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...

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 : )

Gospel Night and Prayer

It's been a long, but great week at camp. A lot has happened! I can't wait to tell you more, but for now, I just wanted to let you know a bit more about how to be praying. It was gospel night tonight and the Spirit was definitely moving. I personally didn't have any super deep conversations or anything, but I spent most of my evening praying for what was going on around me. There were quite a few tears shed and hugs given and I know that God is doing awesome things here. Please be praying that the next few days of camp will finish things up well. Pray for the team's energy level, my English class (7 girls I absolutely love!), and the follow-up that will be happening after camp. My biggest prayer request right now is that the students won't just go home from camp and be unchanged or think they have to wait until next summer to feel and experience more of the life we've shown them. So, please pray that they'll keep in touch with the missionaries and friends they've made here throughout the year and that the seeds planted this week will be taken care of (watered and given sun) so that they will grow.

Celje Day Camp

I don't have long, but I wanted to let you all know that the Celje day camp went really well! 17 kids showed up altogether and I had the opportunity to teach English every morning to 6 of them. My advanced English class was made up of 3 girls and 3 guys between the ages of 9 1/2 and 12 who were for the most part super responsive and fun! Here they are:

We had a great time in class talking about family, hobbies, and travel. And Polona was a huge blessing to me as I got to serve alongside her! Besides learning English, the kids heard lessons about being redeemed (the JV theme this summer), had small group times, and played fun games in the afternoon. It was a packed three days, but really great.

More to come later, but right now please be praying that the kids remember what they learned and heard at camp and that God would be redeeming situations in their own lives. Specifically, Peter and Jan (two brothers) in my class have been dealing with a lot recently as their parents are divorced and in court right now fighting for custody of their kids. So, I'm sure they could use prayer for that situation.

Thanks a ton! I'm off to orientation for the second camp tonight, but will hopefully be able to update you more soon. I added some new pictures on facebook so feel free to check those out and I'd love to hear from any/all of you, so comments are always welcome :)

Camp is Almost Here!

After a lot of preparation time and training, the first week of English camps is about to begin. We're all super excited to be working with students, planting seeds, and prayerfully watching God move. This week I'll be at the day camp with Calvary Chapel church here in Celje. (Kari and Heather are at Ljubljana's junior high camp and Mallory and Nate are at Ljubljana's high school camp.) I'm teaching the advanced English class with Polona (she's an awesome Slovene with great English). We're expecting around 4 or 5 kids in our class, 15 at the camp altogether. Should be fun! The camp is from Monday to Wednesday and goes from 8am to around 2:30pm each day. Then on Thursday, I'm going to orientation for the second week of camps; I'm looking forward to meeting the church team coming over to help. Then Saturday starts the next week of camp. I'll be heading to a castle in Austria with around 40 Slovene high schoolers. I can't wait! Plus, Nate and Kari will be there as well. So after a week and a half without them, that will be exciting too.

So, that's the basic plan for me the next two weeks. Here's more specifically what you can be praying for:

- Strength and energy: The interns, church teams, and missionaries are going to need it as two weeks of camp back-to-back will for sure be tiring! Mallory has been sick the past few days, so pray that she'll be feeling good again soon and that no one else will get sick.

- Communication and unity: Pray that we will all be able to work well together, that communication (especially between the Slovene Christians and us) will be strong, and that we will be clear examples of love to the students as they watch us interact and serve along side one another. Also pray that any problems that could arise between members of the team will be noticed and taken care of now before camp starts.

- God-honoring excellence: One of JV's core values is God-honoring excellence. We want to pursue excellence that pleases God as we begin camps. So, pray that God will give us as leaders wisdom, that we'll be able to teach English well, and that we will put on camps that students want to come back to next year because they are planned out and professional, while also being fun.

- Trust in the Spirit: And this one might be the most important of all, but please pray that we'll be filled with the Holy Spirit, that we'll trust Him in our lives, and that we'll follow His leading at camp. Pray that we will be flexible and courageous, stepping out of our comfort zones when He asks us to do something. Pray that God will very clearly be at work through us and that we will be able to plant seeds that grow and produce lasting fruit in people's lives.

Thanks for partnering with me through prayer : )
I'm always so encouraged by all of you.

A Quick One

Hey everyone!

I really want to blog more in depth about what's going on here soon, since I really haven't for a while and a ton is happening. Sadly, though, because I'm tired and busy now is not the time for blogging. Tomorrow, I hopefully will have more time and can write a long post.

But for now I wanted to let you know that we are going into high school classes in the area to advertise for english camp now. We (Me, Kari, Johnny a JV missionary here, and the pastor from the church we are going to) went to two classes this morning that went well, but tomorrow we are going to at least four more.

So, please pray that tomorrow will go well, that the teens who we talk to will listen and enjoy the presentation, and that those who are interested will be able to check out the details and make it to camp if God wants them there.

Thanks again for all of your encouragement and prayers. I love getting your comments and facebook messages and love you all tons!

A Random Mix of Thoughts

I've been here at Malenovice now for 4 whole days and will be leaving tomorrow to head to Slovenia. It'll be fun to actually get to the country I'll be serving in this summer, but it'll be sad to go. While here, I've been able to interact with over 50 interns serving in a bunch of Eastern European countries this summer, a lot of JV full-time missionaries, and some great friends of mine who I haven't seen in forever (Hannah Ellenwood, Tyler Patty, and Connor McSheffery are all JVkids I grew up with and are pictured bellow)!

I know I'm already going to miss it. But it has been a great start of my trip to be here at training and I've learned a ton already. Here are some of my thoughts on the past few days:

- I have to start out with this awesome video that my friend Tyler posted on his blog the other day. It's not specifically of my team during the Amazing Race, but does give a good glimpse into what it was like for all of us. Thanks, Tyler for capturing it!

The Amazing Race (JV) from Tyler Patty on Vimeo.

- I'm still processing through what has been said throughout this week in sessions we've had, but they've been great. A few things that have stood out to me that you can be praying for is that I, as well as the other interns, will seek to be servants this summer (not merely people who sometimes serve), will listen to but also act on the Holy Spirit's promptings, and will be learners with humble attitudes as we step into other cultures and interact with people.

- I've also been thinking about the importance of asking good questions. Hopefully I'll be able to practice this skill throughout the summer.

- Some other prayer requests: Protection as we travel tomorrow and throughout the summer, strength and energy for the long days ahead, good health and healing for me as I have a bad cough at the moment and am not feeling well, unity for the Slovenian team (I think we're doing great in this category so far, but we've only known each other a week), and the ability to find out what our individual roles will be and fit those well without comparison or thoughts of inadequacy.

- Also, of course, be praying that God will go before us, preparing the way even now. Thanks again for your prayers! I'm confidant that God is good and that He's already at work in big ways. I'm so grateful to be a part of what He's doing.

Up in the Air

My life is pretty up in the air right now. I graduated from Taylor on Saturday, packed up my room, said goodbyes, came home, unpacked and repacked, and am leaving this afternoon. I can't believe things are happening so fast! I still have a ton to do, but I wanted to let you all know once again how much it means to me that you are willing to support, encourage, and track with me as I head out on my summer adventure. Thank you!

Before I go, here are a few quick prayer requests:

- That the 50 something interns leaving today for Europe (including me) will arrive safely and on time to Vienna where we will start our training.

- That I'll get enough sleep and feel healthy when I get there (Finals week left me with a cold).

- That I'll be able to fully concentrate on being in Europe, not on having just left college life or thinking about my life after I get home and have to find a job.

- That God will continue to prepare each of the interns, JV missionaries, and campers for how He is going to work this summer.

Can't wait to tell you all more.