This is Lisa J. from South Carolina.  I will be a junior at the University of South Carolina in the fall.

One way I have been growing so much this summer is in my friend-making abilities.  I grew up in the same house my entire life, so I went to school with a lot of the same people all the way through and never really had to make new friends.  My friend group shifted naturally from one grade to the next.  Never before had I been in a situation like Summer Project where I knew no one and yet lived with them for ten weeks.  Now I have friends from all over the country and world.  It's pretty exciting.

Something I have been praying for lately is that these new friends, from work especially, would not just think of us as "nice, fun Christians," although that is a good thing.  I want them to see Jesus in us and feel God's love for them through us.  One coworker just found out that we were Christians this week and apologized to us for doing and saying things that may have offended us.  We have been trying to make her understand that we love her and want her to be herself around us.  At the same time, we don't want to tell her that everything she's doing is fine.  It's the idea of hating the sin, not the sinner.

This is just one example of how I am growing this summer, but it's kind of a big deal.  As in, the whole point of Project.  So would you join me in praying that we would change hearts and lives for Christ this summer?  Pray for boldness and courage from the Holy Spirit and for Him to give us opportunities to share our faith in His perfect timing.

Thank you,

Lisa J.