Saying goodbye to Bosnia and hello to Croatia...

It's been a busy two weeks since I last updated, and we have also since changed location! The week before last was our retreat for the house churches, which we taught at. It was a great week!  I loved getting to see all the house churches come together to spend time like one big family. I taught my topic Tuesday morning and didn't feel very nervous, which was an exciting first! Haha the whole week was busy and tiring, but so much fun! We had a trampoline that we could go on with the kids and lots of beautiful places to walk. Speaking of the kids, Anna and I had them the majority of the week, which was fun but exhausting! It has been a challenge for me throughout the past month to deal with the language barrier, but at least with kids it's a little easier because they just want to play. Also, I think in that week I learned more Bosnian than the 6 weeks before! Hahah the kids were always trying to teach me new words while we were playing games. The week flew by quicker than I expected and before I knew it the retreat was over, and we were driving back into Sarajevo.

Our last weekend and half week in Sarajevo was wonderful, but sad. Saturday we finally made it to the pool, which was probably our most relaxing day off of our entire outreach. Haha I needed and really loved just laying out in the sun and swimming in the awesome pool. Plus it was great to spend the day with Larry and Jill just chatting and enjoying a peaceful afternoon. Sunday we made our last trip to the NATO base, which was also a little sad. We had a great time though. Monday morning we went to the Children's Center. We took some bags of groceries and a bag of balloons and went to say goodbye. It was tough to say goodbye to all those kids that we had so much fun playing with, and it was really tough to say goodbye to the women that worked there and love on those kids every day. Tuesday we went into the center and walked through the markets for the last time. We had lunch at our favorite place, ate our favorite meal, and then I went souvenir and gift shopping. Wednesday morning we did a deep clean of our lovely apartment and said a few more goodbyes before heading off to the bus station. 

Driving away from Sarajevo was surreal. It didn't feel like we were actually leaving. I remember the night we first arrived in Sarajevo. It was late and the lights of the city were beautiful, everything seemed to sparkle. I was so excited for outreach and what this city would teach me. Well two months later, we are driving away and sad to see it behind us. The time we spent was extremely challenging at times, but there were also wonderful moments that made every tough time worth it. We grew as individuals and as a team. We are a family. I've finally hit the point of dreading to say goodbye to these amazing people in just 5 short weeks. It will be weird to be home and not wake up to all of them sitting around the breakfast table waiting to start the day. I will stop there before I make myself cry. Haha

So we travelled to Mostar, BiH on Wednesday afternoon. The views traveling into the Herzegovina section of Bosnia were beautiful. We made it there in a little over two hours and when we arrived at the bus station were greeted by the hostel owners who were there to pick up our luggage so we didn't have to carry our massive backpacks in the heat to the hostels. It was so sweet and so appreciated. The hostel was great! They really make an effort to have a family environment. In the evenings they have all the people staying at the hostel down to the patio for Bosnian coffee. Thursday we did some team debrief work, then had lunch and headed out to swim in the river! The river was beautiful but very cold and very strong. It was so hot though that the cold water felt amazing. You just jump in, swim around for 10 seconds, then jump out and warm up in the sun. Walking back from swimming I had an interesting interaction. A street child that was out begging came up to our group after her mother spotted us and sent her in our direction. When she came up I said no, but apparently she didn't like that answer so she smacked me... On the butt... I only had a swim suit on, so it was literally on the butt. Yeah, so that was a moment that I was thankful for self control. My initial reaction was to pop her for smacking me, but knew that wouldn't be the greatest idea, plus we were out in the main street. I also realized that she doesn't really know too much better. I mean, she should... But being raised in the streets forces them to be more aggressive and rough, especially since the parents are often rough and abusive.  . Anyways, Mostar was beautiful, and it was also a much needed bit of down time.

Now onto Croatia! What can I say? I'm in heaven. Haha I've been dreaming of going to Croatia every since I started watching ER? There was a really good looking guy that was Croatian and his language sounded cool. Lame, but hey it is what it is. Moving on... Croatia is beyond beautiful. It's warm and sunny, and there are palm trees! Didn't realize how much I had missed them until they were there in front of me. Also, the sea is incredible! The water is sooo clear and blue and AH. So nice. We got to explore Split Friday afternoon, which was awesome. It seems very Italian in many places. We got to explore Diocletian's Palace, which is now full of shops, apartments and awesome places to eat. At 8pm we got on a boat to take us to Trogir, and it was the most beautiful ride ever. There are mountainous island everywhere. The sun was just starting to go down, so we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. An hour later we docked in Trogir and made our way to our apartment. The apartment is great. It has enough beds for everyone and two full bathrooms which is such a blessing. A new experience here has been no A/C in the house, so it's hot. There is a mini A/C in the kitchen, but it doesn't quite reach all of the apartment. Also, there is no hot water. But the combination of these two things work well together! You're hot, so you go take a cold shower, and it's all good. Haha :) 

This week we will be working an English camp! I think it's going to be a lot of fun! We are doing in like 2 minutes from the sea so there is a lovely breeze, and we by a swim break! Woo! I think is will be a great end to our outreach! In closing, Friday we fly back to the Czech Republic. I'm so excited to see the rest of our team! I'm sad that our time of traveling is over though. I have learned to love the roads between locations and the excitement of being in a new place. 

P.S.  I'm getting super tan :)

XOXO

Cute Kiddos, Hiking, and Travel Changes

It seems to me that for this outreach God likes to save the best for last. This week was incredible, and I think the next 3 weeks will follow suit. Not that the first month of outreach wasn't good, but it was tough. Things seem to be flowing better now. There have also been some change in plans, so I will update on that as well. 

This week we spent M/W/F at the children's center! We did crafts and games and just loved on the kids the best we could. Not being able to have a conversation with them because of language difference was tough, but it was still good. Wednesday we took them to the park and had ice cream. I must say we played a game with them that was basically an extreme squat workout, plus we had to play duck duck goose in a squatted position because the ground was a little wet. So I got quite a workout and am still feeling it. Haha. Anyways, seeing pictures of these adorable little ones will have to wait til I get home because of protection reasons we can't post pictures of the kids on Facebook. But just trust me when I say they are super cute.  :) I will be sad to say goodbye next Monday, but am thankful for the time I got to spend with them.

Yesterday we went on what I would call an extreme hiking adventure. The others that are used to mountains and elevation and just exercise in general thought it was normal hiking, but yeah... I come from the flatlands, so it was not an easy task, plus i was wearing my Toms. I now realize that was a bad decision. We were thousands of feet above sea level, and there was still snow on the mountains along our path. We hiked somewhere near 10 kilometers up and down and over and around hills and mountains. I must say after my squat workout with the kids just a few days before, I was still a little sore and was definitely feeling the burn. To add to the soreness, I fell three times... y'all know my middle name is grace, right? haha Anyways, the views and the scenery all around us were incredibly beautiful. I wish my camera did it justice, but it doesn't. Eventually hours later we made it to Lukomir, which is a village out in the middle of no where. You walk into it and feel like time has gone backwards and suddenly you are seeing what life was like hundreds of years ago. It was amazing. We took some great pictures, which I will try to post by next weekend. 

Up next on the agenda is a week long retreat in the mountains that we as a team are in charge of the teaching. So Tuesday morning I will be teaching on the Fruit of the Spirit and mainly on what love is and how it should affect our lives. On top of that, Anna and I have been put in charge of the little kids for the week. So I think  it's going to be busy, but fun! 

Now for the change in plans... Originally we were leaving here on Tuesday the 18th to start slowly making our way towards Montenegro, but sadly that has recently been cancelled. We will now stay in Sarajevo until probably Wednesday morning, then make our way south to Mostar, BiH! Then Friday we will make our way to Split, Croatia! I have dreamed of seeing Croatia and couldn't be more excited! We will be there for a full week, and starting Monday we will be helping a new YWAM base with working an English camp. Then Friday we will board a plane and fly back to Prague. Woo! God is good. We got the flight for the same cost of being on trains and buses for over 20 hours. We will arrive back in Cheb, CZ that night. Then will be patiently awaiting the arrival of the rest of our family who will be flying home from Turkey! 

These past few months have been the time of my life. I couldn't be happier or more thankful for how this time has been. I have the most amazing extended family that comes from 9 different countries. I will be extremely sad to say goodbye to them all, but I hope and pray that one day we will get to have a reunion. We've been talking about Spain... :) 

A fun little thing that my friends Andreya,  Mark and I have been doing to keep in touch while our South Africa is separated into the other team is to take turn asking questions that we all answer. This week was my turn, and my question was "What are 5 things you will miss most about Europe, and what are 5 things you excited for back home?" So I will share my answers with you all...

What I will miss about Europe: 

1. My YWAM family!!!

2. Trains. Haha I have really enjoyed the trains. Oh and metro surfing :)

3. The ability to travel and experience different places and cultures.

4. The ability to just walk down the street and buy groceries or walk around town.

5. The views of the beautiful cities we have seen... Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, Sarajevo, and of course Macedonia.

What I'm excited for back home:

1. The OCEAN! I miss the sun and the sand so much.

2. Seeing my all of my friends and family that I have so terribly missed! Especially, my friend Sammy who is due to have her first baby a week after I get home, and my two little ones that are growing like weeds! I miss those little munchkins so much! 

3. Foooooooood. Seriously, I haven't had steak in over 4 months. Or bacon. Or fried chicken. Or seafood. Or sushi. Or caesar salad. Or publix subs. And many other delicious things. I'm so tired of bread/pasta/rice ALL.THE.TIME. 

4. I can't wait to drive my car!!! McNubbins... I miss you and hope that I remember how to drive you properly after not driving a vehicle for 6 months  :)

5. Warmth and sunshine! I don't like being cold and cloudy weather. Haha

Until next time... Much love to you all! xo :)

The halfway point...

Sorry that it has been so long since I've updated! Things have been busy here trying to plug in where we can. Outreach is halfway over, which is totally crazy to me. We will be back in Cheb, Czech Republic in 28 days, and I will be back in the beautiful Sunshine State in just 56 days. I'm overwhelmed to say the least, such mixed emotions. The longer I'm here the more I miss home, but at the same time the longer I'm here the more I dread saying goodbye to this group that has become family. I've been living in Europe for over 4 months now and the adjustment of coming home will be very exciting but difficult. I've been in 6 countries and experienced so much in my time here. God is so good and has done so much stretching on me. I feel stronger and more independent, so much more grounded in who I am in Him. I know I can go anywhere and do anything because He goes before me, with me and behind me. 

There have been many challenges a long the way. Many times I have felt like I was at my absolute limit, ready to break, but God never gives us more than we can handle. I've also found that when I am hitting a point where I'm struggling that a special treat will come up and pleasantly surprise me. For instance, about two weeks ago I was telling a few people in my group about how much I love horses and going riding, but don't get to do it very often. Well this last weekend after church I was talking to a couple of American missionaries, and they said something about how their daughter rides here. So they offered that I could go with for a trail ride up in the mountains. AH! Seriously, such a treat! :) Thank you Jesus for wonderful surprises. So today (if it stops raining) on my day off I will be on horseback in the beautiful mountains surrounding Sarajevo!

Another exciting bit of news, we finally got in at the children's center here! We've been trying to figure it out for weeks, and now we are finally going. The center takes children off the streets, showers them, feeds them, and gives them a safe place to play and just be kids. So for the next week we will be trying to spend as much time as we can helping out there. Then our final week here will be spent working a "retreat" where basically all the house churches will come together and spend 5 days together bonding and learning together. As for our job, we are in charge of all the teaching. I'm a little nervous, but at the same time looking forward to it. I think God put in my heart to speak on the Fruits of the Spirit and what the Bible says our relationships with others should look like - "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."

As for where we will be going after this, we will be leaving Sarajevo on the 18th and making our way towards the Montenegrin coast. We will spend a few days there then make our way home up the Croatian coast. We are hoping to meet up with a new YWAM base in Croatia to help with a camp they are running, but not sure yet if that will work out or not. Then we will be back in the Czech Republic for 4 weeks, two of which will be teaching and debrief and the other two will be "touring" talking to churches about where we went and what we did. July 25th is graduation, and Monday July 29th I will be traveling home. Crazy. 

I look forward to seeing you all in just 8 weeks! xo :)