this right here is a jar of clay.

Today was day 1 of Up2Hope, the summer program for girls 9 and up that we are doing.

I had an absolute blast.
I love these girls so much.
Already!

There was eatin’, devotions, dancing, crafting, game-ing, more eatin’, a lesson on Honduras that Kendall and I gave (we have both been), making art journals, snacks, more dancin’ and having fun.

That’s pretty much a Monday. The Honduras deal is something we do every Monday – a lesson on another culture to show these girls that there are other places and that we have more in common with others than we think – that sort of deal. Many of them hadn’t even seen the Mississippi River and they have grown up in New Orleans. They are confined a lot of times to their ward… the city is split into sections called wards. I guess that’s how you spell it.

We’ll use our art journals every week and it is a super cool way to just put thoughts onto paper through different types of art. I think the girls really liked it.

Today was so good. The girls are already so clingy and loving and it makes me so excited to see these relationships form and see the girls open up over the summer.

OH MY GOSH I CAN’T WAIT

… that was a little excitement coming forth.

So we got our groups and I have a group of older (12-15) year olds. I am super excited about having this group and I’m sure other girls will be added.

I feel so blessed, so so so humbled.

Last night I was reading in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 and Paul is talking about the ministry he is a part of and how he preaches the word of God and he says that we have this treasure in jars of clay… and I feel exactly like that. It is so real in my life lately, this feeling of being a jar of clay – a worthless, dirty, undeserving nothing, but I have this treasure – the word of God planted inside of me. And grace is so real.

I was reading it and got kind of emotional because that is exactly what we are as believers, as ministers of the gospel. Of ourselves, we are nothing – just ugly clay jars. But what we have inside of us is Christ, and this is what gives me my worth and my meaning.

As he says, I carry around the death of Christ in order that life may abound.

Gah, I can’t believe I get to serve such an incredible God!

So I rambled a lot and none of this may make any sense, but whatever.
I really can’t wait to see what the Lord does this summer… I just pray I’m faithful. I want these girls to see the Lord so badly.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Good day.