Late Night Note :)

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are safely in Kocevje, and it is going so much better than any of us ever thought. We have connected so extremely well with our entire team here.  We are working with the pastor and his wife here, Toni and Matea, and Matea's cooking is fabulous! Homemade Slovenian food is certainly something I hope all of you have the chance to experience. The rest of our team consists of the three head teachers Dee, Carden, and Brian, all from the states.  Dee and Carden are a wonderful couple from California, both experienced in teaching but no absolutely no Slovenian.  Brian is from North Carolina, but both of his parents are Slovene, so he is a little rusty, but understands and speaks Slovene quite well.  He is my partner, and we are working with the least experienced group of adults. I had to start the class out by myself for the first part of the evening tonight, but it was actually not that scary and God is giving me strength for all that we are doing here. The students, all adults of various ages, are very receptive and excited to learn English. We just spent tonight getting to know them and going over basics, since we only had some of this afternoon to prepare and the first day is always fuzzy. After talking with Toni, we have also learned that if we had not come, they may not have been able to have this camp. He was kind of at the end of his rope with planning.  They have had many in the past, but this year was just very rough, and it was certainly divine intervention that all six of us made it here (I guess eight hours in an English airport wasn't so bad after all, haha).  Every one of us had traveling difficulties but God has provided and brought us all together, and what an incredible team. We clicked right off the bat and I was so encouraged by our interaction with Dee and Carden before the camp began.  Brian arrived late due to traveling circumstances, but he is wonderful as well and I feel so empowered working with this group.  I'll share more later on in the week, considering we do in fact have internet here, but I am just so excited about what will happen this week and wanted to share it. Thanks again for your prayers, for this is all not possible without it. I'll keep everyone posted! 

His Grace is Sufficient

Since I have last written, our days have been somewhat uneventful, but relaxing, blessed and God-filled nevertheless.  Sunday school with the kids has been going quite well.  We have made a coat of many colors as well as Ten Commandment tablets.  They all speak very good English except one boy, but one of the girls translates for him most of the time.  They are very well behaved children and are a joy to spend time with.  We only get about 30-45 minutes with them a week, but we really enjoy getting to teach them, and they are quite receptive.  The highlight of the past week has been our time spent with Lynie, a foreign exchange student from China who will leave Ljubljana on Tuesday.  She was saved about six years ago simply from reading a Chinese Bible that was given to her mother.  It is so easy for us to forget how powerful the Word of God is, that one who has never heard the good news can simply read, understand, believe, and reform their entire life. God is so good and has touched every one of our lives through hers.  Her last week here she was done with classes, so she spent quite a bit of time with us.  We had a couple of meals here at the apartment for her (I actually put together a fairly good spaghetti, vegetable, and garlic bread lunch believe it or not),  and I also went out shopping at antique stands in the city with her.  On the National Day in Slovenia, their Independence Day, she came over for a Slovenian meal made by Brane and we all played Monopoly. It was quite fun, and after a long struggle, we actually finished the game and Dwayne barely beat me. At the last Bible study she spent with us, she opened up and shared much of her spiritual struggle and I truly believe God spoke to many of us through her testimony.  After she gets home, eats a wonderful Chinese meal, and gets settled in, we plan on keeping in touch and sharing how God is working in both our lives.  She was truly a blessing.  We also spent this afternoon with some believers slightly older than us.  It was wonderful to fellowship with them and hear their stories of how they found Christ in this Godless nation.  One of them actually shared the gospel with a man sitting at a table next to ours, and it really opened my eyes to the courage that Christ can give, even when the feat seems too much for us.  I pray that God will give me courage similar to hers, to reach and share His love with those who know nothing of it.  Tomorrow morning we leave for Kocevje, a city about 2 hours or so from here, where we will live for 2 weeks, teaching two English camps.  The first week we will be teacher's aids for an adult evening class that will continue on through the next week as well.  The second week we will also be responsible for half of the children's camp in the morning as well as the adult class at night.  We will be living in the student dormitory there and eating our meals with the pastor of the church in the city.  Much of this was last minute, but we believe God has given us some great ideas and will give us strength for all that we need (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).  We are so excited and yet nervous for what is to come.  Please pray, again, that God will continue to open doors and give us creativity and wisdom to follow the leading of His Spirit.  English camps are a huge outreach here and we know great things can happen for His Kingdom if we are willing to be obedient.  I can't wait to share of all He will do.  Thanks for all of your prayers and support.  I will probably not be able to write again until our return to Ljubljana, but  will inform everyone soon of all that happens in Kocevje.  God bless you all.

One Step at a Time

As I sit inside the apartment on a rainy day in the city, enjoying a cup of cappuccino that I'd never thought I'd enjoy, I thought I'd share the events of the past weekend .  During the week, we spent some time with a niece of one of the church's leaders, Ram, who is not yet saved. She is extremely intelligent and mature, and we had a great time with her and plan on staying in touch via email.  We also had one of the last weekly Bible studies of the summer with members of the church, who provide wonderful snacks by the way :).  On Thursday, we took a train into the city of Celje, which is about 2 hours from Ljubljana. We met with a couple from the states who is serving in that city, Brooke and Johnny Stevens.  Their goal for their ministry at this point is to get a youth group started in their local church, which consists of zero youth at the moment.  They are using the route of English camps to reach out to the community and try to get students involved.  The camp we will be helping with will be in the city of Kocevje, which caters to adults and children (two separate camps), is not necessarily associated with this camp, just both methods of outreach that have been very effective in the past.  The camp Brooke and Johnny are leading, however, is very similar to a summer camp in the states where the kids will go to a castle in Austria from Sunday through Saturday. Basically, our job for Thursday and Friday was to pass out flyers for the camp and try to talk to some of the kids in town and get them excited about it, or at least seem interested. This is much more difficult than it sounds. On top of being American and looking somewhat out of place in the city, most people were under the impression that we were trying to simply sell them something and showed very little interest. There were a few, however, that really did seem interested and I was able to actually converse with a few of the students. It was a blessing to be proactive and talk with a few students from Celje.  It's very possible that not one of them will go to the camp, but God moves in His time and it is not for me to determine how or when He should move. The number of registrations for the camp has already increased from the 16 last year, to over 20 this year.  I am excited to hear about how God moves in the youth of this town and will inform you of anything we hear. We also were able to spend some time getting to know the members of the church from Celje. It is a small, but a wonderful community of believers who are passionate about their walk with Christ in a hurting nation.  We stayed with one of the leaders of the church, Marko, and had a great time getting to know Him and sharing how God has moved in all of our lives.  It is truly refreshing and encouraging getting to know the believers of this country and it has challenged me to take my walk with Christ to a deeper level. I am so thankful for the time we have here and pray that God will continue to work, as I know He will.  Only about a month left, so keep praying! God bless all of you. 

One More Thing, haha :)

I also just wanted to thank you all for your prayers.  God has opened up a couple of doors and I'm excited to see where they lead.  I have met a couple of new people, one named Mia and one named Anna.  They are both from here, but one doesn't live in the city, and the other is only here for the summer.  I've only spent time with each once, but I'm praying we cross paths again.  If nothing else, God has given me encouragement and a little push in the right direction on how to better minister here.  We've only been here just over a week, and it's already beginning to seem like we won't have much time.  Keep praying that God will move, even in little ways.  God bless you all and know you are in my prayers as well.

A Note From the Heart

Well, I just wanted to open up my heart a little bit and share what God has taught me the past couple of days.  I had the privilege of taking a short break from Ljubljana with my team and visiting the Slovenian city of Kobarid, located in the valley of the Alps very near both Italian and Austrian borders, on the northwest part of the country.  One of our leaders, Brane, took us to visit his hometown and family there in a village just outside the city.  It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  Everywhere you look is either perfect green vegetation, glorious mountains that cover as far as the eye can see, incredible water that almost seems fake it’s such a gorgeous shade of blue, or beautiful European buildings scattered all along the valley, revealing the creativity of it’s designer.  On top of God revealing some of His wonderful craftsmanship, He blessed my team with the opportunity to meet an amazing family that just touched my heart.  Brane, who actually lives with Daniel, is the oldest boy of three.  He, along with his youngest brother, Andre, and his mother are God-fearing Christians who love God with everything they have and it shows in every little thing they do.  The entire family welcomed us into their home with open arms, cooking delicious food and providing us a beautiful place to stay.  After an incredible tour of the nature of this area, including the River Soce, where Prince Caspian was filmed, we drove back through the mountains towards Ljubljana.  As we were doing so, God just spoke to my heart as I replayed the events of the past 24 hours in my head.  Here I am halfway around the world, wondering why God even brought me here; questioning whether or not I am capable of even making a difference in this country that is so lost it seems beyond hope.  But God, who is extremely patient and loving, showed me that I have been so conformed by the “box” I call home, as many of us are.  We are so caught up in our everyday lives that we forget what we are living for, that we are alive and well only by the grace of God and for the purpose of furthering His Kingdom.  There have been so many times in the past year that I was so worried about stresses of life, and as I was soaking in the amazing scenery, God just reminded me that every little thing that either brought me to tears or just slightly concerned me, He took care of.  He provided for my every need, no matter how big or small and He will continue to do so.  He promises to take care of all of the “worries” of life, and this is to free us to shine His light to others; that we may spend our every thought on furthering HIS Kingdom, and not our own will.  This battle that we are fighting on earth is so much bigger than we are, and this family in Slovenia, the people I’ve met, and all that I’ve seen here has reminded me of that.  Even while we are at battle in our jobs and in our schools and homes, there are brothers and sisters in Christ in the small country of Slovenia fighting the same war: the children of God against the powers of darkness.  There are incredible servants of God here fighting a good fight, and I invite you all to do the same, as Christ has just re-invited me.  Whenever you are faced with a problem or a stress in life, no matter what it is, remember that God will handle all the trivial things, like finances and schedules, and put your strength into loving others the way Christ did, making the best of every opportunity He gives us.  God is sovereign, and whether we are a missionary in a foreign country or with our families in the states, He calls us to live for Him and share His love with whoever may grace our presence.  Love God today, and in doing so, love someone else, whether stranger, family, or friend.  Don’t pass by any opportunity to be Christ to someone else, you never know what it will mean to them; it could even change a life, no matter how small of an act.  

Getting Started Here...

Well, so far, our days have been focused on getting comfortable with the culture here, getting used to the city and transportation system (which mainly consists of walking, always good for the body), and meeting many new people and faces.  Some things here are similiar to life back in the states, but many things are different.  The city is beautiful, with a river running through the middle of the city and a castle at the top of it.  The main difference here is the religion.  

In a nutshell, the country of Slovenia has a population of about 2 million.  Of those people, only 1000 claim the title of "Evangelical Christian".  Within the capital city of Ljubljana, where we are staying, there are probably only 200 or so proclaimed Christians.  There are more Catholics than Christians.  For the most part, Slovenes do not see a need for much religion.  They seem to be happy living their life, but there is a lot of pain here.  The abortion, eating disorder, and suicide rates are very high.  It is a place very focused on the outward appearance and material things, with most people dressing very stylish and keeping up with the latest fads.  

The people we have met in the church are wonderful.  The difficult thing about the mission here is that it is an extremely slow process.  The main focus is building relationships with people and allowing Christ to be seen through actions, relationship, trust, and love.  It takes time for all of those things, and we don't have much of it.  We have been asked to meet people and make friends and just love in any way we can, to be Christ to those who do not understand who He is. 

What is difficult is that it could be so hard to tell if His Word is being heard.  But, God does not call us to save others, that is His job.  He only asks us to be His servants and love others the way He loved us.  I am praying for God to continue to open doors and give me the courage, wisdom, and words I need to spread His love in this hurting country.  Please pray for me as well, that I will be receptive to the Spirit's prodding and take advantage of each and every opportunity that is put in front of me.  God can use an infinite amount of methods to spread His Word, we just have to be willing as a team to follow the direction of the Spirit.  

In a couple of weeks, we will be able to help with two weeks of English camp with both adults and children, and I am excited to see how God will work there.  I'll continue to keep everyone updated! Your prayers are deeply needed and appreciated.  

In Slovenia!

We made it with absolutely no problems with immigration!! What a blessing.

Our site coordinator is Daniel Pseude (try to say that ten times fast) and he is very wonderful with an incredible heart for God.  Today, he took us on a tour of the city and it is a great place.  We walked about ten minutes into town (what they call "The Center") and took a tour of all it had to offer on  Saturday, which included many people speaking Slovene, an antique car show, and even a vending machine serving fresh milk to interested Slovene buyers.  We also took a little hike up to a castle where a wedding was taking place, it was beautiful.  We walked back home through a gorgeous green park and made a short stop at the market for some food for the week (be thankful for those Wal Mart plastic bags that seem to accumulate exponentially in your homes, they must be purchased here in Slovenia). 

Daniel explained some of our ministry opportunities to us, and for the most part He is expecting us to take a lot of initiative, which makes me slightly nervous.  I know I'm going to need God's strength to do some outreach to those who don't even speak my language, but God brought me here and I know will not leave me.  Tomorrow we will attend a church with Daniel's roommate, Brawney (not sure on the spelling, but will learn soon), in the morning and go to Daniel's church later, where we will begin working with the children's ministry they are needing help with.  

I am excited and nervous at the same time about all that is to come in the next 6 weeks, but find peace and encouragement in all of the prayers I know are going up on my behalf from all of you.  God is bigger than any of this and His work is going to be done here in Slovenia, because it is desperately needed.  I'm going to head off to bed now, but I pray that all is well with all of you and can't wait to share more of what God does here.  

Some Little Tid Bits of Info for Anyone Wondering...

I've been receiving multiple questions since my return to the states, many of them along the lines of, "Slovenia??"  I've been doing some very helpful research and I thought I'd just share some of what I found with everyone, since I have a couple hours in the Denver airport anyway :)  Now, I'm not a Slovenian expert or anything, so don't get your hopes up, but I'll inform you of the little bit I do know.  My RA from Freshman year went there for Youth in Mission two summers ago, so some of these pictures are hers; she has been more than helpful (Thanks SB!). 

Before World War II, it was known as Yugoslavia.  Around 1950, it became The Socialist Republic of Slovenia, and in 1990 was reformed yet again to become The Republic of Slovenia.  It is a very beautiful country with some amazing sights to see (possibly even Venice, ah!), located directly south of Austria and east of Italy, right in the middle of the Alps (can anyone say mountain climbing???).  They have a rather small population, about 2 million is what we were told, but do speak English as well as Slovene, so the language barrier should be minimal.  

Some random culture things, apparently they are big coffee drinkers and also eat horse burgers (that should be interesting...).  They also don't use air conditioning or fans very much, but the random rain and moderate weather should keep that from being too much of a problem.  Well before I bore everyone with more details, I'm going to grab a bite to eat at this airport.  Our flight for Germany leaves in about an hour and a half and will take about ten hours.  From there, we'll have a short hour and fifteen minute flight to Ljubljana, Slovenia!

I can't wait to get some pictures up of my own, and I thank you all for all of your prayers, text messages, facebook notes, and blog comments of encouragement that have kept me going.  I really needed all of them.  Love you all and hope summer is going well for all of you.

Sometimes God Has a Different Plan in Mind Than We Do....

Wow, I can't believe I am actually writing this, but today was certainly a test of faith.  My team and I were refused entry into England, and after many hours of being detained in UK immigration and being questioned and searched, we were sent back to America.  Right now we are in El Paso trying to regroup.  The good news is that we are now being sent to Slovenia to serve there.  It has been an extremely long couple of days, but God has certainly had His hand on us and has kept us safe.  

This has been rough, but I am more grateful than I can say for all of the encouragement I have received through so many of you.  I am 100% serious when I say the support system I've been given through my family and friends is straight from God and has given me strength and drive to push through; it has been vital for getting me through this.  

To lighten the mood, I must share that apparently the church we are going to serve in Slovenia has been praying and asking for someone to come serve for 2 years.  We have learned many exciting things about this country and I really am excited to get to serve there.  My RA from freshman year actually served there when she did Youth in Mission and loved it.  Apparently, they are also big fans of sports, and I can't deny I LOVE THAT!! It's a really beautiful city surrounded by mountains and I hear the people are great as well (let's just hope that their border patrol is included in people, haha).

Sometimes things happen in life that are hard to understand, something like this being quite minimal compared to many of life's trials, but what is so great is that we don't have to understand.  To be honest, it's been tough for me, but there are truths I know in my heart that I can't deny.  I know that God loves me and my teammates, that He has walked this road with us every step of the way, and that where this door has been closed, He has been faithful in opening another.  God doesn't expect us to understand, He only asks for our obedience and faith and that we put all of our trust in Him.  Dwayne, Heather, and I have been praying and working this out together along with the Youth in Mission staff who have been very helpful and loving through everything.  God is with us and we are thankful for the door to Slovenia that has been opened.  We are trusting Him with every aspect of this.  Please continue to pray for God's hand of protection and that His will alone will be done.  I love all of you and am so extremely blessed by the encouragement and support.  I'll keep everyone posted!