This Slovak Life: July 2014

I just love being a part of the Cabin. I love the collaboration of minds and hearts that want to see change. Minds with visions and hearts with love and tenderness all wrapped up in the Gospel. People - ordinary people - with passion. Carpenters, techies, students, nurses. Just people living but asking for more. Living, but with the Kingdom in their eyes and eternity in their throats so thick they'd choke on it if it didn't come out.

We're nothing special. None of us are. Most of the time I feel weak. But I was thinking in church today how God uses us in our weakness. Listening to my brother sing, leading worship because he can. Unobtrusive, unaffected. Just simply and purely. Because he believes in the One, True God. Not in himself. Singing loud, because that is how he is, but without theatrics. And I thought how beautiful it is when God thrusts us out in our weakness. How much more room he has when we aren't quite sure we can do it. When we have to lean on him because there isn't anything in us to stand on. I've always thought it is important to use your gifts. To find your niche and exploit your skills and talents. But maybe it is better to do what scares you. What you think you don't the power to do. When you reach the end of your abilities and have to jump into the white unknown beyond them. Because then it isn't about you and what you can do. It's about all that is missing in you and all that Christ fills up. All that he can do with these weak and broken vessels that we are.

That is what Cabin leadership is. A whole bunch of cracked pots all filled up and glowing with everything that our Lord is. All goodness, all perfection, all grace. The ability to do anything. And we screw up sometimes. Go through dry times. Lose vision. Lose passion. But today I saw people full of Christ. Lives permeated by his Spirit.

I just love what He does. I love it when he shows me a little bit of how he works. And I'm so excited about the future of the Cabin. I'm privileged to be a part of the leadership team, and I so wish I could stick around to see the changes and fruit that I know are coming. But it is exciting also to pass on that leadership. To step out of the way and see others carry the vision and responsibility. I will miss our meetings with all our plannings and our plottings. And I will miss the challenges the Cabin has produced. But I am looking forward to joining another team in Slovakia. A team, like here, full of Christ-vessels.

Sometimes I can't believe that this is my life. That God has granted me such beautiful people. That I have been a part of sweet friendships here, and that I will get to enjoy even more of that sweetness in Slovakia. In Slovakia! In a place that I love with people who are so dear to me! I can't believe that these opportunities are mine. Our God is so good. And though I do not always stand in the awe of him that he deserves, I relish the times that I do. When he so graciously shows me his goodness. When I can take my eyes off of all the grit and grime of the world long enough to see His hand.

The future is bright because of Him.

I'm not sure what to tell you about my most recent trip to Slovakia. The thoughts and feelings that expand and shift during such an experience are difficult to put into words. They are magnified by the briefness and intensified by the nature of such a trip - like living an entire lifetime in a single week. Growing deep and old with people you've only just met. It is so beautiful, and so difficult. Its overwhelming, but in the best of ways. And when its over all you want to do is rush back in and do it again.

The camp theme for the week was the Upside Down Kingdom. We talked about how the kingdom of God is so backwards from the world we live in. It is a theme that continues to jump out at me when I'm reading my bible - how crazy God's plan sounds to us! But when we look at our world and what makes sense to us, we can see that it doesn't work. Our world is a mess, our logic is flawed, and it is truly our kingdom that is upside down. We spent time in our discussion groups talking about happiness, forgiveness, love, worry, and Jesus as our Ruler and King.

My group, Imagine Red, was one of my all-time favorites. We were all at least a little bit introverted and absolutely terrible at sports, but we became such good friends! I loved walking into the dining room and seeing them all sitting together, people who only a week earlier had never met.

Some years at camp you get to know one or two students really well and other years it feels like you get to know the whole camp. This year was one of the latter ones for me. I really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting so many new ones. This was espeically important and one of biggest reasons I chose to go this summer. I really wanted to build a foundation with as many students as possible before I move to Levice in November.

Before I left for camp I had been struggling with a lot of fears. Mostly fears concerning lonliness and depression. I was afraid I would move to Levice and get stuck in a routine that didn't involve seeing friends or meeting new people. Afraid that I would be too tired or scared to try or that no one would want to make an effort with me. But God is always good, and the peace that I felt and still feel after coming home is a gift. I was so encouraged to hear that people were excited to have me come! I've already made plans with a few of students to come to their football matches or try out their jumping class. And I've agreed with several students to help them practice their English if they help me with my Slovak. I think it is a good trade.

I also met my roommates and got a tour of the flat I will stay in. They are two of the sweetest girls! I've known one for several years, and I met the other at our camp after party. This was simply another blessing that I didn't expect. I know that it is not usually good for me to live alone, especially in a new place, but God took care of that need without any thought or effort of my own.
"God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?"-Oswald Chambers

God's provision is something I continue to run into on this journey.The flat is small and "vintage" as the girls call it. I'd call it orange. But it is one big, orange blessing!

"In the same way the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world - just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace."
I love the global nature of Christ and His kingdom. And I love that God allows me to be a part of it. This short trip to Slovakia has only increased my excitement for the next few years. I can't wait to be over there and really involved in the students' lives! Thank you for walking with me on this journey.

Our amazing Slovak team. These people put in hours and hours of work months in advance to make camp happen. They are some of the most amazing people I know, and I can't wait to join their team this fall!