Puddle Jumping and talking to our Moms...

Sounds like a good day huh?

Praise the Lord for a day of rest after an emotional morning and a long week of camp :)We pretty much just stayed inside all day in our PJs except to grocery shop (super necessary). We were totally unaware of the thunder and lightning storm raging outside until one of the claps of thunder shook our apartment and took out our electricity. We looked at each other stunned- we thought our apartment was going to fall on us. When we recovered from being face to face with death itself we had an amazing time of puddle jumping, don't worry Mom there wasn't too much lightning :)Obviously we couldn't capture something that wet on camera but here are a couple pictures of the aftermath. And of Lindy dressed up as a superhero just for fun... (Check out those seashell leggings, oh yes...)

We were excited to get some good use out of our water shoes :-)



Us sporting our authentic Oregon rain gear:



This was Mary's idea...



A close up on the way cool, totally rad seashell print leggings... I'm still shocked someone could leave these behind. I mourn for the lady who left these at the Castle- she must be missing them. I'd also like to thank her because without her sacrifice- this wouldn't have been possible.

Pray for the JV Ukraine team

Just got a word from the intern team in Ukraine. They got robbed today and lost a computer, a cell phone, money from a few people, and a suitcase or two. They begin their first camp tomorrow. Please please pray for them. Pray for safety and reassurance that God will take care of them. Pray for this camp that they are about to begin and that they will focus on the task at hand.


Satan must really be intimidated by the work being done here for him to attack like this. Pray that the team realizes that "greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world" and that God would be all the more glorified through the team's response to this situation.

Thanks guys!

Mary and Lindy for the MaryLindy team ;)

PS We finally uploaded the Cherry Pitting Pictures, look for them in the June Archive

hard news from home.

This morning I received an email from my mom stating that my aunt, uncle, cousin and my cousin's boyfriend were hit by a semi while waiting at a signal. My cousin seems to be fine physically but Sandi (my aunt) is suffering from a punctured lung, broken ribs, and a lacerated spleen. She is in ICU and will probably come home in three days. Jim (my uncle) has some broken ribs and is emotionally a wreck. He will probably come home tomorrow. Natanya desperately needs our prayers as she watches both of her parents suffer and her boyfriend, Brandon, on full life support. It will take a miracle for recovery.It took the jaws of life to get him out of the mangled car.

Matt (my boyfriend) is taking this pretty hard too. It is hard for him to see his best friend in this condition. This summer has already been challenging for him with many changes.

Also, my mom mentioned that my grandpa may have cancer- they're waiting on test results.

Please join me in praying for my family. That God's glory will be shown in these circumstances. Pray for healing, understanding, and comfort.

Pray that I'll know how to comfort and how to support my family while still being effective here.

For His glory,
Lindy

answered prayers.

So I've been home now for 2 days. On Monday, after camp, I had some time to reflect on camp before meeting with Alex (a girl I've been praying about and keeping in contact with this past year).

Camp was difficult for me this year in a couple of ways. The big issue was that I didn't really know my role (I was in between roles- like Mary said, I am not slovene or full time staff... but I'm also not a short term team member...) I pretty much agree with Mary on this issue (we were talking about this after a walk we had and were amazed at how similar God spoke to us- read her blog).

The week was also hard for other reasons that in the long run don't really matter all the much. However, I feel like the Lord has just been blessing me SOOOOO much through all the follow up.

At camp it was really hard to bond with girls. Unlike last year many of the campers would rather sit and chat amongst them selves then talk English with the Americans- this is rather hard to deal with for someone who craves deep relationships.

On Monday before follow-up at the Patty's I had lunch with Alex. I gave her a copy of a picture of us from last year's camp. I told her that I put that picture in my bible to remind me to pray for her- I think she was moved by that.. Anywho, We talked for a long while about what she was thinking and what's been going on in her life since camp last year. She was one of the campers who came to church on Sunday- she really enjoyed herself :-)(another amazing answer to prayer- I wish you could see the transformation in her life from last year to this year). We grabbed some Chinese food and walked around town. Around 5 ish Anna joined us and we went shopping. Our conversations were so powerful. God blessed me.

Us three decided to take the bus to the Patty's for the reunion but couldn't seem to dodge the rain- we got completely soaked- I like the rain here. Tanja and Nika showed up ( girls from camp last year- both girls were girls we were close to). Again it was SO good to see them and talk to them face to face (myspace can only do so much).

Afterwards the American girls headed over to Mateja's house to sleep :-) That was another great experience (my favorite was stuffing our faces with McDonalds before our bus came... and waking up to homemade crepes.) Thanks Mateja

Today was the final "lets get together and shop before we really have to say 'goodbye'" day. Girls met and went shopping. Kim and I were both in for a treat. At 5:30 we met up with 3 girls from last years camp that we both bonded with. I wish I could give you a glimpse of what our time together meant to all of us.. but I can't because words don't do justice. We had fun laughing, crying, eating, walking around the city, catching up, and feeding turtles.

so that's how God has taken care of me since camp... I feel rewarded, especially after struggling with bonding at camp.

I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for tomorrow... hopefully it includes going shopping for food.. we're getting pretty low.

-Lindy

God is at Work in Slovenija!!

The impact this past week at camp has had on my life can be separated in three categories (Ha, can you tell I like order:) 1.God developing in me a deeper burden for Slovenija and 2.God growing me in new and different roles in ministry here and 3. Students are being changed by the love God through His church.


1.Just before camp began our team got the chance to look out at the city of Celje (the third largest city in Slovenia at 50,000) from the vantage point of the castle. While up there I realized that statistically there were probably only 100 Christians. We only knew of the church we were working with a small (40 person) body of believers. In Valeneje, the city of 30,000 that most the students came from did not have one group of believers that regularly met. In fact, quite a few believers from that town make up part of the church in Celje. One evangelical church for 80,000 people!!! My heart continued to break about half way through the week when I discovered that none of the students in my class had ever met, or even heard of someone whose life was actually affected by what they believed about God. Almost all of them had had experience in the Catholic church (going every Sunday) and each of them could, and did tell story after story of people who "prayed loudly" in church and went on to live lives of hypocrisy and sin. They even talked of immoral priests. It is so sad to see churches on almost every corner and realize how little actual life is within them, how few people who walk in an out of their doors actually know God. What a blessing to get to model what a relationship with a living God looks like! We were able to offer to these girls a different view of God than they had ever seen. We were able to show them that God is not just for the weak or the elderly (a very real belief).

2. I began camp not really knowing my role. I was working with a short term team from
Tennessee but wasn't on their team. I was working with the team of missionaries from Slovenia including Metka and Gasper, but I don't live here full time and I am not Slovene. I was first blessed by being able to serve with Gasper. I felt like we were sort of in the same boat, each having close friends at the other camp and not "knowing" anyone at our camp. My sister and Lindy and the GSCC team were in Austria at the other camp as well as Mateja, Gasper's girlfriend and pretty much the whole youth group plus some friends from school. It was a blessing to have him, a "camp veteran" and friend my age at camp with me, especially since I was out of my comfort zone. It was also very rewarding to get to spend time with several girls who are at the same place I was three years ago, 17 and on my first missions trip. Because of my experiences then and the huge amount of growth I've gone through since then I was blessed and humbled to have opportunities to share with them what I've learned along the way. I guess you don't always see or realize where you've come until you look back. I was able to step into the role of empowering them in leadership and encouraging them to step out in faith. I was deeply encouraged by their hearts to see students know God. It was so rewarding to watch the changes I saw in their lives throughout the week.

I also had the opportunity of being seen as part of the leadership team as an adult. I was very encouraged to be able to contribute to decisions and have my opinion respected and even sought out a couple times. I felt that I really was a part of the Slovenia team as a missionary (even if only full time for the summer). Lindy and I both feel privileged and blessed to have been given these positions of leadership at such young ages (19, and 20). It is also really exciting to be able to see very practically what it would look like for me to be in the role of a full time missionary a couple years down the road.

3. Lindy just reminded me of how long winded I am, and I apologize, but I promise you want to hear how God has worked and is working. As anyone who has been on a missions trip knows, it will be impossible for me to re-create or re-tell all that God did, both because it'd fill a book and because you had to have been here to fully understand. Because of this and my utter inability to put into words the greatness of our God, I look forward to the day when you can see these students faces in Heaven and ask them to tell you the whole story. That said I will try to sum up what God did to give you a picture.

I made a list of specific prayers that God answered this week. God showed us all that He was fighting with us and for us in the ways that He specifically answered prayers for open conversations, unblinded eyes, and that His word would go out unhindered. From the first night girls in our class were making connections from the message to their personal lives (an amazing first step in Slovene culture). God also helped create a safe, loving environment for sharing from that first night on. God spoke through Metka (our wonderful translator) as she shared a lot of her story and was able to relate culturally with the girls' experiences with the Catholic church. God moved through us to challenge student's views of Him, whether He existed, what His role is in our lives and how He is what we all search for. Several students came to know God. Four girls came to church with us and were able to experience life and joy (a stark contrast to their experiences at mass). For me, I think the best way to give you a glimpse of God's work is to share with you part of a letter a girl in my class wrote us. She writes:

You have no idea how thankful I am for this week and that God sent me you. You guys helped me find the missing part in my heart... God...It's still a long way to go, but I've doen the most here. There is no word powerful enough to describe my gratitude. Rada te imam (I love you).

God is working in Slovenija to bring students out of the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son he loves. I was constantly reminded of God's faithfulness to do this by working side by side with Gasper. His life was transformed three years ago through the camp I got to be a part of and now he's working with us and has such a heart to reach students and share with them how God wants to change their lives too. It gives me goosebumps to think about it and teaches me to pray with faith for the students who come closer to God this summer knowing that they could become just like Gasper. Praise the Lord for His greatness, His mercy towards sinners and His boundless love.


Mary

it's hard to say goodbye

so I've tried now for a while and the pictures I want to load aren't loading.. so you'll just have to imagine the crazy stuff that went on at camp.. and believe that it actually happened.

For respect to the students no one will be named (unless I have their permission) and some details may be confidential..

so our daily schedule looked like this:

7:15 Team meeting
8:00 Breakfast
8:30 Morning session
9:00 English class (there's a 15 minute break included)
12:30 Lunch
1:15 Sports
3:30 Free time
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Evening Session (this is where we challenged kids to think about hard questions)
8:50 Discussion groups
9:30 Late night activities
12:30 lights out (haha... we NEVER went to bed before 1)

so, that's was my day to day life.

We started out with a 2 hour bus ride.. it was a little awkward trying to make conversations with people you don't know. The first time my class sat down for a discussion group it was a little more than awkward as well- there were a lot of blank stares. Good thing that didn't last long!.

Over the week my class (there was 8 including my slovene helper, my teacher's aid, and my self)really opened up. Sometimes class time was used to discuss important issues like evaluating churches and why God lets bad things happen to good people (they asked these questions ALL on their own- NO PROMPTING!!) My slovene helper was amazing- she did a wonderful job and the girls felt very safe with her. My class was probably the most open class :-) Teaching was fun too.

after lunch we played games. We were on teams with our english class... Our team name was: girl scouts :-) I found out that 8 girls can dominate!! That's right, my class dominated!

Can I just interrupt my train of thought and say that the food was amazing!!

... okay, now back to domintating...

My class didn't rock just because of our ability to win games and have good discussion. They rock because they feed me incredible food that they made during 'elective time' (we did this instead of sports some days). All in all, God gave me an amazing group of girls... who can dominate :-P

English is great and all but our main focus was to deal with deeper issues- the heart. This year's theme was Underground. Evening session addressed our need to stop living underground and come above ground and see the 'son'. John spoke one night and Josh spoke the other nights. Kids were deeply moved by what these men shared with them.

After session we'd get in our classes and have discussion about what was shared. This time together was so great. We talked about some pretty heavy stuff.. and numerous times we'd give the girls a chance to leave if they wanted to.. but all of them stayed. All of them were thirsty for God. Hallelujah!!

Class discussion always cut into our late night activity (we didn't seem to mind though). Late night activities were CRAZY!! We had Fiesta night (pinatas and authentic Mexican music was a hit), 1 year birthday party (this is the night that we used the play dough.. we built castles :-).. it was also the night that John wore an adult diaper.. this is when pictures would have been helpful :-P), 70's dance party, Movie night (they watched RV), coffee night (this was after the gospel session and so it was a good night to sit and talk with students and sip on some hot cocoa or coffee)and the last night we were together we had a 'singing at the dock' night. These late night activities brought people together. Major bonding went on during this time.

looking back camp wasn't about the good food, fun class sessions, dominating during sports, crazy camp songs, silly late night activities, or enjoying the experience- it was about seeing God's mighty hand moving in the youth of Slovenia- can I get an amen :-)

God worked in SO many lives. A couple slovenes accepted Christ!!! Many of the students took steps toward Him and others heard about Christ for the first time. Be praying for those who made commitments and who are searching as they meet opposition from their family and loved ones.

On Sunday we packed up all our things and headed back 'home'. That evening the American team ate at church and then went to the service. What an encouragement to see people from camp there who don't normally come to church- some even brought their parents (this is unheard of in Slovenia)!! David shared about trusting God and at the end while the pastor brought everything together a man stood up from the crowd, came forward, and felt convicted to share with us what he had experienced at church. This is what he said according to how it was translated to me: "I came to this building with so many questions and searching for something. Inside these walls I found peace, answers to my questions, and a relationship with God." Keep in mind the audience hearing this- Can you say HOLY SPIRIT!?!?!

will you join with me and just praise God for an awesome week!





Also, we'll be doing a reunion thing tonight at the Patty's and then we'll be hanging out with students tomorrow as well. Pray for our conversations with students. The American team is leaving on Thursday- it has been such a blessing to serve along side my good friends and to see how God has worked in their team to create unity. Pray for them as they travel back home and that they'll get everything done they'd like to in the next couple of days.

Chapter 2... just kidding (sorry it's long)

-Lindy for the MaryLindy team

*sings* I've got a friend, ain't nobody like him

hey all,

I've received some very worried emails from some of our fans... mainly family... but fans non the less :-P

Don't worry, we haven't died!

Castle camp ended this afternoon and we had church this evening. Mary is still in Celje and will be returning some time tomorrow.

you can look forward to some pictures from BEFORE camp (refer to older posts) and then some of our favorite pictures from camp.

-Lindy for the MaryLindy team

PS. Thanks for your prayers and support!!