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.

CHRISTmas

Christmas is done! Sigh of relief! :) Don't get me wrong, I really DID have a good Christmas. Actually, all of that week was really nice. And it was ALSO nice to not be working at Walgreens during the Christmas season for the first time in seven (possibly eight??) years. But I must admit, everything Christmas-y reminded me of home, so I'm glad to be moving on.


I was especially thankful this year for the wonderful team God has given me here. I can't believe that just a year ago these people were pretty much strangers to me...and now they're my family. (Andrew and Leah Postema, ME, Tom and Gela Graef)

I spent Monday-Thursday of Christmas week at "the little cabin in the woods" (as we affectionately call it!) in the mountains with Andrew, Leah, Grace(10), Rose(9) and Wayne(6) Postema. They really have been SUCH a blessing to me. We did virtually NOTHING together for four day. Games, cookies, puzzles, books...a really great way to spend time with people you love. It was wonderful. I'm thankful for "family" here I can relax with.

We came back in time on Thursday to finish shopping, baking and cooking for our team Christmas celebration on Friday. We spent all day together eating, playing games, talking, and exchanging gifts. Another really nice day.


I spent the night at the Postema's home on Christmas Eve so that I could get up with them early Christmas morning to open presents. Of course, Christmas with kids is just so much fun! Sorry, grown-ups, but we're pretty boring! :) There's nothing quite like watching a little boy open a Lego tractor and yell, "YEESSSSS!!! That's what I've ALWAYS wanted!!!!" on Christmas morning. (And for the record, that "perfect" gift was from me. OH YEAH! Points for Aunt Kristie!) We had breakfast together (yes, IBCers, those ARE my mom's famous cinnamon rolls on the table) and played with all the fun new toys before I headed home.


I made it back in time to catch my family back home (including Grandma and Grandpa!) and open presents with them! It was really fun to still feel like I was there (almost). I even got to see the brown dog bother everyone, which really IS a Christmas tradition. I'm thankful to live in a time when this is possible. It makes a HUGE difference. It was a good day.

So the holidays are done! Well...sort of! Caleb arrives on Wednesday (WEDNESDAY!! THIS WEEK!! TWO DAYS!!!), so my fun continues! :) If you got my last prayer letter, you know that he'll be here for a retreat we're doing this weekend. Please pray for all of us as we jump start back into ministry. I'm excited not just for Caleb to BE here, but for him to get to be a part of ministry that I have come to love so much.

Happy New Year, my friends! God continues to show me each year that, regardless of what He brings, HE is faithful and HE is enough. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me especially over these last weeks. Our God truly IS Immanuel. He is with us.

Thanksgiving

It MUST be Thanksgiving. I'm sitting in my kitchen as I write this, keeping an eye on the milk on my stove that is currently evaporating. Unfortunately, I'm now well aware of the fact that this takes several hours. A year ago, evaporated milk came in a can that took two seconds to pop open. Now, I avoid recipes that call for it because seriously, who has a few hours to just SIT in the kitchen?? But it IS Thanksgiving, and even in Romania we can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. And it seems you can't have pumpkin pie without evaporated milk. (Ironically, I don't even LIKE pumpkin pie and hadn't made it until this year...)

I've been thinking about things besides pumpkin pie, though. I have so much to be thankful for this year. God has blessed me. I don't say that flippantly. I mean it and think it often. Seriously, I think I could just put up a permanent Facebook status that says "Kristie Abernathy is blessed", and that would cover me for the rest of my life.

I was asked to give a testimony Sunday evening. I shared about how I'd been reflecting lately on how thankful I am that God is always the same, regardless of where I am or what changes around me. He's constant and unchanging. He's the same God in Romania as He is in the States. I'm thankful that "if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast" (Psalm 139: 9-10). That's not just a possibility in my life. That's the reality. His hand is still here. And regardless of where I go, what I do, or who comes and goes from my life, He is here and He's the same. Amen, right?

I came home that same night to an email saying that my cousin's adorable little 19 month old daughter had very suddenly gone to be with Jesus. It was one of those times when I KNEW that even though being home wouldn't mean I could do anything more, I wanted to be there. My heart is so sad for my cousins, aunt, uncle, grandparents...why do things like this happen?? How can this be for ANYONE'S good? But even that same night, a dear friend reminded me that the same God who was with me on "the far side of the sea" was with my family back home. And I had to practice what I had "preached".

So I'm STILL really thankful that God is always the same. I'm thankful He's the same God on the other side of the sea with my family. I'm thankful that He'll be with them all tomorrow as they gather together for a Thanksgiving dinner that I know will be bittersweet. And I'm thankful that He'll be here with me as I miss them and wish SO MUCH that I was there. He's the same good God. (These words are written after a few intense days of wrestling with this. Thanks to those of you who knew and were praying.)

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends. What are YOU thankful for this year?

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Happy Memories :)

Going through all these pictures brought back so many emotions and memories. I know you don't have those same feelings, but I hope it at least gives you a glimpse into our summer and lets you see the faces of those you've been praying for.