Hello everyone! I am writing an exciting blog today...

This past weekend I was able to go down to Galveston, TX and meet up with NINETEEN of my squadmates-yeah, NINETEEN! It was such a sweet time to meet so many new faces and to spend time with some old ones. There are plenty of insta posts and fun stories to go around, but it definitely was not all perfect plans and easy days.

Let me start by saying that I believe that the enemy is real, he is working, and that (like John says) he comes to steal, kill and destroy. Spiritual warfare is real stuff and it is SO HARD every time. This weekend was no different.

During this weekend, there were countless moments of things going wrong. For starters, picture this-- 20 teenage girls plan a beach trip (tans, sun, swimming, YAY!), only to find out the week before that there is a forecast full of storms and clouds the entire weekend. Then add a 6 hour power outage the first night they are all together. If that’s not enough, throw in flight changes, stomach bugs, broken rollercoasters, awful sunburns, 2+ hour restaurant waits, cloud-covered sunrises, sleepless nights, AND a popped tire (that led to a AAA call and a Discount Tire trip).

THAT is a glimpse into the enemy’s efforts to ruin this weekend. He used every trick in the book to steal our joy, frustrate our minds, turn us against each other, and ultimately turn our hearts from the glory of the Father while we were gathered together. BUT, here’s the good news.

It didn’t work! The Lord prevailed in every single one of these circumstances, and because of His perfect timing, we had no choice but to glorify Him. Power outages led to candlelit worship sessions. Rained out beaches pushed us to Christ-centered conversations with local shop owners and strangers. Never-ending restaurant waits created time for new conversations with people on the trip that we might not have had a chance to talk to yet. and THAT’S the beauty of the God I serve. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). He turns the most frustrating and joy-sucking situations into moments of intimacy with Him that are unmatched. 

This weekend I saw fears of vulnerability be overcome. I saw hesitations about community life being pushed aside. I saw feelings of unworthiness, loneliness, and disqualification replaced with feelings of acceptance, authority in Christ, and a sense of being known and deeply loved by a community of dedicated believers. I don’t think a lot of those things would have been possible without the hard, annoying, difficult moments of the weekend. 

So I am overwhelmingly grateful. Grateful for storms, powerless evenings, and popped tires-because without these small inconveniences, I would not have experienced God’s overwhelming grace, power and glory the way that I have the past 6 days. I will continue to welcome these attacks that are becoming more and more frequent in these months of preparation, because they are pushing me closer to my beautiful Father-and NOTHING, not even the perfect beach day, is better than that.

I am also forever thanking God for the squad that I will be taking on this journey alongside. Hearing the hearts and passions of these girls this weekend was so encouraging, and it seems like all I could (and still can) do was praise God for His favor on our lives and His ENDLESS pursuit of His children. I am in awe of his persistent goodness more than ever and I am (obviously) STILL not over it. He is so good, and I am thankful for time to soak it allllll in this weekend. 

His love & mine,

bree