Brody Bearden, Summer Intern
Christ, for me, is someone that I can count on no matter what the situation.
Slowly, as I mature, both in spirituality and in physical stature, I am
beginning to realize the importance of complete submission to God and His
will. Often I find myself running, like Jonah, in the opposite direction.
It is at these moments that I am able to realize that God still loves me
and always will, because I have accepted Jesus into my heart and have put
my faith in Him.
San Diego, CA is something else. The weather is ALWAYS the same. June gloom in the morning and a warm afternoon describes EVERY single day that I’ve been here. And where is the humidity? In Georgia with humidity it remains in the 80’s (sometimes 90’s) well throughout the evening. The thing that still boggles my mind is the fact that I haven’t seen a drop of rain in over a month. In Georgia, if it doesn’t rain at least twice a week then we are “havin’ a drought.” The plants and flowers that I’ve seen here are beautiful Seldom do I see purple flowers in Georgia, but they are everywhere here. It is a blessing to be able to see so much plant life everywhere you turn.
Each of my hosts has been wonderful. Vincent and Sharon were extremely
hospitable offering me anything in their house and an unlimited viewing
of “The Simpsons.” Art and Nyet kept me stuffed with food from morning
to night. I don’t know how Andrew stays so thin with his mom feeding him
as much as she fed me. Anthony and Liu provided me with my own living quarters
and allowed me to “hang out” with them as we went to a movie and played
Monopoly together. Now I am with Hiedi and Tom. I don’t know what to expect,
but as far as I can tell it is going to be another wonderful experience.
Living with different families these few weeks has been a good chance for me to get to know each family a little better. Right now, I probably know a couple of things about these church families that you, being a fellow church member, don’t even know. Some things you might want to know, some you might not. Most of the other missionaries I know of are staying in one place for the summer. The thing about this is that they will not get to experience different hosts. I, on the other hand, get to move once a week. The only negative to this rotation system is that I have to pack my suitcase once a week each time having to make things squeeze in a little tighter and smaller. But the opportunity to meet everyone far exceeds the struggle to repack each week.
I’ve been here at First Chinese Southern Baptist Church for almost a month
now. The volunteer work that I’ve seen from the congregation at the church
simply amazes me. It really gives me joy to see so many people striving
to make the church a better place for people to come to worship. While
I am here I hope to only help the process. I want to be in God’s will and
help FCSBCSD in any way I can.