European Missions Part 1: Switzerland

    We wrapped up our mission trip about three weeks ago - ahhh, what a wonderful time it was. We spent our first week in Switzerland working at Euroventure. Our camp was nestled in the foothills of the Swiss Alps which made every day a breathtaking adventure. Literally, we walked outside to a gorgeous view every morning..... it never got old. :)

After a 10-hour flight to Germany we boarded a train to Switzerland

Beautiful view from the window of our train

We found this guy on a run to the store that first day. :D

American Staff at Euroventure

The night before camp began we had a short service outside with the team

Camp Begins! Everything set and ready to receive campers:

Registration

Campers begin to arrive (in the rain!):

That night, services get underway:

Our first "Camper of the Day" (basically you get called up to the stage and find yourself embarrassed in front of everyone while they sing you the "Camper of the Day" song. Haha!) 

O, and you get to pick who does dishes the next day. :D

The Music Team

Our Evening Speaker: Brandon Barnard

Our Morning Speaker: Dr. Tom Hufty

Drama Team

We met for services in the Kongress Saal - a historic building in town with this gorgeous view

We had 12 teams at Euroventure - I was on Team 4. Just loved my team of 12 girls!
(All of whom were 12 years old, except for 1 girl who was 11)

That first day we had game time to promote Team Unity - work together!

On the second day a large group went Canyoning

Matt & I went with a small group of kids that wanted to hike - we hiked up a nearby mountain

We found this fun apparatus that the kids loved!

On the third day, I woke up at 5AM (after very little sleep!) to go on a photo hike with this great group. We hoped to catch the sunrise from the mountain, which didn't happen - but we had a great time all the same!

Noah's photo shoot - about this time Jimmy was complaining that his feet were frozen!
I can only imagine..... that water was frigid. Kudos to him for helping out a friend. ;)

That night we had a chant competition between teams

I believe this team won the chant competition - this guy did an amazing parody of S.M. Lockridge's "That's My King" 

More games

My team: Team 4 - we roar!

Day 4: Team Time

In the afternoon we went with a large group of students up the mountain.
We rode the gondola and this image was taken during our journey up. 

And so was this one.

Once on top, we rode the Rodelbaun: an alpine coaster down the mountain. (You can see it in the background - barely!)
It's like a small flat board on wheels on a bobsled-type track. The kids had a blast and so did we! 

After that, we went for a hike - and took lots of pictures.

A few random images from our last night at camp:

Some of our girls on Team 4

Camp closed on the 5th day at Noon - we had a great time!

After goodbyes had been said and camp was basically deserted, we took a quick trip up First Mountain for an OBU Team Picture. The ride was gorgeous, awe-inspiring and hard to put into words. These pictures really don't do justice to the majestic beauty we were able to see.

Back Row: Chase, Laurel, Tara, Andrew & Matthew
Front Row: Me, Lauren, Amanda & Maddie

We didn't have a lot of time to spare on the mountain, so we made our stay brief and then literally RAN all the way back to camp, grabbed our bags in record time and RACED to the train station - hoping and praying that we would make our train. Tara had gone ahead to purchase tickets and we waited anxiously (trying to catch our breath) while she stood in line. Not 1 minute after we arrived at the station, we hopped aboard the train just before it departed, tickets in hand. 

A six-hour train ride and several connections later, we arrived safely back in Germany

The main train station in Frankfurt. We would spend the next week in this city. More adventures for another post. :)

European Missions: Just one week!

     As I prepare this week for Europe by drawing near Him, packing, sending emails to my team, coordinating logistics, exercising, and shopping I find His presence in all the above. We serve a great and faithful God! This is a quick post to ask for your prayers in several specific ways. Without your prayers, we could not attempt to do anything with power. I firmly believe this and thank you in advance for lifting us up.

Specific Prayer Requests:

1. Rest & Health before we head out
2. Flights with no delays
3. All of our baggage arriving with our flight!
4. Peace and Excitement
5. Faith in His Promises
6. The many teens who will be at Euroventure

     Also pray for my co-mentor Lauren and I as we prepare to lead breakout sessions during camp. Lauren is teaching on friendship and I will be teaching on family. We were asked by our Camp Director to teach on these topics. Pray for clarity and relevant, applicable material. I have felt Him leading me to teach on our roots as applies to family. Lauren recently posted this image from her trip to Israel that perfectly illustrates some points I want to bring out. This is so unique, I wanted to share it with you....

 This Art Piece is a living orange tree. Even though it can bear some fruit, it shows that without a strong root system, nothing (whether plant or people) can reach it's fullest potential separated from home and the opportunity to grow a strong root system. (PC: Lauren Ledbetter)

Babies: Alec Robert

     Yesterday I got to babysit my 5-day-old nephew Alec. Babysitting adorably cute and tiny nephews naturally means the camera goes with me. ;) Day. Made. <sigh> I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking....

My Girls

     O how much joy these two little girls bring to my life! Days of flexible schedule in which we laugh together, play tea party, build tents in the bedroom, read books, go to the park, eat lunch together, make messes, do crafts, play outside, rock to sleep, color, take walks, watch movies and so much more!

     Because of my busy summer schedule, I said good-bye (for a time) in late-May. I have plans to see them occasionally over the next few months. Good-byes are always hard! I was glad my sister Laura was with me that last day and could snap some images of us together. O, how I love my girls!

     Madelyn decided to go "flower-picking" and I got some adorable images of her doing so. And then Lydia joined in. My heart is happy just looking at these pictures. :)

My Mom

Me & Mom

  I love my mom. I can't say enough about how much she means to me. Here's my feeble attempt at recounting just a few of the things I love and admire about her:

• She loves the Lord.
• She carried me for nine months - and then for several years after. ;)
• Her inner strength in the face of adversity.
• She loves my dad.
• She inspired a love of books in me.
• One of my favorite memories: reading time with mom after lunch. (at rough count, she probably read over 150 books to us. And some were pretty long too.)
• She has lived for the Lord.
• She was my teacher K-12. And she was good at it.
• She studies the Word.
• She is deeply interested and supportive of her kids.
• She taught me how to sing.
• She loves spending time with her family
• She tells good stories.
• She's an amazing cook.
• She stands for truth.
• She loves me - and she tells me so.
• She's a firm believer in the power of prayer
• She has a good sense of creativity and design.
• She gave me a love of all things music - including a great desire to play piano and play it well.
• She's lost countless hours of sleep because of her care for her kids.
• She gives good advice
• She makes Holidays fun and special.
• She's always there for me - day or night.
• She taught me how to swim.
• She laughs at herself.
• A talk with her always puts everything into proper perspective.
• She is deeply introspective and discerning.
• I can trust her, no matter what.

And this is just the beginning. I could go on and on.  As I continue to walk through life with her, I see her grow closer and closer to Jesus. Her undying love for her husband and children in evident in the way she prays for and blesses each one. I hope I can demonstrate at least a little of all she has modeled by example - I love you mom!

Counting down to take-off.....

The Wichita Mountains

     April rushed past in a blur of activity - much of which was spent in preparation for my trip to Europe. Orientation on Monday evenings. Group Texts. Creation-To-Christ weekend. A team bonding trip that included hiking in the Wichita Mountains and world-famous burgers in Meers. Sunday afternoon team meetings. Finding out that Germany has been added to the itinerary. {SUPER excited} GO trip banquet and rehearsal (at 9:30 PM no less!). Commissioning Chapel. Our entire team together at last! Our final team meeting before we head out in just 52 days. Picking a #hashtag. And having our tickets in hand. It's getting real.

Team Switzerland

Photobombing - in a most auspicious way

Epic

Faceoff with a lizard

And yes, that's part of the team crossing the spillway

Meers: Amazing Food

 Commissioning Chapel: April 27th

 

Cardboard Testimonies

We are Unashamed of the Gospel of Christ

     We will be sending out updates via a team email. If you would like to receive these emails, message me and let me know.

Missions 2016: Euroventure

     Many of you who follow my blog know that my foreign ministry outreach began two years ago with a trip to Ecuador. Last year I returned to Ecuador and also went to Guatemala. And while I felt that I should continue to minister in South & Central American countries, this was not God's plan for me. I started praying about returning to South America last fall, but even though the team was filling up, I did not feel God leading in that direction. So, I waited.
     Fast forward several months into the opening weeks of 2016 and I found myself with an offer to serve in Romania teaching life lessons along with photography - two of my favorite things to do! Again, no clear guidance in that direction either, but I continued pursuing some aspects of that trip until my answer came. Not South America. Not Romania.

Switzerland!

I was reminded of this passage:
     "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.  When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.  So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.  During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

Now, to be clear, I received no night vision. But I did receive an email. And when that email came asking me to lead/mentor an OBU team to Switzerland, I knew this was His will. That "knowing in your knower" kind of feeling that only comes from the Spirit. And I'm excited - I can't wait to watch Him work!

     While dates and details of the trip are still being finalized, I do have somewhat of an idea what I'll be doing while I'm there. Here's a short synopsis of my trip:

"Travel to Grindelwald, Switzerland to provide leadership, encouragement, and discipleship at a youth camp called Euroventure. The camp is designed for students in 6th-12th grade and serves expat families from all over Europe, as well as English speaking churches from Europe and the Middle East. This camp has over 18 countries and 14 nationalities represented. Team members will serve as small group leaders, spiritual mentors, recreation coordinators, and possibly worship leaders. This is a unique opportunity to see the nations come together to know Christ more fully."

     I deeply covet your prayers for myself and my team as we prepare for this amazing opportunity in Switzerland. When I accepted, I had no idea who was on my team. I have since learned that one girl who works in my office at OBU is on the team, as well as a long-time friend of my brothers. It's been a joy to begin the process of bonding as a team before we leave and I look forward to all He will accomplish through us on the Mission Field.