter to a stranger about whatever we wanted and then gave it to someone  that we felt lead to give it to. It was nerve wracking at first to give a letter to a complete stranger, but I had a nice conversation with the person I gave mine to and it was very rewarding to be able to just talk and pray with her.

    On Thursday, instead of work duties and afternoon lectures, our leaders surprised us with a trip to a swimming pool (with a shark tank in the middle of it) and an all you can eat buffet! They know the way to wake us up is to offer us as much food as we want!:).  It was a great way to end the week of lectures and to just have fun all together.

    I also went on my track focus outreach on Thursday. Myself and three other girls work with an organization called Foster Connect. They partner us with a family who needs a little extra help once a week and we go over there and watch their kids and do some cleaning for them. The particular family that we are working with has five kids that are under the age of ten (plus two dogs and a cat). They are a lot of work, even for four people, but we're able to pour into their lives and in return they are able to pour into ours!

(J is one of the boys we watch)

     The best part of week 3 was we finally found out where we are going! ADTS (Abolitionist Discipleship Training School) is splitting into two groups; one is going to Eastern Europe and the other is going to India and Nepal. For ODTS (that's me!) we are going to... AFRICA! We actually get to go to three different countries in Africa; Uganda, Zambia, AND South Africa! We leave November 28th and get back at the end of January!

    We will soon know more about what we will be doing in each country and how long we will be staying in each. I will be sure to post it on my next blog when I know the specifics! Thank you all for the support, excitement, and encouragement!

    P.S. Please pray for wisdom, strength, and protection.

XOX,
Katy Melton

You can support me at:

 GoFundMe.com/taj8tg8