Greetings!

I'd say it's pretty obvious that I haven't posted since 24/7 started! AH! I miss all of you so much and I'm a bit homesick, but God is working here in big ways. Way too much has happened to explain everything in detail. However, I'll do my best to give you an informed synopsis of what life looks like for me now that I'm immersed in this internship.


There are 5 first year students: Sam, Joel, Chris M. (Crispy), Julia, and myself. They are all great people with great hearts that are eager to learn! There are 3 cadre (which is a fancy term for 2nd or 3rd year 24/7 student that is placed on leadership and given responsibilities), who are Nicki, Trevor, and Bethany. 


This is what my schedule looks like from week to week:


MON-THURS
**7:30-9a (Workout)
**9-10:30a (Breakfast/shower)
**10:30-11a (Read/Study/File)
**11a-12p (Prayer)
**12-1p (Lunch)


After 1pm, our activities vary from day to day. It normally consists of classroom, Tracks (which are individualized internships where we work one-on-one with the corresponding staff member of our calling), and outreach (Thursdays).


Fridays we have OFF (unless we are going on a trip), and Saturday mornings are reserved for outreach also from 8a-12p. On Sundays, the day always starts at 7:30a. I serve on the worship team 2-3 Sundays out of the month, and on Sundays that I'm not serving on the worship team, I usually serve as a greeter/coffee brewer (now serving Starbucks coffee!) On Sunday evenings, I'm always serving at VERT (high school ministry service) as the worship leader and it's been a great experience. Practice starts at 4p, and the service usually ends around 8:30.


We have been on two camping trips thus far and they have been pretty fun (aside from being apart from Kayla of course). The first camping trip was to Tennessee, where we met up with the 24/7 group from Florida. Their group is much larger than ours (by about 30!). We all started the day by hiking up the tallest mountain in the Smokies, Mount LeConte. It was a 6 mile trek to the peak. But we were informed that not only were we hiking to the peak, but that we would (as a group) be carrying eachother one at a time up the mountain on a cot/stretcher! It was definitely one of the most challenging things I've done. There would be 3-5 people carrying the cot over rough terrain and inclines at any given time, and each person rotated laying on the cot every ten minutes. It was a great teamwork exercise, but quite frankly I'd rather not think about it so I'll move on. :-)


After the mountain we were supposed to go back to another campsite, but we were surprised with a multi-million dollar cabin rental! What a great relief! We had 2 days to relax and unwind after a crazy excursion up a mountain. The cabin was complete with hot tub, arcade games, pool table, and a great location. We are required to drink only water for the first six weeks, but during our time at the cabin, we could drink whatever we wanted which was nice! The 2nd day, we took a trip into Gatlinburg, TN which was a new experience for me! It was definitely an interesting place, and I had the chance to share some elk, wild boar, alligator, ostrich, and kangaroo jerky with everyone. Fun fun fun!


The other camping trip we went on was this past weekend. We went to Hanging Rock in North Carolina, and hiked 8 miles the first day and 6 the second. Obviously we enjoyed hot dogs over the fire and s'mores!


During outreach, we will be focusing on a neighborhood in town that is home to many people living in poverty. We will be playing with and tutoring the kids that live there, picking up trash around the neighborhood, and doing other things there to make a difference for Christ. 


It's dinner time for me! If you have any questions about what I'm doing, please feel free to email me or call me! heeter.chris@gmail.com, 614-563-3711


Prayer requests:
-That Kayla, and also myself, can find peace and comfort that I'm going through this program. 
-That we can have effective counseling sessions, that will prepare us for marriage and get us through this season of our lives. 


SONG FOR THE MOMENT: Hillsong - I Will Exalt You

Hello.

Yesterday was orientation, and I got the chance to meet everyone else that I will be going through the program with.  I learned that I'll have to be clean shaven and remove all piercings, so that'll be a big change for me! Kayla doesn't like that part too much at all! :-) But I think it will turn out to be a great 9 months! Everything starts tomorrow (I know, Labor Day) but I'm anxious to get things rolling! I think we're starting off with a 3 mile run followed with whatever crazy workout they have in store for us afterwards.

I'm all settled in at the Sahol residence, and it's been great interacting with everyone so far. They are a great family and make me feel so comfortable in their home.

Leading worship at DayStar this morning went really well. I was challenged by not having Eric there to suggest things to me, and so I could continue to get familiar with the way they do things at DayStar. But it worked out great, and both services went really well.

Prayer Requests:
-That things get rolling smoothly as 24/7 starts, and that I will be able to adjust well to the physical demands and the schedule that it requires.

Song For The Moment:

Down To The Wire

SO... since the last entry, a significant change has been made in my situation.

This past week Stephen had talked to the Director of College Ministries and they decided it would probably be a better situation for me if I were to live with a host family as opposed to living in the leadership apartment with Zach, Jordan, and Ian. It came as a bit of a bummer because I was looking forward to living with them. However, Stephen is lining me up with a family that I believe is a very good fit and it's been great to talk to them so far. I am headed over there today at some point to see their house and if it would be a good situation for me (but I'm not here to be picky!)

Orientation for 24/7 is Saturday, and I'm VERY much looking forward to it. It's been nice to have some time off, but I'm definitely ready to get into the swing of things. Moving day should either be tonight or tomorrow for me, and the program starts on Monday (yes, Labor Day) but it doesn't matter much to me when we start as long as we start!

This Sunday at DayStar will be a big one for me because Eric will be out of town. I'm a little nervous, because he won't physically be there to coach me through it, and he has me leading the songs to open and close the service. But I really do embrace the responsibilities he has given me because of the immense honor that it is. I'll be leading up Bless Your Name by Eddie Kirkland, and Let God Arise by Tomlin.

Prayer Requests:
-That the Lord would continue to work on my heart and give me mental, physical, and spiritual endurance to grow in Him as a leader.
-That Kayla and I will be calmed knowing that 24/7 is the Lord's calling for me to strengthen our relationship, not to weaken it.

Song For The Moment:
Desperation Band - Refuse To Be Denied