Home

Oh goodness. Today, my dear students began their journeys back home. The Walt Disney World Summer Project 2011 has officially come to a close.

Today has been one of those days. One of those days I wish I could have turned off my heart so I didn't have to feel. Didn't have to have sympathy pains for the heartbreak my dear friends are feeling as they leave the most incredible ten weeks of their lives. Didn't have to feel old scars being opened as I pined for my brothers and sisters from last summer. Didn't have to feel the dread of leaving behind everything and everyone I know in a week.

I felt the Lord leading me today to write a message to the girls I discipled and give them advice on how to cope with going home. I know it sounds silly. It's hard to explain. Yes, there is real pain going on in the world right now. Famine. Corruption. Even on our own soil, unemployment and homelessness and such. But to those 38 students, it is hard to look past the fact that their world has been turned upside down for ten weeks straight and all they could do was hold on to they only thing they had- each other.

I stole this from the blog of one of the students I was really close to- Ashton. She worked in the Emporium (just like me) and was the Associate Project Director when the staff left (just like me). She is a beautiful writer and sums it up better than I could-

I could say that leaving will be bittersweet, that I’ve loved my time here but I’m ready to go home, but that would be a lie. I honestly don’t feel like I could ever be ready to leave. I have come to know and love the people here in an environment that is so cultivating to deep friendship. I have had so many experiences that I can try and explain but at the end of the day, people back home will never understand. I’m blessed beyond measure to be going back to a community that loves the Lord and will be able to relate to me on many levels, but no one except the 38 other people God brought together this summer will ever truly “get it.”

These people understand when I use words like “bumpout,” “termed,” or “utili-doors.” They will understand my relationship with Stephen completely, no matter what happens. They identify with stories of insane guest behavior and not blink an eye when I point with two fingers instead of one.

But more than that, they understand what this summer has meant to me. They have walked alongside me as God revealed to us our weaknesses, struggles, fears and strengths. We have been fed up with each other, in love with each other, in awe of each other, and unworthy of each other. We have felt true exhaustion together. We have felt true joy together. We have learned (slowly, and still a lesson in progress) to rely on God’s strength and not our own. We have found our voices, broken down our walls, and fought for each other on daily battlefields.

Going on summer project is like eating hamburgers your whole life and then spending ten weeks eating steak. Some moments are hard to chew, but there are so many nights of eating the most tender filet mignon. Imagine then going back to burgers every night. You don't go hungry, but for the first time, you know something better is out there. So you search and you search until you find something else that satisfies.

This is one of my favorite photos from last summer. Our last night of project, walking to the beach at the Polynesian resort to watch the fireworks one last time... Sarah P, Jess, Alexis, Patreeya, and me

I have to admit, there may have been this miniscule part of me that selfishly returned to WDWSP because I was still searching for my filet. I wish I could sit here and tell you that every reason I had for going back was selfless. But it wasn't. I missed the fun, the thrill, the excitement of living by faith every day. But there is no reason why I couldn't have created those moments for myself every day. I told my girls tonight that they need to live every day like they are still on WDWSP11, not every day wishing they were still there. Thats what I did for a lot of this last year. And like I talked about a few posts ago, it wasn't the same. I still was tasting some gourmet meals that were way better than hamburgers, but they were different.

I am reading an incredible book right now called Prodigal God, and I just read a section about our search for home. You see, last summer was the first time I truly felt... known. The people closest to me heard my deepest, darkest secrets. In what was probably the deepest and truest expression of grace I have ever seen, they did not run away. On the contrary, they extended a hand to me and invited me to walk alongside of them despite my failures, my fears, my imperfections. I felt at home, maybe for the first time in my life. I truly believe that in those moments last summer and this summer as well, I caught a glimpse of heaven. Not the cheesy, riding on a cloud with gold wings heaven. The sense of perfect community kind. But it was temporary, as is everything in this life. And for months, instead of finding my home somewhere else, I mourned the loss of home. So I went searching, expecting to be provided of it instead of seeking to create it amongst those who hadn't caught that glimpse that I did. I feel like I somehow robbed my loved ones of this opportunity to experience what I felt, and I have spent a lot of today trying to come to terms with that. Thank goodness for grace and the intercession of God for my failures.

Please don't misunderstand me. This year was incredible. I NEVER would have survived it without the experiences I had last summer. Especially by the end of the year I was finding brief instances of that community again. But I wasted a lot of time grieving the home I had lost, searching for it wherever I could. The first time I went to Orlando this past year, I sobbed my eyes out, longing for the companionship of any single one of the people I shared my life with last year. I didn't care if it was Alexis, the sister I shared my bed and my deepest fears with, or Josh, who I shared maybe one conversation with. I craved it. I went looking for it back at work. I worked a 8 or 9 Emporium shifts over the last year and only left missing Tim and Jamie and Erica more than ever.

In Prodigal God, Tim Keller quotes one of C.S. Lewis' most famous sermons (yes, C.S. Lewis did not just write the Narnia books, he was one of the most prominent Christian theologians of the last century)-
"Our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation"

Tim Keller responds by saying

"We are all exiles, always longing for home. We are always traveling, never arriving. The houses and families we actually inhabit are only inns along the way, but they aren't home. Home continues to evade us"

Home is a pretty big deal for me. I suppose this is because the things that a home represents- security, stability, community... those are the things I want the most. The things that combat my deepest fears, those vividly human fears of  being alone and unprotected. Over the last four years, home has been in many places. Even now, I really do consider Gainesville my home. This house I sit in? The one I have lived in since I was 12 that is two miles away from the one I was born in? This is where my parents live. But its a home. So is the house I lived in the last three years in Gainesville. (I wouldn't call Beaty Towers a home... that will never be more than a roach infested dorm that I happened to sleep in (most of the time) for a year). Mike Ditka resort? That is home too. And shortly, hopefully, St. Louis will be home too.

I am not a big fan of corny cliche catch phrases. But there is one that has been in my mind. It usually refers to a breakup, but it applies here. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"  SOOO CHEEEESYYY. But it works.

Here's to the biggest easier-said-than-done moment of my summer- I will live every day like a child of God who has experienced WDWSP. I will make myself a home in the place my feet land, wherever that may be. If I can't find a community, I will make one. I am incapable on my own strength, but luckily I have the God of the Universe on my side. And I trust him. Fully


I will leave you with the last lyric of my current favorite song.

Lifted out of the ashes, I find hope in the aftermath.

Kelly

FIGHT

Well friends,
I am home. Project is over for staff. Sad.

That was the fastest six weeks of my life.

It will probably take a few entries over the next few weeks to finish things off. First of all, I am not by any means done processing what God taught me this summer. But I can definitely share stories as we go through that journey together.

Second, although I am home, project is not over! Just like last summer, staff leaves halfway through the summer, except this time, I am not stepping up into leadership, I am stepping down. The students now hold the reins of the Walt Disney World Summer Project. I can't wait to see how God moves through them. I will be sharing more of their stories as time goes on.

Again, I failed majorly at updating in a timely manner this summer.

But here is a story for now. One of those moments, kind of like what I shared in the last entry, where I just gripped that surfboard with my toes and held on for dear life.

If you ask just about any female student or staff member where they learned the most this summer, they would probably answer that Women's Time was that place. Our theme for the summer was FIGHT. Every Thursday morning, we got together as women and talked about what we could FIGHT for-
Freedom
Identity
Grace
Humility
Truth

Every week, one or two of us staff women led the discussion by sharing personal stories about how we have learned to fight for these things in our own life. I cannot describe how powerful this time was to all of us. I can't explain how it happened other than we prayed and God showed up. He used each one of us, despite our own failures and weaknesses, and moved mountains in the lives of the students and each other.

The staff women of WDWSP11- (top, left to right) -Patreeya, Chelsea, Lindsey, Sarah, Paige (bottom) me, Nicole, and Alicia.

I think I posted a few pictures of this on my facebook page, but we gave each girl a pink boxing glove to keep as a reminder of what we learned to fight for this summer. Each week, they wrote bible verses and key phrases about what we learned about this week. We took this picture the last week of women's time with all of us together.

The first week, Lindsey talked about freedom. We talked about freedom from having to put on that mask. Freedom to be real with each other, to live in the light and to talk about the hard stuff that nobody really wants to talk about. The next week Sarah talked about identity. What will they remember our generation for in the future? How do people identify us? How do our actions reflect what we believe? The next week, Nicole and Alicia talked about grace. I talked a lot about grace in my last entry. Unmerited favor. Undeserved love. Forgiveness. We talked about what it means to both accept God's grace and extend it. Extending it to everyone, for that matter, whether it is a family member who hurt you, a friend who betrayed you, or your roommate who didn't clean out her cereal bowl this morning. The next week, I got to tag team with Chelsea, who I loved working with. We also got to lead another lesson together for the whole project. More on that in another entry. Chelsea talked about reflecting Christ's humility in all that we do and I got to share some stories about how God grew me in this area last year on project. I know I have old entries about that, feel free to go back and look if you are curious. The last week, we had a Q&A panel with the staff and Patreeya and Paige talked about what it means to believe the truth of God's word and not the lies we can feed into. These lies tell us we are not good enough, we are not worthy of love, we are not beautiful. But God says something different.

Anyways, here is a story.

The last week was an incredibly powerful one for all of us. Just thinking about all of the lies that run through my head on a daily basis was pretty overwhelming. In all of our project activities, students are encouraged to invite their co-workers, and every week more girls sat in on our talks. There are several international students who attend many weekly events throughout the year held by CRU@WDW and they were regulars at all of our meetings. After women's time, I squeezed people in my car to take back to their apartments. All of the Disney interns live in housing a few minutes from property. This was a pretty busy day for everyone so instead of taking two cars, six of us squeezed in my Honda Accord (don't tell my mom.) Angelica from Colombia, Sam from New Zealand, Trish from Australia, Aki from Japan, and Evelyn from Panama. Quite the spread.

We started off just chatting and conversation eventually turned to the topic from that morning, but right before everyone was about to get out of the car, Angelica asked me to talk a little more about something I had mentioned early that morning during the Q&A session. Students submitted questions to us anonymously and we answered them as honestly as we could. One of the questions pertained to being single and how to cope with the lonliness of it. I felt like everyones eyes turned to me for this one. I know that is a lie my mind made up, but when this was read, I knew I had to say something, seeing as how I was the only one out of all 8 staff ladies without a boyfriend or husband. Everyone had something to say about how at one time or another they were single, but I felt like the spotlight was on me, Single Girl, to divulge my secret on how I don't cry myself to sleep every night over my solo state.

Truthfully, I don't really have a secret. I shared with the girls that although I am not thrilled, I am content with where God has me. Yes, I have been single for almost 23 years. I have never been in a serious relationship. I have come to a place where I am able to admit that without shame though. I struggle with enough on a daily basis without having a broken heart to mend. I see it as a blessing nowadays moreso than a curse. I have been there when I felt like something was wrong with me. But now I know there is not something wrong with me, there was just something wrong with my plan- it didn't match up with God's. He has shown me that I idolize so much in my life. I put so many things before God without realizing it- grades, friendships, dance, power... there is no doubt in my mind that I would have definitely put a boy before God too, if I had one. And well, that just spells out devastation for my oversensitive heart. And again, I feel blessed and loved when I think about how I have been spared that thus far. I don't know what the future holds, but I trust God that it is what is best me. Well, maybe not best for me. Best for God's kingdom and His glory. My life is surrendered to Him, and I want to be used for His glory (please remind me of this next time I try to run the other way. As in probably a dozen times within the next day).

I shared all of this during the Q&A session, but we ended up going even deeper in the car. We talked about that sermon I mentioned a few weeks ago about how God is enough. I knew I was speaking just as much to myself as I was the other girls in the car- nothing can satisfy us except God. Not fame, attention, fortune, success, friends, alcohol, boys, sex, a family, etc. Not all of these things are bad, actually none of these things are necessarily bad in the right circumstances and proper amounts, but when we count them as more important than God, they will only disappoint us and leave us wanting more.

The six of us shared heartfelt stories of pain and triumph for almost 45 minutes in the parking lot of the apartments. Stories of lies we had listened to- there is something wrong with you because you are single. You are always going to be alone. There are no good boys left out there. You aren't pretty enough. Nobody wants you.

Then we talked about the truths- God sees us as his perfect creation. We will never be alone. God will be faithful in the promises He has made. God sees us as his beautiful daughters. And God loves us so much and wanted to be in community with us so much that he sacrificed his Son for us.

Have you ever had one of those Hollywood moments where time just seems to slow down for a second and something clicks into place in your brain and your don't seem to hear the outside world for a little bit? Well there I was in the midst of this conversation, when something in my brain told me to stop. Take this in. Look at where you are. You are in a car with a girl from Japan, a girl from Columbia, a girl from Panama, a girl from New Zealand, and a girl from Australia. Six women who, across four different continents have experienced exactly the same thing and who have exactly the same Savior.

Christians like to throw around fancy terms for this. God is omniscient (all knowing) omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (in all places). This one second was probably one of the most stunning and personal examples of the "omni" God I have ever encountered. God is not just for white, middle class Americans. He doesn't exist to fix our little problems or to make us wealthy. God is for broken hearted humans. And that has no boundaries. No boundaries of country, continent, or culture. No race or ethnicity or hair color or tax bracket. Pain is universal. But, lucky for us, God created this universe. Six girls, relatively the same age, who have experienced the same heartache across cultures and came to the same conclusion- there has GOT to be something more than this. And thanks in part to Disney World, we got to share in that moment together.

Aki and her friend Mai with me at our mid-project banquet.

Evelyn and I at our mid-project banquet



I don't know what time and distance will do to the relationship between the six of us. I hope that we can remain friends forever, and I wish more than anything that money was not limited and that I could freely travel and visit each of them in their home country. But I do know one thing. I will never forget that moment.

Thank you God, for moments like that.

More stories to come.
Love,
Kel

Send Me

"You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give"
- Winston Churchill

Oh goodness. I don't even know where to begin with this one.

It has only been a few days since I last updated (I know, shocking) but I feel like I could type for hours on end about what I have been learning.

Wednesday was our actual Surf Day for WDWSP11, which is still one of my favorite days on project. We all piled in cars and headed to Cocoa beach to ride the waves. When we left Kissimmee, it was over a hundred degrees outside with the sun threatening to scorch the very hair off our arms. By the time we reached Cocoa an hour later, in typical Florida fashion, the sky was heavy with the menacing threat of rain and thunder. As dozens of tourists flooded from the sands towards the safety of their rental cars, we grouped up to discuss the first activity of the day, which was going out and talking to people about faith using a tool called Soularium, which is basically a set of pictures that go with questions like "Which three images would you choose to describe your life?" and "Which image best represents your view of God?"

This tool is designed to engage people in spiritual conversations in a way that is relevant to our culture- through really cool pictures. As a creativity-driven visual learner, I just love using this. Don't get me wrong, I would still rather engage in a spiritual conversation with someone I have built a relationship with than a complete stranger, but heck, I would rather do just about anything with someone I know than a stranger. But anyways, we divided up into pairs and braved what felt like egg-sized raindrops and tromped down to the waters edge. Alicia(a fellow staff girl and one of my dearest new friends) and I asked a young couple, lets call them John and Jane, if we could go through the pictures with them. They said yes, and we sat down and went through the pictures together and just generally talked about life for over an hour. John was raised in a Catholic home and had a bad taste for religion because of his experience. Jane was raised going to a non-denominational church, and after a few years of rebelling against it, had started going back. She really loved God- you could just see it in her eyes when she talked about her relationship with Him. Anyways, they opened to us about how they were struggling with their religious differences and it was actually preventing them from getting engaged.

We talked a long time about the difference between "religion" and "relationship," because Christianity is not just a religion. It is about actually being in a relationship with God. It isn't just a set of rules, it is a Father who loves you as a son or daughter whom he has adopted. Alicia and I both got to share a little bit of our life stories with them, giving them examples of how trusting God has made an impact on our lives. By the end of the conversation, Jane was sharing with us about how she does Mary Kay type jewelry parties, and Alicia said she was interested in knowing more, so Alicia and Jane (important point I forgot to make- they were staying in Orlando on vacation from Cali) set up a coffee date later on in the week so they could talk more about the home jewelry business. We said our goodbyes and went to meet up with the rest of the project.

We spent the afternoon on the waves, and boy, was it good to be back. I know I wrote last year about how it was an incredible metaphor for living by faith- getting out in the water time after time, regardless of how well our last ride went. The rush of standing up on a piece of plastic and being pushed along by something so powerful... I can't even describe that feeling. I also got to help teach all of the new students how to surf and I spent a lot of time giving them a push into the waves (they were pretty puny compared to what I have seen the Atlantic produce. But puny is good for learning). I smiled to myself countless times that day at the beautiful metaphor God was creating for me. Here I was, one year after the experience that changed my life forever. The people were new and the waves were new, but once again I found myself sitting in a lineup of people who were courageously, nervously, and excitedly waiting for what the next swell would bring. This time I wasn't just riding the waves myself, but I was coming alongside students, encouraging and reassuring them that nothing was impossible. Sharing my experience, providing a nudge, giving tips and pointers. And, every once in a while, a sweet wave came along that I got to ride.

One of those metaphorical waves started there and continued way past Cocoa Beach. A few days after our adventure, Alicia met with Jane for their coffee date. John came too, and when he got up to buy the coffee, Jane turned to Alicia and said "You will NEVER believe what happened after you and Kelly left us the other day"

Ready for some chills?

Apparently, religion has been one of the main sources of their arguments for years. They had been dating over five years, and it was one of the only things keeping them from moving on to the next stage in life. The night before we met them on the beach, it came up again. John said he was having a hard time believing in God and that he didn't like all the rules that came along with religion (he told us this on the beach too.) But what neither of them told us on the beach was how that conversation ended. Just about 12 hours before we plopped down next to their towels, John had ended the argument by saying something along the lines of "God, if you are real, please show me a sign."

Enter Alicia and myself. As we walked away after our conversation, John turned to Jane and said "That was my sign."

Apparently our conversation had touched on all of the things he was struggling with, especially the concept of grace. Grace is something tricky to understand. Growing up, my only concept of grace came from ballet. Grace was the prima ballerina who moved so effortlessly, like she was guided by the air. Now, grace is a gift. Imagine the best Christmas/birthday/Hanukkah/whatever reason gift you have ever received. Now imagine a gift that you got that blew away your expectations. Something you never ever deserved. That, my friends, is grace. It is forgiveness without conditions. It is love despite betrayal. God has a neverending supply of grace despite our constant failure, and it is displayed most poignantly through the gift of Jesus, the only perfect person to walk this Earth. Jesus, out of his great love for us, took all our punishment upon him when he died a humiliating, criminals death. What we were left with was grace.

That afternoon, John and Jane talked honestly for the first time about what it would look like to be married and have God at the center of their marriage and their lives. That night, John proposed.

He bought the ring months ago and has been carrying it around, waiting till the time was right.

Like I said at the beginning of this entry. I am not a huge fan of walking up to strangers and asking them what they believe. I am ashamed to admit this fear has kept me from engaging in a spiritual conversation when I outright felt God telling me to do so. Thank goodness God is more powerful than me and can compensate for my screw ups. And again, I am thankful for His grace. And I am so glad He gave me the courage to go out and surf some waves that day, even when the pickings were slim. I don't think I am going to be so afraid now. Yes, I may crash and burn 99% of the time. And although I am positive this was a rather unique experience, that thrill of feeling something powerful moving all around you, that thrill is worth every single wipeout that comes along the way.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
-Isaiah 6:8


Kel

Dayenu

Hello friends

I don't know what I was thinking coming into this adventure, but I somehow got it in my mind that since God taught me so much last summer, He would find a way for me to pass along that wisdom to the future generation of WDWSP students. My cup was filled, and now I here I am to empty it.

Mistake.

God has been teaching me so much already this summer, perhaps even more than last year. My stubborn heart was not about to let God in to break it and teach me more, I don't want to learn anymore. I am tired of learning about the areas of my life that need growth. But luckily God is more powerful than I, and He has been opening my eyes daily to things that I need to work on.

Life as a staff girl has been wonderful. I LOVE my job. That doesn't mean it is easy. But I love every minute of it. I finally have some pictures which I will post later on here.

That "secret activity" I talked about last time? Indoor surfing. Have you ever seen advertisements for cruise ships that have the surfing experience on board? Well, we got to ride an indoor wave, first as a staff team, then alongside all of the students. It was a really fun experience. Check out some info here if you are still confused-http://ultimateindoorwave.com/. It was a really great team experience- imagine 55 people cheering your name as you conquer a monster of a fear. Instant community. I will post pictures soon of that, I don't have any of myself from that day since I was out there attacking that wave as long as I could.

The students all got their job assignments and have begun training. They are all in the same exact locations as before- Outdoor food, quick service food, food stands, and the Emporium, just like last year. I hope the new Team Emporium can live up to the standard of awesomeness we set last year:)

I am loving getting to disciple the four girls in my small group. It is the highlight of my week when I get to spend time one on one with them.

This is us at the Fantasy Surf place. We really are a good looking bunch even after being tossed head over heels by monster mechanical waves repeatedly.

Please be praying for us as we continue to walk alongside of each other for the next few weeks.

Grabbing some desert on the beach of Disney's Polynesian Resort

Amanda from St. Louis College of Pharmacy (another friend for next year!!) Rachel from Texas Tech, Brittany from University of Illinois, and Jen from Western Kentucky University. I already feel like a proud mama!


We spent a day downtown talking to people about God, which was really awesome but pretty intimidating. We had surveys that people could fill out and ask more questions if they wanted.

This is me with Chelsea and Nicole, two of the other wonderful staff women who I am blessed to call part of my team.


One of the things that God has been teaching me lately is about relying on Him for everything I need. This past Sunday, the sermon at church was absolutely mind blowing. Here is the link, the sermon is called The 5000.

http://mosaicfl.org/?pg=cG9kY2FzdA==&pid=UG9kY2FzdA==

The title of this entry comes from a Hebrew phrase that is commonly spoken during the Passover meal. It means "it would have been enough." We talked about how much we try and fill our lives with unsatisfying stuff when God is enough. We can continue to search for our satisfaction and our security in things of this earth when there is something so much bigger out there. I REALLY reccommend listening to it, no matter who you are or what religion you follow. It is pretty epic.

Anyways, please continue to pray for me and my team. We have a lot of big things coming up in the next few days, including our surfing adventure tomorrow out at the real ocean!

Also, the mood the past few days has been a little bit more somber. One of the staff guys, Lee, lost his dad on Sunday. It was expected but still really hard, and he and his wife flew back home for the funeral and arrangements. That same night, one of the students, Ashlie, lost her grandmother. Please pray for them and us as we try to come alongside them during this difficult time.

And again, I am still trying to raise additional support in order to cover the higher than average gas prices. Here is my link again if you want to donate or my address if you want to send a check (or just mail in general, I love getting mail)

https://give.ccci.org/give/View/5559770?pp=Search+Results

Mike Ditka Resorts
Campus Crusade for Christ
Kelly Wood
3000 Bonfire Beach Dr
Kissimmee, FL 34746


Much love, Kelly

Gnarliness

God amazes me constantly. But there are those days where He is just showing off. Today was one of those days.

I apologize profusely for my lack of updates over the past two weeks. I can make excuses, but since most of you who know this already know that I am a procrastinator, it would be useless.

First of all, address. PLEASE send me mail here. I will be here till July 6th. I would love you forever. I just love getting mail.

Mike Ditka Resort
Campus Crusade for Christ
Kelly Wood
3000 Bonfire Beach Drive
Kissimmee, FL 34746

Last Thursday, almost a week ago, I finally ended my couch surfing excursion and began to get ready for a real surfing excursion (metaphorical AND actual..). I made it to Mike Ditkas in the early afternoon along with the rest of the staff team and we spent that first night bonding over a great dinner. I am in LOVE with my staff team and I am so excited to spend the next month and a half serving God with such amazing people.

We spent the next few days continuing to get to know one another on a deeper level and work out the details for the project as far as who was leading what. I will be discipling four girls- Rachel, Jen, Amanda, and Brittany. Please pray for us, I am incredibly excited to be able to pour out the love that God showers me with daily, but I am still nervous. I sometimes get intimidated trying to lead people who have know God longer than me. I know that those feelings do NOT come from God and I am praying to not be consumed with worry or those feelings of not being good enough. If I let them have power over me, they eat away at my confidence and leave me cowering in the corner. I battle this daily, and I humbly ask you, dear friends, to pray alongside of me that I will be filled with the kind of confidence that only comes from God working through me.

I will also be co-leading the World Vision team with Lee, one of the staff guys. I am really excited about this and passionate about the world and the gospel reaching the far corners of it. I am also just a social studies nerd and LOVE learning about different cultures and how people live in other parts of the world. Last summer I was a part of this team (it was combined with the prayer team last year) and I am really thrilled that I get to be a part of it again.

In addition to these two things, I will also be leading a bible study with two other staff members and helping lead Women's time, as well as helping out with other project activities.

We did some really awesome bonding activities on Monday, which I will tell you more about soon, because right now they are a secret for the students, some of whom may be creeping on this blog ;-)

I can't remember if I wrote this in a previous entry, but Pat, who was on project with me last year, is back with me this year as the other student staff intern!! We are sharing a two bedroom condo, which is insane considering there were 7-8 girls per condo last year. I have my own bathroom, which has actually never happened in my life, but I guess that will be good in preparing me for living in a 1/1 apartment in St. Louis next year.

It is SO strange being back at Mike Ditka's. Especially the first two days we were here or so, before new memories began to form, it was like a constant bombardment of deja vu. I keep expecting to walk into the condo and find Jess and Alexis and Sarah P and everyone waiting for me. It is really hard because as much as I am excited for the new adventures to come, my heart is longing for the community that was knitted together last year. We got to see some old friends who returned to WDW for the College Program/ semester project- Kyle, Liz, Jamie, and Michelle. For a while, Pat, Michelle, Jamie and I hung out on the floor of our condo and it was a bittersweet reminder of how vast the canyon between what was and what is has begun to grow. All of the feelings I felt last summer have been flooding me and leaving me with a constant emotional hangover. Fear and excitement dance around my heart like Russian ballerinas, spinning and weaving and swaying in beautiful, terrifying chaos. It is hard to remember that God is in control, but He has definitely made his presence known countless times already.

The students arrived yesterday!! 39 guys and gals from across the nation made their way here safely. We had a bbq and grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner as everyone began to get aquainted with the strangers who will quickly become their family. After the bbq, we went on a scavenger hunt around Downtown Disney to begin the team bonding. Today was the first day of project orientation (known here as Surf Instructers training). They learned, just as I did last year, some of the heart behind the project as we began to unpack the analogy of surfing the waves that God has started here at Walt Disney World and around the globe. It was a long but wonderful day that concluded in some more bonding with staff and students. I really do enjoy getting to know new people. People just fascinate me.

This post is getting long. Please pray for my time with my discipleship group tomorrow afternoon. We will be sharing our testimonies with each other, or basically our life stories. Pray that we can engage emotionally and develop a bond of trust that will enable us to be vulnerable with one another. I am already feeling my heart grow to the point of bursting with love for these girls that I have barely met.

One more thing before I go. I am still trying to raise support for travel and living expenses this summer. If you are still interested in helping me on my journey, you can either mail a check made out to Campus Crusade for Christ to the address above OR, even easier, make a donation online at

https://give.ccci.org/give/View/5559770?pp=Search+Results

Thanks for surfing with me. Love you all
Kelly

New Horizons to Pursue

Oh boy friends, the time is drawing near.
Chapters of my life are coming to a close despite my best attempts at stretching out time. But there is a cheesy quote from the end of a Tarzan song (the Broadway version of Two Worlds) which says "with every ending comes a new beginning."

I honestly can do nothing but shake my head in disbelief at how fast time has gone this semester. Actually, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was accepting my high school diploma, let alone my college diploma. Yesterday I walked down the aisle in front of one of the most amazing girls who I have ever been blessed to know and could barely find it in me to let go of her train and let her run after the man of her dreams and drive off into the sunset. My precious Sadie is now married and this weekend has been a neverending stream of goodbyes. They haven't quite sunk in yet because something else has been pressing on my mind...

I will be on Summer Project in four days. Oh my goodness gracious, four nights from now I will be back in those tacky colored condos getting ready to lead students into the craziest adventure of their lives to date. Oh my goodness. I am so excited and nervous and excited and terrified and excited. I feel totally unequipped to do this, but hey, that feeling was pretty common for me this year, and I somehow survived by the grace of God. And I will be depending a lot on the grace of God in the next six weeks. Oh boy.

So yeah, I have been couch surfing since Wednesday (some wedding events took place in Orlando and some in Gainesville, where a girl is subleasing my room, leaving me homeless) and I will be continuing to do so until Thursday when I get to project, so I haven't updated in a while and may not be able to update again until this weekend.

Oh boy. Please pray for me as I make final preparations for my trip. My support is basically raised, I still need to check my mail here in Gainesville, but once again, God has kept true to his promises and I have the minimum amount that I need for this summer. I am still raising support for travel expenses, so if you are still interested in donating, you can either use the link from the two posts below or you can send a donation directly to the place I will be staying this summer, I will post the address as soon as I know it.

I spent a lot of time on the phone last week speaking with students who will be coming on the project, seeing how their semesters were going and checking up on their support raising. It made me so excited and took me back to the weeks before project began last summer when I had no idea what was coming for me. I cannot wait to meet the students and I hope that they don't get tired of me starting off sentences with "when I was on project...." or "last summer..."

Oh gosh guys, this is crazy. I know this is where God wants me, there is no way I could have made it this far without Him. I found a subleaser for my room and by some miracle I don't need to take summer classes for grad school, which is apparently very strange when you get a Master's degree in something other than what you got your undergrad in. I basically knew I wanted to do this since last summer, and this battle, though uphill, was not nearly as steep as I expected. Crazy. God is awesome. Please pray for me.

"How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me."
Psalm 13:2-6

So, to conclude this entry (which has been extremely scatterbrained, my apologies), I will quote a record THIRD Disney movie (the title is from A Whole New World from Aladdin).

In the words of Captain Jack Sparrow,

Bring me that horizon.

Kelly

So close, and still, so far

It is hard to believe that in less than two weeks, I will be in Orlando getting ready to meet the 40 students who are going to take part in the next chapter of the Walt Disney World Summer Project. I wish I would have known last summer just how much those 10 weeks would change my life.

Whether I am ready for it or not, the next two weeks are going to pass by faster than I can possibly imagine. Tomorrow morning I am headed to Orlando to celebrate the birthday of a good friend who moved to North Carolina two years ago for vet school. Sunday I get to reunite with some old Emporium friends from last year for breakfast before headed to play at a park with Sam, one of my roommates from project who made me laugh harder and think deeper than anyone else.

This Wednesday marks the start of a four day celebration for one of my best friends on the planet, Sadie. She is getting married to her Prince Charming on Saturday the 21st and I am incredibly excited for her. However, I am battling an especially evil nagging sense of dread for that weekend. I know in my last post I briefly mentioned how much my church, Anthem, means to me, but that doesn't even begin to describe the depth of my love for the people there. On Saturday as I wave goodbye to my best friend and her husband as they head off for new adventures, it will be like a massive door in my life closing, one that I am not ready for. That weekend will be my last with my church family as a whole, and I don't even want to think about the hole that it will leave in my heart.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Sadie and I, taken this Christmas at Disney. Sadie also works there as a Pirate in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Soon though I won't have much time to dwell on that, which is probably a good thing. Because the Thursday after that, I will be back at the same hideously bright colored vacation condo getting ready to welcome the new recruits. Oh, the memories.

It is still no easy task to describe the heart behind this project. It is really two hearts that beat as one unit- the first is to establish a Campus Crusade community at the Walt Disney World resort. Thousands and thousands of college students from across the US come to Disney to take part in the
College Program, which is a semester where you work full time at any of the Disney properties while taking classes to receive college credit. A lot of these students are accustomed to having endless resources at their fingertips at their campus back at school, like Campus Crusade, FCA, and other ministries. WDWCRU is set up to fill that void while they are in Orlando.

This is a picture of Team Emporium with a bunch of college program kids after work one night at IHOP

The other purpose, perhaps more important, is that it exists because thousands and thousands of international students also come to take part in the International College Program. I personally met students from China, South Korea, England, France, Italy, South Africa, Mexico, Haiti, Poland, Austrailia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, Sweden, and probably a lot of other places I have probably forgotten. Depending on where the students are from, their view of church, God, and Christians is either skewed or non-existant. It is the heart of the project to let students from other countries and cultures experience what it is like to truly follow God so that they can return to their home as ambassadors for Christ.

This is Lulu, Ray, Ceclia and I at one of our outreach pool parties. All three of them worked at the Emporium with us. They are all from China. By the end of the summer, all three of them came to church with us at least once (Lulu came three times, she loved the singing and the enthusiasm of the South African pastor) and all three of them returned to China with a bible.

My story from last summer would take days to write and would fill thousands of pages of paper. And mine is one story of thousands. I came into contact with over 200 cast members who knew exactly why I was there and where I stood by the end of the summer. So did each of my 32 other project mates. So did each of the four dozen students from the two projects before me, and so will each of the 40 students who haven't started to pen their story yet. God is always at work in a bigger way than we could ever imagine. That comforts me and excites me and sometimes intimidates me. It reminds me how little control I actually have. Not that I want that control.

These next two weeks are going to be difficult and wonderful. I ask that you join me in praying for the staff team I will be a part of, the students who will be sharing God's word beneath a magical castle, and for the thousands of people who will come into contact with the gospel this summer.

Also, I am at 90% with support raising! I am so close to being finished, but I still need your help to get to 100%. The option is still there for you to mail a tax-deductable donation in the form of a check, made out to Campus Crusade for Christ, to

Kelly Wood

6946 Finamore Circle

Lake Worth, FL, 33467

OR, even easier, you can make a donation online at

https://give.ccci.org/give/View/5559770?pp=Search+Results

Again, thank you for taking part in this journey with me. I am eternally grateful for each and every one of you.

Kelly



Here we go again!!

"I don't yet know what next summer brings. I have applied to graduate school and am anxiously awaiting their decision. Depending on where I go, I would like to return to WDWSP11 as an intern leader.  We shall see what God has in store!

So, in the fitting words of a popular piece of Disney merchandise,

Been There. Done That. (hopefully) Going Back!

Signing off (for now),
Kelly"

These are the words I left you with in November. Well, it is May, and as you have probably heard, God has worked in some crazy ways in my life and in less than three weeks I am headed back to Orlando for a seven week adventure. Here is a quick recap of this year.

I started my senior year at the University of Florida. Fall brought about a lot of the same things I have been experiencing over the past four years.

Gator football- We may not have won the national championship this year, but it is still great to be a Florida Gator :)

My fall schedule made it difficult to dance as much as I usually do, but I managed to find a little time in my schedule for my Dancin' Gators :)

Fall also brought about some new, amazing changes in my life

I was a part of the Leadership Development program at my church, Anthem. It basically a leadership internship for college kids where we get to lead in an area of ministry while receiving group and one-on-one discipleship. The people I spent my Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings with quickly became my family, and I am forever grateful for everything I have learned and the love I have received <3

I got a chance to lead the UpStreet ministry, which is for K-5th graders. The team I volunteered with was amazing and the kids I worked with will forever leave their little handprints on my heart

Some more kids found their way into my heart in a BIG way. In September, I started doing volunteer work for school. My major, Communication Sciences and Disorders, required me to do work in my field of interest, which was deaf education. I started working 10 hours a week at Norton Elementary with ten hearing impaired children. I immediately knew that this was what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing- giving a voice to those who can't hear.

I applied in fall to graduate schools and in December, I got accepted to Washington University in St. Louis, MO on full academic scholarship. I honestly can't attribute this to anything besides God. It was even further proof that I am pursuing the degree that God created me for.

Winter was amazing. I got to work a few shifts back at the good ole' Emporium and catch up with some of the friends I made last summer, as well as friends who came to visit.

I spent a wonderful Christmas with my family

Spring was a welcome time where my class load lightened a little, allowing me to spend more time doing the things I love with the people I love.

Spring also gave me more time to travel back to the Happiest Place on Earth and my future home, St. Louis, which brought about many WDWSP10 reunions. My heart soared as my family from last summer was reunited, piece by piece.

I also got to dance more than I have in the past, including performing in a multicultural talent show, where Dancin' Gators raised over $400 in donations for Haiti

On April 30th, after four years of hard work and lots of fun, I graduated from the University of Florida alongside my three closest friends in my program. We have been through a lot together and four years ago as little freshman, we made a pact to be sitting together four years later at graduation. That pact was fulfilled.

I am so blessed by an amazing family who has loved me more than I ever could have asked for

So, that is my year in photographs. In early spring, I was accepted to come back on WDWSP11 as a student staff intern. One of my favorite things about last summer was the amount of spiritual growth I experienced, inspired by enthusiastic. loving, and supportive staff members. I wanted to be able to give back to the project that changed my life and threw me headfirst into a relentless, passionate pursuit of Christ. In February, with my parents, friends, and church family looking on, I was baptized at Anthem church. I will never forget that day as long as I live. WDWSP10 taught me to trust God and led me to take leaps of faith like apply to grad schools far from home and love people that the rest of the world seemed to look past. So I am headed back. I won't be working at the Emporium full time this time. My full time job will be planning the project for the 40 students headed to Orlando in the same position I was last year. I will be leading bible studies and a ministry team and discipling a small group of girls and pouring into their lives the same way my discipler, Liz, did last year.

I am doing really well with raising support, but I am still about $200 short of my fundraising goal. I need to raise $1400 total in order to cover living expenses for this summer. If you want to donate, you can do so in two ways. First (and easiest), you can donate online! Here is the link to my online account:
https://give.ccci.org/give/View/5559770?pp=Search+Results

OR

You can email a check made out to Campus Crusade for Christ to
Kelly Wood
6946 Finamore Circle
Lake Worth, FL
33467


I love you all and can't wait to keep you posted over the next few months. I am so appreciative of each and every one of you and pray for you daily. Thanks for getting me where I am today.

In Christ Alone,
Kelly