My Trip in a Nutshell: The Post You've Been Waiting For

Hi...

So, I'm a little embarrassed by the fact that I've been in Slovenia the past few weeks and promised you updates and there has been absolutely nothing happening on this blog. I was ready for this trip to be different than last year's, but I did not expect one of those differences to be a lack of internet time!

Anyways, I'm home now and am excited to tell you a bit about the trip. As always, there is a lot more I could say than what would fit on this page and I would LOVE to talk more with any of you if you should so desire. Until then, here's what you need to know:

The timeline - I was gone from June 22nd to July 10th. My first couple of days were spent in Ljubljana (Slovenia's capital) for camp training with the Tennessee church team. Then we had a week of English camp at the seaside in Crikvenica, Croatia. After camp, I spent time connecting with old and new friends in Celje (where I was based last year) and Slovenj Gradec where the Wynns (awesome Josiah Venture missionaries) live.

Complements to Petra. She takes good pictures!

Camp basics - English camp was a week in Croatia this year with around 35 Slovene high school students, 16 Americans from Tennessee (6 who I knew from last year), 3 summer interns, and 2 JV missionary families (Brooke and Johnny and Trisha and Hondo, as well as their adorable kids). The camp theme was Collision: the evening talks explored what happens when good people and bad people collide with God.

Caleb Wynn, age 3 and Kinsley Stevens, age 1

My role at camp - This year, I did a bit of everything. I was babysitter for these cute MKs when needed (normally in the mornings when campers were in English class), I sold ice cream and pop in the afternoons, connected with campers when I could, and helped set up late night games and decorations. It was more behind-the-scenes than when I was an intern, but it was awesome to be a part of camp in a new way and get a more big-picture perspective on how the church body works together and how God works through us.

Pirate night... Arrrrrrgh!

Camp highlights - Pirate night on an actual boat. Playing with Caleb in a kiddie pool. Chatting with girls from last year's camp (including two who were in my room with me). Hearing and seeing how God had transformed past campers from last year until now. Serving coffee during coffee night and seeing how God uses even the small things for his glory. Getting sun. Eating all our meals outside. Watching the extremely talented, dramatic, and caring American team make camp a blast. I could go on, but I'll stop there.

Me with some of the Americans

After camp - After camp I had even more time to connect with people. I expected things in Slovenia to be different this year, and though things were, it was awesome for me to just feel like I could fit right back into life there. It seemed normal in a lot of ways. So, getting to hang out in Celje again, visit the church there, and spend time with friends like Polona, Maja, Andreja, and Petra was great. The Amazing Race (camp follow-up) went well and so did the team's debrief. And though two weeks isn't nearly long enough, I got to see most of the people I wanted to and even had time to have a girl's night at the Wynn's house and shop a bit.

Me, Maja, and Mana and Margaret (two of the interns)

Lessons learned - This one is a hard thing to sum up, but I think this year's trip allowed me to prove to myself that what I said I learned last year, I actually did learn. I got to put into practice the areas I grew in last summer, including asking good questions, relying on the Holy Spirt, and having a servant's heart. Overall, it was good to have some things reiterated and built upon.

Prayer requests - Camp is over, but God is still heavily at work in the lives of the Slovene campers, as well as in Slovenia in general. Please pray that the students will continue to process through what they learned at camp and that truth would ultimately be what prevails. Pray for energy, compassion, and wisdom for the JV interns and missionaries as they continue to connect with students and the culture there.

God is doing amazing things and once again, I am so grateful that I've been able to be even a small part of the bigger picture in one of my favorite countries overseas.

New Summer, Same Old Blog

Hey Everyone,

So, it's been a while! And honestly, I never expected to bring this blog back from the dead, especially this soon. But because of your overwhelming support and giving hearts, I raised more money than I needed for last year's internship. So much so, that I have enough raised to head back again this year. The details have lined up perfectly and it has been obvious that God has plans for me to be in Slovenia again.

The trip won't be as long -2 1/2 weeks instead of 2 1/2 months. My role won't be the same -missionary kid sitter and floater at camp (doing whatever is needed) instead of english teacher and intern. And my perspective will for sure be different -it is one year later after all! But I can tell you, I'm THRILLED I get to go back for a new adventure.

I leave tomorrow and I'm pretty positive I won't be able to sleep much tonight : )

I'll keep you posted once I'm there. Until then though, here's what you can be praying for:

- That I would be super flexible, patient, gracious, humble, and willing to do whatever is needed in order to serve those I'm there to serve.

- That God would give me clear direction and opportunity so that I could see what he wants me to be doing when and then do it, since my role is less clearly defined this year.

- That the lessons I learned in Slovenia last summer will be put to good use and built upon this summer and that I would learn the new lessons that God wants me to learn.

- That I would have energy and the ability to use my time wisely, connecting well with people when I get the chance. I'll get to see a bunch of students and leaders I already know and will also be meeting many new people.

- That my biggest priority will be to glorify God in everything and that he would be clearly seen even/especially in my weaknesses.

- Also be praying for the Tennessee team's travels as they are also coming for camp and will be heading out tomorrow.

sLOVEnia here I come...

The End (aka my referral to my other blog)

Okay, my summer is officially over. My siblings are back in school, my last thank yous for support have been sent out (you'll most likely be getting yours soon), and I'm off to find a job. So, it's the end of this blog and time to start a new chapter in my life -the post-grad years : ) Thanks once again for joining me this summer through faithfully reading these blog posts and if you're saddened by the thought of not having any more posts from me don't be. You can find my actual blog here: www.downcobblestoneroads.blogspot.com. Feel free to join me as I continue my journey there. I'll see you around!

I'm Back!

Well, I'm home. Officially. After saying way too many goodbyes, getting up at 4 in the morning, and taking 3 different flights, I'm back. It's good to be here! And once I've processed through things a bit more (and get over jet lag) I'm excited to be able to share my closing thoughts on the summer with all of you. It's been a crazy two and a half months! Thanks for being a part of it : )

What I'll Miss the Most

Can't believe it, but I only have a few days left! I head home Friday and will soon be back in my own bed, hanging out with my family, eavesdropping on lots of good English conversations, and drinking Starbucks and Jamba Juice. Oh, yeah, and trying to find a job! It'll be great to be back, but I have a feeling Slovenia will soon just feel like some distant dream or other life and I'll be sad to see it go. As I have already said many goodbyes and will continue to in the next few days, here are the things I'll miss the most:

- Old buildings Confession time....I am in love with Europe mostly because of its' buildings. I love everything about walking down a cobblestone road among pastel colored walls, stained glass windows, and detailed archways. Kari makes fun for me daily for how many close-up pictures I take of buildings, but I'll definitely miss the feeling of inspiration and creativity I get every time I walk by the buildings here. For some reason they just feel like home.

- Teaching English In the past year my thoughts have turned to teaching as a possible career choice and I've felt like God is leading me to pursue it more in the future. So, it's been awesome to get some experience while being here and be given even more confirmation that my giftings and passions fit this area well. I would be lying to say that being in charge of my own classes didn't make me happy just thinking about that fact. And I absolutely loved the students I had the honor to teach!

- Funny interactions There are moments in life when you just have to laugh at how funny people are. And when in a foreign country, funny moments tend to take place even more than normal. I'll miss having daily, awkward interactions with strangers like the friendly train conductor who wanted to talk about his trip to Egypt even though he didn't know English, the teenage couple who told us that we were about to die when an alarm started going off in our compartment, or the fat guy who squished me up against the wall when trying to pass me in a hallway when I had no where to go. Oh, and I can't forget about this guy at the Velenje castle who found out I was from Chicago and kept repeating "Chicago is my town...Sinatra" : )
-Girls' nights Since camp, God has really blessed Kari and me with many opportunities to have great conversations and fun bonding time with the Slovene girls we've met here. Specifically the two girls' nights we've had recently were both awesome. We're all sad that Kari and I won't be able to host more.

- Foreign foods Kebab, Koper pizza, Magnums, and the occasional chocolate covered pineapple. What can I say? I kinda like shopping at Mercator (the common grocery store here)!
- And most of all, my lovely friends here When you travel you end up getting to know people well quickly. One day of the Amazing Race and I felt like I'd known my fellow interns for forever, one week of English camp and I cared a whole stinkin' lot for a bunch of crazy high schoolers, and one month in Celje and I was welcomed in as part of the church family. I will miss meeting with the interns at Hondo and Trish's house; talking about Acts, playing with the dude, and chilling as frends.

I will miss hanging out at the church with Americans and Slovenes who love God and worship together enjoying fellowship and challenging each other in faith. (I will especially miss my dear friend Polona who has consistantly and compassionately served alongside us all summer!)
And I will miss the precious students I've easily grown to love over these amazing two months.

You Know You're In Europe When... #7

#7 Taking a bus, a train, a taxi, or walking is much more of an everyday occurance than driving in a car.

Prayer Requests for Follow Up

Hey everyone!

Thanks for still tracking with me. Even though camps are over now, there's still a lot going on ministry-wise here! The plan for my last few weeks (I come home August 6th) is to hang out with students I've met as much as possible. Our goal is to keep the students from camp plugged into the local church, so we are doing things like having girls' night, playing games at the church, and traveling to the sea to visit people. Kari and I are staying with Brooke and Johnny so they are around to connect with students too, as well as Polona and Marko and others from the church. We hope that the students will be able to continue hanging out together and with Christian influences after we're gone, that they will continue thinking about what they learned at camp, and that God would do great things in their lives in the next year. That being said, we still need and appreciate your prayers! These are the main requests I have at the moment:

- Servant heart: That I will have a servant heart as I finish things up here; that God will give me lots of opportunities to bless the missionaries, church, and new Slovene friends I've made before I leave; that I'll have a giving attitude, creative ideas, and encouraging words these next few weeks.

- Protection: That God will protect me and the other interns as we travel around Slovenia quite a bit, that we'll stay healthy and safe as we have throughout the trip (thank God!). Also, that God would place a hand of protection on the precious teens we've come to know and love; that over the next year as they vacation with their families, hang out with friends, and go back to school in the fall God would be with them, guiding them to Him whether they know it or not.

- Wisdom: That God would give us wisdom to say and do the right things while we interact so much with students; that we would follow His leading on things and that in His timing we'll be able to have great conversations with students and just be good examples pouring Truth into their lives.

- Love: Most of all, pray that God would help us to be love to the people around us; that the students would see a love in us that's different than the world's love. Pray that through everything love would be what shines through.

Thanks for partnering with us. Your encouragement and prayers make a difference here : )