Abiding in Christ

I have found this trip to be such a blessing, and I'm only 5 days into it!  I can't believe how much God is working in my life already.  I'm feeling healed of past wounds and I have also found the grace of God through forgiveness.  I am immeasurably blessed with a great support system of Godly women in my team as well.  It has been amazing how we have let walls come down so quickly and can just open up to each other.  I am finding it difficult to break down some barriers, but slowly and surely these women will definitely know me better than most.  

This week's theme has been all about Abiding in Christ, how to do that and what it looks like.  I am so grateful that this is the theme for the first week of STP (summer training program).  How can we fulfill what the Lord is calling us to do if we are not relying and resting in Him?  I am also so happy because this is one of the areas where I struggle in the most.  Jeff Graf, the director of this STP and campus director at SDSU, once said "Prayerlessness is our sign of independence from God."  I am not a very good pray-er.  In fact, it is something I get embarrassed to do sometimes.  What this week has taught me is that without asking, confessing, or praising the Lord,  no fruit will be born from me (aka I will not grow much as a Christian).  Sure I can do different things such as read the Bible or participating in fellowship... but the connection one's heart can truly make just by having a conversation with God is what will spur on our growth in Christ.

One passage that has really impacted me in the last couple of days comes from Luke 6: 46-49. 

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

 By abiding in Christ, we will build a firm foundation of our spiritual journey. It is work to build a relationship with Christ and many things will hold you back from it... (that is the digging part) but eventually you have a foundation laid once you entrust everything to Christ (the rock).  When hardships strike (Satan attacks), you may feel it and it may have some effect, but it will not shake the foundation and what you stand on (relationship with Christ).  Jesus depicts how without him, we are just a house without a foundation, that will crumble at the coming of any disaster.

The crumbling of the house also happens when we as Christians just go through the motions of being Christians without having a connection to Jesus Christ with our actions.  If I am memorizing verses just because and I do not actually want to do it, I am just going through the motions.  If I am doing something for someone just because it is the "Christian thing to do", then I am going through the motions.  If I am doing anything for the glory of God and know that the Holy Spirit is working in me,  that is my connection to Christ. Everything we must do as Christians must be for the glory of God, or else, why are we doing it?

Overall, this has been an amazing first week and I am so appreciative of the amount of support that is coming from friends, families, and even people I have never met.  God is pouring out many blessings onto all of us here at STP and we wouldn't be able to have that if it were not for the numerous prayers that a being prayed daily for our safety and fruition.  Praise the Lord for all of you and know that we are praying for you all as well.

A few prayer requests:  Please pray for patience for many of us as we are getting trained at our new job (sometimes it gets busy and can be stressful).  Also, please pray for our outreach to the international students. I just met a few more today and I am so excited to get to know them more this summer.  A few wanted to go to church with us on Monday night to see what it is like, and I am thrilled that they would want to see that.

Thanks so much for your support and love!!

God bless you all.

In Christ's Love,

Rachel Marinka

First full day

So, this is an update on today and yesterday.  Once our wolfpack (or Jackrabbit Pack) all made it to the church to get signed in, we were greeted by the warm friendly faces of our Team Leaders, NavStaff, and of course... BUBBLES!!!!  I felt so welcomed and at home already.  After some brief dinner and orientation, we had some fun by taking a "tour" of the Dells.  And by tour.. they meant a photo scavenger hunt around town.  Let's just say that these pictures will be up sooner than later.

This morning started out rather chilly, so I woke up at 7 AM to get into a warm shower.  Needless to say, the warm shower turned into Antarctica quite quickly!  I'm still so grateful though for this roof over my head.  I am actually loving this experience so far.  7 of us had orientation at Culver's this morning and I am now a proud graduate of ButterBurger University!  I am so jazzed to start interacting with people and pushing buttons (aka working at the cash registers).

This afternoon brought another orientation session which delved deeper into how we will probably be feeling this summer at different points.  We talked about communication and different ways introverts and extroverts act.  We also discussed how to have awesome attitudes while at work, whether we enjoy the job or not.  I think this part stuck out to me the most.  When I found out I was working at Culver's, I wasn't overjoyed, thankful that I had a job, but by no means was I jumping up and down.  The more I thought about this though, I definitely think this is the perfect fit for me.  I get to interact with so many people from so many different places and hopefully, but briefly, impact their lives.  Dusty gave us a verse that really spoke to my heart:

Colossians 3: 23-24
²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.


It is a constant reminder to have your heart in the right place at all times.  In it, it also talks about the "inheritance from the Lord" as the reward to keep in mind.  My wage does not matter.  It is my reflection of God's character that matters.  


Tonight we had a team night.  Our team of women went out to dinner and had a blast.  We tried to find two different restaurants before settling at the MooseJaw Pizza place.  It was fun to know that my GPS says that Green Mill restaurant is actually The Polynesian Resort :)  We had a blast getting to know each other on a deeper and more personal level. Tomorrow we'll have our first quiet time together just to really delve into scripture and to feel God's presence surround us.  Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet.. My team is the best. Just so you know.


After getting back from dinner, it was time to have board game night at the Dutch Mill.  While playing, we had a couple people join us... Max from Latvia and Tianna from Spring Valley, WI.  They were so much fun and it was great interaction.  It was a pleasure to finally get some of the interaction I have been waiting for the last few months!  Hopefully, we can get to know these two better, as well as some others around the area!


Well,  I have to work in the morning, which means up and at 'em at a decent time!  


Thanks for all of the love and support!


God bless you all,


Rachel Marinka

Moving Day

Hello World!

First post ever... although I'm sitting behind this computer, I find myself slightly nervous to have my first blog ever.  First off, a little bit about me,  I'm Rachel and I am a student at South Dakota State University.  Music is one of my biggest passions in the world and I intend to share that passion with the world (however God wants to use me).  Right now, I'm a music education major and I am definitely being steered to teach elementary students.  Kindergarteners are just so cute!!  I am actively involved in the Navigator Ministry on Campus.  Their motto: "To Know Christ and To Make Him Known."  This ministry helped lead me to Christ and I am so grateful to the people involved in it.

My reason for starting this blog is so I can have a record of my journey with Christ and so that others can know some of what is happening in my walk and how Christ is working in my life.  Right now, Christ has led me to a 12 week Summer Training Program in the Wisconsin Dells, sponsored by the Navigators.  By having this blog, supporters can read what I'm doing and people can be updated on my life!

Tonight was my last evening with my family and boy did I find it emotional.  See, this weekend my grandparents are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and as a gift, my parents are putting together a digital picture frame with a ton of pictures of family in it.  As I was looking through the slideshow of photos, I realized how much time has changed and exactly how much I love my family.  I am so thankful for everything they have given me and for how they have impacted my life.  As my mom says, "You have the best qualities of both your father and I."  I am so happy to have a loving family that is so excited for me to go to the Wisconsin Dells!

Tomorrow the 14 of us from SDSU  begin our trek to the Dells.  My friend Jon and I are traveling in my vehicle aka Judith.  She's tiny, but she is powerful!  She is also going to packed full of so many clothes and miscellaneous items... It'll be fun to see if Jon and I even fit!  I've been told that our car is going to be insanely fun... Probably because Jon and I may just be a couple of the craziest people Navs has ever seen. I am so glad to have a car buddy who also happens to be one of my very good friends.

At the end of each blog post, I'll probably have a few prayer requests.   Right now, I pray for safe traveling and patience with other drivers.  Also,  please pray for all 50 Navigators that are attending this STP.  It is an exciting time for us and I'm sure there are nerves in every one of us.  May we all have open hearts and minds as we begin our interaction with some of the 4000 international students that frequent the Dells every summer!!

May God bless you all!

Rachel Marinka