Disclaimer: If you haven't read any of my past blog posts, please do so! It will greatly benefit you in understanding what I'm talking about.
One of the more well-known extracurricular activities here at ASOM is Travel. This group meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm to anywhere around 10pm at the latest. We learn and create stomps, steps, dramas, spoken words, and dances. We take what we know and divide into smaller teams and travel all over the U.S. going to camps, churches, and conventions. We perform these arts in front of people of all ages.
Since joining ASOM in September of 2016, more specifically the travel team, I've had the opportunity of traveling to Dexter, Georgia; Lansing, Michigan for Michigan Youth Convention; and more recently went to Talladega, Alabama for their Youth Quake retreat. It's this most recent trip I want to share with you.
It was a one-day travel trip. The day began with getting up early, getting out the door and on the road by 6:30am. It takes a little under two hours to get there. We eat a super good breakfast and head off to the morning session. In the morning we perform a dance and a drama about being unified. I get the wonderful privilege of doing the transition from the drama to the speaker. I've never done a transition before, but it goes relatively smooth despite it being my first time.
After the morning session, we head over to lunch. At lunch is when I meet this wonderful young woman of God you see pictured with me below:
This is Kaydence. She was quiet and shy. She sat alone, head lowered, focused on getting through the meal. As soon as I saw her, I knew it was my duty to go over and be a friend to her. I knew exactly how it was going to go. She would be closed off for a little while, but sooner or later, the more I asked questions about her life and shared about mine, her head would lift and we'd be laughing. I was in great anticipation for this moment.
When it came, we laughed and shared more about our lives with each other. Our time was cut a little short and I had to leave in order to prepare for the afternoon session with the rest of the team. Before I left the table, she asked me, "Will you sit with me at dinner?" To which I responded with a resounding, "Yes!"
After the afternoon session, the team and I hung out for a bit. We set up a target and took turns shooting at it with a bow and arrow (turns out I was a pretty good shot, though I'm not too surprised because I am pretty good with a handgun too). This went on until about dinner time.
At dinner, you can assume that I sat with Kaydence, and I did! She shared more with me about her family and thanked me for sitting with her. From what I remembered her telling me, she did have a few friends, but when a traumatic event happened in her life, her friends left. She thanked me for showing her what a true friend looks like.
She also let me know how good it felt to laugh again. Since that traumatic event, she hadn't laughed a whole lot. We then headed to the evening service, and seeing her worship with so much freedom and joy really touched my life. Before the team and I left to head back to Atlanta, she ran up to me and hugged me so tight.
Keep in mind I only got to spend not even a whole day with her! I wish we could have been there for all three days. But I really want to encourage you, the reader, to never underestimate the impact you can make in someones life in one day. You really do have the power to change their perspective when you make yourself available to what God wants to do.
Be encouraged, and reach out to those around you. Be intentional. Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Don't lean on your own understanding, but have your mind constantly renewed by the Creator.
This is the ministry I am called to. If you'd like to partner with me, specifically financially, you can send gifts to:(Tuition: A little over $2,000 left to have my first year paid for!)
Atlanta School of Ministry
Att. Samantha Scott
PO Box 54532
Atlanta, GA 30308
Personal gifts can be sent electronically through my PayPal email: angelistic124@yahoo.com
Anything sent will be greatly appreciated and dealt with according to how you wish.
Thanks for reading 😊
~Samantha
Disclaimer: If you haven't read any of my previous blog posts, please do so! It will benefit you greatly in understanding what I'm talking about if you do.😊
Hey everyone! For those of you who don't know, every year for 4th wave at ASOM, there is such a thing called '4th Wave Missons'. This is where we set aside an entire wave (roughly about 6-7 weeks) to various ministries across the world and even here in the U.S.! We have teams going to Australia, India, Africa, California, Midwest, Louisiana, and there was a corporate team, but they decided to remove that option.
The selection process started with each student writing down their top three choices of where they felt God was leading them to go. These papers were collected and prayerfully considered by all of staff. A few weeks later, the teams were formed. Each student was given an envelope with their name on it and a colored square in it. This colored square led to a picture on one of the walls in the sanctuary. On the back of the picture was the name of our location.
I received my envelope with my name on it. I began opening it with my best friend Jordyn next to me.
"It's blue! Your color is blue!" She said.
"What? No way.. There's no way it's blue." I denied because I knew what that meant. I didn't want to believe what that meant. What it meant was something scary to me. You'll know why as you keep reading.
I opened the envelope. Inside there was exactly what Jordyn said; a blue square. I looked to where the blue card meant. It was a picture of water taped to the sound booth in the back of the sanctuary. And there stood Becca, a girl I knew would be leading/co-leading the trip. I'm not sure what to feel. I feel overwhelmed and as if I'm about to pass out. This trip by no means would be cheap.
Five of us gather around the blue picture. At the count of three we're allowed to turn over the image and be clearly revealed where we are to go. One... Two... Three!
Yup, that's right, Australia. You probably won't be able to see it on my face, but behind that smile, I'm really unsure of what to feel. I knew it meant I'd have to raise almost as much as my first year tuition, which was daunting in itself, and now this on top of that? What the heck?!
Now, I know my God is the true provider. I know $4,000 is pocket change compared to the mega banks He owns, but for little me living in Atlanta, and not having a normal job to help pay for this tremendously generating some serious fear. After a while I accept the fact that if this is where God wants me to go, He will provide. I rested in that. I reminded myself of that.
However, because I don't have my first year paid off quite yet, I've been informed of a new opportunity. The Corporate Team was added back and I was now selected to be a part of that. Let me tell you... I struggled so hard to maintain a good attitude about being taken off Australia (trip of my dreams) and moved to staying state side. I told God over and over again that I wanted to have a genuinely good attitude towards this change. After all, I'm in love with God and whatever He wants me to do, say, or go, you better believe I'm going to do just that.
On the flip side, I did get a little upset at this news. I thought to myself, "Man, what the heck, God? First you call me to a trip so impossible and now you take it away and send me to work until my feet don't want to be feet anymore. Why did you do this?" I realized I began to become almost bitter about this. And this behavior was not something I wanted to rule over this situation. God gives AND takes away. But that doesn't make Him a bad God.
I soon repented of my bitterness and asked over and over for Him to create in me a spirit that was happy about this opportunity. That I now get the chance to stay somewhere super nice (from what I'm told), work closer with people who need to hear about Jesus in the workforce, pay off my tuition, and, if I'm fortunate enough, make some tips so I might continue living this missionary life. Also, if I pay off my current tuition, the funds raised while working will automatically go towards my next year of school! Not only that, but this doesn't cost anything extra!
The more I focus on that, the less I focus on what I want. I'm sure I'll go to Australia one day, but for now, I'm content with going wherever the Lord says, "Go."
Thanks for reading this post and being a part of this journey with me!😄
~Samantha
How did I hear about Atlanta School of Ministry (ASOM)? This question goes back to summer of 2015. I was volunteering at Lost Valley Bible Camp in Gaylord, MI as a Junior High Group Leader. A team from ASOM was there representing their school and performing arts before the daily services. I thought they were cool, but I didn't think they had what I was looking for. The first couple days of the week long camp I walked past the booth barely looking at what they had to offer. Then one day I saw a banner that listed all the different arts they do. I took special notice of the fact that they had a worship program.
At the next meal I decided to take a closer look at what they offered. Here I met a student named Alix. We became good friends and I filled out an information card, hesitant on checking whether I wanted them to mail me information about the school. He encouraged me to look up the school online, and when I got home at the end of that week, I did just that. What I read on the website amazed me. What amazed me the most was how low the financial cost it was to attend a school so far away!
With this information, I consulted my parents. Let's just say they weren't the most ecstatic about it😅. I allowed this to dictate that maybe I shouldn't go to the school. After a bit of thinking this, I began having dreams about being at ASOM. I felt in my heart that was where God was calling me to go. I noticed on the website that there was a thing called Campus Days. I decide completely on my own to sign up and visit the school. I save up some money, purchase a plane ticket, and decide to not inform my parents on any of this. I write on the calendar the date I'm leaving and leave it at that.
November comes around, and finally my mom sees what I wrote on the calendar. At first, my parents were very upset that I did this without informing them. I am sorry I did that, but I didn't want to be talked out of this. I had to see if this was really what God was calling me to or not. My dad reminded me that I'm not going down there to sign up for classes, just going there to check out the school. I agreed to this and when I got to ASOM, I looked around and thought, "Really, God? THIS is where you're calling me?" I'll leave it at that my thought was not one of shock and awe like it later became. It became that way through the times of worship I got to participate in.
After one of the sessions, Dan Palmer came over to me and shared with me what he saw the Lord speaking to him. I was greatly encouraged by what he said and then I came into agreement with God that this was certainly where He was calling me. Since getting home from that, my parents were still not sold on the idea of me going to Atlanta for school. I'm saddened by their lack of support, but am still encouraged by Alix to come to the school. I decide to work towards going to ASOM in the fall of 2016.
Pulling myself up by my bootstraps, I work with endurance towards this. I send out support letters asking friends and family to join me in this wonderful journey the Lord is taking me on.
I can't tell you how absolutely happy I am to finally be here. It feels like I've wanted to be here for years longer than reality. Is it everything I thought it would be? No. It far surpasses that. Here I am learning so much about who I am as a person, who God really is, God's Kingdom, and my place/role in His Kingdom.
I want to extend to you an opportunity to join me in this journey. I'm just a little over $2,000 away from having my first year completely paid off! If you'd like to partner with me in this way, you can mail checks to: Atlanta School of Ministry, PO Box 54532, Atlanta, GA 30308 and put the name 'Samantha Scott' in the memo line.
Thank you for taking the time to read this entry and being a part of this wonderful journey!
~Samantha 😄
