Missions Update..

Okay so I thought I would update you on my missions status... we just worked at the Wylie Rodeo this past Fri and Sat night to raise money for the England trip. It's so cool, we had our info meeting for the trip last Sun and we had to make a deposit to reserve a spot to go on the trip, and the past few weeks I have been working for my aunt at her hair salon and babysitting for her etc and God gave me just enough money to make that deposit that night. My mom said she probably couldn't have done it for me. It's such a God thing. I'm excited about it.

Another recent mission that I have been trying to get a little bit organized is returning to Slovakia. A team of about 25 people [including adults] went to 3 cities in Slovakia last spring break: Nove Zamky, Presov, and Bratislava - the capital (where my team was located). It was a great trip, one that I won't ever forget, you know, the usual. We got to talk to people, engage in Christ-centered conversations etc - overall it was a great trip. But we were kind of indifferent about it I guess afterwards. But here lately, the Bratislava team has been feeling convicted to go back. Like we went there, had a great time, planted seeds, but we aren't finished with our work there. It was such a transformation in the way we thought about the trip. It was all in the same week when weird little things kept happening that would remind me of Slovakia like on TV or on the streets or at the mall or just something random like that would make me think about it. Slovakia was just swamping my mind for about a week and it was all I could do to think about something else because Slovakia was the center of my focus. Then I talked to Molly (my roomie in Bratislava) about it at leadership training for church, and she said that she has been feeling the same feelings I have, and has also been constantly thinking about Slovakia - unable to avert her thoughts. So I thought it was neat that another team member felt the same thing, so I decided to ask my friend Morgan, who was my suitemate at the hotel Astra in Bratislava and she said the same thing was going on with her and she had had a seriously weird dream etc and so I told her to call Casey, mine and Molly's suitemate, Morgan's roommate, and ask her if she's been feeling the same kind of convictions and she said that one of the Slovaks commented her on myspace a few weeks ago and ever since thats all she could think about. So we all decided that we need to go back as a group, and soon too. Like within the year. So we are trying to go the week before the England trip, so that is like 2nd week of March. So, we are super stoked! Keep this trip in your prayers as it is not a church organized thing, we are planning this trip by ourselves and going back by ourselves as a group of about 6 people. Scary yet exciting. God is going to do amazing things through this.

Aaaaand Tokyo! The last [or latest] of my mission trips for the year. Well, nothing too extravagant has gone on with it lately... our friend and former youth intern Brian is the one who filmed our promo video and he got that finished up about a month ago so that is cool. We are going to see if we can play it in church here pretty soon, when I get a copy of it I will definately post it on youtube. =)

One more mission... we found out today that our church is going to Israel! I don't think I'll be going on this one, I mean I've already got England, Slovakia, and Tokyo on the way. This doesn't mean that I won't ever go on this trip, because I really do think it would be so cool to see what kind of spiritual position these people are in and see if we could show them God's love in any way we can. This trip has been floating in the air for a while now. On the plane to Slovakia on spring break I sat next to my youth pastor Derek, and we talked about future mission trips that the youth could go on and he mentioned this one but I guess they are making it church-wide instead of just youth. Which is cool too. So yeah.. thats my missions update =)