Day 1: Where did 2011 Start?

2011 started in my aunt's living room playing "Just Dance 2" with my amazing family.  New Year's Eve is a huge tradition on my dad's side of the family.  The whole crew gets together, eats, and sets off a firework show better than any Waynesboro has ever seen.

Now where was I in other ways?     I was changing.
...God was rocking my world and showing me how immature I was in my faith.
...I was realizing I needed to start figuring out what it means to be a man of God.
...I started learning it wasn't God's plan for me to be a music major, but that He was calling me to something else.
...I started considering applying for a camp called CentriKid.
...I was missing MC and started realizing that it wasn't just my school, it was now my home.
...it hit me how legit the people God brought in my life are.

It's crazy to see how much God has rocked my world over the past year.  I look at journal entries I wrote at the beginning of the year and wonder if I'm even the same person sometimes.  It's so cool to see how awesome God is and how he has grown me in 2011.

Day 5: What did you discover?

I feel like I have changed more this year than any year in my life.  With that, so many discoveries have happened. Here a few of the ones I can think of while lying on the couch:

In 2011, I have discovered that...
...I am not called to be a music major.
...I Kissed Dating Goodbye is a horrible book.
...God had been preparing me my whole life to work CentriKid.
...I should always bring Q-tips to OMC to get shaving cream out my ears.
...I cannot be in two, three, or four places at once.
...I can be comforted in the fact that God has called me to do something, though I haven't discovered what that is yet.
...It's okay not to be involved and in charge of every single thing.
...It's not okay to not give 100% in everything I am involved in.
...Being intentional with people is not just a camp thing, it's a life thing.
...Accountability is so important in Christian relationships with people.
...I cannot do everything alone.  I have to get over myself and let someone help me.
...Pinelake is the church God has called me to get involved with.
...Cups has a student coffee for $1.44.
...God has blessed me with amazing people in my life.

This is no where near an exhaustive list of all the things I have discovered this past year, but I can say each one of these has shaped me into the Micheal Walley I am right now.

#Reverb11

So as everyone knows, I am an ultimate failure at blogging.  Every time I say I'm going to start being consistent, I usually get distracted and never end up writing a post.  I'm going to try to change that for my semester in London and use this blog as a way of updating everyone back in the States.

A few people I know in the CentriKid loops are participating in something called "Reverb 2011."  It is basically an online reflection of the year 2011.  I will be using a list of prompts for each day in December to reflect on the amazing year God has given me.  I'm a few days behind, so I will start today and (hopefully) catch up on the last few days during the month.   You all know how I am, so any encouragement to keep this up will be appreciated!

1. Where did 2011 begin?
2. Who did you meet?
3. What books did you read?
4. When did you struggle?
5. What did you discover?
6. Who was important to you?
7. What do you hope to remember?
8. Where did you spend money?
9. When were you most scared?
10. What questions did you ask?
11. Who surprised you?
12. What did you learn?
13. When did you feel the most relaxed?
14. Where did you leave a mark?
15. What movies did you see?
16. What did you accomplish?
17. When were you the most grateful?
18. Who touched your heart?
19. Where did you visit?
20. When did you cry?
21. Where did you spend your time?
22. What were your favorite songs?
23. Who did you miss?
24. When did you take the easy way?
25. Where did you eat?
26. Which blogs did you enjoy most?
27. When did you celebrate?
28. What are your dreams for next year?
29. Who will attract into your life?
30. What do you want to do in 2012?
31. Where do you hope to be on Jan 1, 2013?

Apply for CentriKid

Hey friends!
I know that I have FAILED at blogging, but I will try to get better over the next few months and post often when I am in London.

This blog post is for all my college-age peeps that are itching to do something fun and worthwhile with their summer.    As most of you know (because I won't quit talking about it), I worked CentriKid this past summer and LOVED it.  I would even go so far as to say that it was the best ten weeks of my life.  I got to use all the things I love--drama, dance, high energy---to share the Gospel to kids who were begging to know more about Christ. God changed me and grew my faith this summer because of my time as a staffer at CK (I even grew a beard) in a way that I never thought possible.
I've already applied for next year, and I hope you will pray about applying too!

Want to apply?
Go to www.centrikid.com and click on "Become a Staffer."  There you will find answers to questions you have and the application!

My advice for those who want to work:  Pray.
Being on staff at CentriKid (and another other camp or ministry for that matter) is a calling.  Yes, it is a lot of hard work and very little sleep, but I've never experienced anything more rewarding than spending my summer serving Christ at CentriKid.

If you have any questions or want to have breakfast or something to discuss camp, just let me know!
-Micheal

Trust Him

This past week, I had the blessing of being the church group host for an amazing church from Georgia. When I met them on Monday, I knew that the Lord was going to do amazing things through them this week. I had no clue that he would bless me so much by being apart of it.
The other night, I asked for prayers for a little girl in my church group, but I couldn't give many details.  Well, that fourth grader's mom had cancer.  She had found out that her mom had cancer the previous year at CentriKid, so she was already feeling guilty about leaving her sick mom.  Well, Tuesday around lunch, we found out that her mom had died.  Because of situations and being seven hours from home, the little girl hadn't found out yet and wouldn't find out until Thursday morning when her dad came to get her.
I was with the church group on Thursday when they were told.  It was one of the most beautiful things in my life seeing a group of 20-something kids encouraging and hugging their friend who was in a lot of pain.
Difficult things stink.  And we don't know why they happen.
I hate that this verse has kind of become a cliche, but Proverbs 3:5-6 blatantly points out that we're not going to understand things. We just have to trust in the Lord with all of our heart.
God has a reason for this little girl having to go through this.  He had a reason for her being at camp and not at home with her family.
Trust Him.

Florida is Hot; God is Faithful

Hello friends!
Wow!  The past two weeks in St. Petersburg Florida has flown by. CentriKid in Florida is a completely different experience.  These weeks have rocked my world, but they haven't been the easiest.
Let's just say that when it is near 100 degrees, sweat is spraying from every pore, and skin is permanently sunburn, it's not the easiest location to have energy for recreation and outdoor activities. Not to mention, my Bible Study room was a good five minute hike from where most camp things happened. So in the hot sun, with kids always complaining, and with my selfish self, it became easy to forget what I was doing this for and focus on the negative.
During week one, I was extremely sick with a sinus infection. I couldn't talk, I didn't feel like getting out of bed, and my throat felt like I was swallowing nails.  During this time, I found a verse that pushed me through. This verse was like the caffeine that kept me awake when all I wanted to do was sleep.
Isaiah 41:10:  "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
This verse has been my rock the entire summer.  That first week, I shared it with a few of my fellow staff members. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing servants of the Lord.  Emily Godby often reminds me of that verse, and I am so thankful.
We can't do anything on our own, and if we try, it's going to fail.  If we rely on our own strength, we're going to become weak. If we rely on our own abilities, the final product is going to be lacking.
God has taught me that so clearly this summer and is continuing to shape that part in my life.
We have already been through five cycles of camp.  Cycle 6 starts Monday in Ridgecrest, North Carolina.  I cannot believe that we are already halfway through.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and hit me up to keep me updated on your life!
1 Thessalonians 5:24
-Micheal

Quick Writings in a Van named Eunice

Wow.  I just left after spending three weeks and a day in Campbellsville, KY.   After a week of training, doing twelve straight days of camp,  and loading up two Ryder trucks and two fifteen passenger vans with things like sound equipment and pool noodles, CK7 is finally on the road to St. Petersburg, Florida.

My life has been completely changed in these past two weeks. Jesus has MOVED at CentriKid and I’m so blessed to be used as a tool of His. 

Let me tell you: CK7 is a team full of AMAZING people.  We have bonded so close in such a short amount of time and I know that I will have life-long friendships on this team. 

So we started our first camp on June 6.   It was a small camp and the Lord used its small size to do wonders in that group of kids. By the end of the week, the staff knew the name of practically every kid there.  It was a perfect start of the summer.

The Lord also taught me a huge lesson that week: I must rely on him.  You all know me...I’m super independent and rely on my on strength way too much. Well God broke down those walls  very quickly and showed me that I must rely on Him.  Day one of camp, I got a sinus infection and lost my voice by that next day.  When you’re yelling all day and having to use a pirate voice daily in drama, being without a voice and feeling down isn’t the most ideal situation.  

Isaiah 41:10 is a promise from God.  He tells us “fear not for I am with you.  Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Man, did I lean on that verse last week.  I would not have made it without the strength of God alone. If it were up to Micheal, I would have been in bed taking medicine by the bucket full.    Overall, I’m so thankful for the sickness because through that God showed me that I MUST rely on Him and that I’m just a weak little slacker without Him. 

I have much less time for blogging than I thought, and if I were to post all of the stories from the week, I would be taking time away from sharing Jesus with kiddos. And unfortunately, I’m afraid the photo project is officially over because carrying around a huge camera around camp just isn’t important to me at this point. So I will try to post as often as I can.  In the meantime, keep posted by reading Twitter...I usually post funny quotes and random blurbs on there throughout the day. 

I love my “job.” I know that without a doubt that God called me to work CentriKid this summer and I’m having one of the best times of my life. I appreciate your prayers so much and would love to hear from everyone. 

Peace, Love, and Shaving Cream,

Micheal