almost over and sad to leave

This summer has gone by so fast. I can't believe me internship ends in six days. I still feel like a just arrived a few weeks ago and still have months ahead of me to serve the Lord and build relationships with the youth and help run English camps. Time certainly does fly by when you're having fun. All I did was blink and it was the end of the summer.

Lessons I've learned while being in Slovenia:

1) God is in control of all things. ~ I learned this lesson on a couple of different occasions. One place I majorly saw this was when we were promoting camps in Kamnik. The first day we went out there we really didn't have a whole lot of response from the students and they really didn't seem all that interested in camp. Then the second and third days we were out there it was like night and day. The students were more interactive and definitely showed a lot more interest in camp and what we had to say to them.

2) Relying on your own strength is a majorly stupid idea. ~ This lesson was taught to me the heard way. As I was preparing lesson plans for camp and getting ready for camp, I kept thinking about myself and relying on my own strength. I kept thinking, "How am I going to get all this done? Or how am I going to teach students English? I'm not a teacher!" Then, on the first day of class, God showed me what it would be like if I kept relying on my own strength and not His. Basically everything I had prepared for a 3 hour class, I finished in the first hour and a half. So after having a complete breakdown after class was over and talking to my leader, I definitely felt God saying, "Whose strength are you going to rely on? You just found out what it was like to rely on your own. How about you try mine and see how it feels." I learned my lesson.

3) I am not a teacher, but with God I can teach English. ~ I am thankful for the opportunity God gave me to teach English this summer at camp. It has definitely given me a new appreciation for all the teachers I've had over the almost 20 years of education I've had up to this point of my life. I am thankful to God that He has shown me that I am able to teach but I wouldn't make a good school teacher. So it was definitely a good idea that I changed my major from Education to Biblical Studies.

So those are the top 3 lessons God has taught me over the summer of serving Him in Slovenia.

Highlights of my time in Slovenia:

1) Gelato ~ The ice cream here is simply amazing. I think I've had it almost every day.

2) Watching God work in the hearts of the students while at camp. ~ It was great to be an eyewitness as I watched students as they interacted with the Story of God, and wrestled with the different truths from the story. I am thankful for the opportunities that God gave me while at camp to show and explain to students what I believe and why I believe it.

3) Building relationships with the students and showing them the love of Christ. ~ This was a major highlight of my summer. It was great to just hang out with students and get to know them and show them the genuine love of Christ.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I truly appreciate all of you and your faithfulness to pray for me while I've been over here. Please continue to pray for me as I interact and hang out with the students from camp that they will see a difference in my life and want to know more about why I am different.

A Week at Camp: Students

A Week at Camp: Games

A Week at Camp: English Class

A Week at Camp: Camp Dance

Paths

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

In this life, we face many pathways and choices. One path is broad and wide, and easy to travel on. The path is clear and smooth. Unfortunately, as you walk down this path your burden becomes extremely heavy and unbearably difficult to carry. The reason your burden is so excruciatingly painful is because as you walk down this path you are constantly seeking the immediate pleasures this life has to offer. And as you walk, you grab at anything and everything that will fulfill your pressing desires. On this path you are only thinking of the here and now and not the future so you are constantly being weighed down by the pressures of this life to fulfill all your needs and desires.

The other path is narrow and small, and traveling down this path may be a little more difficult. This path is not easily found and is not often traveled. This path is not the easiest path to walk down, but on this path you will find the greatest reward. Unlike the other path, on this path your burden is easy and light because someone has taken your burden and put it on his shoulders. On this path, instead of thinking about what can fulfill your immediate pleasures and desires, you seek an eternal reward which will never lose its satisfaction. As you walk down this path all your needs are met and all your burdens are carried by someone much stronger than you.

Which path will you choose? I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” ~Matthew 6:19-24

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” ~Matthew 7:13-14

Movie Night

So last night we hosted a movie night with the interns which was a whole lot of fun. We had 9 students show up and had a great time hanging out with them, playing games and watching a couple of movies. Please continue to be praying for us that as we make contact with students that they will be willing to hang out with us and that parents wouldn't stop them from hanging out with us. Also pray that we would be bold in telling them about God and what He has done for them.

Venice

After camp got over on Saturday, we were given the opportunity of going to Venice on Monday with the American team. This was not the original plan, but I am definitely glad it worked out this way because I was truly blessed by the American team that came to help with camp and wanted to spend as much time with the them before they left for home. The original plan was to drop off the team at the train station and they would take the train into Venice in order to make their flight home. Unfortunately, due to powers beyond our control when the team went to buy tickets for the train on Saturday the train conductors were on strike. So they we drove over to the bus station and due to the fact that the train conductors went on strike the bus company jacked up their ticket prices so if was going to be an astronomical amount of money for the team to make it to Venice. So as the last resort, we were given the wonderful opportunity of driving the team to Venice and spending the day with them before they flew home today (Tuesday July7).

Venice is an incredible beautiful city and I am so blessed that God allowed us to visit it with the team and to see them one last time before they went home. I will definitely miss them. They were so amazing I couldn't have asked for a better team to work with during camp. We got along so well and we clicked together right from the beginning. I am looking forward to visiting them in Seattle when I get home from my summer internship.

Pictures of our trip to Venice can be found in the slideshow to the left of this post.

The picture below is of us and the American team.

From left to right starting in the back row: David, Kyle, Russell, Ryan, Donny, Alex, and me

In the middle row: Rachel, Jill, Kristy, Kirstin, Marisa, and Alex

In the front row: Amy and Katka

Missing: Chris

Camp Pics

If you notice, to the left of my blog entries, there is a cool little slide show. The slide show is of the pictures I took while at Castle Camp the past week. I hope you enjoy them. If you have any questions about the pictures feel free to leave a comment and I will let you know about the picture. Lastly if you see a picture you like just click on the slide show and it will send you to the album and you can download a copy of the picture you like.

Castle Camp!!!

I just wanted to let you all know that we just finished our first camp of the summer. It was truly great and God worked in amazing ways in the lives of the students who attended camp. I am truly blessed that I can be apart of this ministry this summer. Please continue to pray for all the students who attend camp that they will continue to think over and wrestle with Bible stories they were taught this week. God is Awesome! And I am so in awe of His power and strength because I know it was only through Him that I was able to teach English, play crazy physically-exhausting games, and lead a discussion group all while getting roughly 4-5 hours of good sleep a night. It is through our weakness that He is made strong.

Update on Kamnik Camp:

Unfortunately do to the lack of students who signed up for the camp we had to make the decision to cut the camp. Instead, if we can get about 7 more students to sign up the American high school team will take the students on a roadtrip to Spain and do some unconventional English classes. If they are unable to get 7 more students to sign up we will be running day camps in Kamnik and helping promote the Celija Junior High English Camp which currently doesn't have very many students signed up. So please be praying that the Lord will make it clear what we are supposed to do.

More Pictures

Overlooking Leskovac

Marija, Gaga and I

Making Dinner for the Intern team

Sanja and I

Out of the Saltshaker

Wow, God has been shaking up and renewing my view of the privilege and call we have to share His love and message with the world. I couldn't sum up the book I am reading (Out of the Saltshaker and into the World, Rebecca Manly Pippert) here. Those of you who know me know that I am longwinded :) Instead I will quote some of the lines from the book that have challenged me.

If Jesus left all of Heaven and Glory to become one of us, shouldn' we be willing to leave our circle of church friends or Bible discussion group to reach out to a friend? Ch. 2

When we develop a way of living that places a special emphasis on people, that demonstrates holiness and a dedicated obedience to God, we can't help but be effective witnesses. Evangelism will flow from our lives not memorized techniques. p.51

What does it mean to be holy? Many times I have seen Christians keep themselves at arm's length from their non-Christian friends because they thought they were being Spiritual. Ch 5

We can testify to others by displaying Christ's love through acts of service. We can evangelize by declaring God's truth, the message of salvation. We can evangelize by praying for others and asking the Holy Spirit to move in a demonstration of God's power. None of these tools are sufficient alone.

If we proclaim truth without love, we just make noise and risk turning someone away from God

Loving without ever giving acknowledgement to the source of our love is not enough.

God does the work of salvation. God convicts people of sin, but we are still called to act. We are called to bring the message to the world.

To hide the good news of God's salvation and simply witness through loving presence is not enough for we would be depriving seekers of the knowledge of where they can find hope. Psalms 40:10 says, "I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your faithfulnessa and steadfast love from the great congregation.

Pray for me has I am seeking the Lord on how I can apply what I am learning to my environment back in Oregon. Pray too that I can apply these things as I love and speak truth to students here in Serbia.

Leskovac