Let's Meet!

I mentioned this in passing in my letters, but I would like to meet with all of you over the next few months. I'd also like to meet with your pastors, and any person or group that you know of that may be willing to support this effort. My goal is to fill up my schedule for a meeting every day until I leave! It doesn't have to take long, and we could grab some coffee or lunch sometime. The purpose of these meetings are to give you an opportunity to ask any questions, to allow me to show pictures and/or a presentation of my trip, and also to just catch up with one another.

Also, to reiterate, I'm asking all of you to put me in contact with your pastors and/or missions representatives. I basically want to tell them about the trip, ask your church to pray for me, and to also give them an opportunity to sponsor me as a missionary next year.

If you'd like to schedule an appointment with me, please don't hesitate to contact me now! I'm willing to plan months in advance :)

By the way, we're at .8% ($280)!

FAQ's

I've heard a lot of the same questions lately, so I'm going to answer them for everyone here as well:

Q: "What happens if you don't get your support?"
A: It's not a matter of IF, but it may be a matter of WHEN. My deadline is December 31, but if I do not have my financial support raised by that time, I will simply stay until it's raised (hopefully not too much longer!).

Q: "What about your career?"
A: God, in his awesome sovereignty, has called me to do His work while still using my career skills. I will be designing for the ministry, creating/maintaining their website, t-shirts, posters, flyers, and possibly brochures, etc. Isn't is great how He can call us to do what we love? I will also continue to design freelance projects in my spare time.

Q: "What about school?"
A: Lord willing, I'm going to continue taking a minimum amount of online classes, depending on my work load. I've been accepted with The Art Institute and will continue my education across the sea!

Q: "Where are you going to live?"
A: I won't know until it gets a bit closer to my departure. More than likely I'll be sharing an apartment with one or more American women within walking distance from The Building.

Q: "Where are you going to live when you get back to the U.S. in a year?"
A: Two months ago I wasn't going back to Slovakia. At this point, it would be quite silly of me to try and guess where I'll be in a year.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask!

Come, be a threat with me!

It may seem a bit early to share this kind of thing with everyone, but there's been something on my heart since Saturday. Satan doesn't hesitate to attack, does he? Something we can't forget is that the Enemy does not want missionaries to go. He does not want me to raise a team of individuals who are praying and supporting this mission, and he surely wants me to be discouraged by not getting my support by my deadline. We're a threat! Knowing this in my heart makes it easier when I get scared about the amount of support I'm being asked to raise. To be honest, something I have to tell myself every day is that raising support is not begging, it's biblical! This is so exciting and I want you have a chance to be a part of what God is doing!

I ask that you simply pray about it and consider what the Lord is asking you to do. Where God leads, He provides. He's going to pay for what He's ordered! He has given me a considerable amount of peace about the next few months, though Satan is at my door just waiting for my guard to be down. (Isn't that always the case??)

In Romans 10, Paul basically says there are 3 kinds of people: the unsaved, the senders and the goers. I want to give you a chance to be a sender! He also says "How can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?"

As for me? I was asked to go, and I am simply going where I'm told. Despite all my fears and hesitations, I am proceeding onward with Christ behind me and in front of me, and I'm now asking you to come along beside me.

We got our first pledge!

I've been sitting in coffee shops around Orlando for about 8 hours today! Two wonderful ladies from Life in Altamonte Springs magazine came by to ask me a survey question for their magazine. Their question was, "What do you want for Christmas more than anything?" After explaining my trip back to Slovakia, I responded that I'd like for the entirety of my support of $38,000 to be secure. They gave me $10! Hey, it's a start!

Going Back to Slovakia for a Year

In the third grade my teacher asked the class what we wanted to do when we grew up. We wrote our answers on a scrap piece of paper and turned it in. As she unfolded my piece of paper, her face lit up, and she enthusiastically said, "Children, someone in our class wants to do something very special when she grows up. She wants to be a missionary and tell people about Jesus around the world!"

Since that day in third grade, I haven't given serious thought to the idea of serving the Lord in missions for the long period of time; at least, while still single. I have endeavored to serve in short term trips around the world, and I am confident that God has challenged me and changed my life with those opportunities. Though the trips may have seemed random or disconnected, lately I have realized that God's had has been using those times to prepare me for something much bigger than I expected.

On the personal side of my life, I was experiencing some growing pains; ideas that forced me to grow in my faith. I had realized that over the span of my entire life, that God had used both tragedies and blessings all for my own good. It was as though God had turned a work-in-progress tapestry around so I could catch a glimpse of His plan for me. I realized that He really was taking care of me. By examining my past, I knew that He had a plan and purpose for me, far greater than my own.
It was through these experiences over the past few months that I made a conscious decision to start trusting the Lord with my future. I realized that I had not been trusting where He would lead, and I was planning my life according to my own desires. I wanted to believe in His sovereignty more than ever, and I prayed to Him, “Do what you want”. It was not even a week after this discovery that God flipped my heart upside down. Little did I know how much I would have to trust Him.

Allow me to rewind to a few months ago to June where I had the opportunity to serve in Slovakia on 2-week mission trip. I, along with Mission to the World, deliberated for months on an area of the world and a ministry that fit with my skills and interests. My objective was fairly simple: be a multi-tasking camp counselor for an English camp retreat for a group of Slovak teens. (For more information on this, please visit www.FizzThat.com/Slovakia to read my blog!). Within stepping foot out of the airport, I had a feeling this place would be different.

We drove from the airport in Vienna, Austria through the countryside over the border to Trnava, Slovakia. We arrived at the MTW ministry place called The Building. Allow me to explain the ministry in Slovakia. The Building is a safe place for locals, mainly teenagers. It is a place where one can come to learn English, hear seminars and concerts, study, socialize, or for any other reason they might need. It is not an outwardly Christian setting, but a neutral ground to get connected. It is through these activities, however, that allows workers at The Building to connect with the young people and share the Gospel with them.

I walked up the stairs with my luggage, dropped it at the entrance, and immediately started to meet the team. A group of musicians were practicing in the main room, women were packing up items in suitcases for camp, and others were in the kitchen preparing lunch. I was given a quick tour, and briefly introduced to people who were diligently preparing for camp.

Among the Ikea ivory couches, wooden tables, bright lamps and art work, the sunlight poured in on a beautiful landscape of teamwork and excitement. Through the mayem of preparation there was still an element of comfort and ease with the dynamic of the team. The atmosphere was brilliant, and I fell in love with it. The next day, we left on the bus for camp. I'm going to fast-forward 2 weeks, if you don't mind.

The end of camp was quickly approaching and I could feel a sadness within every time I thought about leaving. I knew this was not going to be easy. The hour of departure approached, and it was time to catch my train. I said my goodbye's, gave my last minute hugs, and kept on a fake smile as I thought, "I may never see these people again." I was convinced that I had no plans to return in the near future. I cried all the way to the train station. This was unlike any other departure from previous trips. This time, I really wasn't ready. I boarded the plane for home. Reality set in, the future was clear and I couldn't look back. I knew my plans, and they did not include Slovakia.

Days and weeks passed. Something was different with me. I didn't feel the same, and something was unsettled in my heart. Friends would say, "Something doesn't seem right about you since you've been back." One friend joked, "Did you leave half of you back there?". Though I smiled, I knew she was right. I kept waiting for things to feel "normal" again. People kept asking me, "What do you think God is telling you?" I discredited it being emotional and gave excuses why I couldn't go.

After a while, I decided to go back, just for a short vacation. I was ready to buy a ticket, but I waited a few weeks to decide on good dates to fly. One day, a thought hit me like a brick: Why don't I go back for a few months? So I called my representative from MTW and we talked about this possibility. She asked me if I'd consider going for one or two years. My response was immediately "No", though I agreed to pray about it. The next day I called my missions pastor and asked that we meet for lunch so I could discuss this possibility. He was excited about the idea for a few months, though, judging from my tears, we could both tell there was something more to this decision. He asked me if I'd consider going for a year or two. My head shook no, but my heart nodded yes, though I didn't tell him at the time. I thought, "I can't put everything on hold again, I have to keep doing my own plans! I don't want to go!"

At this point, my heart was torn in two places. My plans, or God's plans? I knew God was leading me, but I didn't want to accept it. He was working in me. He was doing something huge. For a few days, I tried to forget it. Have you ever tried to ignore God's calling? Impossible, right? I spent the next few weeks in thought and prayer. I mentioned the idea of going for a longer period of time to some close friends and the missionaries in Slovakia. Every single one of them was in full support of going for a longer period. I didn't want to go. I thought of dozens of reasons why I shouldn't. I wrote all of them down in depth, and prayed about them. By the time I re-read the reasons not to go, I prayed to God, "When do I leave?". I felt an undeniable summon, a call, a command; one that I could not run away from. One sign after another, I received consistent confirmations that God was leading me in this direction. I have never felt a more clear and concise calling on my life as I do now. So clear, if I ignored it, I feel like I would be disobeying the Lord.

God has softened my heart to serving Him through this ministry. It is a ministry that needs workers and supporters. I am boldly asking you to help this ministry through sending them a worker for one year. For this year, I will be dedicating my life and my skills to their needs. I will work as a team member through many ways, hopefully using my gifts in every way possible, including graphic design, music, teaching, and many other ways. My main objective is to build trusting relationships with the Slovak teens while reaching a point where I can share the gospel with them.
I have to raise $38,000 before January 1st. This is for 1 year of working. Although that is an intimidating amount of money to raise, I am confident in God's sovereignty in this calling and am persuaded that He will provide. I boldly ask you to consider supporting me as a volunteer worker in this ministry. If you are unable to make a one-time donation, please consider a monthly plan that will allow you to break up your support in smaller portions. Your support means so much to me, and will continue to make a lasting affect on this ministry in Slovakia that is sharing the Word of God to an unbelieving nation. If you are unable to support this mission, I ask that you please keep Slovakia and me in your prayers throughout this next year.