Sorry I skipped, but to be honest, when there were 5 days left, there just wasn't too much going on.
Tonight, though, after a busy day at work, I came home and started to pack!! (I leave tomorrow. Nothing like packing at the last minute...) Now, I can guarantee that I'll forget something here, but somehow it will all work out, I'm sure.
The adventure starts tomorrow, at least for me. After my first full day at my job, I'll jump in my packed car, fill him up, and then head east to Des Moines to stay with my dad, catch up with his side of the family, attend a graduation party for my friends, and then try to sleep before the big day. (Hah, yeah right... Thank God for Niquil!) Not to mention, run around trying to find everything that I don't have yet, like a passport holder and bug spray. Nothing says "exciting trip" like last minute packing.
It's been kind of crazy in my apartment - my roommate, Caitlynn, is going with me and is actually going to be my roommate on the trip!! It's pretty cool, because we know how each other works, and we get along super well. It's just kind of an explosion at home, with both of us packing and trying to clean before we fly out. But such is the excitement of travel, which I love so dearly!
Also, a note of thanks: I have a best friend back at home whose family has supported me and loved me for as long as I can remember, and they sent me a very generous monetary donation, which will be able to pay for some extra treats or fruit for the kids, and the small expenses that come right before takeoff. Thank God for wonderful people who support me through their monetary gifts, their prayers, and their good wishes. All are such a blessing, and they make this possible.
Something to keep in your prayers: It may seem minor, but I seem to be on the verge of fighting off a head cold. NOT something I really want to be doing on a 13-hour plane trip. I'll be packing in the Vitamin C, but definitely keep that in your prayers. I'd rather not be miserable to start this trip off!!
That's about all I have for now. Thanks for your support, everyone. You guys all mean the world to me.
Blessings on all that you do!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
6 Days
6 days!!
One week from today, we will be landing in Riga, Lativa at 1:30ish PM. From there, we will go to stay with our driver, Juris, and his family at their GORGEOUS lake house. It's such a beautiful place; I'm really looking forward to going back to the house, and to his wife's cooking - wonderful food. Absolutely wonderful.
Today, in preparation, I need to start packing. I will leave Seward on Friday, after work, and drive to Des Moines so that I can stay with my dad, see my cousins, and go some friends' graduation party. Monday morning, we'll be getting up BRIGHT and early (not my favorite time of the day, but it's going to be completely worth it,) so that we can get to the Omaha airport by 8:30. Two hours gives us enough time to go through all the paperwork, customs, security, etc. before we board.
Side note here: I am blessed by the people I'm surrounded by, and one of them is my dad. He used to be a pastor, and therefore, has some of the best people skills, is very calming, and he appreciates our mission for what God is sending us out to do. Last year, he prayed over the group before we boarded the plane - probably the best send off I could have asked for. This year, my leader asked if he would pray for us again, and I'm so excited that he'll be my final blessing before we board the plane. What a great way to start the trip!
That all being said, there's a lot to do before I take off on Friday - just three days away!! Whoosta!! And I'm keeping busy in between, catching up with friends, trying to stay active, keeping my apartment clean, and everything else. Such is the life of a college student, I suppose! And I'm loving every second of it!
Hopefully, later, I can put up some pictures of the packed suitcase... We'll see just how well I do.
Blessings on all that you do!
One week from today, we will be landing in Riga, Lativa at 1:30ish PM. From there, we will go to stay with our driver, Juris, and his family at their GORGEOUS lake house. It's such a beautiful place; I'm really looking forward to going back to the house, and to his wife's cooking - wonderful food. Absolutely wonderful.
Today, in preparation, I need to start packing. I will leave Seward on Friday, after work, and drive to Des Moines so that I can stay with my dad, see my cousins, and go some friends' graduation party. Monday morning, we'll be getting up BRIGHT and early (not my favorite time of the day, but it's going to be completely worth it,) so that we can get to the Omaha airport by 8:30. Two hours gives us enough time to go through all the paperwork, customs, security, etc. before we board.
Side note here: I am blessed by the people I'm surrounded by, and one of them is my dad. He used to be a pastor, and therefore, has some of the best people skills, is very calming, and he appreciates our mission for what God is sending us out to do. Last year, he prayed over the group before we boarded the plane - probably the best send off I could have asked for. This year, my leader asked if he would pray for us again, and I'm so excited that he'll be my final blessing before we board the plane. What a great way to start the trip!
That all being said, there's a lot to do before I take off on Friday - just three days away!! Whoosta!! And I'm keeping busy in between, catching up with friends, trying to stay active, keeping my apartment clean, and everything else. Such is the life of a college student, I suppose! And I'm loving every second of it!
Hopefully, later, I can put up some pictures of the packed suitcase... We'll see just how well I do.
Blessings on all that you do!
Monday, May 20, 2013
One Week Countdown Begins... NOW!!!
Let me give this just a second...
Russia Itinerary Calendar
The full itinerary can be viewed best if you have the month set to June.
Also, here's the official countdown to the day I leave:
Countdown Clock!
More tomorrow!!
Blessings on all that you do!
Nope. Still hasn't sunk in that I leave. In a week. On a plane. Overseas. Again.
GOD IS SO GOOD.
Oh man, guys, I'm so super pumped for this trip!!!! Something that I want to try this year is video journals on the blog... We'll see how that goes, but I'll give it my best shot!! :)
Well, as this final week in the States begins, I thought I'd share the itinerary with you guys, so you know where I'll be and what I'll be doing. Gah, so excited for this.... :D
Russia Itinerary Calendar
The full itinerary can be viewed best if you have the month set to June.
Also, here's the official countdown to the day I leave:
Countdown Clock!
More tomorrow!!
Blessings on all that you do!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Why Should I Worry?
Billy Joel's song couldn't have put it more perfectly... "Why should I worry? Why should I care? I may not have a dime..."
Well, except that I do have a dime. Times about 20,507. God worked a miracle on Sunday, and I came away with $875 - exactly $175 more than what I needed to make it on this trip. There were many tears of joy shed on Sunday, and tears of thankfulness.
I love my mother, she shared something along these lines with me:
You know, we always are so surprised when God gives us exactly what we need. However, that's exactly what He promises to do! And yet, every time, we are shocked that we are left without want.
And how true is that? I went to two churches on Sunday to share a little bit about the upcoming trip (13 DAYS, GUYS!!! HOLY SMOKES!!!) and after my sister and I left the first on the way back to our home church, I had her count the money (which, by the way, came solely from a freewill offering,) and she smiled as she turned to me and said "Steph, there's $509 here."
I cried.
I'll admit, I was so scared, so unsure that anything was going to come out of it. The mission donations from that church last week had gone to a young man on his way to China (prayers for him! I believe he takes off for his trip a week before I leave for mine,) and the total had been $100. I was so nervous.
But you know what? I'll bet that he needed exactly $100. I believe that God gives us what we need, whether or not we know we need it, if that makes any sense at all.
Between Ruskin, Trinity (my home church,) and a generous gift from one of my best friends (if you're reading this, you know exactly who you are - thank you!) I am able to go to Russia, to buy gifts for the kids, and to be completely blown away by what God will do on this journey.
That being said, please begin considering my team and I in your prayers. We will fly out of Omaha, Nebraska on May 27th at 10:40 AM, fly through Chicago, layover in Frankfurt, Germany (that will be an 8 hour, 25 minute trip, AND we have a 5 hour layover in Germany!!) and then land in Riga, Latvia, on May 28th at 1:35 PM local time. I hope to keep this updated while I'm overseas, but that will depend on how much internet connection my sad, broken iPod can find... So keep that in your prayers, too. ;)
Thank you, everyone, for everything you've done for me.
Blessings on all that you do!
Well, except that I do have a dime. Times about 20,507. God worked a miracle on Sunday, and I came away with $875 - exactly $175 more than what I needed to make it on this trip. There were many tears of joy shed on Sunday, and tears of thankfulness.
I love my mother, she shared something along these lines with me:
You know, we always are so surprised when God gives us exactly what we need. However, that's exactly what He promises to do! And yet, every time, we are shocked that we are left without want.
And how true is that? I went to two churches on Sunday to share a little bit about the upcoming trip (13 DAYS, GUYS!!! HOLY SMOKES!!!) and after my sister and I left the first on the way back to our home church, I had her count the money (which, by the way, came solely from a freewill offering,) and she smiled as she turned to me and said "Steph, there's $509 here."
I cried.
I'll admit, I was so scared, so unsure that anything was going to come out of it. The mission donations from that church last week had gone to a young man on his way to China (prayers for him! I believe he takes off for his trip a week before I leave for mine,) and the total had been $100. I was so nervous.
But you know what? I'll bet that he needed exactly $100. I believe that God gives us what we need, whether or not we know we need it, if that makes any sense at all.
Between Ruskin, Trinity (my home church,) and a generous gift from one of my best friends (if you're reading this, you know exactly who you are - thank you!) I am able to go to Russia, to buy gifts for the kids, and to be completely blown away by what God will do on this journey.
That being said, please begin considering my team and I in your prayers. We will fly out of Omaha, Nebraska on May 27th at 10:40 AM, fly through Chicago, layover in Frankfurt, Germany (that will be an 8 hour, 25 minute trip, AND we have a 5 hour layover in Germany!!) and then land in Riga, Latvia, on May 28th at 1:35 PM local time. I hope to keep this updated while I'm overseas, but that will depend on how much internet connection my sad, broken iPod can find... So keep that in your prayers, too. ;)
Thank you, everyone, for everything you've done for me.
Blessings on all that you do!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Scared to Death
Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Hello, readers. So, I'm asking for your fervent prayers, because I'm not going to lie, I'm super nervous right now, about so many different things. First of all, the thing that seems to be troubling everyone these days, is money. I need $700 to make my goal for Russia, and we leave in exactly 18 days. That's terrifying to me! However, I know that God will provide, if it be His will. He provided in abundance last year, and I know that He will take care of me. The Bible verse I started out with reminds me of how much He cares for me, and how I need not worry.
Second, and this one may seem trivial, but my passport isn't back yet! We sent them off to get verified, and they haven't come in yet. Considering we leave in very few days, this makes me incredibly nervous!!! But again, all in God's timing.
Finally, this trip, in general. I've seen what's over there, I know the conditions that the people are living in, and I know what their histories are, at least a bit more than I did last year. I'm scared to go back.
God's got something so amazing planned for this trip, I know it. However, I'm still so very nervous. In comparison to last year, there seem to be a few more hiccups this year and a little bit less certainty about how things are going to come together. Please, please keep me in your prayers. My nerves should not be getting the best of me, but I am only human. I pray that everything falls together, and that God does some amazing things on this trip. Thank you for all your support!
In Christ,
Steph
Blessings on all that you do!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Balances and Meetings and Terror
There is so much going on in my mind, right now!!
I'll start with money things. Praise be to God, I received notice today that my district LWML has voted to give me the $500 I requested for my trip!! This means that I'm stilla bout $600 short of my goal, which is a total of $3,500. Please keep me in your prayers. God always provides, but it's still nerve-wracking not to know how I'm going to get there.
We had our mission meeting today! We talked about important things, and I'm realizing as I type this that we leave in just a little over a month - holy dear goodness. I'm so excited to go back! Reuniting with Karen and Pastor Reehl just reminded me of all the great times we had! My emotions took a dive when I started looking at pictures, which leads me into my next topic: terror.
I'm going back. All those awful situations that I've described, all those faces that I've worried over and prayed over, all that pain that I don't believe any human should go through, all the abuse and neglect that I had to work through last summer - I'm going back. And I'm scared. So very, very scared.
I love those people, I really do. But now I know so much more about what I'm going to see. I'm going to notice when babies aren't there anymore. I'm going to notice in the hospital which beds have different faces, and wonder what happened to the old ones.
I really am excited, and have no idea what God has planned. But please, please pray for me, for the people who I have met, for the people who I will meet. I only want the chance to spread God's love and His Word, but now I'm terrified of seeing change, of wondering if people are still alive, or looking at my babies like Anya and Alona and wondering if, once they're 18, if they'll have a life beyond the streets. I'm scared of going back to the hospital knowing the conditions that they live in. I'm scared of going to the orphanages for the kids who are disabled and knowing, as I reach out and hold hands or rub backs, that those kids have no future, and I'm going to walk away and come back happy and healthy. I know so much more about the future of those kids than I did going into it last year, and I have no idea how I'm going to handle it. By the grace of God, it will be with even more love and servitude than last year.
This year's going to be great, no doubt. But I will need my God to get me through, and I thank Him, because I know He will.
Blessings on all that you do!
I'll start with money things. Praise be to God, I received notice today that my district LWML has voted to give me the $500 I requested for my trip!! This means that I'm stilla bout $600 short of my goal, which is a total of $3,500. Please keep me in your prayers. God always provides, but it's still nerve-wracking not to know how I'm going to get there.
We had our mission meeting today! We talked about important things, and I'm realizing as I type this that we leave in just a little over a month - holy dear goodness. I'm so excited to go back! Reuniting with Karen and Pastor Reehl just reminded me of all the great times we had! My emotions took a dive when I started looking at pictures, which leads me into my next topic: terror.
I'm going back. All those awful situations that I've described, all those faces that I've worried over and prayed over, all that pain that I don't believe any human should go through, all the abuse and neglect that I had to work through last summer - I'm going back. And I'm scared. So very, very scared.
I love those people, I really do. But now I know so much more about what I'm going to see. I'm going to notice when babies aren't there anymore. I'm going to notice in the hospital which beds have different faces, and wonder what happened to the old ones.
I really am excited, and have no idea what God has planned. But please, please pray for me, for the people who I have met, for the people who I will meet. I only want the chance to spread God's love and His Word, but now I'm terrified of seeing change, of wondering if people are still alive, or looking at my babies like Anya and Alona and wondering if, once they're 18, if they'll have a life beyond the streets. I'm scared of going back to the hospital knowing the conditions that they live in. I'm scared of going to the orphanages for the kids who are disabled and knowing, as I reach out and hold hands or rub backs, that those kids have no future, and I'm going to walk away and come back happy and healthy. I know so much more about the future of those kids than I did going into it last year, and I have no idea how I'm going to handle it. By the grace of God, it will be with even more love and servitude than last year.
This year's going to be great, no doubt. But I will need my God to get me through, and I thank Him, because I know He will.
Blessings on all that you do!
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