Summer LINK Myrtle Beach: All Good Things Must Come to and End

All good things must come to an end…or do they? This has been running through my mind over the course of the past week as Summer LINK is coming to an end. Many of the previous blogs talked about what we did that week or what the Lord has taught them that week; but I have the bittersweet privilege to write on what our God has done for us this summer.

            Before I dive into the summer as a whole, I will look back at this week so you can experience our last week in Myrtle Beach. Lets begin with Sunday, July 28^th. Early Sunday morning, the team woke up blessed for another day we could fellowship at Cornerstone. After worship, we had to say goodbye to Andrew as he left to help lead worship for his home churches youth group on their trip to Panama City, Florida. Thankfully, I was refocused to hear the sermon that would be brought by Paul Moore. He spoke on Psalm 41 and really pointed out how we can relate to the psalmist’s emotions. Moreover, he pointed out what a beautiful picture of the gospel Psalm 41 paints for us. It reminded me how Jesus was disliked and betrayed by men, but more than that, the Father “turned his heel” against Jesus on the cross, so that we may dwell in the presence of the Lord forever. Sunday night’s prayer and praise was much different without Andrew (he usually would lead us in a few songs to accompany our prayer). We spent the majority of our time praying, but after we had the privilege to catch a few songs by KJ-52, who is labeled as a Christian rapper, at Ground Zero on the strip. It was definitely entertaining, but also encouraging to hear him testify to what the Lord has done for us in front of a crowd in the heart of Myrtle Beach.

            Monday began a lot of lasts for the team as a whole. All of us that were still in town began our last week at work (second to last for Michelle). After work and a terrible storm that knocked the power out, we departed for our last official home night at the Hills from church. After some delicious jambalaya, we discussed ways to take the most home from summer LINK. It was great to hear advice from the Hills who spent time in different mission fields and can look back and see things that we may not notice yet. I am very thankful for them and other families that have contributed to our growth by opening up their homes and loving on us…. and letting us play with their chinchilla.

            Tuesday held yet another day of work along with reflection night. God showed me a lot during this time to help me finalize details for leading bible study the following day. I spent my reflection time with James, which became customary for a few weeks. One thing I love about spending reflection time in the same place is the encouragement I get from pushing each other to answer questions and open up to each other.

            Wednesday was the last day of work for James, Mackenzie, and myself. Clocking out that day had to be one of the weirdest feelings all summer. My mind was crowded with thoughts as I realized the reality of only having one more week of Summer LINK.  Wednesday night, we attended a prayer meeting at Cornerstone and held our bible study afterwards.

            Thursday was different for me. Why? It was very restful and I did not do very much. As my first day off from work, I was able to enjoy sleeping late and hanging out around the Sea Mist. However, that got old faster than I intended. So, to my roommates content, I cleaned our room pretty spotless. As others came home from work and my boredom subsided, we got ready to go to Chik-fil-a for dinner followed by gender night. James also had to leave on Thursday for a wedding, so we said our goodbyes to him. After quickly eating our chicken, Tim, Logan, and I rushed to Cornerstone to join in their men’s bible study on The Reason For God by Tim Keller. It was neat to hear from different men in the church and to see how they verbalize their beliefs in God. After the bible study, we did the next manliest thing possible…. .frozen yogurt. We ended the night with listening to open mic at Fresh Brewed Coffee House.

            Friday was a lot more active for me. Logan and I woke up and went to market commons to walk around and see a movie. Then, we came by the Sea Mist and picked up Mackenzie for a nice trip to the YMCA to see Michelle in her workplace and get our exercise on. Next, on the agenda was a quick trip to Tanger, which included Hwy 55 for dinner and a whole lot of coupons. The night finished off with the beautiful sounds of Dustin Raley and friends, also at Fresh Brewed Coffee House. If you haven’t noticed, Fresh Brewed is a pretty happening place for Summer Linkers. Upon arrival at Fresh Brewed, we were reunited with Ryan, which was one of the greatest parts of the day.

            On Saturday, my day away from the Sea Mist began with Lunch with Logan, Tim, and Ryan at Jimmyz Hibachi. The rest of the day was filled with preparing for the Cornerstone outreach cookout. The cookout was planned as a way to fellowship with members of the church and invite people who we have met over the course of the summer in hopes of them getting plugged into Cornerstone. The turnout was great! We enjoyed everything from food, games, swimming, to simply hanging out with each other. Praise the Lord for working there and allowing us to serve Cornerstone and the community in that way.

            We have come full circle with Sunday again and only have a few days left of Summer LINK. Our last Sunday at Cornerstone Church was sad, but happy too. Wes Fondren preached on Psalm 29 and did a fantastic job. His sermon made me meditate on the glory of God in the smallest of things. The desire grew stronger to just look at what God has done and shout, “Glory!” That is what our God deserves. Sunday night we had our last social and spent that time bowling, eating pizza, and watching a movie.

            On Monday, we spent a half-day alone with the Lord at separate locations. I went to an old boat landing on the Waccamaw River that was absolutely beautiful. The Lord brought me much peace there and I had time to reflect a lot about the summer and what I can do to stay on mission after Summer LINK. Monday night we joined the Pauly’s at their house for yet another delicious dinner.

            We mostly cleaned and packed on Tuesday, which brought about a sad reality that we had to leave. Thankfully, we had something to look forward to all day….. the end of summer banquet! We got all cleaned up and in our best dress and had a nearly overwhelming dinner at Rioz Brazilian Steak House. We all overindulged in the all you can eat meat. Afterwards, we ended our last night together with some ice cream and prayer. I am grateful that God provided closure during the prayer and instilled a desire to carry on the mission at home.

That is enough about the week though. I noted that this privilege of writing the last blog is bittersweet. It is bitter because of summer LINK coming to an end yes, but the sweet part is what makes the summer worth it. What is sweet is that despite the community we have shared this summer as a team, community is not dictated by location! We are the body of Christ and we are as close together as we will ever be in Him. Just because we are leaving does not mean our work is done. It does not mean that this team is done. It does not mean that our mission is over. What it does mean is that we get to carry our work over into our lives outside of the close quarters of the Sea Mist and Myrtle Beach. We get to work together as the body of Christ in the upstate. We get to be on mission in our daily lives and have the privilege to use what we have learned this summer in those places. My prayer is that each of us would remember Summer LINK, and use it to foster community wherever we are and to labor for our growth and the growth of others. One of the things I have learned is that I cannot dictate who God is. He isn’t subject to location or my beliefs. He is God and He is everything He says He is, regardless of who believes it or not.

            I am more than thankful for what the Lord has done this summer in growing each of us individually and as a team. Glory!

Psalm 29

1 “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,

    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

    the God of glory thunders,

    the Lord, over many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;

    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,

    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth

    and strips the forests bare,

    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.

11 May the Lord give strength to his people!

    May the Lord bless his people with peace!”

H.A.G.S!!!!

Daniel Johnson

Summer LINK Myrtle Beach: A Life Proclaiming Christ as Authority

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2

With only ten days remaining of SummerLINK Myrtle Beach, it would be easy to cruise along and focus our minds and hearts on what awaits us this coming fall and lose sight of what our Lord wants to do through us and in us as we conclude our summer in this dark city that seeks to fulfill our every shallow, worldly desire at every street corner, but right now, in this time of conflicting desires to finish strong or to focus our minds on how close we are to going home back to our comforts, is the time when we need to see Him rightly. God is our Helper and ultimate Authority who will give us the desires of our heart if we ask Him to keep us centered on His mission, for perseverance, and to rid us of our inwardly-focused hearts and selfish minds that are eager for the end because we may be growing weary. I must realize that I gain nothing from worldly comforts except a wrong idea of why I even have breath in the first place. The Bible says that even the Son of God did not have a place to lay His head, and Paul suffered for the Gospel in prison over and over again, so why am I concerned with these shallow thoughts centered on myself?

I desire to see the Lord as my ultimate Authority and to depend on Him above all else and others. Luke 14:26 tells us that, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Throughout my life, I have depended on my mom and other believers and friends around me for guidance, clarity, advice, and direction because I liked how it sounded and what it did for me. This summer, the Lord has been teaching me that He is the only voice I need to listen to because He is above all, and no one has been, is, or ever will be even close to like Him. He tells us in Matthew 28:18-20 that, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Since we are confident in what His Word says, I just wonder why I do not believe this every single moment and realize that making disciples is my only purpose  for being on this planet--not for eating, working, exercising, studying, or having shallow, small talk all day long. 

The Lord of the smallest grain of sand and of the most grand galaxies is WITH US and is in total control and wants us all in His kingdom. He promises us all these things, so instead of rushing through these last ten days and dwelling on all that the Lord has done these past two months(and He has done a ton!!), I want to have the mindset of seeking to complete all that He wants me to do to conclude the summer and to talk and share His Gospel with all that He puts in my path and not waste a second on myself and my worldly desires or emotions that do not proclaim His name or truth. I pray that this will always be my attitude, and that I will never fall victim to Satan's lies that what I do for the Kingdom is not enough or not good enough because the truth is that we are not saved by works, but only by the Lord's sovereign grace! The Lord is pleased with me when I am obedient to Him, but my relationship with Him is not a checklist. I love that His mission is never ending and that I can live missionally anywhere He places me.

This past week has been teeming with evidence of God's goodness and faithfulness in answering the prayers of His people and just being who He says He is as our team continually saw Him and still see Him in our day to day lives. For example, last Sunday we learned about Psalm 121 through Scott Moody, an Elder at Cornerstone Church. It was humbling to be reminded that "self can't help," and that God is our Helper and Keeper always. He is big enough to handle all our doubts and struggles, and He never sleeps! We have all experienced the not-able-to-form-words-right state of almost drunken consciousness after being up all night or after not getting our eight hours! It was so good to learn that He watches over us constantly and does not even need rest. Praise Him for being so high above us!

Also, praise the Lord that Sunday,the Lord allowed Logan Pierce to help Him fill over a row of seats with his co-workers and one of their families at Cornerstone! The Lord is at work, and it's beautiful to witness the growth of His kingdom.

Monday night, we switched up routine and heard from Andrew Flowers as He led our Bible study at the Seamist on Psalm 121 as we dug deeper into God's Word and discussed highlights from Sunday's message from Scott. I always love to hear how the Word is working in the lives of my teammates and how the Lord speaks uniquely to us as individuals who seek Him. Michelle Ellis assisted Andrew by passing out note cards so that we could apply what we learned from this Psalm in the coming week. We prayed about and wrote down how we could practically trust the Lord and lean not on ourselves and our own understanding. I really appreciate the thought that these two put into preparing for our time studying the Word together and the encouragements that they both are to me.

Tuesday, we all gathered at the Scott and Jessica Moody's home for a night of dinner and fellowship while discussing what our biggest takeaways are from reading Life Together this summer. We had the opportunity to play with their beautiful three boys, Sam, Cole, and baby Elias, to hear Scott and Jessica's testimonies of how the Lord brought them from darkness to light in Him, and to be reminded that Christ is the glue of any Christian community seeking to please Him. We were also reminded of our need for each other in fellowship, confession, bearing burdens, and being transparent in order for a Gospel-centered community to exist fully. Praise the Lord that He does is so patient and loving to constantly remind us of His truths and goodness because we forget so easily and often.

Yummy food prepared by Jessica!!

Wednesday night was unique in that we had the opportunity to participate in prayer meeting at Cornerstone, led by Paul and Jenny Moore, a mission-minded couple whose love for Jesus is evident in how they speak and live intentionally for the Lord. We got to gather together and pray specifically for the lost that we know, for healing and physical needs, for every part and person of Cornerstone who has and will enter, and for every neighboring business surrounding Cornerstone and all the people who enter the doors daily. What a precious evening spent in community hearing the needs of our church body and going on a prayer walk. We always have time to talk to our Lord, and He loves to hear from His children! Afterwards, we each had our own reflection night where we take time to seek the Lord and dwell on what He has done and pray in expectancy for what He will do. I love these intentional times set apart to spend with our Creator, and I always walk away feeling convicted, refreshed, and with more hope in the Lord and His attributes than ever.

Thursday night was much needed after a hectic day, at least at my workplace! We all met at Mr. Fish for a splurge dinner because the Lord has been providing more meals by families of the church and by others than expected. It was such a blessing to fellowship with each other and talk about our days and enjoy some high-class seafood together for the first time since we have been at the beach! Yum! I love going out together and ministering to our waiters and just trying to show them Jesus in the way we behave and speak with her. Kristy was her name, and let's continue to pray for her salvation because the Lord desires all to be saved! Then, we split into men's/women's time where the ladies played tennis and discussed Biblical womanhood and what it actually is, and the men talked together about Biblical manhood at Cornerstone for the remainder of the evening. What a blessing to have a time set aside for intentional bonding and discussing our separate roles in the Kingdom that the Lord has created for a purpose! 

I had been looking forward to Friday all week because it meant taking my new friend, Lucie, a lifeguard from the Czech Republic, to dinner and to Walmart on our free night. It was the first time we spent together outside of the mornings when we set up her chairs and umbrellas on the beach together, and I had asked many people to pray for our time together on Friday. Mackenzie and Michelle joined us at none other than Cracker Barrel where we enjoyed seeing Lucie devour her first ever sweet potato that she ordered only because I always talk about their tastiness to her almost every morning I am with her! I loved watching her take pictures of every little thing and her getting to know Mackenzie and Michelle and just experience community with us as we blessed the food and held edifying conversation. Lucie has been such a blessing in my life this summer, and I know she is one of the main reasons the Lord placed me on SummerLINK MB this summer. He is so faithful in answering my prayers for perseverance, for opportunities and boldness with Lucie, and so much more. I pray daily for her salvation and am confident that the Lord is planting seeds in her. Praise be to God for his sovereignty and for giving me the desire for her to know Christ as her Savior and Lord and for all of our desires for the lost to be saved.

Saturday morning our outreach included helping the lifeguards near the Seamist set up their umbrellas and chairs, giving them frozen waters and popsicles, and just spending time talking to them, especially Alex and Lucie who we have been in consistent contact with throughout the summer. I praise the Lord for his faithfulness in building these relationships and for these opportunities to serve together and proclaim of His Gospel and  love to the lost.

Thanks be to God that He has given us ten more days to serve and love and witness to the lost throughout Myrtle Beach. His timing is perfect, and He is sovereign and will guide us in His perfect will if we seek Him and trust Him wholly, above all else. Let's ascribe to Him all the glory due His name and seek Him in both the small and large daily things in life. He is constantly at work in us as we seek Him and have faith that He will complete the good work He began in us. 

"Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well." Psalm 139:14b

Hannah Watkins

SummerLINK Myrtle Beach: The God We Serve

 Wow. Where to begin…

As I sit and write this blog in the Barnes and Noble Café, thoughts and feelings overwhelm me as I reflect on SummerLINK.  Even if I just reflect on this week, I see how God has moved in my personal life and the life of our team.

God, in His perfect sovereignty, has placed James Wilson and Michelle Ellis as the leaders for the second half of these 10 weeks.  Because of His sovereign will, they are the perfect leaders for our team in these next weeks.  Continually, I am able to see and experience personally how both of these Godly people serve, support, and direct our team forward as we continue to live life on mission.

One of the most incredible things for us in these past few weeks has been to see the fruit that has come from the work that the Lord has provided for us (Ephesians 2:10).  I look out on Sunday morning and see people sitting in the congregation that, if not for God’s work through us, would not be in church otherwise. 

As this time is a limited time in Myrtle Beach for our team, it is easy to be discouraged and to feel like our work is not done here.  To feel like we could have done more, or that we should do more.  Though sometimes the Lord calls us to stay and continue ministry in a certain place, many times He calls us to move.  Though this can be troubling at times, I find comfort that the growth and movement of God’s kingdom is not in my hands, but He controls it.  We get to join in His mission, and as we move where He calls us, we trust that He will complete the good work that He has begun through us (Philippians 1:6).  He is a faithful and trustworthy God.

This past Sunday, our pastor at Cornerstone Church, Russ Bennett, returned from a mission trip to Costa Rica.  To say that the Lord had given him a renewed spirit and passion from Russ’s time there would be an understatement.  As he and another church member, Paul Moore, shared about their time in Costa Rica, our team’s hearts were convicted and empowered to continue to live missionally.  The Psalmist writes that we are to “declare God’s glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3).  But why?

“For GREAT is the Lord and most worthy to be praised” | Psalm 96:4a

This is a huge reminder for the followers of Christ.  We worship our God with our lives not only because of what He has done, but also because of who He is.  He is great.  He is worthy.

Monday was our reflection night, and Barnes and Noble has become my regular place of reflection. My mirror, if you will.  Reflection nights have been huge for me simply because I get to sit back and see how God has worked in the past week, and how He is continually present even in the routine of daily living.

Tuesday, we were incredibly blessed by another family in the church.  Home nights have been some of my favorite nights.  We get to here testimony of the Lord’s goodness from the lives of the families, and we discuss Bonhoeffer’s book on Christian community (Life Together) as we continue to pursue the community that God calls us to have.  This specific week we were able to discuss confession and the importance of it in community.  Confession is not for our embarrassment, but for our healing (James 5:16).  God does not call us to wallow in our sin, but for us to be continually healed and sanctified!

Wednesday, Logan Pierce led our small group where we were able to reflect on what the Lord had done on Sunday, but also to look forward and see that we are to declare his glory and deeds among all the peoples.

Making a joyful noise after bible study at the Raleys!

Thursday was a time we got to celebrate Mackenzie Morgan’s birthday as a team.  Needless to say, with help from Chick-fil-a hats and a Despicable Me birthday cake, we celebrated!!!  Thursday was also a time for the men and women to spend time within our own gender groups.  The men were able to continue in practicing James 5:16 and then went out and made a little clothing purchase…Ryan Heard…be prepared…

Saturday, we were able to serve with the church within the church as we built and painted an addition to the stage for Sunday morning worship.  Working, painting, and cleaning were some small tasks we could do to repay the blessings that the Lord, through this church, has given us.

That Saturday night we had our social at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game.  Appropriately, it was Clemson/Carolina night and you already know that we rocked out the cadence count!

1-2-3-4! 1-2-3-4!   C-L-E-M-S-O-N   T-I-G-E-R-S!
Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers  Fight! Fight! Fight! Woo!

Our current time as a team in Myrtle Beach is coming to and end, but it is incredibly exciting and encouraging to look back on the Lord’s faithfulness to us. He was faithful to Abraham.  He’s been faithful to our team all summer.  He will be faithful as we move on in the future.

It’s just who He is.

“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise”

- Andrew Flowers

SummerLINK Myrtle Beach: Glory! (clap) Praise the Lord (clap clap!)

The "Honeymoon Phase" is officially over! This week has been awesome. So much of the Truth of God's word has been among the team. Conflict finally happened (Praise the Lord). I've been reminded of a story of a man who prays to Jesus asking Him to receive the power to never sin again. Jesus replies to him saying, "Then when would I forgive you?" Showing mercy and grace are a part of God's character, and what a beautiful sign of the gospel to forgive one another just as Christ has forgiven us: completely!

Ryan and Corey left last week and placed Michelle Ellis and me as the leaders in their stead. The Lord has reminded us of His Sovereignty and power by various verses in Psalms.

Psalm 33:16-20 - The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by it's great strength.

Psalm 37:23-24 - The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he will not be utterly cast down for the Lord holds his hand.

Victory belongs to the Lord. With the majority of the summer being over, it has been a test of faith that the Lord will use our short time of ten weeks. I praise the Lord I do not dictate salvation. I do not draw peoples hearts. The act of someone coming to the Lord is a complete miracle of God and I am privileged to be used in the plan of the Lord. Even the reminder that Jesus will build his kingdom regardless of my actions is comforting. I can not stop God from building His kingdom. My opinions toward Jesus do not dictate his Lordship. Praise the Lord that "by our own sword we did not possess Myrtle Beach, and our own arm did not save us, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for you favor us" Psalm 44:3 (New James Wilson Version). The mission is not our mission but God's mission. Russ reminded Cornerstone Church today that we serve a Missionary God. He came to us and paid the penalty we deserved so we could live in communion with Him. God will complete His mission whether we agree with it or not. Praise the Lord that I can trust in the promise that if I abide in Christ I WILL bear fruit (John 15). That's a fact whether I see the fruit or not.

We have continued to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Life Together and this truth is made very clear: whether I feel free of my sin or not, I stand innocent because I am in Christ. My feelings do not dictate truth. Praise the Lord! What a glorious truth to walk in that the God we serve is supreme and His word pronounced upon me is true whether I believe it or not. This week, the chapter on Ministry was our assigned reading, and we were extremely blessed by the time of discussion with Kevin and Kelly Hill during Home Night on mondaynight. Bonhoeffer talked about the different ministries Christians perform to others such as holding our tongue, meekness, listening, proclaiming the word, and authority. He states that all of these come from our Salvation by Grace and our desire to serve one another. These truths have been especially true for me in the time of filling in the gap of leadership. If I truly want to lead then I am beckoned to serve my brothers. This is what Jesus did, does, and will do for all of eternity. When Jesus said "it is finished" He didn't mean his time of serving. This is our God: the servant of all servants who redefined leadership for His people.

Tuesday was our reflection night which was nice because the church was locked so I was forced to find another location with Wifi. Chickfila, my place of employment, it's almost like the local church....right? Got to see some fellow workers and get some free sweet nectar.

Tim Dietrich did a fantastic job leading our group in Bible study on wednesday night. He emphasized the importance of meditating on the Word of God and the importance of this action in our relationship with Jesus.

Thursday night was men and women's times which the men spent productively watching some little league baseball at the Market Common baseball fields. Go Myrtle Beach Stars! They only had 9 people on their team and they were strugglin'. They lost the game but the pitcher was going to Clemson to study food science which is what Logan Pierce is majoring in so that was a neat connection.

Friday night was a mad dash for all college students everywhere to get free chicken. Chickfila has been such a blessing this summer. We then got to cook Czeckoslovakian Apple Cake WHICH IS DELICIOUS!!!!! We made it for our prosepective places of work as an outreach. We had baked cookies previously and people enjoyed them so much we decided to make something again.

God continues to work down here and I laugh to myself sometimes when I realize where I am. In a place where I pass more strip clubs than churches on my way to work, a place where drug addicts hang out right outside my doorstep, and a place where sin blatantly abounds, God's grace abounds all the more and his grace and mercy conquer sin.

Psalm 16:7-11 - I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;

Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Glory! (clap) Praise the Lord! (Clap Clap)

by James Wilson

SummerLINK Myrtle Beach: We are Family

 It’s hard to believe that Summer LINK Myrtle Beach is almost over! There are only a few more weeks left here at the Sea Mist and Cornerstone but so much to learn!  Looking back though, I’ve seen so much growth in and around our team.

Sunday started out with Pastor Russ Bennett preaching on Matthew 7: 21-29.  This was Pastor Russ’ last sermon from the Sermon on the Mount.  After church, we went to Jimmyz Hibachi for lunch with Nick and Christa.  Nick is the roommate of one of the lifeguards we came to know the first week of Summer LINK.   Later that evening, we went to a beach baptism with Cornerstone for Holly Moore.  They then invited us over to their house for root beer floats.  It was a sweet time getting to talk with the Moore family again and celebrate in Holly’s public pronouncement of her faith in Christ.  It was and is such a blessing to be able to be apart of the Church family.  Later that night, we had a mid-summer evaluation back at the Sea Mist. 

On Monday, everyone went back to their workplaces not only to work but to continue to be intentional with coworkers.  I work at the Sea Mist with Daniel along with two Russians, two Bulgarians, and one Irish girl.  I’ll be the first to say that it’s not always easy to talk about Christ when there’s a slight language barrier.   That hasn’t stopped the Lord from working, though!  I’ve been encouraged this week in how open our Sea Mist coworkers have been with us about their home countries and families.  I’ve also heard stories from other Summer LINKers about their workplaces and how God is using them to spread the Gospel.  He is so good!  After work on Monday, we had our mid-summer banquet at Travinia’s.  Let’s just say we ate enough food for days.  Our chivalrous men even escorted the women one by one to the car with the umbrella because it was pouring down rain.

Tuesday morning, Corey, Michelle, Hannah, Ryan, and I got up at 5:45 to watch the sunrise on the beach.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so not much could be seen.  Since we were already up, we decided to participate in our own mini Olympic trials.  We had the sprint to the lifeguard stand, the long jump, and the standing jump.  It was quite the sight at 6 in the morning. 

God also had his own plan for us that morning besides the sunrise.  While on the beach, we meet a young couple named Bonnie and Norian.  They came up to us to share their photos from that morning, and we ended up in conversation with them.  They had only come down for the day and were planning on leaving the next day.   Hannah was able to get Bonnie’s number, and they have been in contact a few times since. It’s amazing how the Lord works in little ways like that.  After we attempted to watch the sunrise, we had a sweet time of prayer before everyone departed to his or her workplace.  We have decided to do this every Tuesday morning as a time to just talk to the Lord about our prayers for the rest of the day and week. Tuesday night was home night at the Bennett’s.  We were graciously served breakfast for dinner with fresh waffles, almost all the toppings you could think of, egg and cheese casserole, and fresh fruit.  We got to play with the kids too.  Ellie (their less than a year old baby) was the star of the show, and Bailey and Cohen were also enjoying spending time with the Summer LINKers.  We then got to hear the testimonies of Miranda and Russ; hearing them talk about how the Lord has worked in their life was a true testament to the Lord’s grace and mercy!

Wednesday morning was a sad day as our two leaders, Corey and Ryan, left to go back to their homes.  Even though they are coming back down at the end of the summer, it was still a bittersweet moment.   Later on that night, we had bible study at Dustin and Avery Raley’s house.  While there, we discussed Pastor Russ’ sermon on Matthew 7: 21-29, and we also got to listen to Dustin and Avery’s testimonies.

On Thursday, the hospitality team cooked hotdogs for the team in the spirit of the 4^th of July.  After our American inspired dinner, we packed up and headed out to the boardwalk for some evangelism and to watch the fireworks from the pier.  We parked at Fresh Brewed and split up into teams.  I was on a team with Daniel and James, and the rest of the group was split up into two other teams.  We ended up talking to two men.  One was a farmer from Kentucky and the other was a travel photographer living in Myrtle Beach.  It was amazing how the Lord worked to open up the hearts of these men to talk with us.  After the fireworks, we gathered back together at Fresh Brewed to discuss the night.  It will never get old seeing how the Lord works through his disciples.  Some times it can get discouraging when people aren’t receptive to conversations.  However, since I’ve been here, God has really placed on my heart the fact that we are still doing His work, even though fruits may not be seen immediately. 

We could see the finish line coming as Friday morning came.  After a long 8 hours at the Sea Mist front desk, we were free for the weekend.  Friday was our free night, but our group just loves each other too much to stay away from each other.  We ended up going to Cracker Barrel for dinner and went to see Despicable Me 2. 

Saturday morning was our men and women’s time, so we split up for a few hours to do our own things and discuss biblical manhood and womanhood.  The women slept in and then headed out to the farmers market at the Market Common.  We then took our fresh fruits and veggies and cooked breakfast/lunch.  The guys ended up going to Wal-Mart to pick up crabbing supplies for the afternoon social.  We eventually met up with the guys and drove down to Cherry Grove to do a little crabbing.  We ended up a an older couple’s house and asked if we could use their dock to do our crabbing.  They were gracious enough to let us use it, and we got to have some good conversations with them.  The older gentleman said they even used to go crabbing off of their dock back in the day.  We crabbed for about 2 hours and caught about 8 or 9 crabs.  It was definitely a fun day for everyone.

We took the crab back that evening and cooked them, although there wasn’t much meat to scrounge up.  We ended up going the River City Café for dinner instead because there just wasn’t enough crab to go around.  The experience of cooking them and just having fellowship with each other was such a sweet time. 

It’s crazy to think that in just four short weeks, Summer LINK will be over.  The sweet thing, though, is that the relationships we’ve built here will carry over at Clemson, SWU, and Anderson.  I’m so excited for the rest of Summer LINK, but I’m also excited to see how the Lord will continue to work through and within us after we go back to Crosspoint.  Whatever He has in store, it will be good!

by: Mackenzie Morgan