Another week in the States.

I've been back in Maryland for almost a week now and we keep ourselves pretty busy :)

In the mornings Shaunice homeschools Gabrielle and then we always go and do something fun. We either wait for Gus to come home from work and then do something fun or we have the car and drive somewhere. They've taken me to all the stores we don't have - Target, Walmart, Ross, Michael's (my favorite!), TJ Max.. and we usually just window shop :)

Since Gabby is homeschooled and needs some field trips, and I wanted to see some museums in Washington DC, we decided to go downtown and explore all the exhibitions. We were planning on doing more on Monday but ended up only exploring the museum of holokaust. It was pretty amazing and horrifying. I learned about Hitler and the Nazi's at school but never connected it to the Bible. I never connected that Jews that Hitler so wanted to get rid of are God's chosen nation.
Anyway, it was a really good exhibition.
We went to see the National gallery of art of Tuesday, and then the museum of air and space. It was pretty great but we were sooo tired that we didn't enjoy it as much as we could. I also had the original Philly Cheese-stake. YUM! (even though I kind of wish it would be a bit more greasy. I guess Americans like to live a healthy life?)

We're not planning on doing anything special today BUT I am going to a Hillsong concert tomorrow with Ashley Nicole, one of the girls that lives here and is friends with the Aikoo's but we're good friends too. And then on Friday morning... we're going to the beach! :) We're going to spend 4 days at Virginia beach and go to the outlet and visit Thomas Powell's church. Super exciting!

Since I still didn't manage to get the internet on my computer, I can't upload any picture but I will soon.

Living with the Aikoo's has been so encouraging and so nice. When we were still in Hungary, we became really close. I see them as my family and living with them for a couple of weeks has been such a huge privilege. I don't know what God's plan is for all of us but I'm hoping and praying He will call us somewhere together. We'll see :) He knows what He's doing. 

End of summer 2012

I think this was one of my favorite and also one of the hardest summers.

Cricket camp was a very stretchy and easy camp. I know those two don't go together but it's true.
It was easy because we knew the place where we had the camp and we only had 11 kids signed up. Why it was stretchy for me is because I had some physical problems that occupied my mind too much and I was too stressed and worried to completely focus on the camp. My ankles were swollen, so was my right knee, and I had no idea why. I tried to rest and put ice on it as much as I could but there was no real progress.
I left Cricket camp before it ended and went to prepare things to Cakovec, Croatia where we had our Performing Arts Camp. It's my favorite camp of the year and I was soooo looking forward to it!

We had around 40 youth come to PA Camp + the same team from Modesto, CA that came last year! That was exciting since we became good friends!
The theme of this year's camp was Light The Night and most of the songs had the word "light" in them. They were amazing songs and this year's program was a lot longer than last year's. I think we did an amazing show  and God touched all of us in a mighty and very powerful way! Youth started thinking about God in a different way, I even saw God moving kids in my discussion group. I loved seeing them think and struggle a bit with some of the questions. My friend Tarisa also accepted Jesus into her life after years of thinking about it and being afraid of making that step! She did though, and we're all soooo excited! :)
God also did so much in my heart. I was very tired and I found myself crying and sobbing in my room a couple of times in that week, just pouring my heart to Him and asking Him for help.
I've had this huge struggle with fear in my life. I think it became really intense when my mom got cancer and was struggling. One of my biggest fears was that I'll get sick and die. The Lord spoke into that lie in May but I still struggled with it. We had a labyrinth night at PA camp and I was at one of the stations where you had to think about something you wanted to get rid of in your life, write it on a rock and throw that rock on the field. You also had to write down something your life is in need of, write it on a rock and keep it. I wrote "fear" on the one I threw away. I prayed over it and told the Lord I don't want it to be just something I did with a rock. I told God I wanted His help in leaving my fear of sickness and death behind. I could see the changes in the next day and by His grace I am able to fight with the fear now and really say no to it and not just let it take control over my life. It's still a struggle, don't get me wrong... but it's different. I'm doing something about it now instead of just laying on the floor, letting it beat me and take my joy.
It was an amazing camp.

A day after PA camp was done I had a privilege to fly to the States for the first time! :) I didn't write about it before because I wanted to surprise one of my friends and didn't want people to know and tell her.
I flew to Washington DC and am staying with my schoolmates from Bible College who live in Beltsville, Maryland. God was very gracious to me and He provided money and time for me to visit my dear friend Callie who was also my schoolmate at Bible College and lives in Phoenix, Arizona. I am staying with her right now actually and I fly back to Maryland tomorrow morning.

I love the States and I actually don't miss home at all :) I love tasting new food (mostly fast food), meeting new people and seeing black people! Love it :) DC is not a lot different than Europe but Phoenix is since it's a desert. I love it here though. Arizona is really clean - you're not going to see trash on the floor, anywhere! It's also very hot but the heat is dry which makes it bearable.

I've been experiencing God's love in a huge way. I know He always loves me and He always shows me His love, in different ways. But the way He's been showing me His love at PA camp and in the States... it's just amazing. The fact I'm visiting my friends in the States in great. But these are not just my friend from Bible College. These people are my family. We lived together for a year and went through a lot in that time. We went to Slovenia and Serbia for a 10-day outreach, we played cards, we laughed, cried, hugged and fought with each other. We became a very close family and I was able to come here and visit them.
I don't know if you can imagine the joy and happiness I'm experiencing and feeling.

I've been asking God to be a specific person to me when I have hard days. When I feel lonely and excluded, I ask Him to be my Best Friend, and He is. When I feel unloved, I ask Him to be my Father, and He is. When I feel sad because I so long to get married and have my own family, I ask Him to be my Husband. And He is. Right now He is being my Father in a huge way. He is loving me, providing for me and caring for His little girl like dads do.
God is pretty amazing, don't you think? Yes, He lets trials come, He sometimes disciplines us... and that's what He has to do. But the way He loves us... wow. I just wish I could love on people like He does. 

Reaching Out To Ghana

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
~ Romans 10:14-15

Africa's been on my heart for many years; something about it just always attracted me. I've always liked adventure and unique things and I always wanted to help people there.
I remember the wish of going to Africa started becoming really strong when I was 15 years old.

I became a Christian 2 years ago, when I was 21 years old. When I got saved, I decided to go to Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe. I wanted to learn how to live as a Christian and I knew I would be making slow progress at home.
I also knew I wanted to be a missionary. I applied for a Bible College Bachelors program but a month in the semester God very clearly spoke to me, saying “You're coming back next semester, and you're applying for the 1-year Missions Training Program.“
And so I did.

The program is very similar to a normal Bible College program but it has some differences. We studied lives of first missionaries to Africa, India, South America... We looked closely at their methods and principals and discussed what we would or could do when we go on a mission field. We also read a lot of biographies which gave me an even bigger picture of how the Lord really works and how big He is.

God gave me a very personal promise in November 2011 – it was the end of church service and we were worshiping the Lord. I was praying about my future and God gave me such a clear picture of a red path, green hills around it and my feet on the path while I was walking towards a near village. He only said one word - “someday”. It was a picture of Africa, and the promise brought so much peace into my heart. I knew that someday I'll be going to Africa to bring the Good News to the lost.

I finished Missions training program in December 2011 and went home. I was praying and seeking the Lord for a month on what the next step was, and He answered by opening a door for me to try different kinds of ministries in my city and my church. I joined an already existing Junior High group, started working in two new Junior High groups, and started helping in two Sunday Schools and in Good News Clubs for kids. God’s been teaching me so much and I can see how He's been preparing me for working with children in the future.

I stayed in contact with some of my schoolmates from Bible College and there was the Aikoo family that I knew was going to Ghana for 2 months to spy the land and decide what to do next. I talked to them in March and they told me they're planning on going to Ghana for a 10-day missions trip with their church in February 2013, and they invited me to come with them. Since I had no idea what I'm doing in September and because I thought there's no way for me to go, I said no. We talked again in May and then it occurred to me “Why can't I go? Whatever I am doing, I can take 10 days off.” And so I talked to my pastor and his wife and got their blessing, got the peace about it from God, and decided to go!

After I got the picture of Africa and God said “someday”, I had no idea He was going to open the door for me to go to Africa for the first time in such a short time! What an amazing God I serve!

My main reasons for going are:
·         to get a real picture of Africa (picture of Africa in my head may not be the same as real Africa actually is!)
·         to spy the land, step out in faith and see if Ghana would be a place where God would want me to go
·         to meet Christians in Ghana and encourage them by helping out with needs they have

The missions trip will last 10 days and for now we only know it will be in the beginning of February 2013. I’ll be joining a team from Calvary Chapel Breath of Life Upper Marlboro in Maryland, where the Aikoo family goes to. I don't know many details about the trip yet but I do know we would fly to Accra, the capital of Ghana, and then fly to Tamale which is the capital of Northern Ghana. We would visit the churches there and encourage the already established churches by giving testimonies, practically coming alongside them for any help they need, evangelize unreached areas (perhaps with skits or dramas) and help in children’s and women’s ministry.

 Would you please pray for:
1. God's guiding hand upon the whole trip
2. God’s protection over us during the whole trip
3. wisdom and discernment on how to work and live in Ghana
4. guidance about my future
5. God's provision





Hope you are well!
Please let me know how you are doing and how can I pray for you.

     

Crazy summer

I can't believe how fast time goes by - it's been almost 3 months since my last update!

May was a month of one day events and endings of Junior High groups + Good News Clubs. We finished those early this year so we could really focus on getting ready for the summer and all the camps!

We had our first camp at the end of June, and it was kids camp in Crikvenica, Croatia. We actually had 2 camps at the same time; English Camp and Gospel Camp! It was awesome and I think it was one of the best, if not the best, camps I've ever been a part of!

 Right after that camp (literally, the next morning) I left for a Junior High Camp in Zgornje Gorje at Bled! We had 20 Junior Highers and it was a really good camp but also hard for me. I never really spent a week with teenagers before (except when I was one) and also, I was tired. The enemy didn't rest as well, as usual. BUT God was great, faithful and SO loving! Our Slovene team really connected and I'm grateful for each of them.

After that camp I was at home for 2 weeks, working at the kids playhouse where I babysit and play games with kids. Sad thing happened - my phone got stolen while I was running a birthday party for one of the kids. Life goes on and God provided another phone :)

We left for KRIŽ July 20. KRIŽ (cross) stands for K-kristus (Christ), R-resnica/rast (truth, growth), I-integriteta (integrity) and Ž-življenje (life). It's a 2-year program for Slovene Christians and this year we added a bit to it. There's another "program" inside KRIŽ and it's called Naveza which means "roped", on the rope. The picture of it is when 2 (or more) people are climbing, they're roped together. One of them is leading but if he falls, the person behind him needs to pick him up and vice versa.

So... I'm a Naveza leader which means I'm leading myself and a girl named Ana towards our goal but I'm not like a mentor. It's a discipleship program (we're learning how to be fishers of men and how to teach others to be fishers of men to teach other to be fishers of men...) but we're both sharing and learning.

I came home today and I'm getting ready for August. It'll be a crazy month. I'll go to 2 camps - cricket camp for kids (it'll be in the wilderness) and Performing Arts Camp.

The schedule is super busy but it's a huge privilege to be God's worker and seeing Him work in Slovenia in a MIGHTY way! He's raising up future leaders of our country and it's just incredible to see them grow in the Lord.

Please continue praying for all the camps and all the kids! We've never seen so much fruit than this summer! The walls of Slovenia are breaking and all we're doing is shouting and blowing the trumpets + believing in God; the rest is all Him.

A good and busy week.

Last week was a busy week but  a resting week at the same time. CEF workers from Slovenia went to Hungary for the conference of CEF Central Europe. Around 180 people came and it was great and amazing to see and hear how CEF works, to meet the president of CEF for Central Europe, the president of CEF for Europe and the president of the whole CEF! The gave us a beautiful presentation/report of how CEF is working, which countries and how many are left. Each central Europe country also told about their ministry and how Good News Clubs and Camps are going.
Our team was quite big - my pastor Zvonko and his wife Dubravka, Metka (my mentor), Alenka, an older lady that helps as a volunteer in CEF, and me from Ljubljana - but another CEF worker Tončka came (she works in Murska Sobota) and she brought another girl , Petra, that's interested in working with CEF. Our team was really united and we had a lot of fun getting to know each other and enjoying our company. We played cards every evening, until midnight!

We only stayed at the conference for 4 days, returned home at 1am and continued our way at 9am next morning, going to Crikvenica, Croatia for our church retreat. We spent 3 days there and we had 150 people from Ljubljana, Radovljica and Kočevje church! We've never had that many people before but it was great! The weather was beautiful and it was really warm. We also had 5 baptisms in the sea, all young people. The theme of the retreat was "Does God still speak?" and Josh was the speaker. Great stuff! And God still does speak! :)

It was a pretty rough week for me because God was stirring up some things. It was phisically good but spiritually heavy. It was a good ending, though. God is faithful and mighty, and He never leaves us.

We're finishing our Good News Clubs and Youth Groups slowly and promoting English Camps big time. We're also preparing Camps. We'll be in the ZOO tomorrow, all day, promoting kids camps. It'll be so much fun! 8 of us will be dressed in fairytale characters - I'll be a ladybug. Hm. Is a ladybug in any of the fairytales? Hm...
I'll post pics soon! :)

New ministry?

A good week ago I talked to one of my friends about prison ministry and how I saw it in other countries but not in ours. I don't even think it's possible to openly do ministry in prison in Slovenia but I never really asked.

This week's Bible Read Through was book of Luke and Acts, and I read Acts in one sit. This was my second time reading Acts; the first time was when I was a 6-month old believer, not knowing anything about the Bible or missions. My view of the book "slightly" changed, if I can put it like that. It was so easy to read it in one take, I loved it! God spoke to me through it and really fired me up for missions again and not just missions in the world but even ministry in Slovenia.

You see a lot of prison ministry in the book of Acts. I started thinking "what crime would get me to prison that I wouldn't hurt myself or anyone else?" Now, I don't want to go to prison but it was a thought. It would be the most natural way to preach the gospel in the prison.
I put the thought aside and went on the bus to the Bible Study. On my way I saw a commercial on the bus, saying "looking for volunteer work? Join us in women's prison to do different workshops, sports... with women there." I just smiled :)

God really put it on my heart to do it. I wrote to the organization, asking for more details, and I started praying that if God would like me to become friends with prisoners, I need to find time. I don't have a lot since my schedule is pretty much booked all week. But nothing is impossible with God! :)

Would you pray with me about this amazing opportunity? I'm super excited and would love to see things move :)

He's got it.

I've had a priviledge to stay in my friend Metka's house for 2 weeks while she went to the States. I had a lot of time for myself, to read my Bible, to gather my thoughts, to listen to sermons, to listen to worship music, to cook and bake which I LOVE and to just feel free and independent. Living with my parents is ok but it's pretty much time for me to slowly move out and live my own life.
I've been reading Luke in the past 2 days and God really spoke to me through verses that have always stood out to me:

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

   “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." - Luke 12:22-31

God just reminded me how I don't trust Him even though I've always had everything I needed AND more, yet... I want to have things under control, I want to figure things out, I want to worry and I keep worrying. What did God say? 

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

He worries for me, I don't have to. It's a good but hard lesson to learn, that's for sure. But it's so crucial and important because if I ever want to be in ministry, I'm going to have to trust God. Even if I won't be in ministry, I'll have to learn how to trust Him. Why would I want to worry when He's got it? 
It's better for me to learn this now than later, even though I think I'll be learning this lesson my whole life. Yet He is so faithful and so patient... and so loving.
Thank you, Lord!