It's Only the Beginning

Hey, I’m Sarah Fowler and I will be a junior at North Carolina State University this fall. Here’s a little of what I’m learning this week:

First off, goodbyes stink. As Pocahontas says, “I like hello better.” …But life isn’t always like a Disney movie, and unfortunately sometimes we have to move on.

I work in the kitchen of Tomorrowland Terrace (TLT), where college students make up a majority of the work force and the environment is relaxed enough that we have been able to get to know each other really well. We sing and dance while making orders in the hotline, talk about life over grimy dishes, and joke around with each other on a daily basis. After seeing my coworkers nearly every day for two months, it’s hard to imagine any other way to spend my day.

Many of our coworkers are returning home in a few days. Those who aren’t leaving are being sent to new work locations for the winter as our restaurant closes for the season on Saturday. In a way it’s sad to see everyone going their separate ways, and it’s easy to think of this as the end. The end of project. The end of TLT for the season. The end of having these people in my life.

So all week I’ve been preparing my emotions to put a period at the end of this summer. I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m going to leave my amazing coworkers, my sweet roommates, and all the other wonderful people I have met this summer.

But you see, for many of our coworkers and people we’ve met along the way, this summer is only the beginning. The first time they’ve had coworkers that actually cared about their life. The first time they’ve met Christians who didn’t judge them because of a choice they’ve made. The first time anyone has really asked them what they believe. The first time anyone has offered to pray for them. The first time they learned who Jesus is. The first time they've seen Christianity as something more than just rules to follow.

And as easy as it is for me to mentally put a period on their story, I know Jesus isn’t finished. His work in their lives will continue long after this summer. He knows them each so deeply and intimately and longs to have a relationship with each of them. His passionate pursuit of the hearts of these people won't end just because Walt Disney World Summer Project is over or because we are leaving Orlando in a few days. I believe God is starting something at Walt Disney World that can’t be stopped. A story that begins with His love on the cross over 2,000 years ago and will continue literally for ever and ever with people from all nations falling at His feet and praising His holy name. And even as this summer comes to a close, I can say with confidence, it’s only the beginning.

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

-          Philippians 1:4-6