Merry Christmas!!

Just to justify myself b/c i haven't updated in months...i did say in the beginning i was going to be terrible at updating. I have again proven to be right at judging myself!

Merry Christmas to all! I can't believe how fast the fall flew by. I feel as if i had just moved to Dallas and then I turn around and i'm planning for the RUF christmas party! My semester moved so fast, it was more like long days and short weeks. My time on campus has been both wonderful and growing. I moved to Dallas expecting the transition to be effortless and easy. I am glad to say I am growing up and learning that life after college is hard and extemely different. Not only was i NOT expecting this season of life to be hard, but i am also learning how college is almost like a vacation from the real world for 4 years. I am grateful to report that my Heavenly Father has been faithful and so loving to me. He has provided friendships, wonderful relationships with female students, older women in the Dallas area and as well as a bond with my campus minister, Chad and my co-intern, Creighton. God has given me a few friends who pursue me and love me when i'm exhausted and empty. He has provided a family I live with in Dallas, who love the Lord and love me!

My work with the female students of RUF has been fruitful this semester. The freshmen girls are wonderful and totally accept my work as i try to pursue, love, teach and befriend them. The upperclassmen girls are so completely welcoming and kind! I have been overwhelmed by their sweet thoughts. I love that I get to say my job is to love college students and grow in my understand of God's limitless grace!

Here are just afew pictures from this semester and what we as RUF have done!!

One month gone...

so it has been a month (almost) since i have moved into my little apartment in Dtown...more like UP which is in the HP area...is near SMU...so something I am realizing here that people LOVE to appreviate things. So this is something I am attempting to do--with little success but I'm trying!

My time in Dallas has been great and busy. The first 2 weeks were full of meetings/one on ones/Freshmen girl events/staff meetings/Float Trip/Leadership retreat/plus more. So it's been a busy last month. So let me begin with a brief overview.
-the 2nd weekend I was here we had leadership retreat at a student's lake house! we had a really fun time jetskiing, tubing, boating, and just spending time getting to know one another! so it was a fun time.
-we had our first Large Group on 8/31-and we had about 115 students come! This semester Chad will be going through the book of Mark!
-The next weekend we had a float trip down the Guadeloupe River, past Austin, and we spent the night and then floated the river the next day! we brought 60 people!! it was amazing!
-This past week at Large Group we had 140 people! wonderful!

SMU has been a wonderful university to transition to! the campus is beautiful and the students along with it are wonderful themselves. I have felt very well loved and taken care of by them!

Prayer Requests
-Praise!! I have raised over my 100% for financial support! The Lord has been very gracious to provide people willing to support me prayfully and financially and I am so thankful!
-As i find a church community the next semester, still adjusting to the big city and finding people my own age to spend time with!
-For chad and his wife, Jada-they are expecting their 3rd boy in January!
-For Christian fellowship among the students through Large group and small group settings!

All moved in!

Hey there bloggers!

I'm all moved in! My apartment is still taking shape and still in the process of unpacking. The trek over here went great, my Uhaul unpacked by assistance of some students and the family I'll be living with. This family is amazing and I already love them. They have 2 little boys, and one of them has already proposed to me! Might have to take him up on that offer :)

Yesterday, Chad, Creighton and I moved in some freshmen and it immediately brought back memories from when I moved into my freshman dorm 4 years ago...I feel old even to say I'm out of college! But the last few days have just been me acclimating to Dallas. It's a big city and very different from what i'm used to. But i love the fact that there are starbucks on every street corner! Starbucks is like home to me! Its really easy to get lost in the city, but i haven't been too lost. So nothing too bad!

I'm about to run, just wanted to say all is well and I'm excited to start the semester next week!

Please continue pray for my adjustment to working for RUF, as opposed to being a student, for community outside of school, that I will be working for Him and not for men!

Love love love
grayson

hello there!

so an update from the last time i posted...i moved to campus! i'm sitting in my aunt and uncle's house just outside of dallas and i will be moving into my little apartment tomorrow! the last 3 weeks have been like a whirlwind and i still don't even know what happened and how i got here.

I'll start getting back from RUF training in July. So the monday after training I had to take my last final of college, i definitely skipped two weeks of class this summer for trainings! oops..but my professor was super gracious and understanding that I was preparing for a a big kid job. soo took the final and made a B in the class overall which is amazing. i felt like a total slacker all summer, but the work got done and i am now a college graduate!!

So my objective after my final was support raising. I really wanted to be the campus before classes started, i was aiming to leave the 2nd weekend of august. The Lord continued to love and provide for me during this summer. The month of July, people were incredibly giving and gracious with their money. This still just blows my mind how people gave of their limited funds to support me. Having dear friends and family members just show me Christ's love by praying for me and encouraging me during a humbling time! It shows me how ceaselessly we are loved.

I can truly say that this summer I have tasted of His goodness to me in such a way that I would have never learned unless I was put into this situation. So another way the Lord is amazing is to teach me and grow me and prepare me for the next two years! He began teaching me the day I got my placement and really beforehand too. I am seeing now how intricately His plan for my life has come to this moment.

Sorry for the little tagent, so the days after training were filled with time with friends, family, writing notes, reading, phone calls, emails, trips to New Orleans for a little R and R with some fellow interns! But my last few weeks have been busy. For some reason I didn't really think that moving from 3 states away would be that big of a deal...and it really wasn't--until i opened my storage unit. When i filled it up the month before it didn't seem like too much stuff...oh no! no ma'am---as soon as i opened the unit door my stuff had reproduced to even more stuff. My dad, his brave soul for moving me this weekend! but he just smirked and said, " Gee, grayson do you have enough stuff?"

But some sweet friends help me load up the truck before i left town! Our trek to Dallas went like this...left early Friday morning from Birmingham, AL...drove to Hattiesburg, from Hburg to Jackson, MS and stayed with my sweet precious granddies. Left this morning for Dallas--7 and half hours later. So over all 13 hours of driving to get me here! But i am here!! i will be moving into a garage apartment behind a sweet family who happens to live RIGHT next to campus! totally within walking distance. How awesome! The Lord has just provided in such ways that I know only He could provide. My timing would have been different (of course!) but He has brought me here! Thank the Lord for his abundance of blessings these past few months!

Just one last plug, still have about $3,000 to raise before I make it to 100% for my RUF budget. If you have ever thought about wanting to give or would like to support me prayfully and financially, please contact me or you can go to www.ruf.org/support and do it online!!

God is so good

-Grayson

so I have a story...in high school, before my days of driving, my mom was getting me from play rehearsal and brings my dog Bonnie with her. Mom opens the car door and Bonnie jumps out. Now...Bonnie is a wee little dachshund. Precious baby. She spots me in the lobby of the FA building and something to note about this building is that the entire front of the building is glass...so after Bonnie spots me, she runs straight for me. Before any of us knew it...**SPLAT** Bonnie runs straight into the glass door. She was dizzy for the rest of the day.

Point of this story, I feel like Bonnie right now after crashing into that glass. It's been a busy busy last few weeks. I've moved out of my apartment, packed and moved stuff into storage, flew to Dallas, flew to Atlanta, drove to Birmingham and that was all within the last week. I'm still recovering! I have whiplash with all that has gone on this past week! It was great--but i'm super tired!

This past week was RUF training with all RUF employees. One memorable statement made, a man commented that he remembered back when Ruf training was only 25 men meeting, now we had over 200 people! Amazing. A highlight of the week was taking communion together as a body. We had the session at a local church come to serve us communion and goodness it was a neat sight to see us as individuals approach the Lord's supper and at the same time a joined body. The fellowship was great. there's something about spending time with people who know EXACTLY what has been going on this summer. We could all relate to one another in many ways. The week was fun, fellowship was great, laughter at the maximum! Look forward to October!

But the summer is drawing to an end, moving time is coming and goodbyes will take up the next few days! As my time in MS ends I have loved loved loved it! I will miss Mississippi! but certainly look foward to Dallas and SMU. I got to see the gorgeous campus and will be still getting to know it. Went to this amazing grocery store, central market. Best place ever! I will be there many times over the next 2 years i know!

Please be praying for transitioning, moving and still looking for an apartment! But i'm super close to finding something! I'm over 50% on support raising! That's amazing to see how the Lord has provided! Also please be praying for my fellow interns as we all collectively raise support to get to our respective campuses.

wedding season!

so this saturday will be my 5th weddding to go to this summer! My cousin Will and his bride amanda will be getting married in Dallas! so exciting to be going to Dallas to visit family and SMU! I'm getting super pumped. I also get to road trip with my brother so this will be interesting :)

So many friends are getting married and I am so excited to be able to share with them on their special days! Sitting in the congregation at a wedding a couple of weeks ago it was in a state of awe. Weddings are not only beautiful and fun, but weddings really are our adoption into His kingdom. We begin as two, but end as one. He takes upon our identity and our sin and we take the status of his bride! I get all the benefits as a child of God, none being deserved. It's humbling!

My favorite thing to do in a wedding ceremony is to glance at the groom right before his bride walks down the aisle with her daddy. Its a sweet and tender moment. Smiles are radiant and the verse of Jesus I Thy cross have take...

Soul, then know thy full salvation; rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy o find in every station, something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee, think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee, child of heaven, canst thou repine.

A love so radiant and perfect! Hallelujah! What a great God who loves perfectly and wholly!

God is good.

He is providing exponentially more than I can say! He has called people to give and give graciously. I'm still working to get to campus though...

Please be praying that the money will come in.

Also be praying for traveling mercies these next few weeks--i'm going to be visiting churches, families and towns the next month!

My mom and i are headed to Macon, Ga today for a friend's wedding! getting excited!