"It All Began With A Mouse"

Starting off this last and final post is a difficult one. These last few weeks of project can only be wrapped up in one word: amazing. God put so many wonderful, inspiring people into my life and in strange ways I did not even expect, I have grown. There were so many times we were stretched, beaten down, and just challenged in our faith in God. Somehow in my carpool’s 4am Steak N’ Shake after work outings with coworkers we inspired them in their own faith and their belief that there is good in this world and God is certainly working everywhere. It was only a week after staff left midway through project that a coworker told me how much of an impact us Cru students had made in his life by being there and being able to share his faith with us as well. It was at that moment it really struck me that we were really actually making a difference at Walt Disney World, not just playing and working, but that God is at work in ways I couldn’t have imagined by having us specifically in the kitchen at Pecos Bill in the Magic Kingdom; “The Most Magical Place on Earth”.    

We not only had so many coworkers come to Cru events with us, but they were inviting us out to spend time with them as well. We all had an effect in each other’s lives one way or another so when the final days went flying by that last week of project and we had to start coming to the realization that we were soon going to leave this life we created in Disney World, it was definitely hard and reality struck. There were countless emotional goodbyes, farewells, and see-you-soon’s that my heart was breaking for those around me. I knew I wasn’t going to come back, while a lot signed up to become seasonal at Walt Disney World. Although I didn’t cry with any of my goodbyes I will surely miss the people I met and shared such memorable experiences with. This is a summer I definitely will never forget. I came into it praying for divine encounters from God and in more ways than one that was fulfilled. One of the reasons this project stuck out to me was that we were going to be able to work in Walt Disney World and my dream one day is to be an Imagineer at Disneyland so I thought it was a great opportunity to get inside the company. On one of my carpools first dinners with coworkers, one of the guys told me his dad was actually an engineer recruiter for Disney and had a lot of connections. I was completely awestruck by my luck. Talk about divine encounters!

I’ll keep praying for all the people at Pecos Bill and fellow students on project, thanking God for this amazing experience. Through all the hardships, working late, sickness, exhaustion, conflicts, and homesickness I can say I’ve learned truth, grace, patience, and an overall willingness to trust in God wholeheartedly. I just want to thank all my supporters who made this project even tangible, and I bless everyone for giving me this opportunity. It has made such a difference in my life.