Ugh. I am so unbelievably awful at finding time to blog. I apologize for this. This blog post is going to be dedicated to giving you guys a  very detailed explanation of what each week generally looks like for me while I am in Alaska. I will also have another blog post this week on how God has been working in my heart. Hope you all enjoy!

Mondays :)
Oh Monday's. On Monday's I get to sleep in and head into work by 12:30, which is SUCH a blessing. It is so nice to be able to catch up on some rest before even starting the week. I work typically until about 5pm. Then I get back to my apartment and my roommate Kiley generally makes dinner for me because I have to be at a meeting called Monday Night live, usually within twenty or so minutes (such a sweetie). At Monday Night live our entire project meets up, we run through what the weekly schedule is going to look like, talk about any details/ concerns we may have, and then have some kind of an activity that challenges us to grow. For example, next week the spiritual discipline team is doing an activity on prayer, which I have been learning so much about this summer. Mondays are also used to make sure that all of our weekly events are focused on the vision of our project. After the activity we generally break into our women and men projects and discus the subject. Finally we all break off into our separate Fellowship Teams, which are Cru team meeting, outreach team, social team and spiritual discipline team. We were each individually placed onto a team back when the staff was here. I was placed onto the Cru team meeting, which has challenged me with helping lead worship and mc'ing a couple of weeks (such a growing experience in itself). By the time all of our meetings are over we all go to bed because it is usually about 11pm.

Tuesday :P
T-T-T-T-T-Tuuuuessday's. On Tuesdays I work bright and early at 8:30 am until 5pm. At 8pm is the weekly cru meeting, which consists of our project and anyone we invite taking part in a worship time and listening to a speaker. The Cru meeting are great ways to get know the people of Juneau in a Christ centered environment. After the Cru meeting the social team always has a fun activity planned afterward (last week was the card game of spoons...yes...things got intense). The activities after Cru allow us to grow our friendships with our co-workers or whoever we invited even more while having a good ol' time. We usually get back about 11pm and all hit the hay.

Wednesday's >:)
My work schedule is the same on Wednesday as Tuesday. Once I get home from work, we have woman hood development, which always consists growth, fun activities, fellowship, and food. Women hood development night is probably one of my favorite nights of the week.

Thursday :{
On Thursdays I start work at 8:30 and usually get out about 1pm. Yes, this means less pay but I love having a couple of hours to use for whatever I want. Thursday nights  are called "action group night", which basically means I get to do crazy, awesome things and have a bible study with my roommates. I love them all so much. Thursdays are SO chill.

Friday ;)
Fridayyy yayyyy no work and it's service day!! On Friday's I go to the youth detention center and pour into the kids there with some of my project mates. Friday nights are generally open for hiking, building relationships or having quality time with the Lord. This Friday night we are having a 12 hour prayer night, which I am so excited about. God has been teaching me so much about prayer.

Saturday :}
Saturday's are outreach day! They always look so different. Saturday's are dedicated to going out and reaching the people of Juneau for Christ in anyway we can. We plan fun activities, go sharing, love on people basically whatever we feel called to. There are so many awesome opportunities to connect with the people of Juneau and share Christs love daily but all of Saturday is specifically dedicated to showing Juneau Christ love. 

Sunday 0:)
Sunday.... church day !! Sunday's are days of rest and days we pour into our churches (we are divided into groups of 8ish) and serve the body in anyway we can. After church somebody from our church family invites us over for lunch.. which is always such a blessing. Sunday afternoons are a time for rest which I have learned to not take for granted, and Sunday nights are ultimate frisbee night.

There you have it! Thats what my weeks look like. We still get our lots of hiking, camping, fishing etc on. I am constantly busy but I love it. Staff left last week so project is officially student lead and we have already really made it our own! Stay tuned for another blog post on what God is teaching me later in the week :) 
Love in Christ, 
                                    Lexi 

looking at my own reflection

Reflection. This week has really been a week of reflection. Reflecting on project, reflecting on my life, on the Lords purpose for me, everything. I love when I have weeks like this, it gives me time to sit and be still before the Lord and simply listen. Project has been great so far. I truly love it here and can see why the Lord sent me to Juneau. I have been pushed outside of my comfort zone repeatedly.  We have been talking a lot about the lies we believe about ourselves. This has always been a common theme that is brought to my attention and the more I reflect on it the more and more I realize the lies I believe. Last week I was feeling like I could never be an adequate leader, that I would never be able to follow the Lord fully and serve Him with my life. What a lie right? I have identified it as a lie and I have been praying and seeking the truth. God often times speaks to me through worship and song. This morning I was sitting around listening to music and reading my Bible when the song You Are For Me by Kari Jobe came to my attention. These are the lyrics...

 So faithful

        So constant              So loving and so true                                                                                       So powerful in all You do                                                                                           You fill me                                                                                          You see me                                                                               You know my every move                                                                            You love for me to sing to You                                                                                                        I know that You are for me                                                                             I know that You are for me                                                                             I know that You will never                                                                            Forsake me in my weakness                                                                                         And I know that You have come down                                                                          Even if to write upon my heart                                                                            To remind me who You areI really recommend listening to the song. It is truly beautiful and weighs heavy on my own heart. I listen to this  and think do i KNOW of all these things? Do i KNOW that God is faithful and constant and true and never forsakes me in my weakness? Do I KNOW that He fills me and see's me? Do i KNOW that God loves me individually? These are questions that rock me to my core. I realize that I do not truly know these things. If i did i would not question my ability to follow Him fully. I have no ability to follow Him without Him. My fear of not being a good leader or not following the Lord fully is revolved around myself and I have realized that it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with what Christ has done for me. With that I opened my Bible to Philippians 3: 12-4:1"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that i Have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved."Will you join me in forgetting what lies behind and straining for Christ? Will you join me in KNOWING we are seen by God, KNOWING God leads us and cares for us? I pray I am contstantly reminded to KNOW Gods truth and strive to glorify Him.

i call this place home

Wednesday May 22, the Pennsylvanians arrived to my house for the night and project got very real, quickly. I could not believe that the trip I had been anticipating and preparing for was about to start within the next twelve hours. We hit the road and made our way to North Dakota to meet the rest of our road tripping group. We set up for camp, and made plans for leaving early the next morning to hit up the badlands and continue on our way to Alaska. 

The road trip was interesting to say the least. As a group of 19 people, we bonded really well and  had little to no conflict with each other which exceded my expectations. There were many bumps in the road...literally. While we were driving  one of our cars tires went flat. Luckily, having tons of men with us, they were able to fix the tire without any difficulties and we drove into town to get two new tires. We continued on our way through Canada and Gods beauty was displayed right outside of my window. Everywhere I looked there was rolling hills, mountains, and beautiful waterfalls. God has always spoke to me through nature and I was truly captivated by His beauty! Canadas roads were full of critters making their way across whenever they so pleased. Our caravan consisted of six cars following each other with a fair amount of distance between each one. A ginormous grizzly bear walked out infront of our first car. The driver was able to come to a complete stop in time with ease. The next car was also able to stop without any difficulties. The third car of the caravan had to brake quite faster than the first two. The fourth car had to slam on their breaks to not hit the car in front of them which caused the fifth car to collide into the car in front of them. Where was I sitting you ask? The sixth car in the back seat. I saw the entire thing from the backseat of the car and the owner of the car that ended up being totaled was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle I was in. Our driver stopped his vehicle, put on his hazards and jumped out of the car to check and make sure everyone was okey in the car that was totalled. Everyone was ok, just a few airbag burns but we were all very caught off guard by what had happened. I said a prayer with Molly ( the owner of the totaled vehicle) and we decided to get out of the car and check out the situation. It was bad. After just seeing the vehicle I knew there was no way of fixing it. We were stuck in Canada with no cell phone service and the next town was not for miles. Decisions were made and a group of people in a car went to go to the nearest town to find something or somebody to help us. Many cars stopped and checked to make sure we were all ok and reassured us that a tow was on its way, which was comforting ( Canadians are so much more friendly than Americans ;) ). We finally were able to get the car towed and our thoughts were confirmed that the car was totaled. So, with that news we all packed into the five cars  and continued on our way to Juneau, Alaska. We were all able to continue to be positive and put our full trust in the Lord.

We arrived on the Alaskan high way and were ecstatic to continue on our way and make it to Alaska. As you can probably imagine, the way to Alaska was absolutely breathtaking. Mountain ranges went on for as far as I could see, and they were so unbelievably intriguing. We were driving along our way and it continued to get darker and darker as we went, but we were feeling good and wanted to make it to our next campsite to make up  for all the setbacks we encountered. As we were driving, being the last car we noticed that the front car had pulled over to the side of the road along with everybody else in our caravan. My heart literally stopped. We had not pulled over at all for the entire day and I knew something was wrong. We all sat in our vehicle for about five minutes. The silence was broken when our driver opened up the driver-side car door to check out the situation. He was outside looking underneath the  car for a couple minutes. He came back into the vehicle and said literally nothing. I knew something was not good because our driver was known to have a very positive attitude  about everything. We sat for about five minutes, when I could no longer take the silence, I asked him what had happened. He said the oil pan had a hole in it. Not knowing much of anything about cars I knew by his tone alone that it was not good, and we were not getting anywhere anytime soon. 
We ended up pulling off into a gravel "camp ground" area and sleeping in the cars for the night while one of our cars went to go and try and find the nearest town to figure out our situation. I remember laying in the car, late at night, feeling exhausted and angry. I was so angry with God and I told Him that. I could not wrap my mind around the fact that we were traveling thousands of miles to Alaska to serve the Lord and we were running into so many car difficulties. I went to bed angry that night with plans of dedicating the next day fully to the Lord. The next morning I woke up bright and early and decided to go and sit by the river which was surrounded by mountains with only my Bible and notebook in hand. I was ready for the Lord to move in my heart and He so did. Isaiah 40: 28-31"Have you not known? Have you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall grow faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." 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 rights hand." Isaiah 42: 16 "And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them." All of these verses proved to me the Lord always leads us when we are blind, cares for us with an unfailing love, knows us by name and carries us through, always. I have read these verses many a time in the past but hearing those in that situation is exactly what I needed to hear. God scooped me out of my brokenness even when I  questioned Him, even when I doubted him, and reminded me to take refuge in Him and in Him alone. All things of this earth will fail me but our Lord will NOT. That in itself is something I pray I wake up every morning knowing with confidence. 

where I had my day of bible study

finally in Juneau

Juneau

We hopped on the ferry and finally got to Juneau. So far I love it here. I got a job at an Orca whale tour place, which is not something I could do in Racine, Wisconsin so I am excited for a new experience. The job has been challenging so far. I was kind of thrown in with no training and it can be a very stressful environment. I try and just stay level headed and serve the women I work with in any way I possibly can. Orca is located in downtown Juneau and we get about 4 cruise ships  every day full of tourists. The people live anywhere from Florida to Australia. I constantly am having the opportunity to tell everyone I meet where I am from and what I am doing in Alaska. Its a great way to share the Lords love. Working from 8:30am -5:00pm Monday through Thursday and then having ministry team meetings, cru meetings, women's development time, outreach, and service projects keeps me very busy. Almost overwhelmingly busy, but the Lord is good and has given me the strength to wake up every morning to serve Him. Bonding with my fellow project mates so far has been sa-weet. I am antsy  to see how God moves this summer. He continues  to burdan my heart with wanting to bring His love and light to Juneau. I think about what Juneau would look like if the darkness was overtaken by the light and I get more and more excited about what God has in store for Juneau. I have only been here for a week and I am already in love with this place and call it home. 

tons of fun backpacking :)

Prayer requests
That our team is reminded to find strength in the Lord 
That as we start our second week of work we are able to develop deeper relationships with our co-workers
That God continues to burden our hearts with bringing His kingdom and love to Juneau
That we as a team continue to build authentic relationships with each other
Praise the Lord that just about everyone has a job and if not has an interview lined up :)
For me personally be praying that I take refuge in the Lord and stop believing lies and fill myself with His truth
Praise the Lord I am fully supported! :)
Sorry it took me so long to post, I promise I will get better now that I know when I  have free time :)
                                                    Love in Christ, 
                                                     Lexi

just a month.

1 month. 29 days. Too many hours for me to accurately count. In one month I will be taking the adventure to Alaska with other college students from all over the United States. We will be driving 55 hours through Canada to Alaska. To the youth group gang back in the "cilla", yes, we are driving through Canada (good thing I have my Canadian pull-over..I should have no problem blending in.) Many of you that are reading this are probably thinking, 55 hours... are you crazy?? My answer to this is absolutely yes. I am insane for driving 55 hours to Alaska, but the experience is going to be a once in a life time opportunity that I can not overlook. As I am sitting in my dreary dorm room, I wait with a "drive" for Alaskan adventure, adventure of some sort at least. We will not be driving the 55 hours straight, that my friends is a tad TOO crazy. We are planning to make many stops to rest at campsites, one of them being BANF national park( see picture below.)  I am stoked to begin this adventure.

                                 Here is a map of our adventure...cray cray huh?

        This is a picture of BANF national park in Canada (from google)

Suport raising. In all honesty support raising has been one of the most challenging things I have ever faced, and I am not even finished. I wake up every morning and think about the $4,350 I owe, which ultimately causes anxiety. How dare I wake up this way? I have learned and continue to learn that the Lord has called me on this trip for specific reasons and He is not and will not ever stop leading my every step. Isaiah 42:16 "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness Into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."  He will lead me down the unfamiliar paths and will not forsake me, I pray that everyone wakes up every morning reminded of this. 

The preparation for project has also been difficult. The Lord has been teaching me more and more each day. Getting a concussion and going through a foot injury has made me realize that it is hard, no, almost impossible for me to depend on other people. I have refused to let my guard down in fear of being hurt by others (result of past relationship issues). The Lord does not call us to live this way. He has been helping me break down my walls. God calls us to go through life together with others in fellowship. None of us were ever ment to go through life alone. (if you can relate to this and have questions feel free to email me :) AColl630@uwsp.edu). God has so much in store for the remainder of my school year, summer and life. He is going to continue to do huge things in Alaska by using Juneau Summer Project this summer. I can feel it. Part of me is frightened for what is in store but I know the Lord will be right there every step of the way. Please continue to be in prayer for Juneau. :)

                                                        Love in Christ,
                    
                                          Lexi Collicott :)

I Surrender.

Hello everyone! Wow... I never thought I would actually have the time to sit down and actually make my blog, but  here I am writing my very first blog post! WOOOHOO. (That was my celebration) I recently got accepted into a summer project through Cru ( a Christian ministry I am involved in on campus) to Juneau, Alaska. That's right, I will be spending my entire summer in Alaska! I can not wait to see what God has in store for my summer and I know He has A LOT planned. The reason I started this blog was so I could keep all of my family and friends in the loop while I start a beautiful adventure with about 35 other students in Juneau this summer. I plan to make this blog mostly a photo blog, but there may be a couple of lengthy blog posts depending on how I feel.  I hope you can sit back and enjoy the beauty of my adventures through my camera lens. :)

Here is a picture of my trip to Alaska. Last summer, I was in Alaska for a week with a group from my home church. Man, oh man, did the Lord capture my heart in Alaska. There is really something about sitting on a porch, drinking warm coffee, with my Bible open on my lap and a view of the mountains that displays the Lords unending love. The Lord captures my heart with His beauty in nature. Last summer, He taught me to take refuge in Him and in Him alone.
                                                         Love in Christ,
                                                          
                                 Lexi Collicott :)

Hebrews 6:19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

p.s. if you click on the photos it will take you to a bigger view of them :)