{A few weeks later- August 26th, 2016}
A new message from Pavlina opens.
"HI! Good news :) ...my headteacher told me that it's a good idea! So you can come! :) December is better for our school but our winter holiday starts on December 22nd...." she filled me in on all the details and said that they would love to have us for the entire month!
I told her about our finals week, but that otherwise the dates could not be more perfect! We knew we wanted to go for two weeks and had a very narrow margin to do so, but it worked out to a perfect 14 days!
I am so excited and thankful for this opportunity! I could not believe how God pulled it all together. Even the trip I planned to visit my cousin fits into this story perfectly. I have never traveled alone (read: without my dad!) before, so the shorter domestic trip is perfect to help some of my anxiety about international travel with only Sarah and I.
I studied Exodus 14 pretty in depth a few weeks ago, and one verse stood out more than the others. Exodus 14:14 says "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." When they left Egypt, the Israelites did not know the end of the story. They were terrified. "Were there not enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die?" they asked Moses.
Then the Red Sea parted right before their eyes. But still, they had no idea if the Sea would stay parted the entire way over, or if the were walking into their death. They had no idea if it wouldn't STAY parted and the Egyptians would continue to follow them! They just had to put one foot in front of the other and continue forward, trusting that if God lead them there then He wouldn't leave them.
I have seen so many impossible situations fall and so many miracles unfold thus far and cannot wait to see how God is going to continue to move. This is my #RedSeaToCZ and I am stepping out in faith, knowing that God is my cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, leading me on to fulfill his purposes. I ask for your prayers as Sarah and I embark on this adventure together!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Saturday, August 27, 2016
My Red Sea Road {Part Two}
I spent the rest of that day with Jesus, having a long discussion about missions trips and Czech Republic vs Romania. I talked with some friends. I talked with my parents. I came to the conclusion that God wanted me to go back to Czech Republic. Romania had just been the gateway to prepare my heart to accept the idea of another mission trip.
I didn't know how or when and nothing about it made sense, but I was certain that God was moving and telling me to go. There was so much unknown and so much that I should have been worried and stressed about, but I felt oddly at peace.
"Normally I would be so anxious and worried about something like this...nothing about this makes sense."
"Maybe you're content because you're right in the middle of God's will." suggested my friend Sarah.
We continued to talk about it, and she mentioned wanting to come with me. I was excited for whatever would happen next.
{Late July 2016}
I sat in the diner, waiting for my friends. I should have known not to leave so early- they are chronically late. I scrolled my phone, sipping my water. Finally, Sarah showed up. "Sorry I'm late!" and naturally, a funny story followed about *why* she was late. Always a story with that one.
She ordered her drink and we said we'd hold off ordering until the third person in our group arrived.
"How was your trip?" Sarah had just returned from a weeklong mission trip in Honduras, and I couldn't wait to hear about it.
"It was amazing. SO amazing. I'll tell you all about it once Veronica gets here. But I really feel like God wants me to be more involved with missions, like going on a mission trips every 6 months."
"Oh wow! That's so cool! So do you want to go to Honduras next year?"
"Yes, for sure! And I don't know if I should tell you this or wait for a better opportunity but I want to go to Czech Republic with you in December." She looked at me expectantly.
"Ah...what? I mean, yeah I want to go back to Czech Republic but I don't know about December! That's so soon..."
"I know, but I just feel like God told me we should go in December."
"Start praying for an actual opportunity to do something there and for plane ticket money and sure!"
I wasn't being sarcastic, but I wasn't being 100% serious either. I figured we'd be travelling next summer. It made much more sense, both logistically and financially.
{the rest of summer 2016}
I continue to ask God about the details of this trip, and all I hear is wait. Wait. Wait.
Meanwhile, I was completely over 100*+ heat deep in the heart of Texas and was ready for a break, both from the heat and from my monotonous daily life of school and work. I message my oldest cousin and ask if I could come visit him for a few days. I had yet to meet his wife, and thought a long weekend to the Pacific Northwest would be just what I needed. He ecstatically told me I was welcome to come and stay with them for as long as I wanted to. I booked a plane ticket for about a month out, in early fall. (Nobody ever said I was spontaneous- I need approximately three business days to process requests to drive more than 20 minutes from my house, let alone fly across the country by myself.)
{August 2016}
After praying one day, I felt lead to message a friend about opportunities to serve in Czech Republic. I had met Pavlina and her husband Ondra at one of the camps last year. She is a teacher at a private school in a small town in Czech Republic, and she is one of the few people I kept in contact with semi-regularly after the camps. A few weeks earlier I had messaged another friend in CZ, Aysa, but she did not know of any opportunities to serve in English camps.
"Hey Pavlina! I have a question for you :) I'm thinking about maybe coming back to Czech Republic next year...do you know of any English camps in December or next summer?"
"Hi, I am not sure, but if you want! In our school last year there was one American girl from Wisconsin [who came for] three months so if you want....you can help in our school and teach English! :)"
Well this would be interesting. I had just assumed that we would serve in an English camp like we had last time. I grilled her for details.
She told me that December would probably work best, but we could potentially make June work as well.
I was floored. December would be better? I think this was more than a coincidence. She told me that she would have to double check with her principal, but she had a good feeling about it. I talked it over with my parents and Sarah and we all agreed it was a cool opportunity but we'd have to wait and see what the principal said and when the school's Christmas break was- after all, it wouldn't do us any good to be there while they were on break. We had narrow window to squeeze this trip in between finals week and Christmas.
I didn't know how or when and nothing about it made sense, but I was certain that God was moving and telling me to go. There was so much unknown and so much that I should have been worried and stressed about, but I felt oddly at peace.
"Normally I would be so anxious and worried about something like this...nothing about this makes sense."
"Maybe you're content because you're right in the middle of God's will." suggested my friend Sarah.
We continued to talk about it, and she mentioned wanting to come with me. I was excited for whatever would happen next.
{Late July 2016}
I sat in the diner, waiting for my friends. I should have known not to leave so early- they are chronically late. I scrolled my phone, sipping my water. Finally, Sarah showed up. "Sorry I'm late!" and naturally, a funny story followed about *why* she was late. Always a story with that one.
She ordered her drink and we said we'd hold off ordering until the third person in our group arrived.
"How was your trip?" Sarah had just returned from a weeklong mission trip in Honduras, and I couldn't wait to hear about it.
"It was amazing. SO amazing. I'll tell you all about it once Veronica gets here. But I really feel like God wants me to be more involved with missions, like going on a mission trips every 6 months."
"Oh wow! That's so cool! So do you want to go to Honduras next year?"
"Yes, for sure! And I don't know if I should tell you this or wait for a better opportunity but I want to go to Czech Republic with you in December." She looked at me expectantly.
"Ah...what? I mean, yeah I want to go back to Czech Republic but I don't know about December! That's so soon..."
"I know, but I just feel like God told me we should go in December."
"Start praying for an actual opportunity to do something there and for plane ticket money and sure!"
I wasn't being sarcastic, but I wasn't being 100% serious either. I figured we'd be travelling next summer. It made much more sense, both logistically and financially.
{the rest of summer 2016}
I continue to ask God about the details of this trip, and all I hear is wait. Wait. Wait.
Meanwhile, I was completely over 100*+ heat deep in the heart of Texas and was ready for a break, both from the heat and from my monotonous daily life of school and work. I message my oldest cousin and ask if I could come visit him for a few days. I had yet to meet his wife, and thought a long weekend to the Pacific Northwest would be just what I needed. He ecstatically told me I was welcome to come and stay with them for as long as I wanted to. I booked a plane ticket for about a month out, in early fall. (Nobody ever said I was spontaneous- I need approximately three business days to process requests to drive more than 20 minutes from my house, let alone fly across the country by myself.)
{August 2016}
After praying one day, I felt lead to message a friend about opportunities to serve in Czech Republic. I had met Pavlina and her husband Ondra at one of the camps last year. She is a teacher at a private school in a small town in Czech Republic, and she is one of the few people I kept in contact with semi-regularly after the camps. A few weeks earlier I had messaged another friend in CZ, Aysa, but she did not know of any opportunities to serve in English camps.
"Hey Pavlina! I have a question for you :) I'm thinking about maybe coming back to Czech Republic next year...do you know of any English camps in December or next summer?"
"Hi, I am not sure, but if you want! In our school last year there was one American girl from Wisconsin [who came for] three months so if you want....you can help in our school and teach English! :)"
Well this would be interesting. I had just assumed that we would serve in an English camp like we had last time. I grilled her for details.
She told me that December would probably work best, but we could potentially make June work as well.
I was floored. December would be better? I think this was more than a coincidence. She told me that she would have to double check with her principal, but she had a good feeling about it. I talked it over with my parents and Sarah and we all agreed it was a cool opportunity but we'd have to wait and see what the principal said and when the school's Christmas break was- after all, it wouldn't do us any good to be there while they were on break. We had narrow window to squeeze this trip in between finals week and Christmas.
Friday, August 26, 2016
My Red Sea Road {Part One}
{August 2015}
I had just spent two amazing weeks in Czech Republic. I couldn't have asked for a better team. I think we laughed and cried together more in those two weeks than I had all summer. We ran two English camps for local children, and met and worked alongside wonderful believers from all over the world. I was content with my time there- while I had loved it, I was content to come back and start my freshman year of college.
{February 2016}
I glanced around. I was at work, sitting at my desk outside the Dean's office. It was one of the rare times that everyone was out of the office- the Dean, the Assistant to the Dean, and the Administrative Assistant had all gone to lunch or taken the day off. Surely it wouldn't hurt to put some music on while I worked on this Excel project. I scrolled through Spotify and chose one of my favorites- Bethel's "You Make Me Brave" live album. As I typed, "We Dance" began to play, and a hundred memories of Czech Republic came racing back to my mind. I smiled, remembering how I had had this song on repeat the entire time we were there. Later, I flipped through some pictures of our trip, and reposted a few of them on Facebook. "Missing Czech Republic today!"
{March/April 2016}
"Yeah, my tuition went up too...I'm thinking Disney will have to wait a year or two," said my friend. Naturally, I was a little bummed that our girl's trip to Florida in December was off, but it wasn't too big of a deal. We're all college students with tight budgets, so it was completely understandable. I left the "Florida" savings bucket in my checking account alone though, thinking it would be nice to have some money put aside next time we wanted to take a trip.
{May 2016}
I clicked on the tab that had been open in my browser and in my mind for the past few weeks. God, do you want me to do this? I scrolled down. It was just such a big commitment. As much as I would love to go on a mission trip to Romania, I wasn't sure I could put together a trip from scratch. This organization was doing great things in the country, but they asked so much of a team leader. I clicked back to the previous tab and finished my homework, the idea still rolling around in my mind.
{June 2016}
Pulling back my crazy bedhead into a ponytail, I stumbled down the stairs, eyes still adjusting to the light. Grabbing a bowl of cereal and enjoying the rare quiet of the house, I picked up my cell phone. I saw my mother's Facebook chat bubble open. That's odd, I thought, setting down my breakfast. I knew that my family, my mom included, had all gone to the early service at church while I had planned on attending the later one. Mom never texts during church. I opened the message.
"God told me you should stay the course with ___" It read, naming a specific situation I was struggling with. I didn't know how to respond to such a statement over screens, so I decided to wait until after church to ask her about it.
A little while later, she returned home from church, and I asked her about the message. "I was sitting in church today and praying, and I just really felt like God wanted me to tell you to stick with it, even though it's hard. God's doing something really big in your life, and so of course you'll face spiritual opposition."
I was surprised by her words. While I felt like I was in a good place with my relationship with God, I had no idea what this "big thing" was.
{June 2016- approx. 2 weeks later}
It was about 11:00 at night. I pulled opened my favorite Bible study app, She Reads Truth. I flipped through some old reading plans. I found one that I had done while in Czech Republic. I opened it up. I am a very "sensory" person when it comes to memories- music, smells, foods, etc that I enjoyed during a certian period of my life will always bring back memories. So naturally, I figured this would bring back memories of Czech Republic. It was a great devotional though, so I began to reread it. After reading the day's section, I had an overwhelming desire to return to CZ. It wasn't a feeling of "Oh, it'd be nice to go back some day!" It was more like "I HAVE to get back there!"
{The next morning}
My dad and I were in the kitchen chatting as he washed the dishes. Company was coming, and a brisket had just come out of the smoker. While we are Texas transplants, we've readily accepted the local cuisine and so of course a celebration or company of any sort calls for smoked meat (God bless Texas.)
I believe the topic of conversation was barbecue sauce. There was a slight pause, and my dad looked up at me. "Since you're not going to Florida in December, you should go on a mission trip."
I stared at him, gaping. "Uh, um, yeah, I was actually thinking about it." I said slowly. "That was random," I added.
"I know." He went back to the dishes.
I had just spent two amazing weeks in Czech Republic. I couldn't have asked for a better team. I think we laughed and cried together more in those two weeks than I had all summer. We ran two English camps for local children, and met and worked alongside wonderful believers from all over the world. I was content with my time there- while I had loved it, I was content to come back and start my freshman year of college.
{February 2016}
I glanced around. I was at work, sitting at my desk outside the Dean's office. It was one of the rare times that everyone was out of the office- the Dean, the Assistant to the Dean, and the Administrative Assistant had all gone to lunch or taken the day off. Surely it wouldn't hurt to put some music on while I worked on this Excel project. I scrolled through Spotify and chose one of my favorites- Bethel's "You Make Me Brave" live album. As I typed, "We Dance" began to play, and a hundred memories of Czech Republic came racing back to my mind. I smiled, remembering how I had had this song on repeat the entire time we were there. Later, I flipped through some pictures of our trip, and reposted a few of them on Facebook. "Missing Czech Republic today!"
{March/April 2016}
"Yeah, my tuition went up too...I'm thinking Disney will have to wait a year or two," said my friend. Naturally, I was a little bummed that our girl's trip to Florida in December was off, but it wasn't too big of a deal. We're all college students with tight budgets, so it was completely understandable. I left the "Florida" savings bucket in my checking account alone though, thinking it would be nice to have some money put aside next time we wanted to take a trip.
{May 2016}
I clicked on the tab that had been open in my browser and in my mind for the past few weeks. God, do you want me to do this? I scrolled down. It was just such a big commitment. As much as I would love to go on a mission trip to Romania, I wasn't sure I could put together a trip from scratch. This organization was doing great things in the country, but they asked so much of a team leader. I clicked back to the previous tab and finished my homework, the idea still rolling around in my mind.
{June 2016}
Pulling back my crazy bedhead into a ponytail, I stumbled down the stairs, eyes still adjusting to the light. Grabbing a bowl of cereal and enjoying the rare quiet of the house, I picked up my cell phone. I saw my mother's Facebook chat bubble open. That's odd, I thought, setting down my breakfast. I knew that my family, my mom included, had all gone to the early service at church while I had planned on attending the later one. Mom never texts during church. I opened the message.
"God told me you should stay the course with ___" It read, naming a specific situation I was struggling with. I didn't know how to respond to such a statement over screens, so I decided to wait until after church to ask her about it.
A little while later, she returned home from church, and I asked her about the message. "I was sitting in church today and praying, and I just really felt like God wanted me to tell you to stick with it, even though it's hard. God's doing something really big in your life, and so of course you'll face spiritual opposition."
I was surprised by her words. While I felt like I was in a good place with my relationship with God, I had no idea what this "big thing" was.
{June 2016- approx. 2 weeks later}
It was about 11:00 at night. I pulled opened my favorite Bible study app, She Reads Truth. I flipped through some old reading plans. I found one that I had done while in Czech Republic. I opened it up. I am a very "sensory" person when it comes to memories- music, smells, foods, etc that I enjoyed during a certian period of my life will always bring back memories. So naturally, I figured this would bring back memories of Czech Republic. It was a great devotional though, so I began to reread it. After reading the day's section, I had an overwhelming desire to return to CZ. It wasn't a feeling of "Oh, it'd be nice to go back some day!" It was more like "I HAVE to get back there!"
{The next morning}
My dad and I were in the kitchen chatting as he washed the dishes. Company was coming, and a brisket had just come out of the smoker. While we are Texas transplants, we've readily accepted the local cuisine and so of course a celebration or company of any sort calls for smoked meat (God bless Texas.)
I believe the topic of conversation was barbecue sauce. There was a slight pause, and my dad looked up at me. "Since you're not going to Florida in December, you should go on a mission trip."
I stared at him, gaping. "Uh, um, yeah, I was actually thinking about it." I said slowly. "That was random," I added.
"I know." He went back to the dishes.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)