Day 4 - The Rudolph Sweatshirt

The Rudolph Sweatshirt

I spent the day again in my room for the most part, so I knew I wanted a really comfortable outfit.  So, it came down to a few of the sweatshirts that I own.  They are very christmassy, and remind me of my mother, because she had many a Christmas sweatshirt back in the day.  

I chose this one because it's one of the fuzzier ones on the inside.  It's quite charming, however, with the image of Rudolph looking over at Santa, who is holding a present.  IT's charming and happy and represents everything my day of writing and planning this paper WASN'T.  

Day 3 - The Eskridge Family T-Shirt

The Eskridge Family T-Shirt

Today was reading day, so when I got dressed this morning I knew most of my time would be spent lounging about my room, finishing up some assignments.  I didn't want to waste one of my better outfits when no one would see it, so I decided to go with the tried-and-true Eskridge Family T-Shirt.  

The T-Shirt was given to me last Christmas by my aunt and uncle.  The whole family got one, and we were required to pose for the stereotypical awkward family Christmas photo in the shirts.  

The shirt is super comfy, so it was perfect for an overly lazy reading day.  

Day 2 - The Mitten Sweater

The Mitten Sweater

Today was an eventful day.  I had two tests, and then a Christmas party hosted by Cru, the on-campus organization I attend, to go to.  I was super excited for the day, so I got on one of my favorite Christmas sweaters.  

This sweater is the appropriate ammount of itchy, just a little but not to much.  It has snowflakes that cover the entire sweater.  It is also a classic zipper-front, with two red yarn pom-pom balls that pull the zipper up and down.  

My favorite part, however, has to be the mittens featured prominently on the front.  They come with a string that goes up around the neck of the sweater, like I used to be forced to wear as a child so I didn't loose my mittens.  The mittens also double as pockets, so when you put your hands in the pockets, it looks as if you are wearing the mittens.  One of my absolute favorites!  

25 Days of Christmas (Sweaters): Day 1 - The Green Snowman Sweater-Vest

I, Kailyn Eskridge am on a mission.  A mission to own 25 Christmas Sweaters/Vests/Outfits, enough to wear a different one each day of December.  

I am not yet up to the number 25, so I will be forced to repeat the sweaters this year, but I hope to one day reach my dream.  And carry on the tradition to annoy and embarrass my future children. For the blog, I will post here about my endeavor and let you enjoy the fun!  

The Green Snowman Sweater-Vest

As the first day of December, I decided to ease into the tackiness of the season.  I had a Christmas party to attend, hosted by the college ministry at the Church I go to, so I accessorized with my light-up Christmas light necklace and my purple sequin Santa hat.  I wasn't going to be outdone at a Christmas shindig!  

This is a nice sweater due to the triple snowman action.  There is a snowman in the top right corner carrying presents to the Christmas Tree.  The second is smiling to the bluebird that is perched on it's branch arm.  The third is skiing happily.  Also, like any good tacky Christmas outfit, there are some Christmas presents that carry onto the back of the vest.  It was the first time I wore it, but it was super comfy, especially with the comfy shirt underneath.  

Overall, a good start to the 25 days of Christmas Sweaters!  

Resting on the Wings of an Eagle.

This summer has taken its toll on me.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely ADORED being a member of Deep Impact's staff.  I'd love to get the opportunity to work with them again next summer.  But the transition has been hard.

I keep thinking of my fellow staff, especially Blue Team..  Every time I hear that silly whistle alert tone that comes with the iPhone, I think of Cameron.  When I hear anything with a beat, I imagine Ethan  banging on whatever is closest to pound it out.  When I hear "All My Fountains" or "Take it All" or any of the other songs, I hear Carson and Abigail singing sweet songs together.  And every time I talk about Monster's University or Despicable Me 2, I think of Autumn and all the fun times we had.  

But there is also so much to do now.  I'm remembering the past, but I'm also super excited for the present and future.  

I'm in leadership positions in both Cru, my ministry on campus, and Lawndale, the church I go to.  I've reconnected with so many people, and I'm already building new friendships.  I'm starting to help with the worship team in the college ministry in my church.  I'm itching to get back to choir.  I love my classes so far and I'm actually excited to go to them (though not as excited to do the work itself).  

I'm stuck between this amazing, God-inspired and spiritually uplifting summer and the fantastic potential to see how God moves here.  Most days I feel like I'm barely hanging on, one hand on the amazing summer experiences and the other reaching ahead toward the near future.  

Sometimes, being very involved in things is hard.  

But I know I serve a God who tells me that if I walk in him, I won't grow weary.  That, with him, I will soar on wings like eagles.  

So I rest in my Lord.  I pray for smooth sailing, but I know that when the air gets rough, I have the Creator of the Universe by my side, carrying me on His wings.  

Caswell AKA An Ever Faithful Lord

Deep Impact, Week 3

This week has been very easy from a Deep Impact job description standpoint.  We haven't had to sell canteen, since there's the Drift Inn.  We don't have to lock up at night, because Caswell staff takes care of it.  We don't even have to pass out lunches in the morning or help with sound during worship because the BeDoTell team is helping us out this week.  

But personally, it has been difficult   Satan has been trying my patience.  I've found myself almost each morning and afternoon frustrated with people around me.  And most of the time it's for silly little things.  Things that normally wouldn't get under my skin.  Things that shouldn't put a damper on my whole day.  But this week, they have.  

Until I realize I follow the one true God, a Powerful yet Merciful Father who knows I am doing a work for his Kingdom.  And who loves me enough to come alongside me, reminding me of Himself, and then calming me down as soon as I turn to Him.  

The mornings have been rough, but the afternoons and nights have truly been "Glory Revealed".  

This week has been different not only because of all the extra help, but also because we are partnering with World Mission Week.  Rush of Fools is leading our worship time, and David Nasser is our speaker.  I can honestly say that they are ministering to us, not just performing.  They go forth with the intention of glorifying God, and worshiping alongside us, not just looking big and awesome.  David himself constantly points everything back to God.  It is refreshing, and the Holy Spirit has moved every day.  

There was a moment in the service  on Wednesday night, when we were singing a song, "Here I am to Worship,"  a song I have sung a thousand times.  I distinctly remembered singing the song as a 3rd grader, one of the first times I'd sung it.  I was sitting in church service, and I really liked the song.  

This memory came flooding back to me in that moment of singing it here, at the auditorium at Caswell.  I was struck by the providence of God, his knowledge and power.  Back then, when I was 8 or 9, God knew I would be in this moment, singing it again.  The same God who smiled at my honest praise then was smiling at it 12 years later.  

And He knew I would be there, working on staff with Deep Impact.  Even when I didn't care or had no idea what Deep Impact was.  And that first summer I went on a Deep Impact trip, He knew I'd help lead similar trips one day.  God knew. He's always known.  He's known it before I was born.  

I began to weep tears of joy.  Not only had God handpicked me to be here this week, He had handpicked me from the beginning of time.  How vast and awesome and powerful is the Lord my God!  How amazing is He?  That He would love me enough to let me understand just a piece of how He works, how He loves me and is orchestrating my life the way He does.  

The Lord our God is ever faithful.  He is consistent   He calms, and He prepares our way.  He is the Lord God almighty, and He reigns forever!

Shelby AKA When Frustrations Become Blessings

Deep Impact, Week 2

We walked into our site this past week to 90 very loud middle-schoolers and their chaperons.  We were not expecting them.  

There was a couple who showed up that needed a room, so our speaker and his wife had to bunk with the staff.  We were not expecting that.

At 11:00 the night before the churches arrived, we received an email that one of the churches was no longer coming, leaving some teams cut in half.  We were not expecting that.  

The day the churches came, as our coordinator was going over the jobs, a children's group cancelled, and we didn't have addresses for a number of the projects.  We were not expecting that.  

A volunteer showed up who criticized everything we did from an organizational aspect, comparing it to a missions camp he had been head over in the past.  We certainly were not expecting that. 

I guess you could say the week started out rough for us.  

But we persevered   Not through our own strength, but through God's.  

I can't tell you how many times the first few days I had to stop for a few seconds, reorient myself to God, and pray for His guidance, patience, and joy.  But pray I did, and He was ever faithful.

I don't know why I was so surprised that God managed to work everything out.  In fact, many of these frustrations and obstacles that we were forced to overcome turned into blessings.

The on-site coordinators at the Shelby Mission Camp are very particular about the way their facility is used.  It's totally understandable, as the camp has been open for a little less than a year.  They do a good job of keeping it working, but sometimes they can be a bit strict about how they run things.  It's understandable, but we as a staff wanted very much to make sure they were pleased with how the week ran so we could continue to use the facility.  

The group immediately before us, the middle-schoolers, were very very loud.  And mostly because of the way we organize things and schedule things, our group of 150 people worked so smoothly and were very respectful of our space.  Not that the group before us wasn't, but the quiet and peace seemed to be a relief to the on-site coordinators, and they left the week very pleased with our leadership and the attitude/actions of the campers.  

Since Jason and Allison, the speaker and his wife, were bunking with us staffers, we got to know them both much better.  We built closer relationships than we might have because of the extra time spent with them in our respective rooms.  

Because the church cancelled, I bonded very quickly and got to work soon with Dollie, our coordinator.  We worked hurriedly together to reorganize the teams and to work out transportation.  This not only grew Dollie and I closer together, but it also taught the campers the necessary life lesson that in missions, as with everything in life, we must be flexible.  

The Children's team who's job site got cancelled ended up being a "Miscellaneous" team, that did odd jobs throughout the week.  They all had such a good attitude and in themselves became a blessing to us because of their willingness to do whatever they needed to do.  One day, they installed smoke detectors.  They met an elderly man who's wife had recently passed away, and, due to odd circumstances, had no pots or pans to cook food in.  They brought him food and took up some money to get him kitchen supplies so he could cook food for himself, a need that would not have been realized if they were working with Children.  

And finally, the volunteer who criticized our team actually ended up bringing us closer together.  His sarcastic and biting remarks were hurtful, yes, but partially due to our pride.  We learned to set aside our own pride and make rational, God guided decisions even if we were personally affronted.  We grew closer to each other and to God.  We even learned to love someone sacrificially, sacrificing our own emotions and pride to pray for a man who hadn't been godly towards us.  

It's funny how the things that seem the most troublesome, burdening, and frustrating can turn out to be blessings in disguise.  Only God could take annoyances and frustrations and turn them around.  

And surprisingly, at the end of the week, I found myself thanking God for everything we didn't expect.  Because hand-in-hand with the unexpected bad, God always seems to provide some unexpected good.  We just have to look at situations through His eyes.