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

24 days. STILL planning!

Good morning!  Only 24 days to go!

I finally got my flight information last week, and am excited about our layover spot.  We were placed in great seats on the plane, and overall, I am a happy camper.  I wasn't expecting luxury (this is, afterall, a missions trip) and I am so pleased with the carrier of our flights.

Right now, I am still in planning mode.  Thinking about my luggage, especially my carry on.  I need something small, that can hold my laptop safely; all of my asthma meds, as well as a 'mini' change of clothes. Undergarments, socks, a tank top; things I would want to change if my luggage got lost.  Also, a small toiletry kit and all of my essential paperwork.  It has to be able to fit my small travel purse.  I'd like something of a briefcase, with a shoulder strap.  And INEXPENSIVE!  That is key right now!  If you have any suggestions, please share, Lord knows I need them!

Also, right now, my daughter's fifth grade class is holding a mini-drive for the Mudrik family.  They are collecting books (readers for first thru eighth grade, so that the children can practice reading in English) to send over, and are pretty excited to be doing so.  I am not expecting us to collect a lot of books, but the fact that they WANT to give is pretty cool.  We've already gotten some really cool and colorful socks to take with (the little girls in our area LOVE these super bright colored socks, and figure that the Mudrik girls may like them as well!)  I love seeing that my daughter's heart is to give, so much that she has gotten her own peers excited to do the same.  So many times, her heart inspires (and convicts) my own, to be more child-like. *Thank you God for showing yourself through the child you have given to me as my charge to mold for you!*

I have felt a sense of calm come over me regarding this trip.  No longer am I anxious about raising funds or taking such a long flight. My focus has been shifted to other things...learning the language, making sure I am dressing culturally correct, making sure I know enough about the country to be able to do His work respectfully.  I continue to pray that the anxiety does not overcome me, and He certainly is calming my fears and answering my prayers.

Thank you, new readers for stopping by.  If you have any tips or advice for me, please, comment.  It will be my first trip to Europe, and I am welcoming any information I can soak up.  I look forward to seeing what you have to offer.

Thanks again for reading...soon, I'll be posting from my destination, Prague, Czech Republic!
~yonna

One month from today...

In case you weren't aware, I am literally one month from departure.  YAY!  ARGH!

Excitement.  Anxiety.  Nervousness.  Intrigue.  <<Some of the things I'm feeling.

I've been researching packing lists, suitcases, walking/work shoes, digging out my 'travel sized' Bible, nit picking over the tiny things that only I seem to nit pick over...all in preparation.

Last Friday night was the Blacklight Zumba party, and it was a BLAST!  My Zumba teacher, Daie, is also going on her own MO5 trip (to Arizona) while we are in Prague.  She put together the blacklight zumba party as a fundraiser, and it was an amazing time!  I take her regular class on Monday nights, and was excited to participate in the party, with 2 other teachers (and styles, Bokwa and Belly Dancing).  As it turns out, the party was so successful that not only have people asked when the next one will be, but she is able to donate to my fund as well.  PRAISE GOD!  If you've never done Zumba, give it a shot!  Its high energy aerobic dancing, but for once, I am finding exercise to be FUN!

We are having another Team Red meeting tonight, with our entire team.  All of this time, we have been meeting without one of our members, Taylor, who has been away, finishing his junior year in college.  Exciting times, since I know he will bring a new energy and perpective to our team.  We're taking a full team photo as well, so I will do what I can about getting all 8 of us on this blog shortly.

Please, continue to pray for our small, yet powerful team.  I have been in contact with Elaine Mudrik, letting her know what my daughter's class is up to (the fifth grade class wants to send items over the the children, so I'm hoping to take plenty of books in English over for them to practice their language skills, thanks to my daughter's class!), and honestly cannot wait to meet and hang out with this wonderful family.  Marty is our expert carpenter/craftsman, while Taylor is an amazing musician.  We all have such different talents, but are all strong, and I know that God will use them in awesome ways.  Pray that our team dynamic strengthens, and that we are all able to submit to the will of God, and His plans for us while we are away.

ONE MORE MONTH!

...it will be here before I know it!

In Him,
~yonna

Fundraising for a friend!

Check this out!  My friend (and Zumba(R) instructor, Daie) is going to Arizona on the MO5 mission, and is helping raise funds for other trips as well.  I'll be there, sweating all the way!  If you're local, please, join in on the fun!

Dobry Den, ahoj! (An update)

Not much going on lately.  Still meeting with the team, and learning the language with a new friend, Gaby.  She is originally Slovakian, but moved her to the US 14 years ago, and has been helping us learn the Czech language.




Our yard sale turned out well...we had a steady stream of customers the entire time, and were able to raise pretty good funds.  What I didn't sell went to Tabatha's House, a thrift store run by my church...which made me feel good, since not only did I have to take it all back home, but someone will find joy in the items I no longer needed.

My excitement hasn't died down (even though I have been posting less lately...) I've been working hard to meet these final deadlines, and continuing to make preparations for departure.  I'm making arrangements for my home and car right now, checking with my bank to find out how much overseas charges are for ATM withdrawals, as well as purchases; making sure I have plenty of asthma meds during the trip...you know, housekeeping items.

So that's what I've been up to.  As of today, we have 41 days until departure...and I must admit, I am still a bit anxious.  I still have about 1/3 of my funds to raise, and am prayerful still that I will reach my goal.  My God planted a seed, and I need to go and water it for him;  I will be serving with my team in the Czech Republic!

So please, continue to pray for myself, and my team, as well as the entire missions group (pictured above).  We will be going to 5 nations, all to serve 1 Mighty God.  Your prayers are much appreciated!

Dekuji,

~yonna

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Quite a few things have been going on, which is why I haven't had a chance to post lately. Just a quick run-down:

*My birthday! I turned 26...again (lol) this past Friday, April 27, and have been asking my friends to forgo getting me a gift, or taking me to dinner, and use those funds as a donation towards my trip. Some of them were able to do so, and I Thank you all, for getting me closer to my mission work!



*Team Red Skype'd the Mudrik family, which was so fun! We got a chance to pray with them, and watch/listen to the kids. We got to discuss alot of the things that they are planning for us to do; got some songs in the Czech language to learn (being the worship leader of our group, THIS is a challenging task!), and things and places we need to see. I am really looking forward to this time of service...even though I m not the greatest at handling hammer and nails...I will still go and give my all!

*Planning our yard sale to continue in raising funds. This Saturday, May 5, Team Red is hosting a yard sale, with all funds going to our fundraising. If you are local, and interested, you are welcome to join us at 8025 Bradshaw Road, Upper Falls, MD 21156 from 8am to 1pm. There will be lots of clothing (and if you really know me, SHOES!), books, DVDs, household items...and that's just what my home has to offer...there are still 7 other members. Please join us, if you're able, and help our cause!

Alright, back to business. I'll be posting another interview here shortly, from a seasoned missions traveler, as well as from another team member. Also, I'm hoping to post more of what we will be doing while in Prague, if allowed.

Either way, please continue to pray for our efforts, for our team, and for all of the teams going on this MO5 adventure. I know, for myself, I will ask that you pray that I keep from being anxious. While I am excited about going, I am also very nervous. I know what the end results will be in all cases, but I still have such a hard time with the actual process leading up to the outcome, and can use your support there.

Thanks so much, and thanks for being faithful!

Retreat Day!

So, I am supposed to be napping right now, but I am too excited to do so.  So I figured I'd go ahead and post this blog while everything is still so fresh in my head.


Today was our MO5 Pre-field retreat, where all 5 of the teams come together to build as teams, learn a few things, and continue preparing for our trips.  My team chose to go as a unit to the morning session (we had our choice, morning retreat, or afternoon), which was a great choice for us, since 6 of the 8* were able to make it.

Team Red, L to R: Liz, Jeff, Me(Yonna), Phil, Theresa and Sherril.

We arrived by 8 this morning, and immediately got to work.  After a few small housekeeping things, we began the morning with team builders...but since the other teams weren't all in attendance like Team Red was, we ended up counting off, and splitting up that way.  We had different tasks/games to complete, and the team with the most points in the end won a prize.  One game was a ping pong ball toss, where 2 'blind' people tried to toss the balls into a basket across the room,where 3 'blind' people were holding baskets.  No one tossing or catching (was supposed to) talks, but there was one open eyed guide who would tell the tossers how to throw.  Our team, the green dots, did REALLY well on that one!


The next game was a scavenger hunt, where all of the team members were arm in arm.  That last person in line was 'blind', and was the only person who could grab and hold the items found.  Once we got our list, we kind of planned out where we'd be able to find our items, with a 10 minute time limit.  Luckily, I had about 5 items right in my purse, to our benefit.  Not so much to my benefit, I ended up being the blind person.  It was quite interesting, not only being blinded, but completely relying on others (some, strangers!) to guide my way to picking things up, and almost running around the church.


The third game was the alligator pit, where one person was to act as a verbal guide to the rest of the team who had to cross an area littered with clothing without stepping on anything.  I was the first person from our team to make it across, and then ended up being the guide after that.


We then debriefed, and talked about how we were able to take risks, and trust one another, something we will most certainly need to do once we get to our mission fields.  AAAAnd my team won, so we got a chance to pull from an assortment of travel sized gifts...I chose a sewing kit, since I always seem to be in need of a safety pin!


We then did a few more exercises, figuring out our personality types, which my team will discuss further in detail later.


Then it came time for lunch...the World Meal, as it was being called.  Our host walked around the room, and everyone chose a slip of paper from a basket with the name of a country on it.  There was a beautifully set table for 2 set in the middle of the room, and we made a circle around the team.  Then, the people who pulled USA and the UK were invited to have their meal at the table.  The table was set with wine glasses, china and silverware.  They were offered sparkling water, sweet tea, an amazing salad, an entree of chicken, rice, rolls, butter, and fruit, as well as a pastry dessert.  Next called was Czech Republic, who were offered chairs (no table), glasses of tea, chicken, rice, a banana and 2 slices of bread on fancy paper plates.  Mexico was offered a linen table cloth on the floor, hard plastic cups of tea, chicken, rice, banana and a slice of bread, with a plastic knife and fork.  The rest of the groups were served as follows:


Brazil: vinyl tablecloth on the floor, hard plastic cups of water, plastic fork, rice, banana and a slice of bread.
Thailand: thin plastic tablecloth on the floor, red plastic cup of water, rice, half a banana and a slice of bread.
India: a square of napkin to sit on, small cup of water, a slice of bread.


I was in this final group, which was Kenya.  We were told to sit right on the cold floor.  We were given a small cup of dirty water, and a half slice of bread.


So many things ran through our minds.  I actually thought that we'd end up getting the scraps from the table, especially since they didn't finish all of their food, and had it packaged to go...but no such luck.  I guess that really IS they way of the world.  How sad...the rest of the world watches as we in the USA eat when we're not hungry, waste food, 'save it for later', feed it to our pets...instead of sharing it.  I thought about it...even when we give for food drives, we usually give whatever we have that we aren't eating,or what we have had the longest - we reach into the very back of the cupboard, and dust off a couple of cans to give.  We aren't giving our best to help our neighbor...and in doing this, are we also revealing our hearts for God?  Hmmm...


Just a little something to think about...


Next time: Team Red's Skype chat with the Mudrik family!



*We are now down to 8 members.  Due to familial situations, 2 of our members made the decision to withdraw from our trip, one of them being my beloved partner, Becci.  I know that for her, it was not an easy decision, but after much discussion and prayer, she decided that this was the best thing to do for her family.  While I am sad to see her go, I am happy that she is at peace with her decision.  I will miss her while I am gone, but look forward to our growing friendship.