First Week!

 I made it safely to North Myrtle Beach! Our road trip was nothing less than an adventure. It was so nice to get to know some of the people I would be serving with this summer along the way! Thank you so much for you prayers for safe travels, it really meant a lot! 

Ever since I have arrived I have been so busy, but I'm loving absolutely every minute of it. I'll just give a recap of my week so far and write more as the week goes on!

 above: one of main beach houses...the project office is in the bottom left hand corner!

 

  our street sign :)

 some of the beach houses we lived in..(that's also the car we traveled twenty hours in!) 

 

our street, 2nd Ave South

Wednesday is the day we arrived in North Myrtle Beach after traveling for over 20 hours. We pulled into the parking spot and walked towards our beach houses, we were welcomed by a bunch of cheers and claps from fellow project staff and students. It was so awesome to just walk up to people and introduce myself, I felt like every bonded immediately. We then had to get checked in, get our room key, figure out support, and move into our room. 

 My bed! I got the top bunk, and my roommate Kari was below

 Our bathroom

 My roommate, Anna Jean's bed

 Our Kitchen

When I got to my room I was greeted by Kari, one of my roommates, she's such a sweet girl! I found my bed (I don't have to share, woohoo!) and put my stuff down and went back outside to meet more people from project. 

 me and my roommates: Kari (left) Me (middle) Anna Jean (right)  

We all decided to walk down to the ocean. I have never been to the ocean before and I was amazed by how beautiful it was! It doesn't even compare to Lake Michigan back home! 

Later that night the entire summer project walked to a park where the staff had made dinner for us. This was really the first time that we were able to sit down with people and ask about who they are, where they're from, what's their major--the typical get to know you questions. We all went around the entire pavilion and introduced ourselves, to this day, I still don't know everyone's names, it's a work in progress! After our picnic they let us have the night free to go to Wal-Mart and pick up things that we may have forgotten to pack. Instead of driving a group of 4 people and I walked (saving money, but definitely not time!) It was so funny to see everyone's carts filled with "Great Value" food products instead of the name brands, I mean who are we kidding, our parents are no longer here to buy food for us! Overall Wednesday was a great day of fellowship and getting to know one each other.

Thursday is when we met our Bible Study and I had Chick-Fil-A for the first time, but more importantly Thursday was our first opportunity to go sharing our faith on the beach. It was sooo awesome. 

More stories to come!

On the Open Road

And we’re off! 

 Above: These are the people I road down with! Chase, Ethan, and Kelsey. This picture was taken right before we left for North Myrtle Beach. None of us really knew each other too well before we started our trip, bit I am SO glad that the Lord placed them in my life and I can't wait to spend the rest of the summer with them! :)

The first night stop:

The Sunset Motel...looks inviting right? Wrong. You'd think that we would have taken the neon sign and the fact that almost every room was vacant as a sign to not stay there...

Ever wonder what the definition of a sketch motel is? Well, let me tell you! It was around 2am in Kentucky and we were desperately looking for somewhere to stop and rest..we tried several hotels, but we unsuccessful due to the fact that no one in our car is 21. We then came across the Sunset Motel..it only cost $30/night..a deal right? Wrong. By far the sketchiest motel I’ve ever stayed in, but hey, it builds character! We walk into the room and the smell of old smoke wafts into our noses and the carpeting was moist.  The room is complete with a broken tv stand, a bed (probably filled with bed bugs), a cigarette burned sheet, and a “bathroom”. From the view of the bathroom window there were a bunch of lambs and a horse just grazing away, while we were freaking out about our room.

I know you wanted to see what the animals looked like so here you go...

I felt as if it would have been possible to get a STD from just sitting on the bed. Nonetheless we had to man up and get some rest. While we were just laying in our bed about to go to sleep someone walked past the window and all we could see was a shadow...criminal minds, anyone? We closed our eyes as hard as it was and actually got a legit 7 hours of sleep regardless. The next morning we had to get up early so we could start traveling once again. While getting ready Chase looked up in the bathroom and through the vent there was a syringe that someone had stashed away. (pictured below)

What really goes on in motels like this? Don’t answer that, I don’t want to know!  

Here's the deal.

While I was on Summer Project in North Myrtle Beach none of my blog posts were actually able to be posted because this website would never fully load with our internet that we had there. Although I posted a plentiful amount of pictures on facebook, which can be viewed on my profile (Alexandria LeClair),  I thought I would upload all of my posts in the next couple of days. I had them all written in microsoft word documents so I just need to add the pictures. I am so sorry that while I was away there was nothing to be read about how the Lord was working in my life. But, let me assure you, He did! 

Read more posts to follow to know what I mean! :)

Love you all! Thanks for your support and constant prayers!! 

Good-bye Appleton, Hello North Myrtle Beach!

It seems like just yesterday that I felt the Lord calling me to go to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and I'm already leaving today! Saying good-bye is going to be harder than I thought it was going to be. I said good night to my mom last night and gave her a hug. I didn't want to let go and started crying - I'm going to miss everyone so much, but I have to rely on the Lord to bring me comfort, and them comfort as well. 


Will you please pray that the Lord grant us safe travels as we make our journey down to North Myrtle Beach. We're leaving Neenah around noon and are expecting to make it to North Myrtle Beach on Wednesday. We're going to stop Tuesday night and stay in a hotel somewhere to rest and get some food. 

I'll definitely have more blogs to come, but just thought that I would give a quick update on what's going on. Check my facebook as I'm sure that I'll be updating photos regularly! or follow me on my twitter @xoalexandriaox


Thank you so much for your prayers and support as I go on this journey. 

xo

Alexandria

Why Worry? Jesus Doesn't.

Worry: To torment oneself or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.

Worry, Annoy, Harass - disturb or interfere with ones comfort or peace of mind.



Ever since I have been a little girl I have worried about absolutely everything. And when I say everything I really do mean everything. I worried about whether or not I was going to be late to things and whether or not my mom would be there right after school to pick me up. I worried that I was going to get in a car accident before I even got my license! I was worried if my parents were going to get kidnapped when they went on walks. I worried when I was by myself, with someone else, or with a large group of people. For me everything seemed uncertain and that freaked me out.



Worrying is not something that one simply outgrows. Sometimes I think that the older one gets and the more one has, the more they worry. Why do people worry? Because they are uncertain about the future and what it holds. But why should we worry when we know the one who holds our future? When you think about it, worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing. Is constantly being worried about paying the bills, writing a paper, or making a deadline going to get those things done? Absolutely not. But just because we're not supposed to be worried or anxious about nothing doesn't mean that we can't ask the Lord to help us with our troubles. We are told to cast all of our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)


It sounds harsh, but worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing. It won't help you solve a problem or bring about a solution, so why waste your time and energy? Luke 12:22-34 says:

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In this passage Jesus commands us not to worry. Sounds a lot easier said then done! How can we overcome something that's so easy to do?



Simple, trust in God, YOUR heavenly Father. You can show God that you are trusting in him by praying instead of worrying. Worry replaced with prayer equals trust.
Philippians 4:6-7 says:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Imagine never being anxious or worried about anything! It seems like an impossible task. But Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray. I had said earlier that when I was younger I worried all the time. I would talk with my parents frequently about the stuff that I was worried about and they taught me to place my trust in God. They gave me a cross necklace to wear everyday, whenever I would find myself to start to worry about anything I would simply grab a hold of the cross, close my eyes, and present my worries to God. That cross necklace was a simple reminder that the Lord was only a single prayer away! 

This summer as I prepare to go to North Myrtle Beach a lot of emotions are running through my head. I'm excited, nervous,  and I must admit that I'm a tad worried. This is the longest and farthest that I have ever been away from my family, I'm going to be almost 20 hours and 5 states away from them. As I prepare to leave for this summer 1Peter 5:7 is my continuous prayer. I know that the Lord already has my summer planned out, He knows who I'm going to interact with, what I'm going to be doing, and how He's going to change me. I just have to learn to fully rely on Him and give this summer up to Him. 

Summer Project 2011 -- All in His Plan

This summer I have decided to trade in the hairnet and white lab coat at Orvs Pizza to venture down to North Myrtle Beach on a Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ!

If you're reading my blog, you probably know that I'm a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. I'm absolutely loving college life! I have been so blessed after getting involved in Cru here at UWSP. The Lord has used Campus Crusade to help me grow in my faith and give me the burden to reach people for Christ. Through Campus Crusade I have learned of the unbelievable opportunity to take part in a Summer Project to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. When I heard of such an opportunity I knew that I couldn't just waste another summer working, sleeping, and eating. This year my summer will be filled with a full time job, sharing my faith with vacationers and college students, Bible studies, and a discipleship ministry. My heart's desire is to increase my understanding of God's words, deepen my relationship with Him, and be more burdened for reaching people with the Gospel. 

Truth be told, I am both very excited and nervous at the same time. I'm very nervous and somewhat sad because this is going to be the first time in my life that I have been separated from my twin sister Adri. However I'm trying to look at this situation as a blessing in disguise. For the first time in my life people will not refer to me as Alex and Adri, the girls, or the twins. I will just simply be, Alex. I will be able to for the first time see who I am both as an individual, but more importantly who I am in Christ. 

I'm so very excited to see what the Lord has planned for me this summer and what He has planned for the peoples' lives that I may touch. I'm excited to spend the summer a block away from the beach. And I'm super excited to meet new brothers and sisters in Christ.

Right now I'm trying to raise enough support to go on this Project. It's going to cost around $3,000 for the entire summer. I've sent out support letters to develop a team of ministry partners, a group of people who would give to make my trip possible. As you can imagine, raising the necessary funds will be one of my greatest steps of faith in preparations for this summer. My pray for the support raising process has been Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

I'm so very excited to see how the Lord will bless those who bless me through supporting me on my journey this summer! There is no gift to big or too small, whether that be $1 or $100! Of course, whatever amount the Lord leads you to is the right amount. Would you prayerfully consider joining my ministry team to help bring the Lord's gospel to the world? All gifts are tax deductible and checks should be made out to Campus Crusade for Christ.

More than anything, I need your prayers as I seek to follow the Lord by participating in this summer mission trip. Please pray for strength as I venture away from my comfort zone. Pray for open ears and hearts of those we talk to this summer. Pray that everyone on my team would mesh well together and that we could serve the Lord in the best way possible.

--Alexandria