May 22-28th, 2016

If you could take a wild guess what May 22-28th is, would you guess the Ultimate Training Camp? Because if you didn't guess by my previous three blogs where I talk about it, then clearly you're not catching on. UTC is a big deal. It was a big deal in my life, and moved mountains in so many different ways. SO YES.. May 10-30 I will be at UTC Interning, and guess what, it gets better. THERE WILL BE 3 SMU ATHLETES WHO WILL BE AT CAMP TOO. Our student government approved my budget request, and we are getting funded to go to this camp. How amazing is that? It pretty amazing. Thank you for all of those who have been praying for this meeting. Major appreciation. God answers prayers, and is continuing to move mountains. These three athletes have no idea how much their life is about to change. 

CHECK THIS OUT.
In one of my very first blogs, I talked about the amazing family I am apart of at UTC. The friends i have made that i continue to talk to everyday. Since we all to camp with different people, from different schools, from different states, it was all God's masterpiece to slowly have us build relationships with each other when we all met and continued to hang out every night. With that being said, out of the 11 of us, 6 of us are going back to UTC to intern!!!!! 

This picture was taken one of the last days of camp. We were a strong knit group, and we collected everybody in the sea of 150 of us to take a picture with the beautiful rocky mountains in the background.

Top Row: Ben, Me, Megan, Maddie, Kelli, Nicky, Heydin (bottom row) Dom, Jaxon, Rachel. 

I can't help but think this was God's plan all along. He had 5 of us on the same little shuttle from the airport to camp, he had us live next to two more girls, and he placed us in small groups. That then was the start of sitting next to each other on bus rides, eating all meals together, saving spots for each other at group sessions, and endless nights long talks long after "lightsout". There was no way this group of friends was ironic. It was all part of a bigger plan. And now, 6 of us get to be reunited for a week and a half at the place that started it all. UTC. This time, instead of being campers, we will be with each other everyday every minute as interns being trained, and leading this whole camp. It will be an amazing week. God had this plan constructed in his head, and I think its a beautiful thing. Shout out to you Jesus. I cannot wait to continue to invest in these peoples lives.

So thats the little preview of how excited I am for UTC camp. 4 of us from SMU and our advisor David Crawford will be going to Colorado Springs at the end of May. If you can keep the five of us, as well as my friends who will be interning with us in your prayers, I would love that.

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

-John 11:25-26

-Abigale McFaul

Smu AIA President

Lover of Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

  

Prayers for Thursday

THURSDAY IS A BIG DEAL.

Check this out. If you've followed my blog, you have probably heard the phrase UTC or Ultimate training camp thrown around. This camp changed my life, and impacted me as a student athlete in so many ways. Saint Martin's has 3 student athletes signed up to go to camp. Soccer player's Brittany Orloski, Christian Caro, and baseball player Zach Stevenson. I wish you could see the smile on my face as I start to imagine the life changing week these friends of mine will have. Oh and side note, I was accepted to intern at the same camp. I will be there leading, riffing, and running the whole camp. I GET TO WITNESS THE JOY, PASSION, STRUGGLE, and immense victory they will have this upcoming May. 

Here's where the PRAYER REQUEST FOR THURSDAY COME IN.
Every thursday, I attend our SMU student government meetings. With the help from some friends, I was able to make AIA an official SMU official club. This allows us to advertise, and request a budget. The main reason we could use a budget, is to give students scholarships to go to camp. So in a couple days on Thursday, I will be giving my proposal to the student government officers in request for a request of about $4,000-5,000 to fund us 4 students who are going to UTC camp. The cost would cover our registration fees, airplane tickets, and even simple charges for a shuttle bus.

Not only do I want to ask for prayer, but i want to celebrate God's good work he recently did with providing students and an advisor for UTC camp. I tried to request the same amount about a month ago, but was denied because SMU only funds conferences if they have an advisor to go with them. About a month ago, after i was denied, i was pretty crushed. I worked really hard on advertising for camp, and last minute getting a couple athletes to go. I made a budget the last day before camp registration closed, i asked for help from another school's AIA budget (shoutout the Nikkita and UW's AIA) and as soon as everything was put into place, it came crashing down with no answer on how to recover. Our advisor for AIA would be traveling to nationals with out track team and could not make it. Now with the help of a couple prayer warriors who to only pray for me, but pray for AIA at SMU continually prayed for God to open some doors. That's when I've never been so thankful for someone to ease drop on a phone conversation. I was talking to out advisor about how there's just no more options to get funding, and my boss at the gym overheard my conversation and suggested ways to get money. I had to explain to him that there was no way to get funding, because we needed an adult advisor. "I'll go" was his next answer. How cool is that? The struggle went from 100-0 with someone simply eavesdropping. And that is the shoutout i have to give to God for being faithful for chasing after what he wants.

These lives of the four of us are going to be changed because of this camp. Getting funded by the school to cover majority of the cost of this trip will be an absolute blessing. If you could please join me these next couple days to pray that God will take control of the approval of this budget request. God is continue to slowly move mountains. Slowly but surely. And this would be a mountain that would effect more then just the four of us going to camp.

Thanks everyone <3

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
-1 John 5:14

-Abigale McFaul

Smu AIA President

Lover of Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

  

Stand firm. Stand together. Stand out.

WASHINGTON STATE LEADERSHIP FORUM

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go to a conference called the Washington State Leadership Forum. To break down all of those fancy words, the conference was held at a hotel in downtown Olympia, which is closest to the capital. This three day event allowed Business owners, CEO's, Legislators, and Governors to spend time with young adults who are in a leadership position with God being the center.

The first night, we heard from "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Can't Hold Us music video director, VMA, and Grammy winning Jason Koeing gave a great message. Im going to give you some of the things he said that impacted me the most. He spoke about his life and how Jason started to listen to what he felt that God was talking to him through his conscience.
Here are some of the things that he said that stand out to me.

-Hearing and listening to the God of the Universe is the most important thing. Not winning Grammy awards.
-People in power are the loneliest people.
-God can do exceedingly more with your life than you can imagine.
-Ask God to clean up your conscience
-God does not make replicas, stand out
-1 Peter 2- Who is going to harm if you are eager to do good?
-Open your hands and be willing to accept God's plan
-Ask God to clean up your conscience
-God once suffered the unrighteous for the righteous, that we will come to know no sin.
-Add value wherever you go!

Jason even told us of one of the toughest times of his job when he decided not to produce Macklemore's song Same Love. He said he had a problem with one of the lines in the song. The song says "I can't change even if i tried, even if i wanted too." The problem he had with those lyrics is that he was so passionate about believing you can change. You can change with Jesus. He can change your heart.

The talk was so refreshing to hear a successful YoungLife Leader, Husband, successful businessman be able to look out in the crowd and say that following God's plan and not his own plan was the best decision he has ever made. He has is all people I'm telling you, but he is willing to say that Jesus has given him life. Far more then his career, or any other success.

Reminds me of the Verse from Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose"

This retreat was amazing. I was placed in a small group with some amazing student leaders from all over washington state, and we all had the same calling, struggles, worries, and goals. God taught me so much at the WSL. I hope those little quotes from Jasons talk encouraged you as much as it did me. Follow Jesus. Chase after Him. His plan for us is far better then any plan we have more ourselves. Have that hope, that He will lead you down the right path if you are willing to trust him and follow him. He calls us to bigger and better things.

OH && MONDAY 3/14 WILL BE SPENT GETTING HALF PRICED APPS AT APPLEBEES TO CATCH UP ABOUT SPRING BREAK AND LIFE :)

-Abigale McFaul

Smu AIA President

Lover of Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18