Over the last few years I have had to pleasure and opportunity to serve in several capacities at Church of the Harvest. I absolutely love my church and everything that we’re called to do. I came to a point in life that it was no longer "can I fit this in my schedule?", but "How can I work my schedule around these things?". I’ve served in Harvest Foster Kids camp for the last 4 years, Youth America as a counselor and have now travelled to Cambodia for 3 years.  I have loved every minute of it. If you knew me when I first started coming to Harvest you would see that I’ve come leaps and bounds from where I started.  I was broken, angry, hurt, ashamed, and felt abandoned and not wanted.  Through these last 4 some years I have had the chance to heal and be pushed and stretched in many areas I never thought I needed or wanted.  I have a long way to go, but I’ve also come a long way. I rejoice in knowing God hasn’t left me, and never will.  I am good enough, and what He’s equipped me with is exactly what some people need.

My wife Hollye and I initially had been led to support missionaries and were doing so. Then God told me it was time to go for myself and see what it was all about. That first trip was awesome; I had no idea what I had been missing. It really opened up my eyes to see a much bigger picture of the world. That I, as a follower of Christ, am a piece of a much bigger puzzle than I was previously aware of. It made me realize that if I am willing to step out of my comfort zone for God, He can use me to be the answer to others prayers. Whether I am serving locally on a Sunday morning being a friendly face to someone who is having a bad day, or whether I am building a school house for a child in Africa; I can be an answer to someone\'s prayer. Don\'t underestimate what God can use you to do for the Kingdom.

Serving as a volunteer at Youth America is tradition, but this year was completely
different. Instead of working with the same people I decided to get closer to the other interns from Norman. Working at YA helped me to become more outgoing with the campers and with that I got to hear about their YA moments, these moments were beneficial factors leading up to me being a weekly intern. In preparation of being a weekly all of the interns prayed after service on the Sunday night before week 4 of Youth America. Without this prayer I don’t think I would’ve opened up and connected with the people there. It really made me think about how I viewed people and judged them before I knew them. I began to start talking to people that I would never see myself even being around and I could feel God changing me. YA really motivated me to change my ways and to help others. I felt completely changed when I went home and I was ready to serve God. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my summer.

We are excited to see God's work in ourselves, in the church, and in Youth America. We felt called to attend church with family so we started attending Church of the Harvest to be near Jeff and Julie Hodgden and family. On top of the blessing of serving along with family, this summer I was given the opportunity to serve at Youth America. I had no idea the scale that YA serves youth. Youth attended from all parts of the United States. I also enjoyed working with the Next Generation Interns and was glad to see a place for young adults to serve the Lord and gain the skills they need to work in the church. Their interactions with others revealed their commitment to the church. As a high school teacher it is very encouraging for me to see the great benefit and Godly growth in our youth.Not only do I feel Youth America is beneficial for our youth, but I also experienced personal growth with God from the experience. I have a renewed commitment to serve God and strengthen our relationship.

This past summer I was a volunteer for Harvest Kids Camp and Youth America. At Kids Camp I help with various activities throughout the week. At YA, I am a part of the team that serves the band dinner each night. Most band members come straight from their jobs to rehearsal and it’s our responsibility to make sure they get a healthy meal before each night service begins. The 1st year that I came and encountered hundreds of kids worshiping Jesus in a way I had never experienced before, I knew that this was where I needed to be every summer. I start making plans to serve at Youth America each spring; saving money for the gas to get back and forth, just so I can be a part. I’ve gained a new connection with a different age group at the church. I get to know the kids, the interns, and the whole YA team. I’ve made new friends each year that I’ve served, and these friendships carry on past YA. ThIs year's highlight was watching 2 year old Naomi as she bops her head with the music and claps her hands, but the sweetest thing is to watch her lift her hands up to the Lord in praise. That is why I volunteer and will continue to volunteer so that her generation, the next generation will have a place to come and worship God.

This summer I was involved in serving at Foster Kids Camp, Girlfriends Conference, and Youth America. A few weeks after I decided to dedicate my summer to serving I made a scary discovery that I had a cyst on my thyroid and needed surgery soon to have it removed.  The surgery was going to be right before GFC and the recovery was supposed to take a few weeks. I was upset because I had really been looking forward to helping out. Just a few days after surgery, I already had no pain, and had all of my strength back. The doctor told me I was already healed and he released me to go back to doing everything like normal. I was able to go right into serving, and never had a problem with my neck after that! That was definitely God giving me clearance for service! With each summer event I learned a lot about time management and dedication. I’d never done so many weeks of serving in one summer before, so to be honest I got a little tired at times! Seeing all those souls come to know Jesus gave me more than enough energy and passion to keep serving! Volunteering this summer was one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. I plan on helping every single year because it is so much better than a vacation or being lazy every day! The experience of seeing hundreds of people grow closer to God is one that cannot be matched!