CatchUp, Popo, Kiddios and BEing Still. :)

Hello all!

Yeah...I know.  I've been slacking, truly.  And I have, I will admit.  But life has been happening, LIFE!  So many good things have happened, and I am caught up in all of it.

I need to catch you up on this year's trip though.  We are going to Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, about 40 miles east of Mexico City.  Our team of 15 has been meeting (most of us) and bonding well...we do have 2 members who are remote, but we do our best to keep connected with them as well.

Right now, we are on a countdown to our trip.  As of today, I have 22 days before I board that plane with my team, and I am excited.  Clearly, not nearly as excited as last year...but then again, that was my first missions trip ever, and that kind of build up was to be expected.  Anyway, 22 days until I go to a beautiful country with great friends (lucky for me, my best friend is on the trip as well!), to make even more great friends, I am sure.

I  must admit a bit of anxiety though...nothing to make me decide not to go, but anxiety nonetheless.  There is an active volcano there, Popocatepetl, which is slowly rumbling its way back to life.  Since May of this year, it has been churning and spewing ash and smoke into the air.  This is my concern, since I am asthmatic.  I was recently told by Jeff Izzo, a missionary currently serving in Nicaragua with his family, that "active volcanoes aren't the ones you should worry about.  At least they give you warning.  It's the inactive ones that you need to worry about", which did help.  (Be sure to check out the Izzo Family blog HERE )  Woohoo for me that my bestie is an EMT, and will bring me breathing masks, so I can still go out into Mexico to be The Hands and Feet of Him!

Popocatepetl, as a plume of smoke reaches to the sky. May 2013.

I am almost at my fundraising goal (Praise Him!), and am just now thinking of what I'll be packing, besides the filtering masks, lol.

This has been a different kind of summer for my household as well.  The kiddios are doing different things, and I am making plans because of it.  My daughter went to grandma's in Michigan again this year, and is having an absolute blast!  The boys decided though, that since being teenagers is fun, but spending summers at grandma's isn't so cool anymore, they'd stay home.  My oldest is going into his senior year at school, and got a job.  My youngest will be a sophomore in the fall, and is enjoying a summer of freetime.  While I'm away on mission, my aunt plans to come to my house to stay with them, so the oldest can still work h is regular shifts at work.  I appreciate her for being so willing to do that, so I don't have to worry while I'm out of the country!

My job has gone well, and I've even been given a promotion, which is always encouraging.  That also means that now, I am a salaried employee, with PAID time off, so going on this mission will not hurt my family, financially.  Praise God!

All of this is to say that while I have been busy, The Lord has been busier.  There are times when I don't even know what I am going to do, I am so busy...but then I take a moment and realize that I need to be still.  Be still, and know that He is God...and I am not.  I've gotten much better at that, as of late.

Exodus 14:14 tells me that "The Lord will fight for you, and you only need to be still"...so I wait.



I hope to blog more (now that I've remembered my password...being busy helps me to be forgetful as well, lol), especially since the trip is coming up shortly.  If you know me in person, and you know that I haven't blogged in awhile, call me out.  Speak up!  Let me know!  And I will smile...and hop on it as soon as time allows.

Thanks for being faithful, readers.  I appreciate you, wherever you are!

~yonna

CHVALA BOH...Today is the Day!

It's here.

Throughout the night, I've been half sleeping.  I'm excited!  I would wake up and begin thinking about all kinds of things, pray to myself, and hope to go back to sleep for another (short) period of time...

The Mountain On 5 movement has begun.  On Wednesday, we had a small team return from a short trip to China.  Thursday, our Southeast Asia/Yellow team took off.  Just a few hours ago, the Kenya/Green team met at church,and as I type this at 7:47am EST, they are on the plane, ready to take flight.  Both groups had a team of well wishers at church, ready to send them off with a cheer.  Tomorrow, at 4:30am, both the Mexico/Blue team, and Arizona/Green teams will be meeting at church for their send off.

Team Red/Europe meets at church today at 3pm, which honestly, is a really great time to be meeting.  The middle of the day; I can still run last minute errands, have a great breakfast, and spend time with folks I love before I go.

I am still excited.  I am hoping to feel this way all day...instead of the nervous/anxious mess that I could be.

Team Red is prepared.  We have packed.  We have prayed. We are unified and we are ready to work.

LET'S GO!

~thank you all for the support, prayer and love you have shown Team Red so far.  It is greatly appreciated.

CHVALA BOH,
(Praise God),

~yonna

Bittersweet.

I am bringing myself to write this post on purpose.  Writing this blog makes me happy, because I always get the chance to share something that is so exciting to me.  I come here to talk about my first short term missions trip, which begins in just 17 short days!

I need to be on my purpose, because I am slightly depressed right now.  See, tomorrow is the third anniversary of my father's death.  It was unexpected, and quite a traumatic experience for me, as, I'm sure, it is for anyone losing a parent.  In his last year, I'd become his legal guardian, and helped his move from the hospital, into a rehabilitation home, into his own apartment.  He'd worked hard to mend his strained relationship with my younger brother, and was successful.  He spent lots of time with all of his grandchildren, which made him happy.

I just spoke to my best friend, who told me that I don't have to let tomorrow be such a sad day...I decide that.  And I am deciding to make it a good day.  For me, it may be quiet, but it WILL be good!  After all, I will be strong and take heart, because my hope comes from the Lord! (Psalm 31:24)

My father would be so proud to know that I am going on a missions trip.  I think I got my travel streak from him.  He would hop in his car and just drive anywhere he had the gas money to go.  He talked about driving to California and back by himself.  We drove to Florida and then Texas for vacation when I was 11.  With the exception of the plan ride, he would be so excited that I a going so far...and then to do it to serve God!  I am sure he'd be beside himself with excitement, and extremely proud of me.

Last night, we had the MO5 Family Night, which was a really cool event.   2 of my 3 children joined me for dinner and fellowship.  As a group, we learned a memory verse, and then we got to 'meet' all of the teams.   Each team stood before the group, talking about how they've been preparing and what they'll be doing on their trip.  When it came time for Team Red to report, we were ready!  We finally had all 8 team members there, and were the only team fully represented.  I was able to speak Czech (though it was simple Czech, I felt VERY confident in sharing before such a large group!), and felt genuinely bonded with y team.  We are still the smallest team going, but I think we are exactly the size that God intended to send to Prague.  We are certainly hoping to go and be a blessing to the Mudrik family.

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Listen to "Oh Lord You Know" here

On a completely different note...I just took a 20 minute break from writing this blog to go and pick up my oldest son from his evening class.  On the way, I turned on my iPod...before I moved to Northeast Maryland, I went to an amazing church, the DC Regional Christian Church, where I also served on the Worship ministry.   The Worship Arts Minister, Carlos Scott, is an amazing songwriter and evangelist.  I had the honor of serving on a small ensemble singing team with him.  When he was going through a rough time in his life financially, he decided to use the talent and gift that God gave him, and recorded a CD.  He gave me the privilege of being one of his supporting singers on this project.  I mention this because I just got in the car, and one of his songs was playing, a song simply called "Oh Lord, You Know".  And I had to think..."yeah, He does know".  It wasn't even the final version from the CD...just one of our practice, scratch sessions.  I heard Carlos singing the verses, and myself and a couple of other sisters singing the background, and felt just a peace come over me.  The lyrics are very simple, but so powerful:

"Oh Lord you know my doubts, my pains and fears
And Lord you know the number of my years
Lord you know my flesh is fighting me
Thank you Lord!  Hold me close to you"

So while it is bittersweet that my biological father isn't here with me any longer, I know that I have my Heavenly Father working in my favor.  He knows how depression hurts me, and has no desire to see me go through that.  I have already decided to make the best of tomorrow, and its like He just reaffirmed that Yes, I'd made the best decision.  My flesh may be fighting me, but my mind and heart will remain steady in Him!

Thanks Carlos, for being the vessel through which that word came to me this evening.

Thank you best friend, for the reminder that the decisions I make determine the life I live.

Thanks Daddy, for instilling into me a world wandering spirit.

Thank you Lord, for the opportunities to make my decisions, to love God, love people and serve the world.



17 days until I embark on the next leg of that journey....



~yonna