I spent my summer in Santa Cruz with 50 college students seeking to see Christ clearly while making a difference in this city.  It has been about a year and a half since then and it continues to be an experience that affects me today.  When I think of Santa Cruz, my mind fills with memories of running along the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, bible studies downtown at Jamba Juice, “rad” California surfers, and especially The Boardwalk, the world’s best seaside amusement park.  The purpose of this project was to grow in our understanding of Christ and Christian community while maintaining a ministry with our coworkers (at an amusement park!).

Two things that have really stuck out to me from the project were the Christian community and accountability I had there and the relationships I had with my coworkers.  As the summer went on, I began to see my imperfections in light of how beautiful Christ was.  I began to realize that God has created us to not only need Him, but to need fellow believers to continue to be more like Him.  Through the community on Santa Cruz, I was able to appreciate the necessity of Christian fellowship and accountability and see how God calls us to that.  By living with 6 guys in one room all seeking to know Christ and to glorify Christ, I was able to be encouraged and grow out of the strengths and weaknesses of each person.  It provided me a view of how Christian community could and should be.

Also, sharing Christ with others went from an awkward, nerve-racking, once a month (or year) experience to an exciting, purpose driven lifestyle over the span of the project.  Before I went to Santa Cruz, evangelism was something I rarely, if ever did.  Summer project provided me with evangelical training to help me share my faith with confidence and purpose.  As God continued to give me a love for the lost, telling people about what Jesus has done for them became a desire rather than a duty.  I’m not saying that I jump on every opportunity to share the Gospel to everyone now.  I’m just saying that summer project can help you desire that as you start the process of seeing God clearly and people clearly.  So overall, Santa Cruz summer project left me desiring and experiencing intimacy with God more than I ever had before.  I began to understand the importance of Christian community and spreading the Gospel.  I was able to work at a seaside amusement park with a diverse group of Californians.  I was able to see the beauty of God’s creation on the coast of California a block from where I lived.  Sign up for summer project, it will most likely be the best decision you made in 7 years.

Jin Lee
lwjin@email.unc.edu

http://gosummerproject.com/

The first thing that hit me about Sweden was how beautiful everything was. The country has rolling hills, a bright blue sky where the sun rises at 3a.m. then falls at 11p.m., clean cities with both history and modernity, and people that are attractive in body and spirit. Never have I lived somewhere where everything seemed so picturesque but was so truly distorted.

For all the perfection of Sweden, the more I honestly looked at the Swedes the more I realized how dead everyone was. The Swedes live in a state they call “lagom”, which in Swedish means “not too much, not too little, but just right.” Everyone lived a comfortable life with many luxuries, but did not give into extravagance. Essentially, they wanted for nothing. Therefore, Swedes felt no need for religion or God. For many of them, religion is a personal choice to help cope with the world, but not an absolute truth, which makes them very tolerant of religion without ever having to develop beliefs of their own. There is nothing so hard as trying to help someone who has everything they could ever need realize that they truly have nothing without Christ.

Our team’s first mission in Sweden was making friends. The most effective method for me was going out onto the Uppsala University campus for lunch, which we all did most days, and try to get Swedes to eat with us. We would eat at on of the thirteen “Nations,” houses that served like coed fraternities that every student was required to join. My forte was playing the “dumb American who can’t read” card to get people to talk with me in line. From there, I’d try to eat lunch with my new friends and hopefully get their phones numbers and agreements to hang out later from Swedes by the end of lunch. Usually for our second date we’d go to “fika”, which is a Swedish lifestyle of taking about two hours of the afternoon off to get coffee and desserts with another friend. It’s the best idea EVER! Plus, there is no better time to really get to know a Swede and have deep conversation.

Swedes live in a constant state of comfort and security, but in all the wrong ways. The government and the culture tell them that spiritual matters are a waste of time. They never question the general teachings. Just to know that some of my friends were obviously challenged and considering God’s words is enough to make me cry. I know the Spirit was turning something in their hearts.

This is how Sweden Summer Project is different than any of summer project. The Spirit is working on beautiful hearts of stone in a culture of complete apathy. It is the hardest summer I’ve ever experienced and the most rewarding. In a country where God is the furthest thing from their thoughts, I learned the desperate need to keep Him the center of my life. I went on project expecting to personally save the Swedes and it turns out Christ saved me. He showed me how to trust Him again. His Spirit is working amazing things in Sweden, even if we cannot fully realize or appreciate it. A hundred years ago, Sweden sent out more missionaries than any other nation, but it has forgotten the greatness of God. As ambassadors for the Lord we are called to spread His glory and be His vessels.

Lydia
lkwalker@email.unc.edu

http://gosummerproject.com/