how do you even describe it?

Hello from humid, peaceful North Carolina,

I have constantly been amazed by the people I have encountered this summmer and continue to be encountered by. From church members who serve us meals, to chaperones with a heart to serve, the campers with a heart to give back, to the cooks at the Navajo reservation, to my team. I love the people I have met along the way, who show me glimpses of God working in them and through them, and what "service with a smile" essentially looks like. I feel like we just keep recieving and recieving God's blessings and mercy by simply being in his presence and being aware of the incredible surroundings he has put us in. I just finished reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" wowowowow. What an awesome book with an awesome friendship between a young man and his professor. I love when wisdom is shared and spread between one person to another.
I cannot wait to learn more on this journey with people surrounding and lifting me up.
Love you all!
-Mary d.

"For What it's Worth"

At 8 we have chapel and im speaking for like 3-5 Minutes (ish). The theme of tonight is giving God your best. As I sit here 42 minutes before this thing starts I have like so many different things going through my head. From people, to expierences, to bible stories of what giving God your best looks like. The Lord is relentless. I think of Daniel in the lion's trusting God giving his best which wasn't perfection (something none of us have to offer up) but rather faithfulness. David against Goliath offered up courage, King Solomon used the wisdom God granted him, and John the Baptist offered up his life and his head (Literally). wow. Sidewalk Prophets wrote a song called, "For What it's worth"...

I'm just a glimpse of the hope you see in me
Hold my heart in your hands
Jesus, help me understand I can only give my life
for what it’s worth

For what it’s worth I am standing here amazed
By the wonders that your mighty hands have made
I don’t deserve to be covered by Your grace
So with every breath the least that I can say
I will run and not grow weary, I will walk and not be faint
I can’t sing loud enough I could never earn your love
I’m just a glimpse of the hope You see in me

Giving your best is giving all you have to the king for what its worth. We can't earn it. but our king is relentless and he wants our best because he wants us completly for him. I don't feel worthy enough to even talk about the greatness and the full majesty of our mysterious and gracious creator but for what its worth I will try my best for God.

think fast or you'll get trampled

Day two at the worksite here in sunny North Carolina. One of the chaperones this week is a political consultant who does all kinds of work with political campaigns. Today why digging post holes we had the most intresting conversation about being a christian in politics and how if you don't think fast you'll get trampled. I thought that was a really intresting thought considering we are on a horse ranch. Most of these horses come from backgrounds (malnourished, ex. drug horses etc) that really in the scheme of things did get trampled on. People "trampled" on these horses and now they are in a safe environment free from being abused and malnourished. They are being taken care of by the most amazing lady and she makes sure these horses needs are provided for. Doesn't God do that? Life "tramples" on us if we don't think fast enough but God he takes us into a safe environment and loves on us. He brings us back to health and in his presence with his care we can make progress and grow just like these horses are. The days are long and the work is hard but I love to be in the presence of God. On a sidenote im eating skittles and I think the green kind is WAY better then the purple ones.
Kind regards,
Mary D.

A new adventure will ensue

Hey friends!
I decided to start to blog to share my adventures of the summer and what God is doing in my life. As many of you know I am working for a youth missions organization called TEAMeffort this summer and man God is so good and faithful to his children. I had the pleasure of spending two weeks on a Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona and I've never seen stars so bright, so detailed in my life. Psalms 8:3-4 says, " When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" I named this blogging space "Shine the brightest" because when we begin to put the broken part of our lives together we find true peace and that true peace makes us shine like the brightest of all the stars.
kind regards,
Mary D.