Love Wins.

This weekend is an exciting one for Cedar Rapids; Healing the Heartland has been taking place on this, the one year anniversary of the flood that cost many their homes. The city is still rebuilding and the devastation can still be seen in certain parts of town. Many that have lost everything are still trying to restart their lives, and are losing hope. This festival, which started last night, is to encourage flood victims and lead the lost to Christ, for them to find hope in these dark times of life. It's also just a lot of fun. :)
Last night there were about 25 (I believe) different locations in the city that hosted a barbecue for several hours, free to anyone that wanted it. I was at the one at the park near New Covenant, helping the Eades family run the snow cone machine. It rained. It was cold. I got wet. Very, very wet. For about two hours we were outside serving snow cones to anyone and everyone, and surprisingly, many people still wanted one, despite the cold and rain. We didn't stop until we ran out of ice. It was awesome.
Tonight there was a free concert: David Phelps, Barlow Girl, and Newsboys. It lasted for about 5 hours. I was in the front row the entire time, and the funny thing was that I got there maybe 15 minutes before it started. It was the best concert of my life. (Ha, because I've been to sooo many to compare. Just kidding.) :)
Tomorrow there are some more activities after church which I will be attending. Then it'll be back to normal life--well, as normal as summertime is in youth ministry. :)
So things here are great. The people are still wonderful, I really have no complaints. I feel totally blessed to be here, and I truely believe I'm here because God wants me to be. I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! For now, it's sleepy time.
Much love,
Amanda