The Countdown Continues

Hi!!

I have some heavy news and some excitng news to share with you. The heavy news is that my grandfather, affectionately called Grandcliff, passed away on the evening of April 19th. He had lived with us in Lenoir City for a little less than 3 years. We are very grateful for the time we had with him...for the lessons we mutually learned by living together. I think my younger siblings learned how to respect older people even when it was really hard and when they knew they were right, but learned to do it his way anyway. Summer said it well when she was reminiscing on the transformation our relationships took with him when he moved to close proximity to us. She said, "[Before] When we only saw him in the summer, we loved him because he gave us chocolate ice cream and coke and let us swing on his swing. Then he moved in with us and we hated him because he told us what to do and got in fights with us and everything. But, then we learned to love him even through the hard stuff, but it was deeper then." I know we will miss his funny sayings, his mannerisms, and his prescence. My family is in LA now for a time with extended family.

Stroud Family with Grandcliff, 4th of July 2009 in Monteagle, TN

Stroud Family with Grandcliff, Easter 2009 in Lenoir City

The exciting news is that today is April 26th which means in only 16 days I will be on a plane with Andrew, Seth and Kristen headed to Chennai, India to join alongside the Asir family in ministry to the marginalized of Indian society.

Between then and now, I have a ridiculously busy week of classes and assignments, a short week of finals, a birthday, spend time with my family, pack for India, and see as many important people in my life as I can. Yeah...that's what I thought...I must be crazy!

Seth, Kristen, Savannah, and Andrew = Team India

The Lord has been teaching and preparing me in so many ways this semester. I would say everything that has happened has in some way brought me closer to the Lord, strengthened my trust in Yahweh, or showed me I need to rely on him more. One of the coolest hands-on experiences we (the ACTS class) had was the opportunity to go to D.C. for IJM's global prayer gathering from April 8-11. The global prayer gathering is a yearly get-together of IJM staff along with people interested in praying for God's work around the world. It was so helpful to go from room to room and hear the heavy, desperate stories and needs from around the world and then turn directly to our heavenly Father and lift them up to him.

http://www.ijm.org/ -- visit IJM's website for more info.

Diana, Lydia, Meagan, Liz, Carrie, Johanna, Savannah, Nic, Kristen

Some of my classmates who went to IJM with me

How can we be praying for you, Savannah?

First, I echo Paul's sentiments for the Philippian church for all of you:

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of the partnership of the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel." Philippians 1:3-7

Secondly, there are some specific ways you can be praying for me and my team.

1. pray against spiritual warfare we are beginning to experience now and will experience in different ways over the summer

2. pray that all the details come together for each of us such as visas, supplies, spiritual preparedness, and rest

3. pray that our families will be at peace with us being in India

4. pray that we will be able to meet the people God would have us meet, be in the situations he has ordained, and most of all love him and others.

Lastly, I have raised a little bit less than half of my support, so if you are still interested in supporting me, you can send a check payable to Bryan College (for a tax deduction), memo line- BC Missions Fund to:

Bryan Missions Fund

Bryan College #7781

721 Bryan Dr.

Dayton, TN 37321

This blog and email are the main ways that I hope to keep up with you over the summer, so I hope this works!

Much love,

In Christ,

Savannah Stroud

Late Nite to Spring Break

It's been an eventful week to say the least.
Step 1: I finished my classes on Friday, March 5th and drove to Sweetwater to hang out with some high school friends. Then I crashed at Lindsay's house for a few hours before about 40 high schoolers from Monroe Co. piled into a big yellow school bus and headed to Young Life's Late Night!!!
We had a blast! We really did. Monroe Co. merged with Loudon Co. and Anderson Co. for a great night of club, fun, Jesus, ice skating, gymnastics, Zuma fun center, and a movie!
Hanging out and delving deeper with high school friends made pulling an all-nighter so enjoyable!

Step 2: After Late Nite, I headed back to Bryan and a group of 7 girls and 1 guy drove to Smyrna (outside of Nashville) to spend the week working with a ministry group called "Community Servants." Over the weekend, we met and played with the neighborhood kids. These 3 brothers (Mu, Dada, and Gregory II) are part of an immigrant Karen family from Myanmar. We played Ninja, soccer, and silent ball with the kids. During the week, we heard testimonies from 2 moms aobut how much they like living in the community and how God has worked in their lives.

Monday through Friday was spent primarily working on 2 houses, painting the interiors. We met the people moving into both units and got closer as a team. One of the highlights of the work was on Tuesday when I got to drive an ancient white truck around all afternoon taking loads to the dump and brush to a burn pile. It made driving my truck seem like a dream!

Thursday we changed gears and went into Nashville to help Craig, a man who has been a missionary and worked in intentse disaster areas for the past several years. Craig is working hard to finish his own home after he has helped so many others get back on their feet. He just needed some encouragement, so we were able to come alongside him and do the simplest of tasks, but ones that aided in his ultimate project goal.

Of all the different activities we did in conjunction with Community Servants, two things impressed me the most. The first was that each morning Bruce, one of the leaders, would come by and orient us to our day and remind us that relationships are more important than the physical work we were accomplishing. He would say, "All this is going to end up in a land fill anyway one day, so let's focus on people." He also talked a lot about paying attention to the kind of treasures we put into our hearts.

The second thing that impressed me was the heart of two young interns who live at Wherry Housing and work with Community Servants. They run an after school program for all the kids that want to come from 3:30-5:30 every day. When I first met them, I assumed that was their full-time occupation: ministering to the neighborhood kids. No, I found out they attend college full time, work part time jobs, and minister to these kids. The more I was around them, the more clearly I saw this beautiful picture of incarnational living done by 2 girls my age. It really challenged and encouraged me.

Feel free to check out their website: http://www.communityservants.org/

So, that is my crazy week in a nutshell and I am back at Bryan ready to hit the books and activities hard until the end of the semester. I am heading to Atlanta on Wednesday with the ACTS project to visit OM (Operation Mobilization) headquarters.

Be encouraged this week and know that I am praying for you!

Closing a Journal

I wrote on the last page of a journal I have been writing in since Jan. 2009. I always like going back and reading all of the places God has taken me, all the low and high moments I have experienced, and the ways I have grown. Most of its contents are between me and God, but I wanted to share a couple of things it reminded me of.

First, this summer I worked on Summer Staff at Young Life's Sharp Top Cove camp in Georgia. Every Sunday morning, after the campers had left Saturday night and before the new campers arrived Sunday afternoon, we would all get together and worship and be encouraged for the upcoming week. One Sunday, Jim Branch (speaker and director) had us all take a nametag and write down the name that we believe most of the time about ourselves and stick it on our shirt. We looked around and realized who most of us believe we are. "Not enough," "Trash," "Failure," and "Unlovable" were just a few. Then he had us tear up the name we call ourselves, write the name that God calls us on a new nametag, and stick it on. I realized that I call myself "fearful, falling apart, needy one" whereas God calls me "whole, healed one" and "mine." Just last week, I came to the realization that while I let the Lord heal my life before, I expect it to be over for good and then wonder why I continue to struggle so much. He did heal me from my pain and from myself, but also wants to be my daily healer and when I live my life on my own, I am ultimately refusing to let him be my healer. Healing can be a one-time event, but it is, more than not, a daily process. So, this week I have been calling God my "daily healer."

Secondly, the Lord has brought me to so many places this year that I have been before. He has brought me to these places as a way of reminding me of his underlying, constant faithfulness in my life.

• I went to SharpTop as a camper in May of 2008--happy to experience Young Life and unsure about college. I met Lindsay Oaks for the first time and got to talk with her. My grandparents came to visit the very last day of camp. I returned to SharpTop in June of 2009 happy to serve the campers and excited to get to know my fellow summer staffers. Lindsay was there as a head leader and we shared life stories and future hopes. My granddad had died since I was at SharpTop and my grandmother moved continents.
• I returned to Windy Gap (YL camp in NC) in the fall of 2009 as a leader with Sweetwater after going for the first time in the fall of 2006. First time, I sat behind a garbage can and wrestled with with my issues and with God and coming back I realized how much peace and life God had given me since then.
• I shared Urbana 2009 with close friends and I asked better questions. Urbana 2006 was great and 2009 built on what I learned. In 2006, I was looking for a short-term opportunity and in 2009 I was looking for opportunities after college. In 2006, I was exposed to issues such as human trafficking and in 2009 I was impressed with the amount of collaboration between mission organizations, the enablement of local missionaries, and the holistic view of missions.
• Every time I come back to Bryan after a break, I am reminded of all the things God has done for me in this place and all the things I have learned. I am grateful for the friends I have, the skills I have learned, and the person I am becoming.

Finally, Psalm 62 has really inflitrated my life and thoughts this year.

Psalm 62
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work. (ESV)