This entry is intended to merely be a timeline of my journey thus far I. The Race Upon landing in Munich, I was met by several other interns from across the US who are serving in other Eastern European countries this summer. After everyone had arrived, our group of fifty road off in a van for three hours and ended this part of the journey in a small Slovenia town called Bled. Here we were sent off in our teams on the "amazing race"; my team was Seth, Carolyn, Raelyn, and Daniela (from. Slovakia). The first few obstacles required Seth jumping into the lake (still in his clothes), all of us rowing out to an island, and the team carrying me up a church steps wrapped in toilet paper. The second part of the race took us to the Capitol, Ljubljana. It was a beautiful old city surrounded with lush forests and rolling hills. Here we were challenged more mentally and physically than before. Personally, having to eat pauchanka taxed my level of tolerance ( if you are unaware of what this is, google it and you will see why this was so difficult for me). Our team finished the race in Maribor, Slovenia; after climbing a few wrong hills, leisurely walking to each clue, and ending up in last place, all of us agreed we wouldn't have had it any other way. II. Malenovice, Czech Republic This part of the journey provided the instruction, rest, and renewal that all the interns needed before being sent out for the summer. Located in the mountains, the hotel is surrounded by lush forests and waterfalls. We gathered for teachings, music, and prayer in mornings; late in the afternoon before dinner, the Slovak team would come together each sharing the gospel from their own life story. In this somewhat structured time, the Holy Spirit brought to light a few areas of doubt and fear in my heart that I had believing were true. However, I have seen a pattern of these same disbeliefs in my life for years. I am thankful that I can now recognize them for what they are, but I am praying that my heart will believe the truth. III. First School Promotion: Roznava Thursday the 5th I left Zilina with Raelyn and headed to the eastern Slovakia. The train ride took us past part of the magnificent Tatras. At the train station, we were met by Barbie, a med student who is leading the youth group and Kecy camps in Roznava, and our host dad with his son who is 19 doing his first year in med school. Immediately, we felt welcomed: our host family had a bedroom for us and had bought/ made a plethora of delicious food. Perfect. That night we met quite a few of the students who go to youth group. It was a beautiful night of worship and experiencing a taste of God's grace in some of students lives. The promotions at the schools were hard for me due to the lack of enthusiasm the students showed. Thankfully, God has a bigger plan than what I perceive.
