5 days!

Hi everyone!

I will be leaving for my trip in less than a week - on Saturday, May 28! I am so excited, but I'm also definitely nervous about the entire thing. We will spend 4 days training in CT before flying into Uganda. I am stoked for team bonding/learning/etc during training, but I'm even more excited for the part about actually going to Uganda! Please be praying for my last few days in NC - that I would use them how God wants me to use them. I have a couple requests in particular:

• Other students on my trip are still raising money! Please pray that we would have peace in God's financial plans - because we know He knows what He's doing; it's just not always easy to see.
• That I would be able to be well rested for this trip. I've had a lot of issues with getting enough sleep and being really fatigued in college, and I really want this trip to be a time when I can have enough strength and energy to serve God fully! Please pray that I would be able to recharge during these last days at home and be completely ready to dive in when I get to Uganda.
• That God would be preparing our hearts and that we would have no pride in ourselves or in our abilities. I pray this is a time for all of us to learn about Jesus' humility. I pray we can live this out every day (even when we return) and that we can learn about living selflessly during this trip.

I will have no internet access during my time overseas, so I won't be giving updates. However, the directors of the project will be able to post once a week from the states about what's going on. The blog can be found here. Please check it out! Also, feel free to contact anyone in my family (via Facebook, email, phone, etc) to check out what's going on.

I will probably post on here once more before leaving, but I just want to reiterate how grateful I am to everyone who has supported me - whether through prayer, financial contribution, or a kind word of encouragement. It has meant the world to me, and I cannot wait to see what God will do. I am confident that He will teach me so much.

In His love,

Camille

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

1 Peter 1:3-4

25 days and counting!

Dear friends and family,

The date of departure is getting closer and closer. I'll be leaving on May 28 - and while that still seems so far away, I know it will be here before I know it! I'm in my last week of classes, and I wanted to take a minute to post about all the different things that have been going on.

• I actually went over my fundraising goal thanks to all the amazing and kind families who supported me! Many of the other interns on the trip are having difficulty reaching their goals, and the extra money I've raised will go to help them.

• 3 shots later, I'm officially vaccinated against Rabies. In case anyone wanted to know. (It was rather painful, but I feel like I'm ready for anything now.)

• Over the past several weeks there has been some violence in Uganda. In Kampala, several peaceful political protests were violently shut down by police. There have also been several riots because of the rising food prices. You can read more about the situation here. Our team leaders in the states are in contact with our leaders in Uganda. Please pray for the safety of all our brothers and sisters in Uganda, and please pray that our trip would be able to go through without problems. Right now our trip is still a go, but there is always the possibility that the violence could worsen, canceling our trip. So please pray!
  

• In March, I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Andrea Nix-Fine, a Colby graduate and film maker. In 2007, Andrea and her husband made War/Dance, an Academy Award-nominated documentary about children and music in Northern Uganda. I highly recommend the film for anyone who'd like to understand a little bit more about Uganda and its history. You can find more information about the film at their website - Fine Films.

• I was also able to meet Emmanuel Jal, a Sudanese rapper and former child soldier; he came to perform at Colby on April 1st (during our freak snowstorm). He has an amazing story to tell, and he's doing it through my favorite medium: music. Read more about him here. And check out one of his songs here!

Well, that's all my news for now. Please don't hesitate to contact me with thoughts or questions - crgross[at]colby[dot]edu

In Him,
Camille

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5

fundraising goal reached!

Hi everyone,

My goal of $4,250 has been reached! Thank you to everyone who's supported me in any way. It means a great deal to me to have had such amazing people lend inspiration and encouragement. I want to note that any extra funds I receive will not go to my internship but instead to other interns who are short of their financial goal. If you would still like to contribute and you feel comfortable with another intern receiving your donation, please feel free to contribute. Any checks I receive made out to IVCF from now on will go towards other interns' goals. If you don't feel comfortable with your contribution going to someone else but would still like to support me, please feel free to email me to discuss other options.

Thank you again to everyone.

In Christ,
Camille

The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.
Exodus 14:14

north carolina happenings

Hi all!

I'm back at school after a week+ traipsing around NC. Here's a couple things I wanted to share about:

• My family hosted a lunch at my home so that we could all eat some rather tasty food and so that I could also share about my internship. About 30 people from StoneBridge showed up, and we had a great time! I spoke more specifically about the work I'll be doing, about Ugandan history, and about the financial details.
• On that note, I'm currently at $4,055 - which leaves $195 left to go!
• I'm all updated on vaccines (for those of you who are interested...) thanks to those nice people over at Passport Health.
• Check out the website of the Ugandan college student ministry we'll be partnering with: FOCUS Uganda

Thanks to everyone - and feel free to email with questions or thoughts! (crgross[at]colby[dot]edu)

Camille

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:10-12

march update!

Dear friends and family:

First off, I am so massively sorry for how late this post is. So much has happened, it's difficult to know where to start! I'll dive right into the updates on Uganda:

• In January, I was notified that I would be able to use a $3,000 stipend from my school to cover part of the cost of the trip. That money has been credited to my account, and $985 have also come in from family and friends. This means a total of $3,985 has been raise, and there's only $265 left to raise! I have several verbal commitments which will most likely cover those last dollars. This means the money part is - for the most part - all taken care of! I am so excited and amazed at how God has provided so fast. So many wonderful and kind families back home (and all over the US really) have generously supported me both financially and in prayer. I am incredibly grateful for this.
  
• Last month, I traveled to New Haven, CT to meet the rest of the Uganda team. We had a day-long training session where we focused on getting to know one another, becoming familiar with Ugandan culture, praying, and reading scripture together. It was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with all the awesome students and IV staff workers. Many of us have decided to memorize specific chapters from the scripture, so that - as a team - we will have a good-sized chunk of the bible committed to memory!
• As part of preparation, we're required to read several pieces of literature related to missions, to Uganda, as well as to a few other topics. One of these books was a short yet especially powerful piece called Girl Soldier by Faith McDonnell (a human rights activist) and Grace Akallo (a former child soldier). It jumps between historical overviews of the conflict(s) in Uganda and Grace's story as a child soldier in the Lord's Resistance Army. I highly recommend the book to anyone who has a heart for children or who has a desire to learn more about the world. (As a warning, it is very disturbing and graphic at times.) Check out Amazon to find our more.
  
• Please be praying for all the little details, as well as for the other team members, particularly for us students who are in the thick of midterms with finals not too far off.
  
• I will be going home for Spring Break next week - and I'll go to get most of my vaccinations during that time. Since I was in India last summer, I only need to get two extra vaccines: Yellow Fever and Rabies. Oh, I just can't wait. I love shots!
  

I hope you have a blessed March, and please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or other thoughts!

In Christ,
Camille
crgross[at]colby[dot]edu

support letter.

Hi again! Here's a copy of my support letter. Please feel free to contact me with anything!

::

It is with excitement that I write to share about an opportunity for service God has put in my life for summer 2011. During my first semester at college, I’ve become convinced that God is calling me to continually live outside of myself. And this is why I will be working overseas with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship’s Uganda Global Project during May-July of 2011. I know God has provided this internship in Uganda to show me how to continue to reach out to those around me.

I will be spending 1 month working alongside 12 team members, and our goal will simply be to serve others. Over our month overseas, we will be moving throughout Uganda, staying at and visiting churches, meeting local college students, as well as serving several ministries.

I would like to ask you to be a partner with me in this internship: First, I ask you to pray for the project by asking God to reveal His love through the lives of each team member. I feel this is the most important aspect of support. This will be a challenging adventure, but I am confident that Christ has incredible plans for each team member. Second, please pray that God would provide for all of the project costs. I need to raise $4,250 to cover expenses such as transportation, food, and room & board. I ask you to consider supporting me financially or through prayer. Checks can be made out to IVCF with "Camille Uganda GP" on the memo line. Please contact me by email for information about where to send checks (crgross[at]colby[dot]edu).

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to speak with you! Please feel free to call or send an email. (Visit http://gp.intervarsity.org/projects/uganda-new-england-internship for more information.)

In Christ,
Camille
crgross[at]colby[dot]edu

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Revelation 3:20

uganda.

Hi friends:

I'm starting posting back up because this summer I'll be going to Uganda with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). I want people to be able to follow all the things Jesus is doing and will do through this whole crazy process as I get ready to go. So here's the break down:

• I'm leaving May 28, 2011 and returning July 3, 2011.
  
• I'll be going along with 12 other team members from New England IVCF schools.
• We'll be working with several efforts helping impoverished children.
• I'M SO EXCITED! But I'm also terrified.
  

I just finished my first semester in college, and I can't begin to tell you all the things God did in my life during that time. He taught me so many different things, but I feel like the biggest thing He taught me was that selfishness really doesn't help anything. It was really hard to learn that - because as a college student, it feels like everything is supposed to be about ME! But it shouldn't be, and I am seeing that more and more every day. It's a very hard thing to grasp, and it's even harder to live like it's true. Here are a couple verses that have been super important to me over the past several months:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:2-3

I hope that you'll join me on this journey and stay updated on all that's going on! I'll be posting my support letter soon, so keep an eye out for that, too!

In Him,
Camille

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 3:1-3