This April, I had the opportunity to
serve on my first mission trip. Although I’m a missionary, ironically, I’ve never been on a mission trip before. The group from ICSV went to Romania,
where we served the ministry River of Life (http://www.rol.internationalmessengers.org/) by pouring concrete for a driveway and teaching ESL
lessons for the kids there. The place is a shelter for moms and children who
have hit rock bottom and have nowhere else to go.
One of my jokes is that if I get
sick it will be God’s will, since I haven’t had to take a sick day all year.
But the day we arrived in Romania, my nose started running and I had a migraine
headache. The whole week my nose was clogged up, I had a wad of tissues in my
pocket, was cold at night, and smelled like smoke from the bonfire we had. Even
so, through God’s strength, I was able to teach ESL lessons with patience and give
my best on the work projects in the morning before lunch every day. I really
had the sense that because I was in the right place (being in Romania instead
of hanging out with Max in Vienna like I‘d rather do), God was able to use my
weaknesses for his glory.
School has gone pretty well, but
it’s been an exhausting year and I’m thankful that summer break is here. Next year I will be at ICSV again, but I’ll be teaching 7th
and 8th grade English instead of 6th, 11th,
and 12th grades. I will also be able to teach a dance class!
Hamza helping with ESL lessons
I'm flying to Texas this Sunday for a month, and I'm looking forward to seeing family, eating some Mexican food, floating the river with Jill, shopping at Wal-Mart, and being in MURICA!
