Getting Caught Up! Finally!!

Well, apparently keeping up-to-date with this was something that only happened while I was IN Russia…. Oops!! (though in my defense, it is a little hard to find a chance to update when I can't log in on my own computer because Google is acting up... anybody else have problems like that?) But I am going to make another attempt to catch up from the last 5 months and keep everyone updated on what is going on now.  So, first, here is a little of what happened after getting back from Russia….

I was able to share about my time in Russia several times shortly after getting back home.  And while public speaking always makes me nervous, I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing about what God taught me and what I saw Him doing in Ufa.

In April, I was able to go on another trip to South Africa.

The IMB missionaries in parts of South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana and their families meet once a year to worship together, enjoy each other’s company, and beginning some planning for the next year.  During this 4 day weekend, a group from the States will come to lead worship and run a nursery, vbs, and youth group for the missionaries’ kids.  My home church has built a relationship with the missionary family in Lesotho over the last several years, and we were honored to be asked to help lead this annual meeting this year.  Nearly all of our church staff and several of our church members volunteered to spend a week serving these missionaries that are serving our God on the front lines in Africa.

After spending so much time with a missionary family in Russia and growing so close to them, I do feel a great need to care for and serve missionary families.  .  And most of you know that I also have a big heart for youth.  (I mean I did work as Clay's intern for 2 summers in order to serve youth and see them grow) So, with an opportunity to serve missionary families by helping with their youth-aged kids, this was definitely a trip that I wanted to be involved in!!

I was able to spend the week loving 19 youth-aged MKs and ministering to them.  We taught 4 different Disciple Now books with topics of worship, purity, family relationships, and lifestyle evangelism.  I was amazed at how much they seemed to eat up the teaching.  We also played plenty of games and of course had a TON of junk food!

During the week we had several special events.  4 of our youth were graduating seniors.  We were able to have a great graduation ceremony and reception.  Without having a ceremony at this meeting, these seniors would not have had a graduation ceremony.  One evening, we had a luau complete with limbo and hula contests!  On Sunday afternoon, we had a wonderful family picnic!  We were able to have burgers and lemonade and play a bunch of good ole fashioned picnic games.  All of the missionaries and their kids were broken up into teams so that each team had some preschoolers, children, youth and adults and each event allowed all age levels to participate.  We had a fantastic afternoon of playing games and good-natured competition.  And, of course, any event that ends with Clay (youth pastor) being attacked with water balloons is always going to be considered a success! J

I really enjoyed hanging out with these kids.  While I do absolutely love working with youth here in the States and truly enjoy any opportunity that I get to do so, there was definitely something special about ministering to these kids.  Youth groups here get this kind of support and opportunities to fellowship and learn together every week and several full weeks during the summer.  And often it can seem like that gets taken for granted.  But these MKs get this kind of attention and service a couple times a year max, and we could constantly see how much it meant to them. 

 It was SOOOO hard to leave!  4 and a half days was not nearly enough time.  MKs nearly always develop this skill of not allowing themselves to get close to any teams or individuals that come in to serve with or around their families because they know they will leave and it will hurt less if they don't get too close. Well let me just say, I do not have this skill! I think I cried myself to sleep the last night when I realized I wouldn't be seeing all of these youth the next day or maybe ever again. And I have cried several times since leaving.  I wish these kids didn't have to guard themselves so much but recently I have actually been jealous of that skill.

God definitely used this trip to build in me a heart for MKs and I am currently trying to see where God wants to lead me so that I can act on this burden.  We’ll just have to wait and see what becomes of that, but I would ask that you would be in prayer over this.