This. Is. Happening.

It starts as a jittery, run-and-tell-everyone kind of excitement. Then comes the flood of I-MUST-be-dreaming thoughts, followed by that this-is-all-so-crazy-I-don't-know-how-to-feel feeling. Finally...you reach the something's-alive-in-my-stomach-and-it's-throwing-a-dance-party stage (sometimes known as "butterflies"). You get to that point where you begin to realize...this is happening. This is actually happening. That stage...yeah, that's where I'm at. The only difference? It's combined with all of those previous feelings as well! With only ONE WEEK to go before I head to Pittsburgh to meet the rest of the team and begin training, I have become this jumbled mess of pure enthusiasm, occasional disbelief, and sudden realization as this crazy reality finally starts to sink in - the life I have for the past two months known and referred to as my future is now becoming my present.

In church yesterday, the sermon was about how the same God that performed miracles back in biblical times, walked beside His people through every high and low. and changed so many hearts and minds is the same God present in our lives today. After all that He has done, what can't He do? Who are we to doubt the impact He can have in and through us after the difference He has made in and through those before us? I'm pretty sure He's over and beyond proven Himself. right? For that reason there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I, along with the rest of the team, am about to see God at work in some incredible ways. This team was in no way a mistake. Each of us was chosen to fill a very particular role on the team, in the show, and as part of a family. I, for one, am definitely looking forward to seeing His hand in both our individual and team growth as we fulfill those purposes.

Someone said to me today in talking about how much I am sure to grow on tour, "You are definitely not the same Chelsea I met a year ago." It got me thinking...the same God who changed my life over the past year, who shaped, molded and transformed me into who I am now, who prepared me to stand exactly where I am now...that same God isn't finished with me yet. If I can look back now and notice that much growth in a 12 month period, how much more will I see when I look back 10 months from now? It's so crazy to think about, yet so humbling at the same time. A year ago I absolutely would not have been at in a place in my life where I could say, "Hey - why don't I just leave school, hop on a bus with 12 others, and travel the country telling people about abstinence and Jesus?" No. That most definitely would not have been a good idea. My heart for ministry and the things this particular ministry stands for was there, and it was blazing...but it took a year for God to bring me to that place of, "I'm actually ready for this. Lemme have it, Lord!"

I'm not the same. I'll never be the same. And there is more change to come. That can be a scary thought at times, just knowing that God is about to stretch me even more (I mean, come on, you can only stretch a rubber band so far before it snaps, right? Is it really possible for me to keep stretching?).

But in my ever-changing life, I can rest in knowing that my God will always stay the same. He knows exactly what changes are in store for me this year and their exact purpose. I don't know what to expect, but this one thing I do know for sure - I am ready for this.

Want a glimpse of what I'm about to dive into? Check it out --> REWIND Promo

To Where, Exactly?

God has blessed me with the heart of a traveler. I recognized this at a young age and have watched Him mold and shape me to accept call after call. That heart followed His lead to find St. Petersburg, Russia three years ago, and willingly returned to love on students there the next two years. After this past Spring, God gave me a strange peace about not returning for a fourth mission, though I didn't understand why at the time. That is, not until three weeks ago.


Let's rewind three and a half years...I attended a Silver Ring Thing event on November 15, 2008 where I put on a ring and made the commitment to wait, to save myself for my future husband, to remain abstinent until the day that ring is replaced by a wedding band, and, until that day comes, to live by 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable."

Now fast forward to 2010...towards the end of my senior year, on a campus tour at Geneva College, I met another prospective student who would soon become one of my best friends. Savannah and I hit it off immediately and discussed maybe being roommates. However, she told me that she had applied for the SRT National Tour Team, and if she was accepted, she would be taking a year off of school and would not be attending Geneva in the Fall. Not long after, Savannah found out she was accepted.


We kept in touch through out the rest of high school and through my Freshman year at Geneva while she was on the road. I attended many shows in that time frame when the team was close by, both to see Savannah and to help out with set-up and tear-down while I was there. It was at one of those shows that she asked me if I'd ever considered applying for tour myself. Up to that point I really hadn't. I just enjoyed helping while I spent time with my friend and got to know the team. However, once she'd suggested it...my wheels started turning. I loved everything about the ministry. From the experience I'd gained so far, I'd gotten used to how things worked and how the show was run, from start to finish. Through Savannah, I'd been exposed to some of the behind-the-scenes aspects that gave me an idea of what life on the road is really like.


I spent about a month really praying hard about it as I gradually filled out the application. Despite my dear friend's impatience (she would have loved for me to have the paperwork in the mail the day after that show), I took my time. I didn't want to rush this kind of decision. I mean, think about it - simply signing my name and putting a stamp on that manila envelope could change everything for me. Was I really ready to withdraw from college after only a year, live on a bus with a bunch of strangers, travel the country for 10 months, spend every day in a different city, and all the while not be able to hop in my car and commute 2 hours back home to see my family at the drop of a hat? This was big. But the longer I mulled it over, and the more encouragement I got from great friends, my wonderful mentor, and my amazingly supportive mother...I finally decided in November to send in the application.


Fast forward once more...it's now June, 7 months since I applied and 3 months since I had an interview. Let's be honest here - at this point, I'm going CRAZY. The longer I waited to hear whether or not I was accepted, the stronger my desire grew to join the team. I knew if it was God's will, it would happen. But you try convincing yourself of that after not hearing a peep about it for that long! Looking back now, I realize that the whole waiting game was just God's way of testing my sanity and teaching me a much needed lesson in patience. Finally I let go of my own desire to map out my life (or least the next year of it) and relinquished the control that I was so tightly holding to (driving myself crazy). It was then that God gave me this inexplicable peace, followed by that wonderful phone call inviting me to be a part of the 2012-2013 National Tour Team.


And so...my life changes in August. Instead of heading back to Geneva for the fall semester, I will be traveling to Pittsburgh August 6 where I'll meet the other 11 members of the team. We'll train together for a week, then hit the road to spread the message of purity, share God's love, and be a light in cities and towns all over the country. I am so incredibly excited for this next chapter of my life, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me and for my new "family." So if the title of this blog I've started still has you a little stumped, and you find yourself asking, "To where, exactly?" I can't give you a straight answer to that. God put me on this crazy train, strapped me in, and now I'm just along for the ride, asking Him each day, "Where to next?" He's prepared me for this journey, and I'm ready to travel "there," wherever that may be, "and back again."


The ministry: http://www.silverringthing.com/

My bio: http://srttourteam.wordpress.com/chelsea-bio/

Meet the fam! http://srttourteam.wordpress.com/tour-team-bios-landing/