The Journey Continues...

We are officially halfway through project. Yesterday, our lovely staff drove away from the Pan as we stood waving them off. We're on our own for the next five weeks. Al 61 students are responsible for the upkeep of the Pan, planning parties, outreaches, prayer meetings, providing food, planning MNL, and any other things that have to be done.

On Monday we had a special MNL. It was "Passing the Baton" from the staff to the students. Each action group honored the AGLs with a song, poem, or skit. It was a lot of fun and a good way to end our time with them. Staff then passed the leadership on to us by lighting our candles and blowing their own out. That ended the last of their direct influence in the project. The rest of the meeting was student led and focused on praying for the transition that was taking place.

I had been dreading the staff leaving because I thought that it would be scary. I guess I was actually just not wanting to say goodbye. As soon as the staff all drove away, I felt wonderful! It's so exciting for so much responsibility to be trusted to us.

I can't wait to see all that God has planned for the 61 students on project.

Perks of work: Free Ride Passes!!

My view from work yesterday.

Our fearless staff before they left.

We all piled in Courtney's car as she tried to leave.

Life on Project

Tomorrow begins week four of project. I can't believe that we're already almost a third of the way through the summer! It has been flying by. I've already learned so much and had so much fun.I've been working at the Boardwalk for two weeks now, and I love it. I'm a ride operator in Area 3 which is made up of mostly kiddie rides. It's so great to see all the kids having fun.

 

My favorite ride to work at is Logger's Revenge because I get to have conversations with coworkers and have views like this: 

  Last Sunday, we had Women's Night at this place called Dream Inn. It was so much fun. We took lots of pictures, had a wonderful dinner, endless coffee and tea, and talked. It was so great getting to know some of the other girls on project. Before we left to walk to Women's Night, we all gathered outside and the guys sang to us and gave us each a rose. It was so wonderful and was a great picture of our brothers in Christ showing us that they care for us. We all walked to the hotel together. We were all dressed up and carrying roses, so we got a lot of weird looks, but it was a lot of fun.

Becca, one of my 5 roommates, & I

Sarah & I

Lauryn, Sarah, & I

Our beautiful view during Women's Night

This past Wednesday, we went to take a project photo at the lighthouse. We all wore our school shirts and hung out at the cliffs. It was a beautiful place. The beach we were at is known for surfing and cliff jumping.

 

 Last night, we had our first theme party of the summer. It was called "Hipster till Your Hips Hurt." We all dressed up like hipsters (even though I don't really understand what that means). We invited coworkers, and a lot of them came! We had a coffee bar, open mic night, and dancing. I learned how to shag dance. Apparently it's a North Carolina thing. It was fun and not hard. We also did line dances which are my favorite! At the end of the night, there were a ton of spiritual conversations happening. Some people would just walk in off the street and want to know what was going on. A group of four people saw us doing Solarium with a couple of people and came up and asked what we were doing. I explained what it was and they wanted to do it! It was the first time I had ever used Solarium, so I was a little nervous. I asked on of my friends to help me, so he came over to help. Another group walked in from the street, so he went over to them and stayed with the group. We had some really awesome conversations, but we never got to the Gospel. I'm definitely getting for comfortable with evangelism and learning that it's actually fun. I'm also learning that people are actually willing to listen to other points of view.

I'm loving life here in Santa Cruz, and I can't wait to see what else the summer holds. 
I'm still raising support for the summer, and I'm about $800 away from my goal. 

Prayer requests:

• support raising
• relationships with coworkers
• rest
• personal growth
• unity among the project
• freedom from distractions

 I would love to hear from you this summer!

In Christ,
Tabi

Days 2 thru 4 of the Road Trip... Only a Little Late

These were some interesting, eventful days.

Day 2: We left Clinton, OK around 8 in the morning to set off on a long day of driving. We, of course, stopped at a Braum's for breakfast! As we drove through Texas, we stopped in a small town called Groom. We pulled over to take pictures of a leaning water tower, and then went to look at the largest cross in the western hemisphere. It was really cool! In a large circle surrounding the cross there are depictions of the twelve stations of the cross. There is also a crucifixion scene set upon a hill behind a depiction of the Last Supper. Behind the hill was a tomb with the stone rolled away.  This was a really good reminder of the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God used this to remind us of why we were road tripping across the country. After we left Groom, we went to Amarillo. We stopped at the Cadillac Ranch which is a place on the side of the interstate where you can get out and spray paint cars. The cars are sticking vertically out of the ground. It was really fun to see the things that had been painted on and to paint my own things as well.
One of the girls in the car, Sarah, absolutely loves cows. She wanted to take some pictures with some cows, so we kept an eye out. Just as we were about to pass into New Mexico, we got a big whiff of some cows. As we drove past, we decided not to stop, because it was a beef slaughter house. We had decided that we should not stop there because Sarah is a vegetarian, and we thought it would be wrong to make her take pictures of some cows that were destined to end up on the dinner table. We finally found some cows just on the edge of New Mexico. We pulled over on the side of I-40 and trekked it to the cows to take pictures. We then moved on the Albuquerque.We explored old town, and it was absolutely beautiful. We tried to find the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, but we never found it.


Day 3: This was a short day of driving. It was definitely my favorite adventure of the road trip.We went to the GRAND CANYON!!!!!! It was absolutely great! I had seen so many pictures of it, but they did not do justice to the beauty. When we got there, we went to several lookout points, but then we found a hiking trail. We hiked out to a spot that stuck out in the canyon pretty close to the top. Sarah and I had a great time freaking Rachel, Lauren, and Maureen out. We were climbing all over and popping up in these little holes in the rocks. It was a blast. After this, we decided it would be great to stay and watch the sun set over the canyon since we were staying in a town that was only an hour away. The sunset was gorgeous. We made a late night taco bell run, then went to bed.

Day 4: I'll spare you the trouble and pain of reading of the horrors of LA. I didn't like. Simple as that. Beverly Hills and Santa Monica were very pretty though. I was more impressed  with the cars that reside in Beverly Hills than the houses or people.

Day 5: On Monday, June 2nd, we arrived in Santa Cruz. The road (Highway 1) was long and curvy, but it was beautiful.I was freaking out about arriving because I did not know a single person, but I soon found out that there was no reason to be freaking out!


I know this post is super late, but I've been a bit busy since I've been here!
 I would love to receive some mail from people while I'm here! My address is:

Tabi Conner
Cru
Peter Pan Motel
313 Riverside Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Day 1: Oklahoma

The first (partial) day of the road trip! I was only on the road for a few hours today, but it was a start!  When the day started, I did not know the four ladies I am road tripping with, but after a few short hours, it's easy to tell we are becoming fast friends.
I am the only person in the car from Oklahoma,  so we took a little adventure through Oklahoma City,  and I got to be somewhat of a tour guide for them. It was so much fun! We got dinner at Hideaway Pizza, drove by the Chesapeake Energy Arena, visited the bombing memorial, walked down Automobile Alley, and currently, we're at the motel. I watched the last quarter of the Thunder vs. Spurs game when we got here, and that was upsetting.
Last night, I was stressing about packing and getting everything to fit in the car. It was a totally stupid thing to stress about because guess what... it all fit perfectly fine!
The first day went well, and I can't wait to see all of the wonderful plans that God has for me this summer!
Tomorrow we are traveling from Clinton, OK to Albuquerque, NM. Everything west of Amarillo, TX is new territory for me, and I can't wait to see it all!

Until later,
Tabi

While we Wait

Oh my goodness! Project is getting so close! I only have 63 more days until I will be in Santa Cruz!
I am gettin so excited!

I am at a total of $1,595 right now. I am still in need of a large amount of support. I am trying my hardest to be patient ant be trusting in God that He will provide. I know everything will work out the way it is supposed to!
If you would like to give, please go to : http://give.gosummerproject.com/tabi-conner-ca/

Anyway, I just wanted to give a short update on how support raising is going.

Thanks so much!
Tabi

Preparing the Way

God is so good. It has not even been two weeks since I sent out letters, and I've already begun to recieve support. I have been so encouraged by this. I know that God will provide!

It is now only 94 days until I will  arrive in Santa Cruz, and every day I get more excited. Our group has begun planning how we will get to Santa Cruz, and it's getting exciting! The wait is getting harder as, slowly, little pieces of my heart are attaching themselves to the people of Santa Cruz.

I thank all my brothers and sisters in Christ that are praying for me on the journey.

Please continue to pray with me as this approaches!

In Him,
Tabitha Conner

The Decision was Made for Santa Cruz

Hello Friends!

In November 2013, I decided to go on Summer Project with Cru. My university partners with two Projects : Ozark Lakes in Branson, Missouri and Santa Cruz in California. Once I decided I was going to Santa Cruz, I began the application. I submitted the application in early December and was supposed to find out if I was accepted by January 21st.

I went to Winter Conference in Ft. Worth, TX with Cru January 1-5. While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet with one of the directors from Santa Cruz. She told me I was accepted!! I was beyond excited. She explained some of the next steps I needed to take in getting to Santa Cruz. The biggest step is raising support. The Project itself costs $3800. This does not include travel expenses or food throughout the summer. We calculate what the cost will be for travel to and from Project, plus a food allowance in order to have the full trip cost.

The way we raise support with Cru is sending out letters to people we wish to partner with us in our ministry. Sending these letters was definitly a step of faith for me because I do not like asking for things. I wrote the letters and sent them out though! I put all of my letters in the mail yesterday, Valentine's Day, and I am trusting that God will provide all that I need for this trip.

I am becoming anxious to be in Santa Cruz. I am so excited to see all that God has planned for me, new friends, and the people of Santa Cruz. I pray that God would use me in mighty ways to further His Kingdom in Santa Cruz.

If you would like to partner with me in this ministry, my giving link is
https://give.cru.org/0789866
This will take you to my ministry page. I would also ask for prayers as this trip approaches.
Project Dates are June 3, 2014 - August 9, 2014.

In Him,
Tabitha Conner