“Even as we were coming here today, I still didn’t have a good grasp on what exactly you guys are doing here”
As I shook the sand off of my foot to put my flops back on, I reflected on what Perry had just said. Perry and Natalie are avid readers of our blog. They typically check out our goings-on at least three times per week. (Go ahead and comment, already!) And even they weren’t so sure exactly what our summer was all about.
We were walking down the boardwalk, watching their kids ride roller coasters and enjoying a brisk July evening by the bay. They drove over an hour from their house to see us. It was great hanging out.
There’s something to be said for coming out and seeing for yourself what a summer project is all about. But for those of you who (unlike Perry and Natalie) live thousands of miles from here, you’re relying on our blog and newsletters to communicate what we are doing.
Perry was interested to find out, for example, that the students are here for 10 weeks, and that the staff leave after 5 weeks. That’s right, on Tuesday morning we are stuffing the last few items into our then-fully packed Windstar and heading out. We’ve appointed and trained our replacements in every area of the project, from the student directors all the way down to Action Group Leaders of each individual study.
Once the staff leaves, the project can really start.
I don’t even remember the last name of the staff guy who discipled me on summer project in 2000. That’s because the best part of project is once the students take over. If it wasn’t for facebook, the students here would forget my name, too.
It’s humbling to think that God is waiting for me to leave to really take my students to where he wants them. But it’s so satisfying to know that the whole reason I am here is to set the stage for the real play. Just because I’m not the one who gets to fire the cannon doesn’t mean it’s not exciting to load it. I think I’m done with conflicting word-pictures. By the end of this paragraph we’ll be firing actors out of a cannon.
So, swing by sometime between now and Tuesday. We can get you a pass for free rides on the Boardwalk, and I’ll be able to really explain what a summer project is.