Less Than Two Weeks!

Friends and Family, Hi! If this is your first time hearing about this, welcome! Feel free to read my letter in the "Background" section at the top of this page--there are lots more details in there! For those of you who have read it though, thank you so much for your continued love and support throughout this discipleship journey that I have been called to go on. As I am writing this, I have less than two weeks before I go on City Project, which is crazy! I wanted to jump start this "blog" to share prayer updates that my team and I will have throughout the summer. Feel free to subscribe below if you would like to stay updated :). Although I heard it all the time when I was younger, within the past 6-8 months, I have come to truly understand the Gospel and what it means. What is it you might ask? Well, to put it short, God loves us so much that He sent his son, Jesus, to come down into our world; Jesus lived a perfect life that we could never live and He died the death that we were supposed to die by bearing our sins on the cross. However, the good news is that Jesus rose three days later! For those who believe this, turn from their own ways, and make God Lord over their life, they are made new creations and are placed back into God's perfect design. How awesome! Because of this, I, personally, have been on fire for how God is moving and I just want to give glory to him in everything that I do. Through an abundance of prayer and counsel, God has made it clear to me that going on this discipleship trip and being surrounded by a body of believers throughout Summer 2021 is exactly where He wants me during this time. Thanks to your overwhelming generosity, God has provided every penny that I need to go on this trip, and I am extremely thankful. This has been a big leap of faith, and there have definitely been some days that I have questioned if I should actually go, but I have genuinely been overcome with joy every time I take a step back, turn from my selfish ways, and put my eyes back on him. To be vulnerable with you though, going into this, I still do have some anxiety and worry, and I need prayers. As some of you may know, I have never done something like this. I have never been to a summer camp, a church retreat, or even been on a plane. Doing something like this right before I transfer to UNC in the fall--which brings a whole new set of "firsts"--I have found myself feeling overwhelmed about all that there is to do. Please pray that God would continue to show me that He is in control of every moment of every day--present AND future. Also, I will be taking an online summer course while I am there. Although I am a bit bummed out about that, I know that God is going to provide time to get my studies done! Please pray that it will be a smooth-sailing class and that it will not take my focus away from what I have been called to do, which is to learn what it means to be a disciple-making disciple, be surrounded by the church, recognize how to use my life as a launching pad for sharing the Gospel, and, for the last week, learn more about what a church plant (in Nashville, TN!) looks like. Again, you are welcome to subscribe to future updates by entering your email below! Thank you for partnering with me as I follow God's calling! Love & Blessings, Katie Parler