I’m so spoiled. There, I admitted it. I really hate not having access to the internet at home and having to check my email, facebook, myspace, and blog all on my break at work. Oh well. I would work a little harder at finding a permanant solution, but considering that I won’t be home most of July, it seems a little pointless to pay for it right now. Maybe in August.

Speaking of being gone in July, let me tell you why. From July 7-25 I will be working with the Truth and Peace Student Leadership Conference. T&P has been around for 25 years and its purpose is to teach high school students about leadership at church and at school. The conference is usually made up of around 75-80 Free Will Baptist high school students from all over the country. I was lucky enough to participate in the conference for three years (1999-2001) while I was in high school. For the past few years (since 2005) I’ve been a staff member, and I love it. These kids are incredible, and each summer I feel like I learn from them. It is the number one thing that I do that makes me feel like I make a difference. My main job there is to handle one-on-one times between each student and a staff member. I get to spend at least (usually more) 30 minutes with about 20 girls myself, and I love it.

Here’s a great example: Two years ago I had this one girl. When I first met her, she did not want to be there. She was angry and quiet, and during our one-on-one time, she would only give me short one word answers. But throughout the conference, she began to open up. She began to smile more and meet people and realize that she wasn’t alone. She did a complete 180, and today she is one of the most joyful people that I know. And I feel like I made a small difference in her life.

I want God to use me so badly. I want to get out of my own way and let Him use me. I want to take all of this hurt and anger and use if for something productive. I love my time with my T&P kids in the summer. I can’t wait for them to get here, and I can’t wait to see what they have to teach me this time around!