THINK AGAIN ~ KECY Slovakia

This years theme was THINK AGAIN. Each day there was a theme for the day...Reality, Self, Wonder, Hope, Awakening; and with these themes we had English classes, sports, games, crafts and evening programs. It was great!

The city I worked with was Lucenec and we had camp in the city of Kremnica (I posted about it in a blog previously).
Even though are camp was small it seemed to be just right. Our camp was in the middle of the mountains in a tiny village.

This year my role was a bit different from last year so I was not able to build quite as many relationships. This year I was the camp leader and was responsible for the American team as well as the Slovak team to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Here are some pictures from camp...

the morning camp dance....

English classes (Adam and Morgan's)

team building activities

American team resting

The whole camp!

God revealed himself huge one night....Adam was speaking on 'wonder' and had a powerpoint all ready to go with all kinds of pictures of the universe, stars and so on. We could not get it to work...so Adam just began his evening speach. At the end we all went outside for a campfire. Well God showed himself because before the evening program it was really cloudy and we did not think that we would be able to see any stars after the program...when we went outside that night it was unbelievable. The stars were all over the place and the sky was cloud free, the weather was gorgeous and God was bigger than ever. I love when God does things like that and what a perfect night to do it!

By the end of camp many great relationships were built. When the students were leaving one of the students asked an American, "How long have you been a Christian?" And he replied, "5 years" (I think that is the number he gave....) then he turned to the student and said, "what about you?" and his reply was.... "10 hours." WOW!!!! God is on the move in these students hearts.


Please continue to pray for the students in Slovakia and that they will be responsive to the Gospel.

Happy 4th of JULY!!!!!!!!

Okay so I am writing this late....but I was thinking of you all while I was at camp in Slovakia for the 2nd summer in a row.


HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!

Old German church 1931-1945

While we were at camp, our campsite was neslted in the valley of rolling green hills in a small village. It was beautiful. Across the street from us was the village church, Catholic and behind that, almost hidden was an old German Luthern church. This church was built in 1931. Then in 1945 when all the Germans were chased out of Slovakia the church shut down and has never been reopened.




We walked over to get a closer look and some people (we won't mention names ;) ) climbed inside the widow to an even closer look (some pictures below are the view from the top). It was really small and looked as if there used to be some sort of wall around the church. There was nothing left of that. There was also some tomb stones and even some more recent ones to the right of the church.



This sign below was still on the front of the church adn written in German...it is Mt. 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Kremnica, Slovakia

When we were preparing for camp I had to run into the city for a few last minute things and my friend Miska went with me. She is so full of knowledge, I love walking around with her because I always learn something new about some kind of history here in Slovakia.

We had our English camp in a city called Kremnica. It is a beautiful.

Funny thing about small towns is that the people are so kind. When Miska and I were looking for last minute items...pencils, sharpeners, sticky notes, erasers, crayons, etc. We could not find anything open. It was a Saturday and everything closed early. So we went into one shop and asked the lady if she knew where we could get anything of the sorts...she grinned, "no, nothing is open around here..." so, before we left she asked us to wait and went to the back of the store (keep in mind this was a little store that could probably hold 6-8 people at a time in it). She came back with most of the supplies we needed...they were here own personal supplies. She was willing to give them to us. WOW, Miska and I grinned, we love small villages. So we kindly paid her for her items and proceeded to find more of what we needed. It is amazing to me how kind the people are in such small towns/villages. Miska and I laughed about that all day.

I did not forget...here is a bit of history that I learned about Kremnica...

Kremnica is most famous for its mint. It has been producing coins since the 14th century and still produces coins for the surrounding nations today.
It is said that the hills in Kremnica are full of gold and silver.

There is also an old gate entrance that is still there and a castle. We climbed to the top and you can see over the entire city. While I was looking out I kept trying to imagine what it must have been like when the castle was all in one piece and you could look over the walls at people coming your way, like the guards did years ago.
There was also an old church in the castle that is still used today for services on Sunday. The church was beautiful and had a ton of HUGE pipe organs in there as well. I would have loved to hear those play.





Also, this past May in the local paper here, there was an article about a man from Kremnica who was making coins for Iraq last year and he has signed some papers/contracts for this. Well, when he went to delvier the coins, he was killed and then the truck with the coins was then stollen by the Iraq's. Sad how it happened last year but just came out in the paper this year....

Poland_Aushwitz and Birkenau

Have you ever just stopped and wondered what it must have been like when people were sent the the concentration camps?? Well, me either...not until we took a day trip to Poland. I read about it in school but never really stopped and soaked it all in.

The first concentration camp I visited was Aushwtiz, later on to Birkenau. After I entered the gate (pictured below) I tried over and over to put myself in the place of these people, I could not even come close. My heart began to cry out to the prisoners of this camp.

The sign below reads "Work Gives Freedom"






These train tracks are in Birkenau, the 2nd of 3 concentration camps in Aushwitz. The tracks lead people directly back to the gas chambers and crematoriums. The Germans would then tell people they were going to take them to large shower facilities to rinse them off to prevent disease. They even went as far as to install fake shower faucets in the gas chambers.






When I walked through the camp I became completely humbled...it started to rain on my friend Matt and I and we had no jackets or umbrellas, we looked at each other and said we have NOTHING to complain about and continued on our journey wet and all. I can't even begin to explain the feelings I had as I walked on the same grounds as these innocent people did.

I was talking to some friends afterwards and came to the conclusion that we are just as capable of these crimes as the men who did it. It just does not seem possible. When I stop to think about it, it is easy for me to forgive someone for lying or stealing and pray that they would know God but someone who commited such a huge genocide...no way. Why is that?

.....am I any less worthy then they are??

Historic Jewish Synagogue

I went to Lucenec for a week to help the interns promote camp. While we were there I noticed this really old run down building...I love the history on this side of the world. INCREDIBLE!

This building numbers among just four synagogues built by Hungarian architect Lipot Baumhorn (1860-1932), whose other structures grace Amsterdam, Brussels and Tel Aviv.
Built in 1924-1925, Baumhorn's synagogue housed religious services until 1944, when the Jews of Lucenec were transported to Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany.
Only 80 to 100 of the town's 2,200 Jews survived World War II.
In 1948, the synagogue's fate was sealed when Czechoslovakia's Communist authorities took the synagogue into state hands and used it to store artificial fertilizers, whose corrosive chemicals destroyed the walls.

overnight train to KRAKOW,POLAND

yeah yeah...so we had all been on the road for weeks and really getting worn out. After leaving Czech Republic in the middle of the night and getting to Slovakia in enought time to cat nap and grab the next trian at 6 am to Serbia, I was beat. (B.T.W- the trian ride to Serbia was 14 hours, in case you ever feel like taking the locamotive to Serbia.)

We had a great week in Serbia but I was ready to get back to Slovakia and do some laundry because I was leaving as soon as we got back for another week to go to another city, Lucenec, in Slovakia. Hence the only sleeping in my bed 5 times this month. I should start a list of all the places I have slept this summer....including the TRAIN STATION. That leads me to my little story here...

So, we were leaving Serbia to take the train back to Slovakia (14 hours, might I remind you). We had a 6 hour lay over in Budapest, which was a nice little break. We get back on the trian to head home...not much further to go. We knew we were suppossed to arrive in Presov, Slovakia around midnight and it got later and later...humm? Finally at 1:30 am we stopped in Poprad (an hour farther away from where we were suppossed to be). Come to find out they announced IN the train station, about 30 min from our destination, that the train was changing routes, but no one informed us ON the train so we ended up on the overnight train to Poland. That explains they people sleeping that we somehow disturbed with all our dilirious laughing as they changed wagoons and the reason we never went to our destination. UGH! So we get off at Poprad and the station is closed. Not even sure why the train stopped in the first place, no one got on or off the train. We debated on what to do and ended up sleeping/waiting in the train station for the next train back to Presov, which did not leave until 4:30 am.

All that to say, I love traveling in Europe. Never a dull moment.
These are some pictures that we took on the train...what else do you do after 22 hours of train travel?
We got to see the sun go down (picture below) and the sun come up...by the way, the sun comes up at 4:17am around here.

Isodora

Last year in Novi Sad, Serbia I had the honor to help pioneer their first English camp. It was great. This was our team..


During that week I really got to understand the Serbs and a little bit more and learn about their culture. Serbs are very differnt from Slovaks. It is amazing to me how you can cross the border into another country (state) over here and it is like entering a totally different world. It is not like driving from state to state in the U.S. and everyone speaks the same language and life is pretty much the same.

The vast majority of Serbia's 8 million people belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Among the Protestant minority of 170,000, about 130,000 belong to the Slovak Lutheran and the Hungarian Reformed churches. The other 40,000 belong to evangelical churches. With these statistics you can see that the majority of Serbia is Orthodox.
Most Serbs believe that if you are Serbian then you are Orthodox...they go hand in hand.

This leads me to Isodora. She is a 17 year old girl that I got to spend a lot of time with last year. She kept me up most hours of the night and asked me many questions about life and about God. She is not afraid to come right out and say how she feels, she is very forward. Which most Serbs are. After camp was over I was not really sure where she was but knew she still had plenty of questions. Over the past year I have stayed in touch with her by email and SMS (text messaging). We would have the basic conversations of; "How are you, What is new in life, What are you doing this summer, Are you still with the same boyfriend....?"
Along with all of this I continue to pray for her because I knew she was hungary and searching, as is most of Serbia.

This year I had the opportunity to go back to Serbia to help promote camp again for another summer of English camps. I contacted Isodora to let her know I was in town. She and I met up for coffee along with my friend Anka from Slovakia. It was great! We sat with Isodora for well over an hour. We started off with the basics..."What have you been doing, How is school going...?" These questions lead into something much deeper.
Over the years in ministry I have often wondered and asked God, "How do I just come right out and tell people about you?" I feel like my life has relfected Christ when I work with these students but for some reason any time I try to come straight out with the REASON for life...aka, God, I feel like my toungue gets all twisted and then I get attacked by Satan with words such as, "you are too pushy, don't mention God, let them figure it out..."

Well, NOT THIS TIME! It was great. Isodora and I began talking and the next thing I knew I was sharing the Gospel. Telling her exactly what I believed and challanged her with a lot of questions in her own life. And the great thing was, I was not even nervous (when we left Anka told me she was praying the entire time I was talking...no wonder I was not nervous).
Isodora made the comment to me that in her religion class (Orthodox) in school, her teacher is pushy and it makes her not want to understand God. Humm? But then she said to me in the same breath, "I like listening to you because you challenge me to think about things." :) That was good, and my point. *wink
Isodora is seeking and reaching. She is at that point in her life where she knows there is a God but is not ready to let go of her life. She is not ready to let God be in control.
When we finished I asked her if she wanted to hang out again before I left Serbia that week. She said, "YES." Wow, after a conversation like we had, I would have thought she would not want to hang out with me. I knew she was hungry for God and wanted more information.
That night I went home, or back to the flat I was staying in for the week, and could not believe that this is my life. I got to sit in a small coffee shop in the middle of Novi Sad, Serbia, surrounded by buildings that were destroyed by bombs not to long ago and people who are lost and hungry. INCREDIBLE!
What a blessing it is to share the Lord with students around the world.

(this is Isodora on the left and Anka to my right)

In case you were wondering...Isordora and I got to hang out again, at church. Yes, she came with me to church on Sunday morning and I got to spend some time with her. When the service was over I walked her to her bus and gave her my Bible.

When you get the chance if you could please pray for her...she is reaching and just needs to grab.

On your mark, get set, GO!

This is how the summer has been so far. Literally a race from one city to the next then one country to the next...
I am so sorry, I am aware that it has been a month since I updated my blog last. What a busy summer so far. I have been on the go for a month now. By the end of June I will have slept in my own bed only 5 times. I literally have been living out of a bag.
When the interns arrived we literally began our race...an "Amazing Race". We started in Prague where they got off the planes. They were handed a clue and off they went. We had to go from clue to clue to find our final destination...Malenovice. It was a 2 day race. Our team went from last to first. Way to go team Serbia!




One of the obstacles consisted of us rowing a boat down the river and accomplishing tasks as we went...rowing backwards, jumping out of the boat and going over a bridge to then jump back in the boat..it was rainy and fun!





After the race we ended up at our trianing center in Malenovice. It was a great time to spend with all the interns from all the different countries...Slovenia, Czech, Serbia, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, Croatia and Ukraine. It led to great conversations about different cultures, lives, experiences and interests. What an amazing week of training.

Direction

My one year here is fastly approaching its end and over the past several months I have been praying about the direction that God would lead me and what my next steps were going to be with Josiah Venture and in ministry as a whole.
During my time in the states, Bryan was brought into my life and now we both have begun to pray about where we will go and what we will do in the future. It's funny how one moment you pray for the Lord to guide YOU and the next you are praying for the Lord to guide US. I am not sure what that means and how God will use us and I will admit, part of me fears/feared the reality that my time overseas may be coming to an end and I don't know what that looks like or even if I am ready or even want to return to the states.
Even when I started the process in my move here last year, God was faithful the whole time and guided every step of my way. So why would this time around be any different? Sometimes I think it might be because now there is two of us involved, which I know is my selfish way of thinking.
This weekend I began to really seek God and pray for his guidance in these decisions that Bryan and I will be making. He lead me to two verses...
Acts 17:26
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live"
and
Isaiah 30:21
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "this is the way; walk in it."

How comforting it is to hear the Lord tell me that he knows the EXACT time and place where we will live and that we should follow him. Sometimes I feel like I want to pray for what I WANT and not necessarily God's WILL for my life. But it is true that the Lord will grant you the desires of your heart (be it that they are in His will) and that He wants what is best for us...so if His will is what is best for us, then wouldn't it make sense to just pray for His will in our life? UGH!! That is where trusting God comes into play.
I think he made it clear to me this weekend that he knows the time and place of where he wants us and to walk in His will and he will guide us every step of the way.
I am excited about finishing up my summer here in Slovakia...embracing the season and the people over the next few months and I am also excited about the adventure the Lord is going to take me on after the summer is over.
Living in God's will doing what He calls us to do is almost like a roller coaster ride...thrilling, exciting, scary, nervousness, moments of tears, heart feeling like it is going to come out of your chest and wondering is this ride going to be safe but all together worth it in the end because I have no idea where this ride will go, but my God, who designed it, built it, runs it, and strapped me securely into my seat knows perfectly. Because He is good and trustworthy I have nothing to fear and because my desire is that the purpose of my life will be to make His name Famous I am going to continue to live for God's will/purpose in my life.

George Bush aka America

It is such a great feeling to be back here!

This weekend was a weekend diving back into Slovakia and it's culture. I had an amazing weekend in Kukova...lots of Slovak food, and I mean LOTS, time with kids playing futbol (soccer and don't worry, I watched the whole time) and eating Zmirzlina (ice cream), and church on Sunday morning.
I really missed these families while I was in the states. They have really accepted me into their homes and made me feel like one in the family. I can honestly say I found forever friends and family in Kukova. What a blessing from God.



  
Here is a funny story from the weekend that I think you all will enjoy. While I was watching the kids play soccer, I was also talking to someone on the bench...and yes I was speaking English.
Well, notice the young boy holding my Slovnik pictured below...he heard me and kept looking at me, he continue to gain a bit of confidence and kept inching closer and closer until he was literally sitting next to me. He did not speak any English but was very curious. He asked me (in Slovak of course) “Are you American?” and this was how the funniest part of our conversation went in Slovak...
L: “yes”
Young boy: “Where”
L: “USA”
Young boy: “are you from NEW MEXICO”
**I am thinking...humm? USA/NEW MEXICO..what? Why would he ask me if I am from New Mexico??
L: (slightly laughing) “No I am American, from the USA. Do you know where Georgia is?”

Expecting him to say no, he got excited and said “YES, GEORGE BUSH!”






Hahahahaha! That was the last thing I was expecting to hear from this young boy. It was quite funny. Well the doors were opened and other kids joined us. I got to spend the next 2 hours talking to these kids. It was really great!

We just never know the relationships that God will bring into our lives. I have found that each and everyone of mine are unique and special.

Always ask what you are contributing to...

Do you remember a few posts ago about the kids graduating and asking for money....well, it probably helps to find out EXACTLY what the money goes towards before you contribute.

I found out yesterday that the money I gave to the kids...goes to a big drunk fest at the end of the year. All the kids put the money together and go out and get drunk! Yes it is true, I just contributed to a drunk fest and had no idea.

As we all say around here...LOST IN TRANSLATION!

"Whatever"

As I was walking back from the grocery store I was afraid my bags were gonna rip because I forgot my backpack and had to carry them in the plastic bags they give you and well....I got more then I planned on getting and it was a bit heavy..."whatever"
I kept stopping along the way readjusting my bags, setting them down to re-grip so I don't lose anything and as I was doing all this I kept looking around me and telling myself, this is just the way of life here...."whatever", I kept telling myself this is not convenient and it would be nice to have a car but in the same breath I would say man it's gorgeous outside, this is such a nice walk and I really love my life here...."whatever" funny how I can have both thoughts in the same moment?!
During my walk home, that believe it or not I was honestly enjoying, a song came on my ipod that fit so perfect the moment I was experiencing and realized God was speaking to me...

"Whatever"
Steven Curtis Chapman

I made a list wrote down from a to z
All the ways I thought that you could best use me
Told all my strengths and my abilities
I formed a plan it seemed to make good sense
I laid it out for you so sure youd be convinced
I made my case presented my defense
But then I read the letter that you sent me
It said that all you really want from me is just

Whatever whatever you say
Whatever I will obey
Whatever lord have your way
cause you are my God whatever

So strike a match set fire to the list
Of all my good intentions all my preconceived ideas
I want to do your will no matter what it is
Give me faith to follow where you lead me
Oh lord give me the courage and the strength to do

I am not my own
I am yours and yours alone
You have bought me with your blood
Lord to you and you alone do I belong
And so whatever


I looked around me and said "WHATEVER" God...you have me hear for WHATEVER and that is what im going to do..WHATEVER, even if this bag rips and my groceries fall in the street, I will be okay. I trust you, you sent me here, and you will be with me every step of the way.

It is such a great feeling to let go and let God do all the work. He takes you on such amazing adventures to places you never thought you would go....I don't mean just physically. Spiritually this has been such an incredible journey.

I am excited for WHATEVER God has in my life...I am ready!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the special women in my life! I love you all and want you to know how very special you are to me and that you are thought of on this special day.

I hope you all have a day as special as you are! You deserve it.

Psalm 24:1-2

Have you ever just had those days that are so frustrating all you keep saying is, “I just want to go home!” ? Well, Saturday was that day for me. I got to the train station in the morning to purchase a ticket back to Presov. I know how to do this and what to say…obviously something got lost in translation b/c not only was my train late, but when I finally got on the train, somehow I was missing a ticket that I needed and I was not in the right car. I tried to explain to the conductor where I was going. Finally, I paid more money and he gave me some slip, it may be a receipt or seat assignment, I was not really sure. All I know was I have now paid more for a ticket (he probably just pocketed the money, haha) and made my way to some seat, not even sure if it was mine. I asked these men next to me, but they did not speak English so I just sat down and smiled and said “Dakujem” (Thank you in English).
Exhausted and thinking about only wanting to get back to my flat...I got out my computer and figured I would listen to some music and return some emails.
Then I found myself lost in the world outside the train windows and I could not help but stare at the world that surrounded me.
The mountains here still have snow at the tops of them, unbelievable. It




looks like a painting with these bright green grassy fields in the forefront. There might be a small village of some sort or some sheep or cows, or just a field that goes on forever and looks like it reaches the foot of the mountains. Today the sky is so blue and clear, it almost doesn’t look real.
Psalm 24:1-2 “The earth is the Lord’s, and EVERYTHING in it. The WORLD and ALL its PEOPLE belong to him. 2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.” I find that to be so true…I realized that my mere LITTLE problem is very much that...LITTLE! As I look at the peak of the Tatry Mountains all I can think is that I just want to be up at the top on the edge with my arms wide open shouting to the Lord just how incredible he is. We are surrounded by speechless beauty that we don’t always stop and look to appreciate what the Lord has created to such detail around us…all the way to the little yellow flowers that pop up in between the gobs of weeds, or the way the trees blow to the sound of the wind.


Take a moment today and embrace the beauty around you...sit still and breathe it in. It is worth it!

Graduation time again...

The way you know it is gradutaion time here is when you hear all the noise in the streets (picture above). When students are about to graduate from highschool, tradition here is to walk with your class through the streets and sing, twirl the noise makers and carry a sign with pictues all the students in your class that are graduating (their graduating classes are much smaller then ours in the states so they can fit their whole class on one big poster board). It is also a good idea to make sure you have change on you b/c some of them will come up to you and you are supposed to give them money to go towards their senior class and they in turn will give you a piece of candy.

Friday, as I was walking through the streets I got stopped several times. I made them speak English before I would give them money. It is fun and neat to watch them shout with excitement through the streets! I am not sure how well that would go over in the States since most of our graduating classes have close to 1000 people in them. Although it would be interesting to see.

STARBUCKS...is it really that serious?

I am not sure why we American's freak out everytime we see a Starbucks...I mean isn't Europe supposed to have some of the finest coffee and tea???

Well my friend Amy and I drove to Vienna, Austria to pick up our other friend, Kenric. We sent him an SMS (text message for those who call it that...) to bring us a STARBUCKS coffee when he came out because there is one inside for passangers as they get on and off the planes. Funny how we know where all the Starbucks are around here...like which countries have them and which ones don't.

So this is Amy and I excited about our latte's from Starbucks!

YEAH I am back

I arrived in Slovakia on May 3rd...I got here just in time for our spring conference in Czech Republic. Ironic how I broke my leg in November in Czech and returned to the same place this past week. I was so excited to return. I had mixed emotions knowing that I was leaving family and friends (and a FIANCE') but also was ready to return to my ministry here in Slovakia. When I arrived in the NY airport waiting for my connecting flight to Czech, I heard all this Czech language around me and began to grin. I loved it. I knew I was close to home.
Our conference focused on spring renewal and renewing our spirits. It was a great conference and much needed. I think we all need to be revitalized and ready for a fresh start. It was a great time to catch up with the JV family and hear about their lives and share with them what the Lord has been doing in mine since I was MIA for 5 months. I got to know several more of the women in JV and found our conversations to be precious. What a blessing working for JV is...the people among this team are so amazing and fun to work with. Even only being part of the team for a short time it was nice to know that I was missed and thought of. So many people expressed their concern and love for me when I returned. It was comforting to know I am among some of the most Godly people I know. I love my JV family.

Once I returned to Slovakia at the end of the week I had this refreshing weight lifted off me. It felt like I was were I was supposed to be. I grinned from ear to ear when I pulled up to my flat and things were familiar again... the life that I was adjusting to and that the Lord put me in was all back in front of me again.

Over the next couple of week I will be moving into a new flat for the summer. I will be right in the center of town. So it will be a bit more convenient. The place I am moving into is not an actual flat but a small dormitory type room. It will be perfect and comfortable for the summer.
Once I get moved in I will get some pictures of my new place.

Camp starts in about a month so we are on CAMP MODE and busier than ever. More to come...

MACs for dummies

Okay so I have been on line for over an hour now to try and update my webpage...Macs are supposed to be the easiest computer to operate and very user friendly especially for those of us who are what you call "computer illiterate" or in my case, my computers hate me!

I knew that Mac came out with a new webpage program called iWeb and it is synced to all your programs and really easy. Well I have yet to figure out how to use it and thought I could still use the old .mac homepage until I figured it out. Well folks, I am not so sure that is the case because it will not let me do that.

I hope you can be patient with me while I figure out what I am supposed to do. I want to post new pictuers and keep you updated with all the people I meet...but first things first, gotta figure out this new program. Hopefully it will not take too long and it will be ready in no time.

A time of relfection

Hey all! I feel like the last two blogs have been a sad display of me not keeping you updated as promised. I am so sorry for the delay in updates but I am here to say that I am back on top of things and ready to roll.

I had a wonderful time with family and friends in the states and really seeking the Lord in many areas of my life. I questioned many times why the Lord sent me home with such an intricate break in my leg (operation and all) and could not figure out why after he just sent me to Slovakia why he would turn around and send me home for 5 months of recovery???? I have learned in the process that it is the Lord's will and not ours...

The verse Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message) came to mind during my visit home:
"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

He proved this to me over and over during my time at home whether it was through conversations or places the Lord led me. During my time home I got a lot of time with my immediate family and cherished every minute of it. It was precious time with each one individually and together. I always love time with my family and the fellowship we have. I had a hard time letting them be servents in my life as I like to do everything on my own. So many people stepped up to the plate to help me get around while I was on crutches for many months. I am thankful for the relationships the Lord has put into my life and thankful for the new ones that developed while I was home in the states and would not have happened if the Lord did not send me there. One of these relationships in particular happens to be a man named Bryan Barton. During our time together we became very drawn to each other and really felt the Lord's hands molding our relationship into something much more than either of us expected...with that being said, I am ENGAGED! Yes, it is true! I would love to share with you more, so please feel free to email me.



Also while home I got to be a part of my brothers wedding in Pensecola, Florida. It was gorgeous and the perfect wedding for he and Misty (my new sister in law). We had so much fun celebrating their special day. As an odler sister (younger to him...he's the boss in our relationship) it was refreshing to see my brother enter into a new phase of life full of so much joy. He is my best friend and brother and I could not have asked for a better couple to unite then them.



As you can see the Lord's' hands were in many relationships during my time at home. I am glad I trusted him to return for my recovery.

Thank you all for continuing to support me prayerfully and financially. This would not be possible with out each one of you.