The Halfway Point

I am so blessed to be in Santa Cruz! God has done so much work in my life and in the lives of everyone on project! I love my job at Whitings! I have had several opportunities to be able to share with my coworkers during our slower hours. It is so amazing to see people thirsty and hungry for the Lord! 

I want to share with you an opportunity that my project friends (Hayley, MG, and Jessica) and I have had with some of our coworkers to share the Good News. Mary and Katie came to our Monday night dinner and our weekly meeting (Monday Night Live) last week and hung out with us afterwards. We have developed a great relationship with them and got another opportunity on Saturday night to hang out with them again. MG got to have a great conversation and even shared her testimony with Katie! She is so close to coming to know God. Pray for more opportunities to share with them about God and His amazing love. (Note: names have been changed for confidentiality reasons)

We have had several planned outreaches since we have gotten here! We had a Barn Party that allowed us to build relationships with 31+ coworkers! We have also done several downtown outreaches in which we use Solarium pictures to start spiritual conversations with locals. We also had a Coffee House which was a much more chill environment to have spiritual conversations with our coworkers! Needless to say, there is a movement in Santa Cruz, and it goes on in the name of the Lord! So far there have been over 300 spiritual conversations with coworkers and others, several that are in follow up and 6 decisions to follow Jesus as their Savior! Glory be to God!

I have also been very blessed with an amazing discipler, Caitlin VanScott! She is a beautiful person and has taught me to love and serve others well! I am very encouraged to share my faith because of her and know God has and will continue to use her in beautiful ways! 

Being at the halfway point, our staff has now passed on the baton for us to carry and continue this movement in Santa Cruz! They gave us the tools and challenges we needed and now 59 students will lead and encourage one another in going and doing the will of God in Santa Cruz! 

I want to leave you in this blog with something the Lord has taught me that is a huge part of my testimony: 

I continue to learn how perfect His love is. I have begun to experience freedom from failing, being perfect, or any chains that might hold me back from knowing Him personally. I may fail in school, relationships or through the plans that I have, but God never fails and wants to have a personal relationship with all of us.

The Journey Thus Far

To all of my supporters, thank you once again for the opportunity to share the Gospel with the people of Santa Cruz.

During our first week here we had a lot of training on how to share Christ with the people of Santa Cruz and were given many talks on what people believe and the way they live. Statistics show that there is a very small population of people that live here are even churched here.

I also began my job at a company called "Whitings." They own 19 stands along the boardwalk. I really have enjoyed working there so far! The people I work for and with are so great. They are so excited to work with the "Crusaders" and love to hear our stories. I have invited a lot of coworkers to our dinners and a lot have shown up. There we are able to fully share the Gospel of what is doing in our lives.

It has come to my understanding that there are so many people who have not heard the Gospel or are very turned off by the idea of God. Over these last two weeks I have had several opportunities to share and listen to a very diverse crowd about what they think about God and their spiritual journey. I have gotten a great amount of feedback. A lot of people there is a God but they are content living life the way they are and aren't interested or don't think it is possible to have a personal relationship with God.  My heart is completely broken by seeing that the way people believe and live their lives aligns with these statistics.

Please pray for continued opportunities to share and that God will continue to use us fully and that the hearts of Santa Cruz will open to the Word.

Here's a picture of where I live and the beautiful creation I get to look at every day!

Feel free to send me mail at: Kaitlyn Dawson
                 Campus Crusade For Christ
                  313 Riverside Ave
                  Santa Cruz, CA
                                 95060                        

Every Breath is for God

God has taught me so many things over these last months on my journey!

1) Sometimes God has to break you for you to realize His plan for you. 

-These past two years, I have held on with white knuckles my studies. I wasn't relying on God for everything in my life. God pretty much had to knock me down off of my feet and show me that His plans are so much greater than my own. It is His will for me to go to nursing school, but in His own perfect timing. I am not sure why yet, but God wants me to wait on this and following His will is so much better. (for those of you who do not understand why I have to wait, see previous post)

2) When it's God's will, He provides!

-I wasn't sure how I could come up with the funds to get to Santa Cruz, but God totally blew my mind! Not only did I raise the $3,400 I needed to go, but I have raised well above that, which will help me with my food and travelling costs! I can say I am fully funded! There was no reason to worry! (Matthew 6:25-34)

3) Faith in God goes a long way!

-A lot of the time I don't understand why God has me wait for things. Friends say trust in God, but it's really easier said than done. It is so easy to have your knuckles tied tight around something God wants, but when you try to take your own reign on those things, God reminds you that it is Him who has the power not you and He can take those things away just as quickly as He gave them to you. I can tell that this has been one of my flaws and God has basically had to force me down on my knees and show me that He will show me the way that He wants me to go. I am continuing to learn that I need to slow down and let God have control.

4)For once in my life, I am so happy to not feel the need to worry about something!

-God has lifted the weight of the world off of my shoulders and I am learning to put my faith into God and pray anytime I am not sure of what is going to happen. Surrendering to God takes off many heavy burdens and is amazing!

Philippians 4:6

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Every day is a new experience, and when we learn to put our faith in God with every step and breath we take. Having faith in God and putting your full trust even when you don't understand is always a blessing. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not into your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

I am so thankful God delights in all of us and cares and loves for us so deeply that He is patient with us and wants to make our paths straight. 

The Battle to Go Continues

Some very important things have been happening over these past few days that have me on going on this mission trip to Santa Cruz this summer. I believe that God has called me to become a nurse in order to bring Him glory. I also believe that God wants me to bring Him glory in Santa Cruz, CA this summer.

God has been teaching me to be patient and submit fully to His will and His timing. I got accepted into nursing school for this coming fall, so I thought it would be smooth sailing from here. However, God had different plans for me. I have had a rough semester with Microbiology as well with my tests in Intro to Nursing. Needless to say that I didn't do well enough to pass either of the classes. 

Now comes the decision. Do I continue with what I want more than anything and not go to Santa Cruz, or do I postpone Nursing School for another year and fully submit to God's will. 

After many tears, prayers and struggles within my heart, I went into the SWOSU School of Nursing and signed the papers saying I would not be attending the school of nursing this fall. 

I believe that God allowed this to happen to show me that I am not in control of these things in my life. They are created by Him and for Him, not me. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He knows the plans for us. As much as it hurts to make this decision to wait, I know that He has control of these situations and He will bring glory to Himself no matter what. 

The devil is doing everything in his "power" to keep me from going to Santa Cruz this summer, and honestly, a year ago, he may have actually won this battle. But God has been teaching me and growing me this year, through prayer, His Word, Campus Crusade for Christ, and all of my new friends at SWOSU. I am so thankful that God has taught me so much about putting my full faith in Him. He has the ultimate control and He will stomp Satan out of these situations when I trust in him.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Colossians 1:9-12

 ⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Blessed Beyond Measure!

As you know from my previous post, I prayed to God when I submitted my application "It's your will, God."

 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Still, being my worrisome self, I struggled with the thoughts that I may not be able to raise enough money. I knew that if it was truly God's will that He would provide the funds for me to go. Within the first week of me sending out my support letters, I have raised nearly a third of my intended goal of $4500! God is truly blowing my mind with the support I am gaining from others. It is so amazing to see how people have faith that God will use me in Santa Cruz this summer. Thank you so much for all of the support that you have given me so far! I am extremely touched that you believe in me and that God really wants to use me. 

No matter what  broken state or situation we might be in, God uses us! That is so AMAZING! I know that God doesn't have to use us. He can do all of His work on His own, but He delights upon us and uses us when we answer His call to go! I am so blessed that God will use me for His perfect will!! I just can't stop smiling because of God's great love! 

Acts 1:8 ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

God blesses us in so many ways! Thank you for being apart of "Project 4,500!" 

Battle to Go- The Beginning

I didn't have a reason to even think about going anywhere this summer, or so I thought. I am in the middle of applying for Nursing school, trying to figure things out, and a boyfriend I want to see. God totally blew my mind at Winter Conference. He said, I want you to sacrifice your summer for me. My thoughts, "I'm not good enough to go" and "I have way too much on my mind to even begin thinking about this." After a conversation with Heather, a Cru leader, I realized that God doesn't call us to go because we are perfect. He calls us in  our current state, a broken mess or perfect and He can use us despite our flaws. By the end of Winter Conference my attitude became, "I have to go!" I was so excited that as soon as I got home from Dallas, I began the application process! 

This application was no ordinary application. It was a beast that pries into all aspects of your life and spiritual life, EVERY nook and cranny. There is no way that the people who read my application couldn't see how messy my life was. I got super nervous before I submitted it, so I prayed, "It's your will God." I hit submit and that was the end of it. 

Secretly, I was praying that they would somehow look over my application and I could go on with my original plan, to stay home and work and get ready for nursing school in the fall. However, while battling with the flu, I got a phone call from one of the leaders for the project and I had been accepted! I was once again flooded with the emotions of being both selfish and wanting to do God's will. I was almost sick to my stomach at this battle to go. 

Being the "Type A" personality I am, I made a big list on my big white board of reasons to go and to not go. In the end, God wins (like always) and I realize I have to go. A week later, I got all of my support letters ready to go and now the journey begins!

P.S.

I will keep you updated as things happen!