When Summer Feels Like a Blur

If you blinked, you might have missed it. That’s about the only way to describe July at Dirt Road Ministry. Somehow, we managed to pack a holiday, community outreach, a youth tent, raffle tickets, our very first Vacation Bible School, a youth car wash, and even a much-needed family weekends along the way into one short month. Looking back on it all, we're honestly not sure whether July flew by or if it just ran us over on the way out.

July seems to be the busiest month of the year for Dirt Road Ministry, or at least the beginning of the busy season. And while it may feel like a blur now, when we stop and look back, there was a whole lot of good packed into those weeks. We kicked off the month celebrating the Fourth of July, and before we knew it, we were already heading into another busy weekend. Dirt Road had a youth tent set up at Second Saturday in Moultrie, giving us another opportunity to get outside the four walls of the church and connect with people in our community. We also had our toolbox raffle going on, which added a little extra excitement to everything happening around the church.

Then came something especially exciting for us.. Dirt Road Ministry’s very first Vacation Bible School! From July 14th through the 16th, our church was filled with children, laughter, lessons, crafts, activities, and, most importantly, opportunities to share Jesus with the next generation. Starting something for the first time always comes with its own set of challenges, but seeing it all come together made the busy days worth it.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, we had a few families take a well deserved weekend for themselves. No big event. No schedule packed from morning to night. Just some much-needed time with family. Sometimes ministry means knowing when to work, and sometimes it means knowing when to rest.

Then we were right back at it with our youth car wash on July 18th! Our youth gathered together at Advanced Auto in Adel for an afternoon of hard work, fellowship, and serving together. It was another reminder that ministry doesn't always look like standing behind a pulpit. Sometimes it looks like a bucket, a hose, a soapy sponge, and a group of young people willing to serve.

And maybe that's what we'll remember most about July: the opportunities to simply show up and serve. Whether it was reaching people at a community event, investing in children during VBS, giving our youth a chance to serve, or taking a weekend to be present with our own families, every part of the month had its place. That's what going beyond the four walls of the church can look like. It doesn't always have to be something big. Sometimes it's simply being willing to meet people where they are, serve where there's a need, and make room for the people God puts in front of us.

As we head toward August, summer is quickly winding down. School will be back in session for us and the surrounding counties within the next few weeks, and families everywhere are trying to squeeze every last bit of freedom, fun, and sunshine out of these final days of summer.

So if July feels like a blur to you, too, you're not alone. Maybe we won't remember every detail of this busy season, but we can remember this: God was faithful through all of it. And for Dirt Road Ministry, that's more than enough reason to be thankful.

Here's to the last little bit of summer, and whatever God has waiting for us around the next bend in the road.