I'll Be At Camp In 15 Days!

     Most of you know that I have spent the past two summers overseas, but since returning home last summer, God placed it on my heart to do something different. After praying about it, talking with some people about camp, and just waiting and listening to God, I felt called to apply for CentriKid camps. Although it was weird for me at first to not go through the application and interview process for summer missions, I felt peace because I knew that God had different plans for me this summer.
     In 15 days (well, 14 and a few hours), I will be headed to training and then we will start camp at Anderson University in South Carolina. I will be serving alongside about 30 college-age staffers and sharing the Gospel with both children and adults every day at camp. I am so excited to meet the people I will be spending the summer with and dive into camp with each of them.
     The biggest thing that I could ask from all of you is your prayers. Pray that my team and I will develop a strong bond and become like family. Pray that the children and adults' hearts will be softened and will be prepared to hear the Gospel and possibly learn something new. Pray for our energy and our excitement and just that God will be glorified through every aspect of camp. I cannot wait to share with you how God works at Anderson University this summer!
     There is absolutely no way that any of this could even be possible if it weren't for God's faithfulness and sovereignty, but also through prayer and encouragement. I invite you to be a prayer warrior for this summer, not only for where I will be serving, but for all over the world.
     I will be able to receive mail while I'm gone June 17-July 19. If you would like to send an encouraging note, snacks, or any other type of encouragement for my team and me, that would be awesome!
                                                             My address is:

                                                               CentriKid 4
                                                        C/O Brittney Clanton
                                                         Anderson University
                                                            316 Boulevard
                                                       Anderson, SC 29621

Thank you so much and I hope you all have a wonderful summer!
Brittney

It's Been Four Years

     Today I watched the graduation of some of my closest friends. As I sat in the coliseum, I listened to  the names of people my own age as they walked across the stage and thought, "wow, we've already completed four years of school together." Only four short years ago, we were throwing our caps in the air at our different high schools, many of us not knowing one another. Now, four years later, we have established some of the greatest friendships ever. Although I will be graduating in December, I am moving home to student teach in the fall so my "college years" have neared the end as well. Over the past few days, I have reflected on my four years at The University of Southern Mississippi. 
    
      I came to Southern Miss like every freshman: excited but nervous. My first two weeks before school started were filled with sorority recruitment and Dixie Darling camp. Those were honestly the two longest weeks of my life but they were the weeks I grew super close to several people. I pledged Delta Gamma the first week and then learned the strut and fight song the second week. I was then ready for classes to begin. My freshmen year came and went and before I knew it, I was back home with my family for the summer. 
    
      Sophomore year came quickly and I began to get more involved on campus. I joined the BSU leadership team and I got a leadership position in Delta Gamma. I also traveled to East Asia and spent my first Christmas away from my family. The Lord brought several important people into my life during this year.  I learned what it meant to truly be a friend to someone and how to invest in others. God placed such a godly man in my life who is still a blessing in my life today. It was during my sophomore year that I grew closer than ever to the Lord. That summer, I knew God was calling me to do summer missions and so in June I left to spend two months in the Philippines. There, I was challenged, humbled, stretched, strengthened, and blessed by spending seven weeks without the luxuries that I'm used to in America. I got to spend every day from the time we woke up at 5:30am until we went to sleep at night loving on children at the orphanage and in the community and sharing Jesus with others. I had the opportunity to spend that summer with three awesome girls on my team who I grew so close to. There really aren't words to describe my experience that summer. 
     
     Junior year came and it was then that I really found my niche in this whole college thing. I remained close to the same people but I also opened up to others and found ways to be more involved. I began my education courses and fell in love with my major. This is when I really got excited about becoming a teacher in the future. The "school part" of college became more enjoyable because I was finally doing something that I wanted to do. I spent a week in Vancouver, Canada and saw the darkness in the world that is not very far away from Mississippi. Again, I felt called to go back to the Philippines, so with three girls from school, we packed up our things and headed there for the summer. My second summer there was definitely more challenging than the first and I experienced a lot of spiritual warfare, but the Lord remained faithful in my life and continued to give me peace and strength during the tough times. 
     
     And now, we have come to my senior year of college. It's crazy to think that this year has already come and gone. It has been a whirlwind and has seemed a lot quicker than I thought it would. I moved into my own apartment with two of my best friends. I danced on the football field as a Dixie Darling for my last time (that is, until Homecoming with the alumnae next year). I became an alumnae of Delta Gamma. I cried all of the "I'm a senior" tears. I stayed up late at night laughing with friends. I went to graduation and watched all of my friends and my boyfriend walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. It all happened so fast. 
     
     Now that summer has arrived, I'm excited for the next few months leading up to my own graduation on December 13 (yes, it's on Friday the 13th). In a few days, a few of us are leaving to go on a cruise (it's my first one and it's a Carnival cruise, so let's hope our ship decides to work properly). After that, my best friend gets married. Then, I am spending the summer in Anderson, SC working as a staffer with CentriKid Camps. I'm incredibly excited for this new journey and cannot wait to see what the Lord will do in and through my team's lives this summer. In August, I will begin student teaching and then I will graduate and hopefully become a teacher shortly after. 
     
     Over the past four years, I have constantly been reminded of the Lord's faithfulness and goodness. He has never ceased to amaze me and has guided me and held my hands during some of the hardest times and most difficult decisions I have had to make. I definitely wouldn't have gotten through the past four years without Him. I am incredibly thankful for the people God has placed in my life and I know that He used each one of them to bring me to where I am today. 


"But the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."                          -2 Thessalonians 3:3 

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."                -Jeremiah 31:3

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 
-1 Thessalonians 4:16-18


-Brittney