A Day in the Life of Camp

Many of you know that the area of ministry of JV that I went overseas for this summer was to help with summer camps.  These camps are called KECY – [K]conversational English Camps for Youth.  All of the promotion we had done earlier in the summer, paired with word-of-mouth and (of course) God’s pure grace, brought the students in from all walks of life.  This is what I’m most excited to share with you!

I wanted to share what a typical day at camp looks like.

7 am – Morning meeting for staff… our daily devotions, sharing and prayer time, and basically getting ready for our day.

8 am – Breakfast!  Get our campers up and share some čaj (tea) and Slovak breakfast – bread/meat/cheese.

9 am – Morning program… CAMP DANCE!, announcements, general fun things.

9:15-11 am – English class… students were placed in a class and they stayed in the same one all week.  The teachers are all Americans, coming over for a week to teach English and share God’s love.  Class consists of lots of fun and games, all conversational (not very much written content).

11:15-12:15 – Initiatives.  This is the hardest to explain.  It’s kind of a low-ropes course/team building time.  The teams (English classes = teams) are given a task and the tools to complete it.  For instance, one of our tasks was getting a cup of water out from a chalked square with using only the supplies given to us.  It actually reminded me a lot of RA interviews.  Afterward, they would have time to de-brief their time together, all in Slovak.  Many times, it led to deeper discussions about their personal lives and their thoughts/opinions on things.

12:30 – LUNCH! … and a really long, much needed, break.

2:15-4:30 – Activity time… this was all planned and executed by the Slovak team.  These activities were always so varied so it is hard for me to explain them to you, but they were always so much fun!  One of the favorite activities was Hu-tu-tu.  I will probably explain this in another blog… it deserves a post devoted to it.  Sometimes this consisted of a “small” hike, an obstacle course, or water games.

4:30-6 pm – US Sports/Crafts time… The Americans would teach sports like baseball, American football, ultimate Frisbee, dodgeball, etc.  If you weren’t into sports (ahem, sound like anyone you know?) you could craft!  The Slovaks and Americans shared this responsibility and we always had really fun crafts – journals, wooden crosses, silk painting, bracelets, etc.

6 – Dinner!!!

7-8 – Break… again, much needed.  This is also when we would have a short production meeting for the night.

8-10 – Evening program… CAMP DANCE!, announcements, some videos, the band would play and we would sing and dance, ice breakers, a talk (it was the story of the Prodigal Son, unfolding throughout the week), and transitional stories (personal stories that related to the theme of the day).  After this, we would have time for discussion groups – all in Slovak – when students could discuss what they heard, expressing their opinions was encouraged, even if their opinions did not align with God’s truth.  It was a time for them to open up, to be heard, and to hear out their peers.

10-midnight – E-night… this stands for Environment Night.  Each night had a theme and the idea is to carry conversation into another part of the night, in a less intrusive environment.  We had nights such as Slovak (Špekáčky (read: a large sausage) over a fire), American (s’mores), Casino, etc.  We got to hang out, have fun, and get to know the students on a deeper level.

Midnight – lights out… yeah… right…

Every day followed this schedule except for Day 4 (halfway through camp) when we would take a camp-wide break and do an all-day activity.  It varied by camp.  I did something different at every camp.  I heard of things such as: hikes, Survival, playing an all-day game, scavenger hunts, etc.  It was always intriguing!

KECY 2012: Greater Th>n

One last thing I wanted to touch on… themes!  These were essential to each day and many camps centered everything around these themes each day – games, activities, everything!

Day 1 - > Good Life
Day 2 - > Wild Freedom
Day 3 - > Chaos
Day 4 - > Hope
Day 5 - > Me
Day 6 - > Rules and Expectations
Day  7 - > Goodbye

Clearly, Greater Than > was our theme.  J

This was a pretty general overview of what camp looked like for me this summer.  Like I said, each camp was different and really, this is just hoe Slovakia organized their camps.  JV is in many countries and it looks different in each one! 

If you have any questions about a day in the life of camp… let me know!  I’m going to give specific stories from each of my three camps in future posts!  I’m excited to tell you about how God is moving!  J

Until then,
xx

Budapest

We took an intern trip to Budapest!  It was a two-night, three-day adventure.  I have never been to Budapest and I loved every second of it.  It was a gorgeous city and we saw so much.  I am not sure what to write about though.  Ever have one of those?  You know that you saw so much and did so much, you had some great experiences, but.. you don't really know how to tell other people about it?

I mean, I can tell you all about the castle and how gorgeous it was, especially at night.  I can tell you about seeing the amazing architecture.  I can tell you about sitting in the coffee shops in the morning and having quiet time while looking out at the Basilica.  I can even tell you about sitting by the river, looking across to the other side of the city while discussing God's awesome power and plans.  But, none of that will do this trip justice.  So, instead, Miriam is so graciously allowing me to use some of her pictures to show you what we saw.  :)  I hope that is okay with everyone.  If you want to know more - just comment me, skype me, or FB me.  OK??  Here we go!!!

Our group on our way up to the castle.

The beautiful view.

Sitting by the river having awesome conversations.

Getting silly!

Lovely ladies.

The city at night.

More posts coming soon,
xx

Bratislava

So... there may or may not have been one free day in our intern schedule this summer.  (HINT: there was.)  Being us clever/crafty/intelligent/wanderlusting young people, we decided that we should not use this day for rest, as was intended.  Rather, we wanted to use it to explore some of Europe's finest.  You may be thinking, "That's crazy!  They should be sleeping!" or "They shouldn't be spending that money on traveling!" or maybe even, "Oh, those darn interns... always causing trouble."  But... the fact of the matter is... it. was. awesome.

Most of the interns decided to go to Prague.  Now, I know that Prague is amazing and I know that many of you are aware that it is one of my favorite cities in the world.  However, I had another plan in mind.  Once one of the other interns seconded my plan... there was no stopping us.  This was the plan:
Take the train to Bratislava... see the Chase's... sightsee... sit in a coffee shop and talk for hours... return home.  What happened was even greater than this plan!

The Chase's are the newest missionaries for JV in SK.  They have two daughters and two sons.  And, in case you are wondering, they are fabulous.  I got to meet them at our intern picnic and knew that I wanted to get to know them better, had I an opportunity.  Well, this free day was just the opportunity I was looking for.

Mir and I called them and asked if we could see them... their answer was beyond great.  They said not only could we come and see them, but we could stay the night at their new house!  :)  So, we came back from our HCV and hopped on a train that night to Bratislava.  It was so amazing to see all of them!  We talked for a long time before heading to bed.

The next morning, we and the kids took a bus into the city centre.  We did a lot of walking around.  The boys knew a lot of history about the city, so it was super interesting.  We ended up walking up to the castle and looking out over the city.  We could even see Austria from the top of the castle!  How cool?!  Josh ended up coming soon after that and the boys went and had "bro" time with him.  The girls continued on our merry way and had some really good talks.  We went and had bagels for lunch (a rarity here in Europe!) and yes, we eventually got Coffee and Co  :)  YAY! YAY! YAY!  However, looking back --- this day was a scorcher!  It was so hot outside.  I remember being thankful I was only wearing a dress because it was only one piece of cloth and it was thin.

We ended up at this mall... and I thought to myself, looking out over the river - this is almost exactly like Milwaukee.  Could I live here?  Could I move here if God asked me to?  The answer was booming out of my chest... "YES!!!  I will follow Him where ever He leads me!"  The answer in my head... "Not so much."  So, clearly my head and heart have some things to work out.  ;)  We sat in a bookstore for 40 minutes while Ally attempted to read us a children's book in Slovak.  Then we went out and sat by the fountain and just talked.

Josh came and picked us up... man oh man... that drive home was something special.  I will never ever forget it.  We managed to fit 7 people in a car.  Not saying it was legal, just saying it was fun.  I think I laughed more in that car ride than I have in a long long time.  We missed a few turns and the trip took a bit longer than expected.  Gavin kept popping up from the back and asked if he should wave at the strangers in other cars to "make their day a little brighter."  :)  Ian tried really hard to follow the GPS, but it kept changing on him.  Ahhhh - I wish I could share all that laughter with you.

So, after a delicious dinner and a beautiful time with friends, we drove back to Zilina.  I cannot describe to you how much this trip meant to me.  It was much needed.  I loved getting closer to the Chase's and Mir.  God is moving so swiftly here and I get to see glimpses of it every day.  How lucky am I?!  In case you were wondering, the other interns had a really good time in Prague.  It was great meeting back up with everyone.  When we are seperated, its almost like we are apart from our family.  Being reunited is an amazing thing!

Okay, so I loved Bratislava!!  I hope I get to upload some pictures at some point!

Until then,
xx

Host City Visits: Roznava

Well, well, well... my third and last HCV.  I must say, God knew exactly how my heart would respond to the people in Roznava.  It was a moving time.  I was able to connect to a lot of the people in their youth group.

I really wish that I could put into words the experiences that I have, or at least... better words.  I don't really know how to convey the things I see and experience with all of you.  I can tell you - I really connected with this person, we had some really good talks, but I don't think it does the situation justice.

Anyway, in Roznava, we spent so much time with the team and formed some great friendships.  I felt like I gained new family.  I did not want to leave at the end of the week!  I think it was the closest I got with a group of people in one week (just wait, that will change in my post about camp).  I got to hear a lot of their stories and how God is working in their lives.

The school vistis were truly amazing.  It was the best few days of visits I could have asked for.  Students (generally) were super receptive.  We had a lot of great feedback.  I wanted to tell you guys one story that will forever remain in my heart.  I was with a fantastic group for promotion and we entered a class full of younger students (14-15 years old).  We came in with a lot of energy... but we hadn't had a lot of responsiveness earlier in the day.  When we were having introductions we asked one student who is favorite futbol team was.  I cannot remember how he responded, but one girl started yelling profanities at him.  It was a scary way to start the day... I was definitely praying for smoother sailing the rest of the class.  Then, the kids actually responded to us!  They loved playing the icebreakers and actually started chanting names for people who they wanted to win!  We got done and had a bit of discussion group time.  When we shared the details about the camp and asked if anyone wanted a registration form, almost every student raised his/her hand!!!  We ran out of forms!!  It was incredible.  We ran around and gave high fives to everyone and they were cheering us on as we left the room.  It was insane!  God totally changed the feeling in the room and hopefully a lot of the students will come to camp!

I hope that this story is an encouragement to you; it definitely is to me.  Please realize that your prayers and support are appreciated... they are working to further the Kingdom!!

This was my last HCV.  It was bittersweet.  I will not get to return to Roznava, but they friendships I made there will definitely last.  I'm so thankful that God allowed me to experience these visits and even though they were hard sometimes, they were worth every second.  I'm so excited to tell you guys about the intern trip to Budapest and camps!  I will try to get them posted before I leave for my second camp! :)

Thank you again, for being part of this ministry with me!  God is really moving in SK!

Many hugs from miles away,
xx

Host City Visits: Zilina

My second HCV was to Zilina.  This was kind of strange because our home base is in Zilina.  It didn't feel right not leaving the city... but, I must say that I formed some really great friendships.

One other intern and I stayed with this adorable girl, Miska.  Her family was so open and took us in and gave us so many wonderful things.  Her mom always cooked delicious meals for us and her parents took time to talk to us for a few hours one night.  It was truly a blessing to be staying with them.  They reminded me a lot of my parents... they were so sweet and helpful.

School visits in Zilina were interesting.  It was kind of cool because then I got to see the students out on the streets.  :)  Students were a bit more receptive, but it could have just been my perspective of things.  We had two 45-minute classes... gym classes... it was so different than what I was used to.

Again, I got close to the youth group... I am so excited to see them again in a few weeks!  I have been missing them!  They are a younger group, but have some great leadership among them.  I will be the only intern there for camp, so it is important for me to really be focused in on their group and learn more about their dynamics.

Actually, apart from the HCV, they invited me to a picnic in the park.  It was their church service, but outside.  It was so great!  Bekah came with me!  It was so interesting to see their culture in a different way.  It was this huge potluck type event... except, there was way more food than I was expecting.  I got so full off of snacks that I didn't have any room for lunch!

Miska asked us to help lead games for some kids and that was so adorable.  They loved us - being older and American and it was so interesting to see how they followed our every move.  It reminded me that we should be following Jesus like this.  Clinging to Him and living as He lives!

I'm so excited for this camp - not only is it a great youth group, but it will be my church coming!!! :)  I am excited to see everyone and get to know them on a deeper level.

Until next time,
xx

Host City Visits: Banska Bystrica

My first HCV was in Banska Bystrica.  It was the first week I arrived in Slovakia and I really had no idea what to expect.  It was the epitome of flexability... which, if you know me, you know is not my forte.

I was staying with another intern, thankfully.  We stayed with an older couple, Dano and Betka.  They did not speak any English, and we did not speak any Slovak.  We did not have a phone or internet.  We were completely reliant on other people and kind of just flew by the seat of our pants!  It was such a strange concept for me. We didn't have much translation, but then their daughter and neice came.  They were so sweet to us and always had plenty of food available.  :)  I wish I could describe what it was like staying in other people's homes, but I think it really is just something you have to experience for yourself.  It is a pleasure and a challenge all at the same time.  I am so grateful for their generosity and willingness to serve Him by taking us in!

The school visits themselves were kind of difficult.  The students were receptive, but hesitant.  It is hard to judge Slovak interpretations.  Sometimes they look so disinterested, but come to find out, they loved every second of it.  I also think that this being my first city, it was just awkward to stand up in front of a class and promote a camp... but with time, it became easier --- and more fun, really!

The best part of the entire week was hanging out with the youth group.  They took us in as family and treated us like brothers and sisters.  They had a special bond fire night and we could look out over God's creation.  We watched the sun set and it was so majestic.  The most memorable and touching part for me was when someone pulled out a guitar and started singing.  They sang in Slovak, and we sang in English.  The mixture of the two languages just singing out to Jesus, worshipping Him, and lifting His name up... intoxicating.  I didn't want the night to end.

I actually go to this camp next, so we will see how it goes!!

Stay tuned,
xx

Host City Visits: Overview

Hey-o!

This is a super quick post to tell you guys what the heck I'll be talking about in my next three posts. As an intern, one of my responsibilities is to go on Host City visits. These visits are with a team of interns (usually about 3-4) and are in cities that we have churches sponsoring camps. This is basically a team building and promotional time. The three cities I went to are: Banska Bystrica, Zilina, and Roznava. I'm just going to give a general schedule of what a visit looks like and the next three posts will be about the visits.


Friday:
Travel day and arrival in the Host City.  We would also usually hang out with the youth group this night and participate in their club.  It was a great time to get immersed in their culture and get to know people.


Saturday:
We would usually wake up and hang out with the youth group students all day.  We did fun activities like go to castles, palaces, have parties, go on hikes, etc.  This was team bonding time... they got to know us, we got to know them.  It was pretty great.  It was important to build the team so we could have unity as we would go into schools later.  It was also just really fun.  Some of my best talks were on these days.  We would also usually have our checklist meetings this day.  It was just a time for the intern team to check out where the national team was in their planning/preparation.  It gave us a clear picture of what still needed to be done and what we could be helping with or if we needed to communicate anything back to the US team.


Sunday:
We would go to church at the church sponsoring the KECY camp.  We were usually introduced to the congregation and did a short promo there.  It was fun to see the different denominations we are working with and the different cultures at different churches.  Everyone liked hearing from Americans, especially when we tried to speak Slovak.  ;)  We would usually be invited into peoples' homes for lunch and then have time with the youth group later.


Monday-Wednesday:
These days were for school visits.  It definitely depended on the city how many we had and what we were doing.  Sometimes we were only give 10 minutes per class, sometimes we were given 45.  It really just depended on the school and the relationship the team had with the schools.  The longer we had, the more relationship building we could do.  We played games and did mini discussion groups.  Sometimes students were really receptive, sometimes... not so much.  After each day at schools we would have an "afternoon" activity that we would invite the students to.  It varied depending on the youth group and the city.  Sometimes we would go on hikes, sometimes we would just play sports and hang out.  Sometimes we would have a lot of students show up for these... sometimes we would have none.  So, as you can see - it was a time to be flexible and have fun with students.  


I hope this gives you a pretty good idea of what a visit was like.  In my next few posts, I will go into a bit more detail about the actual youth groups and who I met and what I did.  But, I wanted to make sure you had some form of reference as to what I was doing.  The entire point of these visits was to build up the team, encourage unity, make sure everyone was on the right track, and promote camps to students and get them excited about coming. 


As always, if you have any questions - post 'em in the comments or shoot me a message!


Looking forward to more updates!
xx

Training in Malenovice

I wanted to give you guys a bit of an overview of what training at Malenovice was like.  Hopefully when I get home, I can do a photo update so you can see the views.  It was spectacular!

After the race, we ended up at Hotel Malenovice.  It is owned by the Czech team there... kind of like Kompas belongs to the Slovak team here.  It is positioned in the mountains and you can look across this huge valley to another mountain.  Ahhh!!! Gorgeous.  The hotel itself was beautiful as well.  There were trails around the woods, a patio area, and a cafe/eating area.

There really wasn't a "typical" day for training, but I will try to give a general overview.

We would wake up and get ready, head downstairs to enjoy a delicious breakfast with all of the interns and staff, and by all... I mean over 100 people.  We then had worship and devotional time.  Worship was amazing - one of our interns, Jordan, played bass in the band.  The band was developed when we arrived to Malenovice... so, they had little to no practice time - and they sounded amazing.  Thank you, Jesus, for Your perfect timing and for giving these wonderful people talents that they were willing to share with us!  Devotion time was led by Rob Trenkman and he did a fabulous job of leading us through developing a further understanding of the Holy Spirit.  Wow... just wow.

After woship/devotion, we had a speaker of some sort.  It really depended on the day and what we needed training on.  The first day it was Dave Patty - President of JV!  What a treat!  He is a fascinating man and had a lot of wisdom to share with us.  Other days we had Rob Chestnut and/or Nate Hughs, Kristy Williams, etc.  Everyone had a specific role to play and a different topic to train us on.  We did personaility training, team building, English class training, etc.  It was a lot of laughter and a lot of trying to stay awake... we were all still pretty exhausted from the race.

We then had a fabulous lunch as an entire group.  This was some of the most special time for me.  I got to bond more with the SK team, but I also got to meet new people.  We usually had break after this.  During break I would either attempt to find internet, go for a walk around the property, chat with new friends, or sleep.  Pretty standard.  We would sometimes have breakout groups or workshop type activities that were fun to attend as well.

We would meet back up for dinner and then head into our second program.  We would have worship time... :)  We would then hear from a national from one of the Eastern European countries.  They would tell us their story and how God is working in their life.  It was a powerful and encouraging time during training.  It gave me a deeper understanding of what God is doing here and it gave me more of a feeling of purpose than I had before I came.  Then we would have Bill and Bobbie Trenkman, Rob's parents, speak.  Woah.  They were so full of passion.  They had amazing stories of how they had seen God work.  They are now working as missionaries in Romania!  It was an impactful time.  We spent a lot of time in the Word and began to understand our roles here this summer.  I am so thankful for them and all they are doing!!!

After evening program, we would have the rest of the night to ourselves - they always had delicious desserts for us afterward.  I spent a lot of time outside after program - the SK team loved the playground!  It was a great time to just sit and talk about what we had learned.  Truly amazing.

I did just want to touch on the last night.  We do something called the "Labyrinth" at camp.  It is a series of stations, each asking you to meditate on something, ultimately leading you consider God's role in your life.  So, we, as interns, got to go through the Labyrith.  It was a very moving experience.  I am excited for students to go through it this summer.  We also got to take Communion with our team.  What an amazing experience!  We were able to just let everything go and focus on Him.  It still makes my heart race, just thinking about it. :)  Then, we had this really raw worship time.  It was so encouraging to hear and see these people surrounding me just singing to the Lord of Lord's.  It was almost like what I imagine Heaven being... surrounded by my brothers and sisters, just praising Him.  Ah... it was wonderful.  As we ended the night, we stood in this huge circle and laid hands on each team and prayed for their team and the summer they were about to embark on.  This was the most powerful part of my trip so far.  I loved getting to pray for my new friends and send them off to do His work.  It was so impactful and encouraging.  Hearing people pray for you and what you were about to do this summer... wow.

So, that is a pretty general overview of what I did at training.  I am extremely grateful for everyone who put training together.  I know it takes a lot of work and I must say, it was worth it on this end.  I got to meet so many people that I know I will keep in touch with, even though we are not even serving in the same country.  I got pretty close to some of the people on the Poland team during meal and break times... I am missing them!!  Also, I got to know some of the Estonia team.  I hope all is well with them and am praying for their ministry this summer.  I hope you will pray for my fellow interns in other countries as we all work for the Almighty God, bringing students in Eastern Europe to Christ.

If you have any questions about training, or what kind of goofy things happened while we were there... let me know!

For my fellow interns who may be reading this... "Hey little buddy... what's up??  ... LUNCH!"  :)

In Him,
xx

Amazing (g)Race

This may be one of the most fun posts I write. I am so excited to tell you all about my time on the Amazing Race!! It's long, I apologize, but I decided instead of making this a multi-post topic, you can read as much as you want... if you are bored... no worries. I won't feel bad if you don't finish it. ;) First of all, I should explain what it is for those of you who are thinking, "wow... I thought she was going on a mission trip, and now she is talking about the Amazing Race... hm?" No friends, I was not on TV and you will not see me make any guest appearances... but I did get to race across a couple countries in Eastern Europe with my wonderful intern team!

The Amazing Race is the first large team building activity we do as interns with JV. It is designed to strengthen your team and bring out personaility traits before the summer begins. This helps show the team how to handle conflict from the get-go. It is designed to be frustrating at times and trust me, it was. We started in Krakow, Poland and raced to Malanovice, Czech Republic. It started Tuesday afternoon and we were done around Thursday afternoon... so 1/2 day, full day, 1/2 day. Most teams fly in from the US and race straight away. Our team had been in SK for a little over a week doing our first Host City visit beforehand... so we kind of had an advantage. I won't tell you all of our "roadblocks" but I'll go into detail about a few. Basically, we are given a set amount of money, one clue, and our backpacks that we packed... one, two, three, GO!

Roadblock: WWII Airforce Museum
Our first clue was in Polish so we needed to get it translated. It led us to an airforce museum. There, we were given a code that we needed to crack. The clue said that we could ask for help - but it would "cost" us. Well, we didn't want to use our set amount of money, so we attempted to solve it without asking for help. Unfortunately, we needed to ask for help after 20 minutes because we had NO idea what to do. It turned out that we didn't have to pay in money, but in energy - we had to run around outside the museum and look for airplanes and report back their names in order to get a clue. So, it took us a little over an hour to finish this ... ultimately setting us pretty far back.


Roadblock: Puppet Show
This was the second day. We had previously needed to get someone to read us a story book (in Polish) while we sat in a circle and listened. Well, later, we needed to create a puppet show about the story we had heard, which was also a Polish legend. One of the interns was smart and had asked the nice man who read us the story to tell us what it meant. So, we went off of what he said - did the puppet show - "Incomplete." Ohhh cheesy pita!!! (<< this is one of our fun sayings and what I am now trying to say instead of "oh, crap!" because I think it sounds so much more pleasant!) We tweaked the story a bit and tried again - "Incomplete." Gr. Bekah and I ran to a souviner shop and found the exact book in Polish with an English translation. We read it, came back, did the puppet show - "Incomplete." So, we ran back, took pictures of each page and basically read the book verbatum - "Incomplete." We had been asking locals this whole time, but apparently the fifth time was the charm... we got all of our details in order and added a wedding to the end of the story... "Complete." Finally. It took five tries - and this may sound like it wasn't too bad, but it was. We had to wait in line after every time we screwed up and we watched teams get it right the first time... it was hot and we were tired... and frustrated. This was collectively our least favorite challenge. Which... is what the race is kind of about!

Roadblock: Food Challenge
Each year, the race has a food challenge. This year, it was at H2O, the Polish headquarters. We had to walk around 5 kilometers to get there... in the dark. We finally got to H2O and were looking forward to some dinner... lo and behold - food challenge. We each had to eat a blood sausage and a side of sauerkraut. Let me try to explain this to you... it wasn't the taste - the way Ryan put it, it kind of tasted like black bean burgers. No, it was definitely the texture. It was like mushy rice encased in chewy shrinkwrap... aka the intestines. Not going to lie - I cried. I ate it, but I cried. Being off of my vegetarain lifestyle for a total of like 12 days and having to eat this blood sausage after running the race all day pushed me over an edge I didn't know I had. However, our team definitely stepped up to the plate (punny) and did a great job finishing off our food. We unfortunately had moved from 5th place the first night, to 9th place after this challenge. So... those were the worst (in my opinion) challenges we faced... here are a few of the best - they are all from the last day. There were some fun ones the other days, these were just my favorite.

Roadblock: Olympics
This was a four-part challenge. We had to kayak out to these bouys and collect legos for one task, throw "shotputs" (aka bean filled balloons) up a ledge for the next task, do a relay race with funny relays - crab walk while saying the ABCs backward, cartwheel with a balloon in your mouth, etc.- for the next task, and dive into the pool and find a euro coin amongst lots of other currency in the bottom of the pool for our last task. Our team did so well and really worked together to make a comeback!

Roadblock: Traditional Dance
We walked across the Polish/Czech border and raced to a hostel. There, we learned a traditional Czech dance from professional folk dancers. It was a three-person dance - one boy, two girls - and had a few technical points that we were "graded" on. We got a practice time with the professionals and then performed it without them. They decided if we performed well enough to move on. We actually raced two other teams to the hostel and ended up signing in last - which was a bummer. However, it worked to our advantage because we had more time to practice. So, we ended up getting it on our FIRST try! It was such an exciting moment. It really brought our team joy. :)

Roadblock: Race to Malenovice
Our last challenge was to race from the train station to Hotel Malenovice (where training was held). We had enough money left to get a taxi. However, the taxi could only fit 4 people and we had 8. We called a company and asked for two taxis, and they only sent one. So, we sent half the team... I was in this half. We pleaded with the taxi driver to call his company and send another taxi... he obliged. Unfortunately, his company couldn't send any more because they were all in use. We were devestated. We reached the top of the hill that the hotel sits on and anxiously awaited the rest of our team. It was so strange... we could see the finish line, but we couldn't finish the race. It was a crazy feeling. It was then that I realized how important this team was to me. Not only could I not finish the race without them, I did not WANT to finish the race without them. We had bonded and struggled together. A taxi pulled up and I was holding my breath - anyone could walk out of the taxi ... it could have been another team... but it wasn't! It was the rest of ours!! I was ECSTATIC! I honestly do not think I have ever been so happy to see a group of people in my life. We stepped on the finish mat and took fourth place! Quite a comeback from nineth. :)

All-in-all it was a truly amazing race. I have so much more to say about it, but this post is long enough. I did just want to mention that the title of the post is Amazing (g)Race because if it was not for God's amazing grace, we would not have bonded as a team as well as we did, we would not have learned as much as we did, and we would not have grown as much as we did. I learned so much about the gifts that God will give us, if we just ask. Because, believe me, we were all asking for His grace on this race. We were frustrated, exhausted, starving, thirsty, sore (I had trouble walking for a week after the race!), and kind of just crabby. God's grace is the one thing that spurred me to keep going. If you have questions, or want more details... shoot me a comment or an e-mail! I would LOVE to talk more about it. I hope this gave you a glimpse into what the race is like and how important it is to building our intern teams here in Eastern Europe!

Until next time,
xx

Quick Update Before the Slew of Blog Posts

Hello, hello!
From the title, I am sure you can guess... this is the quick update before the slew of blog posts I'm planning (read: hoping) to get up this weekend! Many of you know, but some of you don't... sadly my tablet broke a couple of weeks ago. This is one of the reasons I have not gotten on here to blog. I am currently using my friend and fellow intern's computer! Thanks, Mir! Therefore, please be patient with me. I promise I will try to update more often, but with camps coming up, that may not be possible.

 The other update I wanted to get out there, that again - many of you have heard about, is the fact that I now have a hernia. Yes, folks, you heard me correctly. A little hernia right above my belly button. We are not exactly sure how I got it, but my current theory is yoga. I was trying to be smart and zen and get some stretching in one night because I haven't really worked out in a while. The next day, I noticed a little bump above my belly button and had Bekah, an intern who is also a nurse, check it out. She has an inclination that it is a hernia - though we haven't had it officially checked out. But this girl has worked in a hospital... I'm trusting her judgement. SO. If you could keep my health in your prayers, it would be greatly appreciated! Okay, so those are my two quick updates... get ready for the "slew" of posts!

Ready?
Set. 
GO!!!!!

What is JV?

It's probably a good thing I waited to write this part of the series (read the first part here). I had a bit of training at TCKompas and I think it will help me speak with more knowledge about the topic. :) Usually I write in a pretty airy voice... but this is a bit more formal and informative. I feel very strongly about JV and what they are doing in Europe. I hope when you read this, even if it seems boring, you will read it with an open mind and heart. This is what I am giving my life to these next few months and what you have supported me for! If you have ANY questions at all, please let me know and I will try to get them answered! (I mean, I hope this isn't too boring... I personally find it pretty exciting!) Josiah Venture, or JV, is an organization that was founded in 1993 by three couples. It is a movement dedicated to reaching the lives of youth (and others) in Eastern Europe. It is currently operating in 13 countries: Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany (focusing on the East), the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, and Albania. Each country has different needs, but they all fall under the JV umbrella. Each country has its own staff and Board of Directors and there are also people working for the organization as a whole. I am so fortunate to work with some amazing people this summer; I'll introduce them as I speak about them in my blog! The vision of JV is, "A movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society." I want you to take a look at that vision. Let's do what I do in school and break it up...

• A movement of God - this is not a stagnant ministry, God is on the MOVE here. He is working in cities and churches like never before! 
• Among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe - this used to just say "Eastern" and it has expanded. JV just added Germany and Hungary to the country list... this doesn't just happen!! God is present and people are seeking Him. 
• That finds its home in the local church - JV doesn't just go into towns and run camps. Instead, we partner with local churches (notice the word is plural?) The organization does a number of things with different denominations: Lutheran, Baptist, Bretheren, etc. JV believes that the churches need to be making a lasting impact on the people so when camps or tours are over, the church can still be sustainable. Cool? I think so! 
• And transforms society. - I have always wanted to work with an organization that is passionate about not only changing a few people's lives, but changing the world! This is a step! Changing an entire society?? It sounds so impossible, but in Matthew, Jesus said that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains - so why not change a society?   Just a few more tidbits about the organization... its mission statement is, "To equip young leaders to fulfill Christ's commmission." We use a variety of programs to advance the movement of God, including: - Discipleship - I willl not be participating in either of the programs specifically designed for discipleship here (Elements and Turbo 316) but I will be discipling students at camp! - Evangelism - This is extremely important; less than one half of one percent of the people in most regions in Eastern Europe are evangelical believers. This is focused on by English outreach camps (like the ones I'll be working at), FUSION (music camps - NEW!), and Exit 316. - Training programs - These are varied throughout the year. I'm involved in a training program called the Summer Intern Program, but I also know, in Slovakia, they have specific training for youth pastors, amongst other programs! Well, that is honestly all I have for tonight. I have so much more to tell you, but not much time to write. I didn't think I was going to take my laptop with me to Banska Bystrica, but I think I may so I can catch up on some blogging on the train! << PS. I cannot remember who I was talking to, but I kept spelling it t-r-e-i-n... I apologize. That is the Dutch spelling and I kept thinking it looked strange, but couldn't figure out why. There you have it! Until next time, keep the faith! xx

On the Plane

Wow! I cannot believe I've made it this far!!!! Only through His awesome power has any of this been possible. I'm on the plane now and will hopefully be able to post this soon (along with the informational post about JV). I finished packing and doing last minute things about an hour before I left my parent's house. I got a call from my bank about then and they told me my Euros came in!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!! We picked that up and then drove to Wausau and chilled in the airport for a bit. It's always sad to leave them when I leave the country. But, thankfully, I always return home. After some tears were shed, I made my way through security at CWA and boarded our tiny plane. I sat next to a lovely girl who was going for Marine training in North Carolina. She was teary eyed too - it was kinship. :) The flight actually took off earlier than anticipated, so we made it to Chicago about 30 minutes early - awesome!!! I had tie to run to the restroom (something I didn't think I would be able to do!) AND get Starbucks... blessed beyond measure! So, I'm sitting at gate C16 and looking at all the people going to Amsterdam, being slightly jealous. Then I realized, I wasn't at my gate. I was supposed to be at gate C18. Oops. So, I booked it over there and met an adorable girl who had done a mission trip of sorts in Poland for a year and a half! Instant bond. We chatted until we had to part ways on the plane. I was worried about meeting up with the guys I was meeting with. I couldn't find them! Then, thankfully I met up with them on the plane!!!!! YAY! They all seem so nice. Granted, I am pretty excited to meet up with the girls and David in Frankfurt. Ah, so yes, the flight to Frankfurt is... interesting. We were delayed by about an hour and a half. I'm in the very back of the plane and am sitting in the midst of four small children. You can imagine how that is going. The two little girls next to me are adorable, though the younger one seems to get her way through screaming and crying. I'm probably not used to this due to the fact that I am an only child. The older one is adorable and likes to chat with me - which I really like. Then there is the baby and sister combo to the right of me. The little baby boy was clearly unhappy during our delay and scream/cried the entire time we were on the ground and a bit during take-off. It was through the grace of God he finally stopped. He is now sleeping peacefully on his mother's lap. Let this serve as a reminder to me to not travel internationally with my small children. It was awful for the rest of us sitting around them. :/ The food is coming now... they even have a vegetarian option, which I'm treating myself to (if they have some left) because I ate pork chops last night!!! Then I'm also going to nibble on a chocolate chip coconut cookie my wonderful mother made this morning and spend some tie in prayer thanking God for my amazing parents, family, and friends. In case you were wondering, after that - I'm trying to get some sleep. Hopefully others will too. We will be getting into Frankfurt late, so we will probably have to hurry to our next gate there. Uh oh, "The Vow" is on... to watch or not to watch??? We will see... I don't really feel like crying. I'll update you soon. Until then, xx

Here I Go!!!!

AHH!  This is it!!!  Today is the day!!!
I'm leaving the country and heading to Slovakia to spend my summer as an intern with Josiah Venture.  Am I packed?  Nope.  Am I ready?  Not really.  Am I excited?  OH YES!!!
Usually days that I leave the country are filled with this strange emotion, part excitement, part dread, part anxiety, part euphoria.  It's strange to have so many different feelings all in one body - especially since they are all so extremely different.  Today is really no different.  I cannot wait to set foot in Europe and feel like I'm "home" again.  But, as always, I'm sad to leave my parents and friends - albeit only for three months this time... not ten.
This has been making me think a lot about missionaries.  They pack up and leave for extended periods of time - usually with little to no direction and just faith in Him to guide them.  They leave familiarity and comfort for a life of ambiguity and obstacles.  So, why do it?  I think my friend said it best when we were talking about this upcoming trip.  We definitely could have NOT been interns - saved quite a bit of time and money (your money too!), didn't have to go through training, didn't need to leave our family and friends for a summer ... life would have seemed so easy!!!  Then she said, "Has God called me to have an easy life? Did disciples have easy lives? Heck NO! I need to step forward in faith!"  BOOM.  If that wasn't exactly what I needed to hear, then I don't know what was.  So, there you have it.  These next three months will be just a taste of what missionaries do with their lives.  Their sacrifices.  If you would, please take a minute now to pray for the missionaries on the field - their lives, the lives they are touching, their families and friends.  Pray for peace and comfort and their safety.  Now, please pray for each and every person they are witnessing to - that their hearts will be softened and their lives will be transformed through the awesome power of our Father.

Okay - so I know I promised more about JV - but I guess I didn't get to that.  I will... soon.

Until then,
xx

Summer Plans - How I Got Here

Hey!
These posts are pretty sporadic and I apologize.  I am clearly not the blogger my heart longs to be.  So many things trump blogging for me.  Maybe one day... *sigh*

I wanted to get a post up about what my plans are for the summer.  Since (hopefully) most of you are checking this out due to the card I sent you with the blog address on it.  :)  If you received one of those "thank you" cards, then I really do - from the very bottom of my heart - thank you for your support.  I could never have gotten to go on such an adventure without it!  If you haven't received one - I promise that it is coming soon!!!  (Please forgive me??  I've had a lot on my plate... but I promise, one is coming!)

Here are some directions:
1. Check back here once a week - I'm going to hopefully be able to post about that much.  Probably not so much during camp... but I will try to keep up!
2. If you want updates in your e-mail about when I post, there is a little place on the side bar to your right.  You can get a little note telling you I (finally) updated my blog! :)
3. Subscribe!!  Or "Follow" my blog in order to get updates.  It also makes me feel special when it says I have new "followers" and then you can also leave comments - which is super encouraging.

Alright - now onto the fun stuff!!!!!  I think I'll be writing this in two parts... "How I Got Here" and "What is JV?"

From the beginning -
I received an amazing job in October!!!  Birthday present - say what?! I went through some pretty intense interviews for a job at Kohl's Corporate.  I gladly accepted it when I got "the call".  (There may or may not have been a happy dance that went along with it...)  They told me I could choose when I started and I chose the June class.  I was SO excited to have my dream job, at my dream company, doing what I knew I wanted to do!!

Then it hit me.  I had just returned from a year in Europe - I was finishing up my final year in college.  And then... then I would go start a job.  It was this huge burden - was I ready?  What about the things I had always wanted to do?  What about moving to Europe?  What about this?  That?  Major. Panic. Attack.  I had no idea where it had come from or why it was happening!  I was just thrilled with the prospect of this job a few days prior, why was I freaking out now?  I knew there was only one thing to do... pray.

I kept asking God what His plans were for me and why He had allowed everything to align so perfectly only to cause me anxiety!  He kept placing missions on my heart.  No way, God.  There was no way I could take time to go do that!  Maybe I could do something locally - through my church?  It became very evident that was not the plan.  It was settled.  I was going to have to start searching for mission trips or keep feeling anxious.

My search was not an easy one.  It started with me telling my parents - they were beyond thrilled.  Okay, that was easy.  Next came my upcoming career... I e-mailed them and asked "Would it be possible to move my start date to September?"  Mind you, this is a Yes or No question.  Their reply?  "You have been moved into the September class - see you then!"  Maybe this is what I'm supposed to be doing!

My parents and I started searching for mission trips online and through friends.  My dad sent me one that was an internship in Guatemala for the summer.  It was intensive training for those who wanted to become missionaries.  I requested more information and started getting really excited about it!  A whole summer in Guatemala?!  I had originally thought I would be going to South America or Africa... but Latin America had never crossed my mind.  As I prayed about it, the more confident I was that this is where God was sending me.  The info came while my mom was visiting and I remember ripping open the package and devouring the information.  I set down the packet and this feeling of dread washed over me.  This was not where I was supposed to go.  I left the information on the table and asked my mom to read over it and tell me what she thought.  She came up to me later that night and I could tell she wanted to chat.  She tip-toed around it for a bit and then came right out and said, "JoDee, I don't think you are supposed to go to Guatemala."  Well, if that wasn't confirmation, I don't know what else would have done it.  Crap, now what?


I had been volunteering with my church's youth group.  I was pretty much at the end of my rope and thought, Maybe my youth pastor will have some advice... right?  He sent me back a lengthy e-mail and directed me to Dave.  He is our Mission Director at my church.  Dave and I worked with the youth together, but I didn't know him very well.  After youth group one week we sat down and talked.  He told me about this organization called Josiah Venture and gave me some literature.  He said to pray about it and let him know.  Hmm... is this where God wants me?


I was pretty excited about this new prospect.  I called my mom and dad and told them.  We were praying about this organization and summer internship.  I read through the literature and the website.  I was waiting for that impeding feeling of dread to wash over me.  It never came.  Instead, immense peace washed over my heart.  Is this it, Jesus?  Is this where You want me to serve?  A few days later, I received a call from Mike.  He was from the organization and just wanted to check in with me - tell me a bit about the program and answer questions.  Wow!  I decided to apply and then I received a call from Josh - also from the organization.  We talked for a while about the position, what it would entail, and what to expect.  He sounded like God had really worked through his life and it was so affirming!  Thank you!!!  This is definitely where You want me!


I cannot say it was easy - there was a lot of doubt and the Evil One definitely tried to sway my decision.  However, I have an amazing support system... probably most of you reading this!  So, thank you - you had to deal with my tears and anxiety attacks... my doubts and fears... listening to me talk hours on-end about this internship... my bajillion prayer requests.  You are the reason I'm still going, still have a smile, and still trusting in Him.  Your kind words, encouragement, prayers, and yes, hugs, have helped me through the hard times.

I'll write about JV soon!

Until then,
xx

UPDATE! Get ready...

Hello, hello, hello!

How about a little update?!

For those of you who don't know - I have been blessed with two amazing opportunities!  You obviously can tell how much I blog... but I want to get some of this information out there so when I do (hopefully) start posting, you can look back on this and it will all make sense.

I was chosen to go to China this past March with a group of students from Stout!  So, therefore, blog posts from that trip will be coming.

I was also accepted to go on a mission trip this summer to Slovakia!  I will do an introductory post about that coming up as well.

So, basically this was just to say - watch for things to start popping up.  Bookmark this page, or sign up for the e-mail notifications... this may be a good way to go since I am fairly sporadic in posting things... it pretty much only happens when I have a spare 5 minutes that I don't need for a mental break.  Apparently, I thought this was one of those times ("no problem!!  I'll just put those 3 presentations, 3 papers, and 2 projects on the back burner!")

Anyway, get ready!!

Much love in Jesus,
xx

Dine: Oatmeal Smoothies

I've been wanting to write blogs about food for a while.  I am not pretending to be a chef or anything!!  In fact, I guess I should preface this by letting you all know that I'm a vegetarian.  I'm sure I will blog about that at a later date.  I really just want to post fun recipes that I find.  I like to think that I am fairly healthy person - with the occasional chocolate binge.  I mean, I'm a normal girl- not super woman!  If I were super woman though, chocolate would definitely be my kryptonite! 

If you know me, you know how much I love smoothies.  I seriously can be spotted with a smoothie most days in class.  I find that they give me more energy than coffee and I usually drink them for breakfast anyway.  I wanted to do my first "Dine" post as a homage to my favorite little drink.  You are probably thinking, "Seriously, J, you are going to tell me how to make a smoothie??"  Yes, yes I am.  I have recently become a huge fan of OATMEAL smoothies!  These can even be made by those of you who do not enjoy eating oatmeal.  I'll tell you why…

Ingredients:

Ice  3 cubes

Milk (I use skim)  1/4 cup

Yogurt (I use vanilla flavored)  1/4 cup

Banana  1 broken into chunks

Almonds (I use cocoa powder covered!)  1/4 cup

Oats (I use Old Fashioned - from Wal-Mart)  almost 1/2 cup

Honey (optional)  Just a drizzle

** The measurements are all approximate - I never measure anything for my smoothies.  In fact, I just reach in and grab handfuls of my oats - so I am not sure how reliable I really am…

1. Blend your almonds and oats until they are almost a powder (this is why you can drink them even if you think you don't like oatmeal - the flavor of the oatmeal is well masked and the texture is completely different!)
2. Add in your liquids first and your solids on top of them.  I've found doing it that way just makes it easier to blend it all up!
3. Blend for a while, I leave it in there a bit longer than a regular smoothies so the oats can really mix in

I have also tried it where you cook the oatmeal first.  I like this when I really want to eat breakfast, but just don't have time to sit and eat.  It has more of a texture to it.  You will need to let the oatmeal cool first, unless you want a lukewarm smoothie.  Unappetizing.

I have also heard of adding in a scoop of protein powder - I do not use protein powder (yet!) but I assume it would be tasty.  There are a million different things you could do with this smoothie.  I have tried it with regular frozen fruit and it does add a different flavor, but I enjoyed it!  The oatmeal gives you fiber and the almonds give you some added protein.  I seriously love these smoothies and hope you will try it out!

Let me know if you do, if you have other recipes, or if you just want to say "HEY"!!

Love in Our Lord,

xx

DIY: Dry Skin Ointment

Mayonnaise-Baby Oil Dry Skin Treatment

Makes 1 application

2 tablespoons real mayonnaise 

1 teaspoon baby oil

> Combine both ingredients.

> Smooth onto face, neck, rough elbows and knees or anywhere else you feel might benefit from it.

> Leave for 20 minutes.

> Rinse off thoroughly with tepid water.

Recipe and other ideas found here!

I've been noticing lately that the winter weather has been taking a toll on my poor skin.  It's like it didn't even stand a chance.  While I was browsing for fun beauty DIY I stumbled across many dry skin treatments.  However, this one only uses two ingredients and I have both of them!!!  I feel most people would.  I, personally, use baby oil to remove my make-up.  I like that there are no harsh chemicals and everything wipes off easily.  If you do not have baby oil you can either grab some from the store (it's super cheap - another bonus!) or you can use olive oil.  I haven't tried it with the olive oil yet, but I have used it before for dry skin.  Maybe I'll do an update with the olive oil version later on. 

This is me with the ointment on my face - it felt and looked like lotion.

Please note the Little Mermaid hot pink headband. :)

I even rubbed some on my hands and they felt really soft!  I left it on my face for the full 20 minutes.  It kind of burned a bit, but I think that was because my skin was really dry.  When I washed it off, my face was REALLY red.  If you try this, I would do it at night - not when you are planning on heading to a coffee date!  ;)  I noticed that I still had quite a bit of dry skin… so I will have to exfoliate a bit better.  I had some ointment left over so I put it in my fridge to use later this week.

All-in-all I think this worked pretty well.  I definitely think exfoliating will help me see better results next time.  Let me know what you think, or if you have another DIY to try!  Post your thoughts/comments below!

Love in Him,

xx

One Thing: We Could All Just Nonchalantly Lean Against the Back of the Bus

This is a short series of blogs about how I brought in the new year.  This is the second post of the series, so if you want to start from the beginning, go here!  This is the actual beginning of the story of my Onething experience. 

I attended the conference with three other wonderful women of God.  We all carpooled to Northfield, MN and met up with a group of students who all attend a Bible study from a ministry called Prepare.  There were about 40 of us, including a family who was chaperoning.  This beautiful family had six adorable children that we were all blessed with during the conference.  We piled onto our school bus and set out for Kansas City, Missouri. 

I believe I slept most of the way - in those crazy positions you can only dream up when you are exhausted on a bus.  I woke up to a strange sound - then the sound of us hitting the rumble strip.  Suddenly the bus was a tizzy, murmurs on what happened, what was going to happen - our bus blew a tire, it was engine trouble, we were going to have to push - all little whispers flying around the bus.  Then, it was as if an undeclared agreement was made and people began to pray.  Not aloud, but you could just feel it.  Our fearless driver, Dave-O, informed us that we had run out of gas.  It turns out that Iowa really doesn't have a lot of places to stop.  He said there was a station in about four miles, but we had been running on E for a while - so he didn't know if we were going to make it. 

I wish I could say that my first thought was to pray… instead, it was to call Triple A.  I forced the urge out of my head, and my friend and I began to silently pray for God's blessing… His favor on our little bus full of people who really just wanted to come and praise His majesty.  The bus started - basically on fumes… we were all so excited, until it died about a mile later.  It was now a little joke to us - people were giggling and we were trying to figure out the best course of action.  Pushing the bus was a favorite… on person made a joke that still gets me in stiches.  We were wondering what would happen if we could just make it up the hill and then it died and he said, "We could all get out and just lean nonchalantly against the back of the bus - no one would suspect a thing!"  Oh man, it gets me every time!  One of the adorable children offered to run to the gas station to pick up a can of gas - I told you they were adorable. 

Dave-O decided to just try as many times as he could to get us as close to the exit as possible.  The bus started and stopped numerous times… each time our faith renewed that God was carrying us.  Then, we saw it.  The exit!!!  Our bus completely died and coasted toward the exit.  We were so close, but we knew there was nothing left in the tank and the exit meant that we had to go uphill and across a bridge.  Dave-O was persistent and started up the bus, which miraculously revved up and we managed to make it up the hill!!!!  Praises were flying - cheers, screams, shouts of joy - we had MADE IT!  We coasted across the bridge and down the hill into the gas station. 

As we got off the bus we were the most joyful kids you will ever meet!  God had just provided for us!  He took our bus, which had nothing, and gave us something!  Isn't that what He's promised?  "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. " ~ Philippians 4:19  God loved coming through for us and we loved experiencing it.  We ran into the gas station with HUGE smiles on our faces, proclaiming His glory - instead of sleepily walking in after riding on a school bus for hours upon end.  What a difference that made!  People were asking us questions, there was ministering going on.  It is so crazy how God can use any situation, even walking into a gas station, to bring glory to Him!

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful.  We arrived in KC safe and sound and got our rooms.  They were very nice and I was so thankful to share it with only three other girls (the last conference I went to, nine of us ladies shared a room - fun, but only a once-in-a-while kind of experience).  We ate some pizza and hit the sheets early because we were so excited to start the conference early the next day!

More to come!

Love in Him Who Provides,

xx

DIY: Face Mask

God has been speaking to me a lot about beauty.  So, I thought - why not share about beauty on my blog?! 

Beauty is not really talked about in regards to God.  Actually, most of the time in the church it is looked upon as taboo to talk about!  Yes, we discuss beautiful character - inner beauty.  But, when have we discussed outer beauty?

Beloved, it is not a sin to be beautiful or to desire to be beautiful!  It is a sin, however, to place this desire above your desire for Jesus.  "You shall have no other gods before me. " Exodus 20:3  Do not make beauty an idol.  Do not spend more time thinking of beauty than you spend with God.  However, you can still paint your nails or curl your hair and do it as an act of worship for the Lord.  He made you in His image and He wants you to know that you are BEAUTIFUL.  He longs for you, as you should long for Him!  As I was doing some research on this subject I came across a website (found here) and it gave me a prayer about longing.  It was so powerful and moved my heart so incredibly much.  I encourage you to read it - and if you feel called, to pray it.  Pray it for a week… a month… a year.  See how your longing for Him increases!

Lord, Your longing takes me by surprise and moves me. You want me to know You, but You never loom or blare. You come quietly, gently, softly, delivering parcels of Yourself and drawing me into Your presence. Forgive me. I have such trouble looking beyond my own longing to see Yours. Open my heart to Your longing, O God; open my heart to your will and way through Jesus Christ!

On that note...

I decided to start trying some DIY beauty solutions.  I'm not a huge fan of spending lots of money on beauty products, so I think this will be a good way to find out what works at a good price!  I have tried a few things in the past, but this will be a new chronicling of DIY beauty tips!

Tonight I tried a face mask called the Miracle Mask.  I found it here.  There are a couple other ideas on there as well that I may try.  The mask consists of honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon… all ingredients that I had on hand!  I cut the recipe in half though -

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

I mixed it all up and thought that it looked a little thick - so I had the bright idea of adding olive oil!  I slathered it all over my face - using every last drop in the bowl.  It was very sticky - so if you try this, you just need to be careful and have some warm water handy.   It smells absolutely amazing and it was really thick on my face.  This (along with the olive oil) led to my downfall.  As the mask started to warm, it started dripping every so often.  Not enough to be a huge issue, but enough to be annoying.  I only left it on for 15 minutes instead of the 30 that the recipe called for - but I feel like that was enough time.  Perhaps next time I would omit the olive oil and try to leave it on longer.

So sticky, but so yummy!

It only took about five minutes to wash it all off with warm water.  I tried to rub in circular motions to exfoliate.  My skin looked clear - but really red.  It stayed red for a while… maybe a half an hour.  I put on some intensive moisturizer and will probably reapply before I hit the sheets.  I'll update you about it asap!

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

This mask worked wonders!  The redness went away after about 30 minutes (maybe an hour) and I was left with soft glowing skin.  The next day there were a couple small whiteheads, but I just used a blemish stick and they went away pretty quickly.  I noticed that it helped alleviate the redness my skin normally has - but only for a few days.  About five days after using the mask, the redness my face normally has began to return.  I haven't had a chance to do this again, but I would like to begin doing it once a week!  :) 

Much love in Jesus,

xx

One Thing: Preparation

This is the start of a short series of blogs about how I brought in the new year.  This is the first post of the series, so if you started on a different post - this might help clarify some things!  It is just a short intro into what One Thing is, IHOP, and how I got there and who I got there with!  You can view the One Thing website here.  You can access a TON of resources and even listen to the teachings I heard!

Just a quick intro - the International House of Prayer University (IHOP for short… not to be confused with the tasty restaurant chain) is located in Kansas City, Missouri.  It has many different facets - a university with different schools (Ministry, a music academy, missions, etc.), mission work, and a 24-hour prayer room … just to name a few.  IHOP also puts on a myriad of different conferences throughout the year and has many influential people come and speak.  The conference I attended is called "One Thing".  It is an annual conference located in KC and has anywhere from 20 to 30 thousand people attend.  These people are all ages, from all walks of life, and from all over the world.  It lasts four days… and get this - you bring in the new year there!  I'll get to that later.  Now, here starts my story.

I was in a Bible study with some wonderful women last fall semester and our leader (and one of my best friends) had casually mentioned that she was going to a conference in December called "One Thing" and asked if we would pray about going.  I was just in this place with God… you know, when He is really moving in your heart.  Well, I started praying about it… not very much - just here and there.  The dates were Dec 28 - Jan 1.  I was talking to my mom one day in November and asked what she wanted for Christmas and she said that she just wanted me to be home the week of her break.  How could I deny her the only thing she asked for?  I wasn't home last year (I was in Europe) and this was all she was asking of me.  So, I figured out that One Thing would take up that break… I told my friend that I would not be able to make it to the conference.

I didn't really stop praying about it though… I kept asking God for more clarity because I felt discord in my heart.  When I was home for Thanksgiving, I mustered up some courage and asked my mom if we could talk about her Christmas present.  I told her about the conference and said that it was the same time that she wanted me home, but that God had placed it on my heart and I felt called to go.  Her eyes welled with tears and she told me that I absolutely had her blessing to attend.  It was beyond what I had expected!  I had felt such a burden because I did not want to disappoint my parents, but they were both so supportive of my attendance. 

I applied and paid the deposit.  Money has been a little tight for me lately since I decided to only work one job this semester and really focus on my last year of school.  What an answer to prayer it was when we received an e-mail that the cost of the trip was reduced by $50!  One Thing itself is completely FREE!  It is a free conference - so you can attend worship and teachings without spending a cent!  I went with a group called Prepare (prepareministries.com) and spent around $200 - which paid for the bus ride down, four nights in a hotel, and three meals a day!  I loved going with the group - as you will later read.  Anyway, it was just a huge blessing to have the cost reduced!

Okay - so that is the start of my story… my journey was pretty epic.  God revealed so much to me and sent some pretty amazing people into my life.  I cannot wait to tell you more!

His Peace and Love,

xx