DAY THREE! (Tuesday)

Tuesday, we were able to sleep in for an hour (thank the LORD, because I needed rest). We then had a God tools training that was helpful in helping me remember how to use them and to boost my confidence in going out to share the Gospel. It is weird, but before we went out sharing honestly I had felt very scared and anxious concerning this trip. But getting out with the intent to share the Gospel, man, did I feel on fire! We went to the Battery (a park area along the water in downtown Charleston) as a bible study group with some others from our project scattered around. If you've never went out evangelizing, you should know it's like being a spy for God, trying to test out of the area you're in who has the time or will be the most receptive to what you are saying. We split off into pairs, one group approaching people and the other praying for them. At first, I was in the praying pair, praying for Anna and Abby as they approached two older girls laying out on the grass. Praying for them was a really beautiful and new experience with outreach for me- it allowed me to still contribute in a way to the spiritual conversations going on all around me in the park, asking God to bless them and their words and move in hearts. They had a forty minute conversation which was not overly fruitful, but still I feel was a beneficial conversation. It was then my group's turn to go out and share.

I will tell you, we could not find anyone to share with or to have a conversation with at the park. We had less than 30 minutes to find and share with someone before we had to go back to the hotel, so that was difficult in itself. My partner was also new with using these tools and evangelizing in a non-simulation setting, and she approached a woman in a mysterious kind of way that I think put her off. I petted her dog and talked with her about us both living in Ohio (she was friendly enough but just wary), and so we went on our way. I feel like I could have had a really great conversation with her, but I think one of my personal obstacles was that I had a hard time sharing and taking steps in faith alongside a Christian that was still a stranger to me. I am wondering if maybe I would be better off in the future with sharing by myself (but in a supervised area too) because my politeness and passivity is triggered so easily with people I don't know. Hopefully that will get easier with upcoming weeks, or I will find a solution (I know God will).

After outreach, we had dinner and spent time with our bible study (I was lucky enough to witness a girl from Wisconsin experience her first Chik-Fil-A haha). We had an time of extremely honest and genuine testimonies being shared- their words and what God had taught them of their experiences very much bared veins to my own, which was all inspiring and encouraging. I did not get a chance to share my testimony, but I shall do so when we meet up next Tuesday. :) And finally we ended our night with pads on our foreheads haha, doing a mixer event at a women's night that focused on discussing friendships between women. It was very insightful but painful too as memories came up and hurt still lingered in my soul. The hurt of relationships of all strains and sizes still do effect me, but knowing that God is healing me beyond the immediate surface and in the darkest depths of my heart. Knowing that gives me so much hope for all of my relationships, because they all could be replenished with more of God's love in me. I ended the night with new friends and Catchphrase.