Stepping out...

I returned from Thailand to Colorado Springs August 20th. I was planning on going to community college immediately after returning home to Virginia, on August 29th. However, during the last couple of days in Thailand, I began to question going back to community college after arriving home. I began to feel very unsettled about it, and I started to pray, asking God if I was making the right choice, or if I should explore other options. If I wasn’t going to go to community college, I had no idea what I would do.
On our last day in Thailand, I received an email from a man in Slovakia, who was the one who had showed me the video of the DTS about a year and a half ago. He told me that they were running a DTS on September 15, and were absolutely desperate for another female staff member. I immediately became so excited, and I truly wanted to do it. After thinking and praying about it for several days, I decided that yes, I was going to jump in and go to Europe.
I came home and visited with family and friends for about 11 days. This was a very refreshing time, and it went by in such a blur. I was busy reconnecting with supporters and friends, trying to unpack from Thailand and pack for Slovakia, but at the same time rest and relax. It was a rushed time, but just long enough so that I could see everybody I wanted to, and short enough so that I didn’t get comfortable being at home.

So, on September 10th, I flew to Bratislava, Slovakia. After about 27 hours of travelling (which actually wasn’t too bad compared to flying to Thailand), I arrived in my final destination: Banska Bystrica. I was picked up at the bus station by the leader of the school, Ad de Bruin. Ad and his family welcomed me into their home for the night, and made me immediately feel appreciated and loved. The next couple of days were a blur; we were trying to get everything ready in the apartments we were staying at, adjusting to the time difference, trying to learn my way around town, going shopping for groceries, learning a few useful phrases in Slovak, and meeting some of the students and staff. It was a very challenging couple of days.
On September 15, the school started. Ever since then, I have had a rigorous schedule of having a worship time in the mornings from 9-10, having class from 10-1, lunch from 1-2, small groups from 2-3, staff meeting from 4-6, dinner from 6-7, and either intercession and outreach prep from 7-9, or local outreach or open meetings. Obviously, days have been flying by and have been quite exhausting. But the group is really beginning to bond, and I am really excited about being a part of their lives and watching them change and grow closer to God as I continue on the journey that began during my DTS of having an intimate relationship with God.
This experience so far has been absolutely crazy. There have been moments when I wonder why on earth I flew half way across the world after being home for only 11 days. There have been moments when I wonder if I will be happy here, if I am actually doing God’s will. There have been many times when I have felt insecure, unqualified, and unsure of myself.
But then there are other moments that overcome all the negative feelings and insecurities. God has been my comfort, God has been my Dad, God has been my best friend during these times. I am learning to talk with Him when I wake up in the morning, all during the day, and when I go to bed at night. I am learning to hear his voice clearly, and to act upon it. I am being forced to receive rest and strength exclusively from Him. And the more I rely on Him, the deeper I fall in love with Him and I desire to know Him more and be used by Him more. Maybe it’s good that I don’t feel that I can do this; it means that He will.