Happiness Inspires Hope

To make up for my lack of update, how about a few pictures first? :)

Doing child care of Church of Life. This is Gracie.

We get to know our kids really well at Kids Club. This is Jacob and he is from Scotland. We played the ABC game a lot this day!

This is my team.

Yellow Shirt = Innovators that work at Fun Spot

Red Shirt = Creative Arts Team

Cyle and I are in different colors.

I was really nervous when I found out my partner for the summer would be some guy I've never met before. He's turned out to be a great partner. He's very sarcastic and we're mean to each other, but when it comes down to it, we love each other (even if he won't admit it, ha!)

Now, what have I been up to?!

It's pretty much been the same ole thing. I work at GKTW as much as I can. I still go to Quality Inn Plaza on International Drive every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning for Kids Club. If I'm not doing one of those two things, I go with the rest of my team. I have helped with child care at a church, been a fill in puppeter, and tonight, I'll be face painting at Fun Spot.

For a while I was struggling with the thought of I'm not doing anything to further God's Kingdom here. I don't get to really talk to and get to know the people I work with because I work with someone different everytime I go in. And the families at GKTW are definitely too busy to sit down and chat with me. Kids Club is going well, but I mean, I haven't had any kids make a profession of faith. Then one day, after many prayers, God opened my eyes. In the Volunteer Services office at GKTW, where I sign in everyday, there is a bookshelf with some of the merchandise for sale. I had a shirt picked out from the very beginning. It's purple, has the logo on it, and says "Happiness Inspires Hope". I've seen it everyday, but one day I finally understood what it meant. Later I worked with a family who's daughter was a wish child and they all came to GKTW 5 or 6 years ago for her wish. Now, she is fully recovered and they all came back to volunteer. The mom told me that this place really helped her in her recovery. So even though I feel like all I do is push a button to make a carousel start, scoop ice cream, take pictures, or paint on airbrush tattoos, it makes these children and their families so incredibely happy. That, in turn, helps them medically. Having a week of pure fun and enjoyment gives them the strength and endurance to keep fighting whatever disease it is that they are fighting.

Kids Club can be frustrating some days. However, it's the kids like Stevie, who came to Kids Club for about 2 weeks. She and I bonded. We played torpedo every time. She told us one day that she and her mom were going to another hotel so it would be her last day. We said our goodbyes, took a few pictures, and got contact information. The next Kids Club, I was doing what I normally do with a new batch of kids. We were making our craft when I turned around to see who else walking up, but Stevie?! She ran over to me and told me that her mom brought her back to this hotel so she could come to Kids Club once more before going home to England. That filled my heart with so much joy, I cannot express. Since then, I've had other kids that have left some kind of impact on me like that.

I know God has me here for a reason. Even though I don't see the fruits of my labor, He does. He isn't wasting any time working through me. I think so often people look at summer missions and the only thing they want to know is "How many people did you lead to the Lord this summer?". It is not about numbers. He has this all under control. I could have been a seed planter or a waterer for the people I've met.

Continue to keep us in your prayers. I don't feel like my team is really a team, it's more like some of us are just all living together. There has been too much drama going on and I think it's silly. Some days I feel like the focus is on who said what to who and what dumb thing happened today. It shouldn't be like that. It's hard to stay positive in the midst of a lot of negativity. I want to finish this summer with as much joy and excitement as I started it.

I hope all is well back home! See you soon. Love you all!