why seminary for me part two

Hello,

Many of you stuffed yourselves with ham and some Easter goodies this past weekend! I always love a Cadbury egg this time of year. I am not usually a spontaneous person anymore, but we decided Friday night to go to a local Easter egg hunt Saturday morning. Each person was able to enjoy a hunt themselves and dig into some sweet treats too. Anybody love McDonald's caramel coffee? It was a must for an Easter egg hunt. I was gifted some gummy candy from the little hunters, so I was happy to be the chauffeur and observer for that reward.

With God's super gifts of spring like baby animals, baskets of fresh flowers, and green grass, we are reminded of new beginnings and God's plan for our lives. We can think about who God is calling us to be and where He is calling us to go. Many women I know are attending seminary from college graduates to moms of grown children. Some women have never been married before and are pursuing a new experience in God's plan for their lives. I want to continue to share what made me attend.

At nineteen years old, God had led me through many opportunities that led me through different experiences, places, and people to a mission trip with our FCA group from University of the Cumberlands. It changed my world and definitely determined my choice to attend seminary…

Beach Reach changed my world. Perfect opportunity. In 2004 as a sophomore at University of the Cumberlands, I had just gotten out of a negative relationship and in a position to be open to see God work. A friend from Fellowship of Christian Athletes asked if I wanted to go to Panama City for a mission trip called Beach Reach. I had heard them mention it at FCA meetings but did not think much about it until she personally asked. I said, “Yes, definitely, sign me up!” Friends? Road trip? Beach? Missions? Sounds fantastic!

Beach Reach exists to reach out to other college students and spring breakers by serving pancake breakfasts each morning, sending out street teams to talk with people walking the streets from party to party, and provide free and safe transportation with van rides wherever people need to go. Beach Reach is done for three weeks in March during most college spring break weeks. We also worship together with college students from all over the Unites States there to meet needs of students there each night and to pray for the people we will meet as we work into the wee hours of the morning. Groups also rotate taking time during the nights in the prayer room as prayer requests appear on the screen in an auditorium, so people are being prayed for specifically at all times. I never thought praying for four hours would be possible but it is actually a lot of fun watching prayers come in and be answered in real time!

The first night I was in the backseat of a twelve-passenger van. We had a few riders within a few minutes, so one sat on the seat with me. They only rode for a few minutes to their location and after a few minutes of brief conversation they left and went on. I was mad at myself because I did not make the opportunity to bring up Jesus and knew I was actually afraid to! After that, though, there really was no fear because I realized I wanted them to hear about Jesus more than I was afraid of what they thought about me.

It was the most real-life missions experience I have ever had. I truly saw the lostness in the eyes of spring break students. After the lights, alcohol, guys, girls, glitter, and music, when the sun comes up, there is not much left. People were still left empty. I talked to students that were haunted by the night before. I sat in the back of a van and realized there is nothing I would rather do than tell people about Jesus.

I saw two college girls holding hands, stumbling on the side of the road trying to find their hotel. One girl, more drunk than the other, was crying, and was calling for her daddy. Broke. My. Heart. We served a man who was so sick he threw up several times on his way back to his hotel. We talked to people who did not want help. We talked to broken-hearted people. I saw students I knew from my own college, too. I am not too naïve to realize I could be in the same place they are, I just know Jesus. I could easily be searching for purpose. I could easily be looking for hope. I just know Jesus and the can too. No one is too far away to find hope. Everyone is redeemable.

Early one morning during the most wild part of the night, a guy rode on the van next to me. Not believing he could really comprehend what I was saying due to extreme intoxication, we had a conversation about God, to which he admitted he did not think a good God could send someone to hell. I had my Bible with me that night, so I showed him John 14:6, which reads “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one come to the Father except through Me.” After a while, he arrived at his destination, said goodbye, and he soon exited the van, and went on his way.

The last morning of the trip, I was serving pancakes and talking with students, and another Beach Reach college student told me the guy I talked to in the van a few nights before, was looking for me. I looked all morning but never found him. I figured I probably would not see him again.

That last night of the trip, walking on a street team talking to people, we passed by a store, and he was sitting on the sidewalk. The odds of actually seeing the same person twice that week with so many spring break students there was not good, yet there he was! He told me he remembered our conversation and he had been reading John in his Bible. He was thinking about changing his life and becoming a Jesus-follower but wanted to know more about it first. I have no idea where he is now, but I know that God was working in his life!

The next two years, I led our trip to Beach Reach, and would not have missed it for anything! One night in April 2005 on the way to a BCM worship service, I remember exactly where I stood on the sidewalk under a tree before I walked into the Gatliff Chapel and resolved that there is nothing I would rather do than tell people about Jesus for the rest of my life, so if that is what I need to do, then I am ready. As a normal college student, searching for a major and choosing from six, it was perfect timing.

Many colleges serve at Beach Reach so if there is an opportunity to go for any college students who read this, DO IT! It will rock your world! It will push people past comfort, to really learn to see people the way Jesus does. It allows participants to learn what is most important in life.

…Your Name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8

This experience allowed me to see the next place to go after college…seminary!

I will finish the seminary story next time since I know it is a little lengthy. Maybe some of this story will help you decide if seminary is part of God's plan for you. Regardless, I hope it pushes you to pursue God's plan for you, stay courageous, and continue doing good, even when it is tiring (Galatians 6:9). Hugs!

Love,

Charis

Easter is a fun day to wear something a little extra special to worship our risen Savior. All of the dresses except for Raegan's are vintage 90s outfits sewn by my mom. She smocked and sewed all the dresses and Deacon's outfit. She did not make Krew's romper but did monogram the "B." Raegan's purple dress was smocked for Linley a few years ago. I would love to have more time to just create and sew! I am working on my sewing but have not learned to smock yet, so maybe one day...