Mail Time!!

Every afternoon, I trot over to my little apartment mailbox and cross my fingers for a support check. It has been a very fun activity these past few weeks! God is faithfully providing for my Moscow expenses! Okay, so let me explain to people who are reading this and thinking, "Why the heck is Laura getting all these checks in the mail?"
I'm raising financial support for my project to Moscow this summer (see my first blog post), and it costs $5,500. Some people feel awkward about asking others to fund a trip, but biblically speaking, it is a really awesome way for the body of Christ to work together towards an eternal impact! (Check out 2 Cor. 8 and 9.) My project director, Zach, helped give us more perspective on the matter, which was quite encouraging. So, here is Laura Sanderson's look at support-raising:
I'm a college student. I have this cool opportunity to spend part of my summer sharing the gospel and investing in the lives of Russian students. I mean, our team is comprised of vivacious 19 to 20-somethings, with the health and energy that all of the middle-aged whippersnappers reminisce about. We're mobile! We're hip young Americans! We think cramming together in a hostel for a month is a fun idea!
In contrast, not every Christ-follower is in my position. Many have grownup jobs, so they can't just up and spend a month in a foreign country. These things cost time and money! By asking my friends and family to provide financially for my trip, they become a part of it! God uses their support to give me the ability to spread the good news of Jesus to people in Moscow this summer. I've had checks ranging from $25 to $500 so far. These friends are all giving generously and within their means, and every bit is a blessing! Through all of these wonderful people, I have raised about 40% of my funds for Project! (Holla!) Even when I discover an empty mailbox, and I sometimes find myself discouraged, I trust that the Lord is going to provide that other 60%. He's a big God.
I'm getting ready to send out another round of support letters, so if you'd like to receive one from me with info about my trip, send me your address! (via Facebook, preferably) My support deadline is May 22, when I begin project briefing. That's just about a month, readers! Woohoo! I think it's so cool to gain this team of people who will pray for my team and me while we're overseas. We are one body of Christ, with different parts to play. My supporters are the hands, and my team are the feet. :) I couldn't make this journey without God's hands, which are used to pray and to give. I'm so thankful for y'all.

"You Got Dipped!"

That's right, folks. I got baptized on Sunday! What a neat thing!


My summer project buddy, Steven, wanted details about this event, so I figured I'd blog about it and elaborate a bit for him. And to the rest of my swarms of faithful readers (ha.) who weren't there to witness the occasion. Alright Steven, here ya go:
Where?
Redeemer Church, Lubbock, TX.
Why?
I love this question! Because I believe that God sent his son Jesus to live a perfect life, die an undeserved death, and then be raised from the grave. Through His perfect sacrifice, we are able to one day be in heaven with our Creator if we surrender our lives to Him. I am a broken person. A sinner. And I could never dream of being with God, unless I trust that Jesus took away my sin and wickedness when He was on the cross. (If you want a little biblical reference, take a look at Romans 3:23-28. Good stuff.)
Okay, so that's what I know to be true. But why get baptized? I'll quote my other project buddy, Kaleb: "Baptism is an outward expression of the commitment I made in my heart showing that Jesus died for my sins [being "dunked" in the water] and rose again [coming back up from being dunked]..."
Why Now?
Another good question! A lot of people are baptized as babies, but I wasn't. I believe that baptism is an act of obedience toward God that should be done after one chooses to follow Christ, as a public symbol of faith. I started really walking with Jesus as a senior in high school, so I figure it was high time I took the plunge! (I also wanted to get plugged into a church before just randomly getting baptized somewhere. Just a personal note.)
What will you wear?
Haha. I wore a t-shirt and athletic shorts. No white robes or anything fancy.    Comfort > formality.
Will you make use of goggles or ear plugs?
No, I just plugged my nose and shut my eyes. Less cumbersome, more aesthetically acceptable.
What color towel will you use afterward?
A striped one. Haha.
Who baptized you?
Pastor Dusty Thompson. Cool guy. He's actually a good friend of my great aunt Pat and uncle Earl. He wore waders, which I think is awesome.

I hope that covered everything. On a side note, the heater in the baptismal is broken, so the water was quite chilly.That was exciting.... And I was really happy to have lots of Cru friends there to support me, as well as some of my family, and even my two best friends from high school. It was really heartwarming and exciting for them all to be a part of the baptism with me! That meant a whole lot. I love you guys!

Here's the chorus of a song we sang at the end of church. I was really moved by it, even though I've sung it before. It just speaks so much truth and joy and hope about our beautiful God!

You stay the same through the ages,

Your love never changes.

There may be pain in the night

but joy comes in the morning.

And when the oceans rage,

I don't have to be afraid

because I know that You love me.

And Your love never fails.

blog title credit to Kelsie Pinckard, photos courtesy of Julia Cotaya

New Kid on the Blog.

Ah, my first post in the blogging community! Creating this work of internet magic has been quite the adventure! I've been having flashbacks to my high school Web Mastering class...and I've found that my amateur knowledge of html actually came in handy when working on my sidebar. Ha! You know, the word "blog" is so strange. I think its origins stem from something like "web log," but "blog" just sounds kind of icky. Like an onomatopoeia for vomiting...I digress. Anywho, hello friends! :) I'm really excited to have this piece of social media at my fingertips now, particularly for the sake of documenting my travels in Russia. But, this is also just to chatter about how Jesus is working in my life and how He guides my steps. Plus some random musings here and there...

Some back story for those of you with whom I haven't talked in a while:
I will be traveling overseas to Moscow, Russia this summer for about a month! Why? I'm going on this awesome thing called a Summer Project, which is run by Campus Crusade for Christ (or Cru for short). I'm involved with Cru here at Tech, and I LOVE it! Cru is an international ministry that focuses on helping college students grow in their relationships with Christ. They have a ministry presence on campuses all over the U.S. as well as around the world. Through Campus Crusade, I will be going with a team of 12 other students to Moscow with the goal of sharing the good news of the Gospel with Russian university students! Less than one percent of the 11-or-so million people in Moscow follow Christ. It's going to be a whirlwind of a trip! I'm excited for the challenges ahead, and I really look forward to growing with the Lord.

A couple of Fridays ago (the 25th), I embarked on a road trip with my two fellow Tech Moscow SP members, McCall Sanderson and Brent Daugherty. Holla! We drove (Well, McCall drove.) up to Norman, Oklahoma to meet the majority of our Moscow team! I must say, I could write a whole blog on our car ride.  Brent provided us with an extremely long road trip playlist, as well as a nice array of his vocal talents. McCall and I became fast friends, and had fun discussing our crazy connection to one another. No, we're not long lost cousins or anything, even though we share a last name. We did, however, go to church together when we were little, back in Wichita Falls. Small world! The three of us had fun swapping stories, and we inadvertently created lots of inside jokes. We arrived to our destination and were greeted with hugs and handshakes from our new friends.  I think I can speak for all of us in saying that the weekend was awesome. Our project director and his wife are wonderful. Our team meshes extremely well. I can't wait to live in a hostel with them for a month! Ha. ;) God did a good job of putting this group together. (Here we are, pictured below. Minus Brian and Rachel. We're a fun bunch! We so excited!)

Anyways, that weekend was great. We're all stoked to see what God has in store for us! McCall and Brent and I headed home on Sunday (the 27th), and made more memories and inside jokes. McCall got pulled over (Don't worry, she did nothing wrong.), Brent sang with more gusto, and I talked incessantly, even though I was losing my voice. There you have it! A little snippet of what is to come. School is super ridiculous for me right now, so I may not post frequently. Congratulations on making it to the bottom of the page! Thanks for reading my first ramble.