I will serve you while I'm waiting

   In sharing what plans I have for serving the Lord this summer I want to start with the threads he has been weaving together to get me here.

     


        Early this year I decided for health reasons that I could not return to serve in Zambia this summer, although my heart desperately wanted to. From that point on I had subconsciously decided that there wasn't anywhere else I would serve. Instead I would rather recover from surgery May 14th, spend time in Germany with my boyfriend, and work the rest of the summer. At that point I didn't know whether I would be re-accepted into the nursing program, nor when I would pass my Nursing Assistant licenser exam in order begin working my way towards my R.N. I also had no idea when my physical body would be healed to where it had been before that I could trust it to work full-time and complete my school work.

       With unknown, fears, and worries, God is taking the little faith I have left, and making it into something beautiful. And he is using illness to slow me down, make me thankful, and give me sight. 

“…those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with revenge, with the reward of God. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened…” Isaiah 35:4-5

      You may not be surprised to hear I will be returning to Germany (if you know I am dating a German) this summer to serve God, but I still am. Planning to see Christoph for a period of my summer never appeared to me as God opening another door for ministry in Germany. Still, God slowly through the Word and trust in His plan, gave me sight and encouragement for me to think about serving again in Dresden.

            During the summers from 2007-2009 I served in Dresden at DASS (Deutsch Amerikanische Sport und Sprach) camp with a team from my church in St. Louis. It was my first overseas traveling and mission experience in 2007. It is a special, unexpected gift for me to return to Dresden and serve the FeG (Evangelical Free Church) as well as rekindle many relationships. I am anticipating much joy and lots of learning through all God has purposed for camp and for the lives of each of the teens who will come and encounter God.

            DASS camp takes a group of high schoolers from the FeG church as well as a group of unchurched teens from their Stoffwechsel (changing the stuff) ministry out to tent-camp at a park where we will spend our days in English classes, playing sports, participating in German lead bible studies, worship, and campfires each night. I will be serving as an English teaching assistant in the mornings and a lacrosse coach in the afternoons and evenings.

            This camp is an incredible outreach to many teens from different walks of life in the city of Dresden. We use the bible time, English lessons, as well as sports to speak love and grace into the lives of each of the teens. We are able to “run alongside them” in the fun and in our faith. We often don’t have the words or answers these searching teens need to hear, but I hope we can take with us the love and comfort Christ gives us for all of the unknown.

            I desperately need your prayers for this to happen. It will be a busy, physically demanding trip as well as spiritually full as we build relationships with these teens. I will be helping with the first DASS camp from July 22-28^th. God can and will do abundantly more than we could ever ask or think, and we have the incredible gift of being a part of that process through prayer.

                                                                        

      Specific Prayers:                                                     

Ø  Pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength and protection.

Ø  Pray for unity amongst the team and German leaders: each member comes with a different story, pray God would use our differences as well as our gifts to weave together exactly the vessels He needs to open the hearts of these kids, as well as our own.

Ø  Pray for sight: Pray that the leadership and the teens would encounter God. Ask God to reveal himself to each heart in a special and memorable way. For God’s leading and direction to be present and heeded. Pray for first sight for the unbelieving.

Ø  Pray for new starts: Pray the teens would feel accepted and valued, aside from their past and present struggles. Ask God to grant more grace (Js 4:6) and greater faith to believe a new start with him is possible and trustworthy