So you know that feeling you get on Christmas, after all the presents are opened (including the one you COULDN'T WAIT TO GIVE!!!), the wrapping paper is all cleaned up off the floor, the breakfast is eaten, the cinnamon rolls are gone, and reality is starting to set in that Christmas is DONE for another year? You're a little depressed, a lot sad, and at the same time a LITTLE relieved that after all the planning, your big day was a success. That's kind of how I feel at the end of camp season. Times a hundred!:)

After you watch the video of all the fun we've had, I'm sure you'll understand better. But it is about more than having fun. It is about having an up close and personal view of God's power as He changes lives, fights our battles, and reminds us that HE can do much more than we could ask or imagine. I came to Romania believing that verse was true. And God has shown me again and again, in all new ways, that HE is working and we are blessed when He allows us to just get a glimpse of what He's up to!

So enjoy! The songs are a couple of our themes songs from the summer, so they're full of memories, too. I know this is long, but hey, come on...it was the WHOLE summer! How was I supposed to choose only a few pictures! :)

Here We Go! Summer 2011!

I just looked at the calendar and it says that today is the 14th of July. WHAT??? Really? How'd THAT happen? I've been waiting for about nine months (the end of last year's camp season!) for THIS year's camp season and now it is almost here and I really can't believe it! I leave in TWO DAYS?? Seriously??? I am in disbelief. For whatever reason, it doesn't feel REAL yet. But, nonetheless, come Saturday at 7am, I will be on my way back to Lunca Bradului for the first couple weeks of camp!

If you get my prayer letter (and I'm assuming if you're reading this, you probably do!), you have the line up of camps for the summer, so I won't repeat it all. I just wanted to quickly write about our first couple of weeks and let you know how they are shaping up and how you can specifically pray with us and be involved in this way.

On Saturday we leave for a week of camp with two churches: Alfa Omega and Cer Deschis. We're expecting 60-65 "campers", who will mostly be young adults (some are even married) From what we can tell, only about 30% are believers, which presents us with an awesome opportunity, but also gives us GREAT motivation for prayer. We saw especially last year that Satan really attacks us when there is a battle for souls, and so we need God's protection and help as we head into this week. This is also the first time that we've worked with these churches in a camp setting, and that means the week will be a little more difficult as we learn more about them, and they learn more about us and our way of doing camp. So pleas pray that we will work well with these churches. Please pray also for our counselors especially; that they will LOVE their campers unconditionally, and that they will be pro-active in having spiritual conversations with them. Our goal for this week is to "bust" many popular myths about God, His Word, eternity and the Christian life. I'm excited about this week and what God will do, but also think it will be a difficult week in many ways.

After our campers leave on Saturday, our Core Team will get back in Hillary (our team van...she has quite the personality. She even has her own Facebook account!) and head for the border! Our next camp will be in Ukraine. There's still actually quite a bit of planning that needs to happen for this week (we seem to work better under pressure!) and even though we've gone to visit a few times, we haven't held a camp here before (although some of our teammates did last summer). We are, however, still looking for and praying about finding two more quy counselors. Please pray with us. Guys are just really hard to find this summer. Our goal for this week is to give to give the campers a better idea of who Jesus is, and how they can walk with them. Most are from very conservatives churches and know what it looks like outwardly to be a Christian, but need a better understanding how how to have a real RELATIONSHIP with Him. Please pray with us for these teenagers.

So that's what the next two weeks look like. After that, we'll come home. I'll have two weeks off before the next camp, so my roommates and I are taking a "Happy 26th Birthday to Kristie" trip to London (where I WILL eat Chipotle!) and Dublin for about a week. Then, we'll have three more weeks of camp!

Thanks so much for your prayers before camp (as we finish preparing!), during camp, and after camp. It is a blessing to know that we aren't alone, and that others are praying, even as we sleep! What a cool thing that is! :)

Super Superhero Week

And just like that, the VBS whirlwind has come and gone! It has hard to believe after all the planning, purchasing, preparing, and praying it is OVER! It was a fun week. I know WE learned a lot and I think the kids did, too.

One of the major issues going into the week was what the weather would do. Since we were holding VBS at the Botanical Gardens, rain wasn't really an option. We learned not to trust weather.com (seriously, it was exactly OPPOSITE of what they said almost every day!), but even though we had at least some rain three out of the five days, God gave us good trees, a few tents, and (for one especially rainy day), access to the church so we wouldn't all get sick and die. (That might be a slight exaggeration.)

Our group of kids wasn't huge (between 12-19 everyday), but it was great to see them learn and have fun doing it. They're such little sponges at that age! On the last day, as the Gospel was presented, it was so cool to see them listening and learning...and repeating things they learned earlier in the week. Please pray that God's Word will continue to take root in these little hearts. They're so small (4-7 years old), but I believe (WE believe!) that they really can understand and choose to follow Christ!

Other highlights:


*The totally awesome teens from the church that gave their week to help us! They were so sweet and patient with the kids, and the children loved them! Some of them are already involved in children's ministry at the church, but I'm praying that others will desire to be, too. They were great to work with and we really couldn't have done it without them.

*I was thankful again this week for the team that God has put my on and their willingness to serve...and their flexibility. With all the weather issues and constant changes, it could have been a tense situation. But it wasn't. Oh, and also...they're all super talented. I mean seriously. Some of THE most talented people I know. Love them.

*Seeing the kids run around in capes with smiles on their faces. How cute is that?!?


*The superheroes! They were HILARIOUS and totally rocked. I wrote the scripts but they made them work and were fantastic. I told them it was like seeing my imaginary friends come to life. The kids loved them, and (I think!) it helped them learn.

*Getting to speak more Romanian, having actual conversations, and not caring if every word wasn't perfect. I also had my first "I was speaking Romanian and didn't realize it!" moment! That was weird, but cool!

As much as I DO love organizing and keeping things going, I was reminded again this week how much I miss getting to actually be with the kids. I miss playing with them and talking with them and taking care of them. But that isn't my role here. There are other people who can and should do that. This is our goal: not to do it all ourselves, but to set other people up to succeed. And it is great to see that happen.

So those are some of the highlights. It was a good week. There are things I learned, things WE learned, and I know that we'll make changes in the future. But God was very gracious and faithful and answered our prayers.

Yep...It Is June

Soo....it is June...
Don't ask me what has happened to the last few months because it really is just all kind of a blur, but I DO know there were lots of trains and cars and funny beds. April and May consisted mostly of travel and counselor training in several places with lots of people. My prayer letter has more details about THAT! They were a good couple of months. Just busy and with lots of language study.

Ahh...language...now THERE'S a fun topic! In all reality, I have (I'm told) made good strides in the last couple of months, thanks to switching teachers and mixing it up a little. But seriously...GAH! I feel like I'm constantly climbing up-hill, and the top is rarely in sight. When I DO somehow manage to see the top, I realize how far away I am! Most of the time I wonder if I'm even climbing UP at all, or just going around in circles. I have, however, starting reading my first novel in Romanian, and let me tell you...it is PAINFUL. I have pages full of words that I've had to look up. And I'm only in chapter two. Yeah, maybe by the time I leave, I'll hit chapter four...We can hope! :)

Right now, however, language has taken a backseat to camp planning. Specifically right now, we're getting ready for a VBS/day camp the week of June 27th. It has been a lot of work, and a lot of quick planning, BUT with ten days to go, we have a location, teachers, helpers, crafts, skits and games mostly planned! Considering where we were a couple weeks ago...that's pretty amazing! :) It has been neat to see God answer many, many prayers as HE has pulled things together in ways better than we ever could. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of what He has in store for that week. Pray with us! The kids are little (ages 4-7) but I really DO believe that they can understand the Gospel and am praying that they make decisions that will change the rest of their lives. That is what makes all the craziness worth it.

One of my favorite things in preparing for VBS was getting to write five "Superhero" scripts! I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing! It was a BLAST to come up with fun, but concrete ways to show our themes and teach the kids truth from God's Word. It took quite a bit of work and a lot of time, but I THINK it is done, and I'm thankful for the chance to do something I enjoy so much!

And this is, of course, only the beginning! We do have another five weeks/six programs in July and August that we're planning, preparing for, and praying about. (Hey look! Alliteration! I must be my father's daughter!) I have to say...our team really ROCKS! I love working with this group of people and seeing God use all our gifts individually and together. More importantly, though, we serve a great God Who is strong and worthy of our trust. So I have no doubt that everything that must get done WILL get done.

The most pressing need right now is for people. We need counselors (especially guys) and worship leaders, and it isn't easy for people to give up their time and money (and vacation days, sometimes!) to be a counselor. Please pray that God would give them the desire to be there, show them that it is worth the cost, and then bless them as they see the ways He uses them.

So that's what is currently on my plate. Additionally, I've been bitten by the homesick bug again. I never know the rhyme or reason, but I've been here for almost a year and a half and I am really ready for family, friends, home, hugs, church, my car, my dog, Chipotle, Target...you get the idea. All this is normal, I know. It comes and goes in phases. The summer will come and go quickly, and I'll love it and be totally absorbed in life here. And that'll be good. I just need to make it to that point! :)

"Your emotions are not the best indicator of your ability to deal with what is on your plate; ever-present grace is." Paul Tripp <---------My reminder to myself...and maybe you, too! :)

Thanks, God

I very often have "is this really my life???" moments when I stop to think about where I am, what I'm doing, who I am. Is this really me? Am I really here? Am I really doing this? God has a sense of humor for sure! But I'm thankful.


I had several of those moments recently when I had the chance to spend a week in Ukraine. Our camp team took a trip to a town just across the border to do a Saturday conference with teens who had been in a camp led by our colleagues last summer. We're ALL planning on going back this summer, so it was good meet the teenagers, encourage them in the decisions they made last summer, and brainstorm a little with the leaders about THIS summer.

Sunday, we split into several teams and spent time in different churches sharing testimonies, preaching (not me, of course!) and fellowshipping together. On the way to our first church, as I sat in a car with Andrew and Anca, I couldn't help but wonder how a shy, scared girl from the middle of Ohio ends up in a car in Ukraine in the middle of the woods, stuck in the snow, with a driver we'd never met before...and all I could do was smile and say "thanks, God!" It was a long, exhausting day, but it was great.

Monday, my team headed back to Bucharest, but they dropped me off at at teeny, tiny airport. Sitting next to a cat and looking at my hand written ticket, I couldn't help smiling again. If you'd told a year ago that I'd be alone at an airport, waiting to get on a flight with eight other people where you load your luggage onto the plane by putting it in a pick-up truck at the door, I would have laughed at you. But there I was...laughing and enjoying the adventure. Thanks, God.

I arrived in Kiev, Ukraine (with the eight other people on my flight, and my bag, but without the cat) and was greeted by ABWE teammates David and Penny Winget. We drove six hours from there to Kharkov, a city in Northern Ukraine where they have lived and ministered for thirteen years. I really enjoyed their company and it was great to spend time with them in their home. Thanks, God.


Tuesday was March 8th, which may not mean much to YOU, but it IS International Women's Day. (Why do we think we have to come up with something "new" in the States? Why can't we just use the metric system and celebrate international holidays??? Anyway....) This is a HUGE deal in Ukraine. It is a day off work and everyone celebrates WOMEN!! Niiiiiice! :) The Winget's church holds a special banquet for ladies every year, and this year they asked me to speak. It was a beautiful event, with 35 ladies (more than in past years!) and it was wonderful to get to be a part of it. I was asked to talk about the tongue and the power of words, but it was especially a privlege to get to share the Gospel. It was one of those time when I had goosebumps as I shared what I KNOW to be truth! We are sinners, which breaks our relationship with God, but He made a way to restore that relationship through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. What a POWERFUL message we have been given!! It was a good day. Thanks, God.


I spent the next several days with the Wingets seeing their ministries, sight-seeing a little and just enjoying their company. And, because my life really IS an adventure, my time in Ukraine also included a trip to the hospital. Sigh.

I had fallen on ice the first day we arrived in Ukraine (I believe this is now called "Pulling a Kristie"), and even though it hurt quite a lot I tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, it got worse instead of better, and by Thursday of the next week (almost a week later), it looked bad, felt bad, and was starting to get numb and tingly.
After talking with a couple of ABWE nurses, it was decided that I needed to get an x-ray right away. FANTASTIC. It was quite an adventure since I don't speak Russian (shocker, I know, but I'm sure if you'd given me another week....RIGHT!), and they tried to x-ray my collar bone instead of my arm. HOWEVER, eventually we found a very kind doctor who assured me my arm wasn't broken, but that I'd messed up some nerves or something. He gave me some awesome Ukrainian pain pills (who knows!) some cream stuff, and instructed me to wear a sling for the next five days. The sling was off before I even left the hospital (like you really thought I was actually going to DO that???), but I did try to give my arm a little more of a break, and now, three weeks later, I'm pleased to say the bruising is fading, and I can sleep through the night again! Both are good things. Thanks, God. Ooooh the adventures. I think my new goal is to collect x-rays from around the world. I already have Romania and Ukraine...where should I injure myself next??? (Kidding, Mom...kidding...)

So this is really my life? REALLY, it IS!! I hope I never lose my amazement, not just at God's ABILITY to use a weak, foolish person (me), but His DESIRE to do so, too (I Cor. 1:26-2:5). The fun and adventure along the way...that's just a bonus! :) THANKS, God.

Language Lessons

There are MANY lessons I'll take home with me when I leave. I don't know what God has for me next (I know some of you are starting to wonder and ask!), but regardless of where He takes me, I know that the things He taught me here will go with me. One of the things I'm really thankful for is that I'll understand better what our missionary's lives are like. I'll be able to relate better and pray more knowledgeably cause I've been "there". So let me share at least one thing I've learned that has changed the way I pray.


I think when I read prayer letters from missionaries in the past, I always kind of skipped over the part about praying for their language abilities. Not that I didn't think it was important...I just figured that other things like special events or salvations or particular people were MORE important. And of course, those things are absolutely important! But my perspective has drastically changed over the last year. I now understand how all those other important things hinge on language and the ability to communicate well!

In the last couple of weeks, I've had two meetings with my team. One was just the ladies, and one was all of us together, but BOTH times, language learning, frustrations, defeats and (a few!) victories were a big part of what we talked about and prayed about. It is a HUGE part of our lives here. It is a normal conversation topic, an every day stress, and very consistently a tool that Satan can use to discourage us. He knows that language is soooo important to ministry! And so he loves to discourage us and make us feel like we can't do ANYTHING right since we can't even learn a silly little language. He likes to put the lie in our heads that we should be as good as "so and so" and since we aren't, we must be worthless and we'll never get it. He uses language to make us question if we're really supposed to be here. He know that language can keep us from being as effective as we'd like. (Have you ever spoken through a translator??) I'm really convinced that language learning is a spiritual battle. It isn't just my own crazy mind! :) "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).


In case you couldn't tell (!!), language has been a personal source of discouragement for me lately. In the last month, I've hit a wall where I feel like I'm not getting it, not making progress, and can't even put simple sentences together. All this came as I hit the "one year" mark, and realized that I'm NOT where I anticipated being language wise. My pride is a little bit wounded (which is good for me once in a while!) and I feel kind of STUCK...unable to move on. Everyone keeps telling me, "Just speak more, it'll come!"...but I don't really know HOW to speak. This is the problem. Some it has to do with the way I've been taught. Some of it has to do with me not putting in the time I should because of my busy schedule, and some of it...I really do believe is a spiritual attack from Satan, meant to discourage me. At any rate, I keep plugging away, taking lessons, meeting with a conversation partner, and TRYING to talk with my friends who are patient enough to listen and decode what I'm trying to say! :) And I pray. ALOT. Because I know I can't do this on my own.

So here's the challenge: Next time you read a prayer letter and see "language" listed there, PRAY HARD about this for your missionary. Add it to your prayer list. Ask God to give them the ability they need to learn, but also to protect them from Satan's lies and discouragement. I know it is more exciting to pray about other things and see immediate results...but language is the lynch pin that helps hold all the rest together.

And (obviously) I'd appreciate your prayers as I head into a really busy time of year and STILL try to make progress in language. Sigh...some days...I tell you...some days... :)

One Year!

"My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds."
Psalm 71:15-17

This coming Sunday (the 30th) will mark ONE YEAR since I arrived in Romania! I can hardly believe it! I've commented to several people lately that I think there's some kind of weird vortex here or something because time seems to move SOOO quickly! It has been an incredible year, with of a few really high highs, a couple really low lows, and a lot of day to day blessings. Coming here has been THE hardest thing I've ever done, but it has also been one of the BEST things I've ever done. I'm really thankful for what God has taught me about Himself in the last year, and will spend this week thinking specifically about those things and thanking Him for who I know He is.

I was re-reading my prayer journal from a year ago and had to smile. I don't usually post those thoughts here because they're so private, but reading it makes me so thankful that it is THIS year and not last year! :) I hope also that it will encourage you to know that the hard things God asks us to do are SOOOO worth it, and that He walks with us each step of the way, even when we doubt or wonder if obedience is worth the price. I'm thankful for this reminder as well.


January 22, 2010
Father, You see my fear for this next week. I dread it, and quite honestly don't want to go. Why? I know You've called me...at least I think so. Why do I doubt? Because I see myself and not You. Let me fix my eyes on You, so that I won't grow weary and lose heart. Oh God, my heart and head are so conflicted right now. I can't think straight, can't see You or hear You. How do I do this? Will it really be ok? Can I go this far outside my comfort zone? Will you REALLY be there with me?

And so a year later...I have the answers to all those questions and can say again that God is worthy of our trust.

Thanks, Lord, for your goodness, faithfulness, patience and help over this last year. Let me bring glory to You for all You have done.