Bigger and Better

South Project’s social this week was “Bigger and Better.”  Guys and girls rooms were paired up, given a paper clip, and instructed to see what they could get at the end of the evening from trading the paper clip.  My group went to a neighborhood of beach houses, and traded the paper clip for a key chain, which we traded for sunglasses, etc.  In the end, we ended up with a copy machine, a giant mirror and a box of dishes.  When everyone got back to Project, each group presented their items.  It was crazy to see what resulted from trading little paper clips – a beach umbrella, chair, mattress, bike, android tablet, desk, and fishing poles, just to name a few.  Project now has several useful items that it didn’t have before!  

After the social we had s’mores as an encouragement from the Rebellion team.  These s’mores weren’t your average s’mores – we put Reeses peanut butter cups, Twix bars, or Cookies and Cream bars on them instead of just the traditional Hershey chocolate.

Parents Weekend

This past weekend, some parents of Project participants came to visit!  It was neat to see parents milling around and to observe similarities between the families and their kids who are Project participants.  The parents were invited to a “Parents Social,” which was a breakfast where parents could meet some Campus Outreach staff, learn more details about life at Project, and watch a video about other parents’ opinions on the benefit of STP for their kids.  

Several of the parents sat in on the Life Training session this morning before church.  The talk was on pain and how God strategically uses afflictions to bring us and others to him.  The room was very quiet during the talk; the issue of pain is pervasive and difficult, so the talk was valuable in helping us see the good that can come out of present and future hard times.

Fun fact:

The South Project is right next to a mini amusement park, complete with bungee jumping, the giant “Screamin’ Swing,” and occasional loud music.

Low Country Boil

The social this week was a Project classic: the “Low Country Boil.”  This traditional Southern experience involves preparing tons of shrimp, potatoes, sausages, and corn, pouring it on a big long table, and eating it with your hands.  Everyone on Project dresses up for the occasion as a hick or a Southern belle/prep.  The result is a mixture of crazy costumes, fake Southern accents, and delicious food!  

As the dinner portion of the social draws to a close, it is tradition to have a “sing along” led by Paul Poteat on guitar.  This year, some girls who work with people from Project at Chick-fil-A came to the social and led us in a typical South Carolina country song as well.  Other highlights of the sing along included “Baby” by Justin Bieber and “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.  The night continued with a bobbing for apples competition, a long dance party, and many laughs and good conversations!

Fun fact:

The low country boil is 1) a favorite of the CO staff, and 2) pretty legitimate.  We talked about the low country boil with people at Walmart and they all affirmed that it is indeed a part of Southern culinary culture.

Beach Evangelism

This past Wednesday, the weather was great and we were able to head to the beach in pairs to talk to people about Jesus.  There was a general nervousness present in the group as we headed out, but when we came back together at the end, the nervousness dissipated into praise for the conversations that happened, sadness for the lost world, and hope that God would save.  Each team met afterward to “debrief” – to share about the people we talked to and to pray for them.  

A challenge of evangelism here in the “Bible belt” is that many of the people we talk to on the beach identify with Christianity right off the bat and yet do not agree that Jesus is the only way to God or that we are saved by God’s grace rather than by our works.

Fun fact:

Wednesday nights are prime times for guys rooms to take girls rooms out on group dates.  Group dates are great opportunities to get to know brothers and sisters in Christ, bond as a room over planning the date (guys) or organizing a thank you (girls), and to have fun together.

Sunday

Sundays are special days on Project.  No one works on Sundays, so there is time to rest, go to the beach or a coffee shop, spend time journaling, or process through the mountain of information presented to us over the course of the week. South Project meets on Sunday mornings for “Life Training” sessions taught by Paul Poteat.  Life Training looks at life issues (such as money, time, community, work, etc) through a Biblical lens.  This morning, Paul spoke about having a “generous heart,” which is very applicable as Project participants think about jobs, groceries, gas, and support-raising.

After life training, there is about an hour of free time before the teams head to church.  Each team on Project is assigned to go to a different local church for the duration of the summer.

Fun Fact:

Near the hotel, there’s a diner called Sam’s Corner.  Coffee costs five cents, so it’s a popular place for people from STP to go to get off Project, get in the Word, or catch up with friends.

Getting into the Swing of Things

It has officially been a week since the disciples arrived at the hotel here in Garden City - a week since they met the other students in their rooms, thought about jobs, and reflected on the summer ahead.  Now, the fact that we are staying here for two months is sinking in. Friendships are blossoming and deepening, training is finishing up in the workplaces, and the summer routine has been established.  Church, theme training, team time, d-group, evangelism training, project social, Bible study training – bring it on!  

Fun fact:

The North and South projects combine for Bible study training, the Friday-morning session about the Bible, its importance as the source of truth, and the how and why of studying it.

Boats in the pool

Last night, the South Project pool and pool deck was transformed into a stage for the third-annual STP Boat Social.  Team Rebellion opened up the night with a convincing performance of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, including floating across the pool in a steam-engine raft complete with billowing smoke.  The accents and characters were spot-on.  The second performance of the night was Team Awkward Encounters’ reenactment of the TV show “Whale Wars,” which documents encounters between Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherds conservationists in the Antarctic.  The performance opened with an inflatable killer whale, synchronized swimming, and the Japanese whale hunt, and continued with a Walmart commercial break and the encounter between the “hippie” conservationists and the whalers.  The final performance of the evening was the Squirtle Squad’s rendition of the TV show “Swamp People” (about hunting alligators in Louisiana) mixed with the “Bachelorette.”  This performance had a dramatic storyline which included the bachelorette being killed while wrestling an alligator and an ensuing battle between her proper Southern family and the swamp people.  

The night was an entertaining exposition of creativity, engineering and acting.  Thanks to everyone on Project for such a memorable Boat Social!  Oh, and 1^st place of the night went to Team Awkward Encounters.

Evangelism Training

Wednesday is the formal evangelism day at Project.  In the early afternoon, students attend a talk called “Evangelism Training” and then typically head to the beach near the hotel to start spiritual conversations with beach-goers.  The first evangelism training time took place today, but we were not able to go on the beach due to rain.  Instead, we went with the people from our rooms to a nearby mall to pray for the people walking by and for our coworkers.  That time was a great opportunity for the rooms to connect in prayer and think deeply about the reality of sin and grace.  

Evangelism training and beach evangelism are formal times to focus on evangelism and practice sharing the Gospel.  These training times are excellent for preparing participants for Gospel conversations that occur in other situations, such as in their workplaces.

Fun fact:

At South Project, the participants are divided according to room into three teams: the Awkward Encounters, the Rebellion, and the Squirtle Squad.  Team-time allows participants to get to know more people on Project, be encouraged, and have fun.

Parents Packets

We have posted the parents packets for the 2012 Summer Training Project on our Parents Page. If you have questions about project or want to know more information about parents weekend (June 15-17), then you should download the parents packet.

If your child attends Bethel University, Northwestern College, or University of Sioux Falls: Download the 2012 STP North Project Parents Packet here

If your child attends University of St. Thomas, University of Minnesota, South Dakota State, or Michigan State: Download the 2012 STP South Project Parents Packet here