Okay now for some info about what has been going on with my Russia trip and what will be going on this summer.
Russia update:
I will be spending this coming fall semester in Russia working with an IMB missionary team and attending a local university. I am beyond excited about this and can hardly wait for August to get here!
I just heard from the university today and they are preparing the paperwork for my visa!! I have to fill out some more paperwork and send a few things to the IMB travel agent so they can continue working on my visa. As soon as this is taken care of, I can focus more on getting what I will need and working more on learning some Russian with Rosetta Stone.
Prayer Requests:
That the visa process would go smoothly and quickly
Finances (I’m over half way done with fundraising! But still have a little over $1000 needed)
General preparations
Summer youth update:
This summer, I will be the youth leader for First Baptist Church in Booker, TX. I am both incredibly excited and extremely nervous about this! I have a big heart for jr. high and high school students, and seeing God work in their lives brings me more joy than I can even begin to express. I have worked as a youth intern the previous two summers and sponsored/helped with more events and trips than I could even begin to count. So I do have a little bit of experience. However, it will definitely be different being the one in charge and having to plan every detail of the summer when I don’t know any of the kids or how things usually go in this church an youth group. Also, teaching is definitely not a gift of mine! I can organize and take care of administrative details with the best of ‘em, but teaching? Not something I have ever been able excel at! I am also not a naturally authoritative person. Over all, being the sole youth leader is not something I am comfortable with at all!
But, when did God say that following Him would be easy? I think it is actually a good thing that I’m not comfortable with this and know that I am not qualified for this job. This way I will have to depend on my Lord for everything, and when He does move in mighty ways in these kids’ lives, I’ll know it was not because of anything I did on my own.
I already know God has some HUGE plans for this summer! I am fairly certain that He is leading me to teach a pretty deep bible study based on a book I’ve recently read called Wrestling Prayer by Eric and Leslie Ludy. This study is much deeper than almost anything I have seen anyone try to go through with jr. high and high school students. Actually, this book is focused on a deeper level of Christianity than the majority of adult Christians in America ever experience. Over the past year or so, God has been revealing to me how the version of Christianity seen in America is weak, selfish, and void of the vast majority of the power and … that God has made available for those who will truly follow after Him whole-heartedly. While, I am nervous about how well this study will go over, how well I will be able to teach it, and if the youth will be able to understand and implement these lessons, I cannot take everything I have been learning over the past year and take an easier route and encourage this selfish and weak version of Christianity.
Prayer Requests:
God will be preparing the youth for what He wants to teach them through the summer
God will raise up some mighty warriors in this group
I will be able to connect with the kids right away
I will be attentive to what God wants me to plan and do through the summer
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