The Current Movement Of Things...

Dear Friends and Family,
This past summer has flown by! It’s been full of stretching, learning, and growing… with a lot of high-schoolers thrown in the mix! Serving in Las Vegas this summer was very rewarding. I spent most of my time leading middle school age to adult participants in evangelism… teaching them the basics of evangelism and a few simple ways to begin acting upon that teaching.
One of my favorite outreaches that we did was called sack lunch giveaway. We each pack two sack lunches and take them to a local park where homeless people congregate. Then we just sit and share lunch with a homeless person- talking about their lives and how Jesus has changed ours. Once when we were going to do this, I brought my guitar and sat down inconspicuously… I was going to keep an eye on the kids and not take part in the outreach. After awhile, I started playing my guitar and worshipping God. A homeless man came and sat by me. I stopped playing to introduce myself and my friend Kati (another leader). He asked me to play a song, and I said okay. Looking at the man across from me, I had the urge to play a non-worship song… something that was “safe” and wouldn’t offend the hardened man sitting next to me. Instead, I ignored the urge and played a song called “Unashamed Love” that speaks of laying down everything and worshipping our worthy God. God was definitely with me as I sang…and, as it turns out, he was also working on the homeless man’s heart, too. When the song was finished I looked up, and he had tears in his eyes. The man opened up to Kati and I; telling us of his past and how he never felt worthy. Like so many of the homeless men I met this summer, he’d served in Vietnam and came home crushed in spirit. The wounds the war left on him were more inside than out. Before Kati and I left, we had time to pray for him and to encourage him. We challenged him with the truth- that God had made him and he truly was worth something. We were able to give him a taste of the joy that Jesus brings. As we left, he thanked us for taking time for him and for the blessing we had been.
So many times this summer, God set up divine appointments- certain people that were ready to hear about his love; people that needed some encouragement. We also talked to a lot of people who didn’t want to hear about a loving God. I spoke with one woman who told me she didn’t want to know more about Jesus because it meant she might have to change her life. God used times like this to break my heart with what breaks his heart in Las Vegas.
Another outreach we did was Free Prayer on Freemont Street (the old “strip” of Vegas). This was by far my favorite. One day, as we were standing with our “free prayer” sign and asking people passing by if they would like prayer, a woman came up to me. She had a smug smile on her face and a glint of pity in her eyes- “honey,” she said, “you aren’t going to get anyone to pray with you. This is Vegas, haven’t you noticed?!” Thankfully I was able to let this woman know that God was bigger than that and that we had prayed for many people that day. She was shocked, and I think her eyes were opened a bit, too. I got to pray with so many people this summer, and I’m continually encouraged by what God did through our prayers. One day, I prayed with a trio of women who had had a sort of family reunion in Vegas. They were sisters, and all at different places with God. One woman had been addicted to gambling and alcohol… but that day, she asked us to pray that she would be able to quit. As I was praying for her, her two sisters came up and joined in. By the end, they were all crying and hugging each other (and me!). Later, their mother came up and thanked me. She was a Christian who had been praying for her daughters’ salvation. The gambling and alcohol had caused a rift in her daughter’s relationship, but, because of our prayer time, reconciliation had begun. I felt so honored that God had let me be a part of a life change for these women… it was such an amazing experience- and only one of many.
Maybe this doesn’t sound like the Vegas you’ve heard of. The flashing lights, the glitz and the sin hiding behind all of it. Well, that’s definitely there! But what sticks with me about Las Vegas are the people… lost people searching for something to fill their hurts. Las Vegas is a city of extremes- there’s extreme poverty next to people blowing millions per night. There are people trapped in sin, and, in some places, a church on every corner. There are Christians hiding behind locked doors and painted church buildings, and there are “card-slappers*” peddling pornography every twenty feet on the strip. Above all, Vegas is a place that needs Jesus.
Since June, I’ve been ministering in Vegas. Now, I’m back home in Washington. But, I’ve felt led to return to Vegas in January. I will be leading youth missions again and assisting with other areas of need at the YWAM base there until September 2008. This year is going to be a lot different that last year, and I’m helping with the planning side of things. We are going to take teams overseas to Russia, Costa Rica, and Brazil. I’m not sure yet which of these trips I will be able to go on, but I would love for God to tell me to go on all of them! In the meantime, there will also be teams coming from around the country to do evangelism in Las Vegas- and I look forward to ministering to and with them as well!
But now to that part that every missionary dislikes… the finances. Living in Vegas is very expensive and although I’m going to be living in the ghetto, my food and housing aren’t cheap. The YWAM base suggests that I raise $400 a month in support. For me, this is new territory. Before, I’ve only ever needed a lump sum. But this time, God needs to provide in a different way. And knowing Him, I know that’s not a problem! My monthly support goes towards staff fees, housing, food, overseas expenses, and travel costs… basically the normalities of life- on the mission field. There will be additional expenses for the trips to Russia, Costa Rica, and Brazil, but I’m not sure what they will be yet.
Please join with me in prayer for the next ten months of my life in Las Vegas. Where God calls, He equips, and I’m trusting him for the finances and the daily grace it takes to live in “sin city.” My plan is to leave in January and come back home to Washington next September. If you would like to make a monthly pledge or a one-time donation, please send it to my Washington address, until I figure out my new Vegas one.
Thank you so much for all that you have invested in me. God is moving in big ways in Las Vegas, and I am so excited to be a part of His plans there!! Thank you for joining with me in the mission field!
Blessings,
LeAnna Kaiser

*card-slappers: people who forcefully hand out cards with call girl ads on them.

Big Surprise!

An extremely random, yet God-ordained, series of events has happened these past few days. As a result, I'm going home! :) TODAY! I will be raising support, working, and spending time with my family and friends until January. The plan is to come back to Las Vegas in January and become staff.
Wow! I can hardly believe how fast this has all happened, but I'm packed and ready to go. God has given me such a peace and sense of his presence that I haven't had in a while. Thank you so much for all your prayers- know that they were spirit-led! :)
I will be home for awhile, and am hoping to talk about what I've been doing with as many people as I can- if you want to meet for coffee or tea, that would be great! Also, I'm needing to raise substantial support, so if you know (or are) a possible donor, please talk to me about how you can help!! :)
God has so obviously been working in my life and I'm excited to see the continuation of this at home! Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support! See you soon!

It's been too long

Hello Friends!
It's been awhile since my last blog post and so much has happened since then! Just yesterday, for example, I bought a new pair of shorts for 37 cents!! *Smile* okay, so maybe that's not the kind of "big event" that you all want to read about...
Seriously, though- this past month has been totally packed. Summer Mission Adventures ended at the beginning of this month (as mentioned in my previous update) and I had a few weeks of down time trying to relax and get to know Richard Taylor more. Yes, for those who don't know, I do have a boyfriend. :) Now, for the girly crowd, maybe I can post a sappy relationship update, but if I was a guy I seriously could care less! So, for all your sakes, I'll hold back on that for now :)
After our two week rest, we left on a mobile tour of the west coast (CA and OR). We visited Ventura, Pismo Beach, San Fransisco, Whittier (LA), and Salem. We basically went through visiting some of the kids that came through this summer and some from Spring Break. It was so fun to hang out with some of the cool cats that came through this summer again. :)
The trip in terms of van ride was not as pleasant as getting out of the van, but we all survived (although there was definitely some conflict that had to be resolved)!
We got back a few days ago, and now I will be starting work at the base as a Mission Builder (kind of temporary staff until I'm accepted). Right now, my project is revamping the website, correcting the errors... it will be a lot of hours staring at a computer screen! Yippee ....

Current Events:
I went surfing at Pismo Beach! And LOVED it!!! I'm not very good, but it's so stinkin fun!
I got hurt surfing... it hurt to sit down or lean forward for a few days. Not good when you're riding in a van for hours and hours!
The boys did paintball standoffs in Salem- so fun to watch, but they all got ridiculous welts... not worth it :)
I finally met Sam's (on MA staff with me) Mom who he always talks about. She's a fun person- we stayed with her on the mobile tour. I understand Sam more. lol. Which is good because I'm supposed to be working with him this year as his kind of secretary for MA next year.
I'm applying for a passport renewal.
Richard left to go back home to England. It's hard. Today is the second day that I haven't seen him in three months. Although I've talked to him :)

Please pray for:
-FELLOWSHIP! I need friends here and a church body to challenge me. I feel a bit lonely at times.
-Wisdom in support raising. I'm new to the whole monthly support raising thing. Please pray that I know just how to do it and that God moves on peoples' hearts to be generous.
-For Richard and I; we are endeavoring to do our relationship right. It's going to be hard from far away, but right now the plan is that he is going to fly me to England in November if he can earn the money soon enough. That would be great, because he could meet all my "family" over there and I could meet his.
-Family- I'm really missing them and they're missing me. It's also really difficult because they haven't met Richard.

Thank you guys, I know you pray for me and I appreciate that SOOOO much! If you ever want to know more about how I'm doing, I'd love to talk to you! :)

MA is Over!!!

Thinking of how to start this update, I just let out a huge sigh… Mission Adventures (MA) is now officially over for the summer and I have been stretched, changed, pushed, used and blessed in so many ways. I’m exhausted, but I’m also completely jazzed on what God did this summer. I was a witness to the theory/formula of exponential growth and effect. For all you number nerds out there (including myself) this is what I mean-
One leader, Kevin, comes in to start, not sure how he’s going to get any staff and none of his attempts to recruit them really work. His effort was soon doubled into two when Frauke, a base-staff YWAMer decided to come on board and help. Then, from the corners of the world came us five summer staff… Richard (England), JD (Oklahoma), Laura (Colorado), and Sam (Idaho/CA), and Me! We were all unexpected staff in that we hadn’t really planned on doing MA, but God led us to. Then, the teams came, and this is where the exponential growth goes sky-high!! Thirteen Church teams came through Vegas to do Mission Adventures this summer. That adds up to Two-Hundred and one people!
The last number can’t really be figured out or pin-pointed… you see, it’s still growing- it’s the number of people’s lives that were affected by us. And it all started with one guy- Kevin… This summer, God has totally given me a glimpse into what people talk about when they challenge me to be the one to start something. So many times in church growing up, I’ve been told how this generation can be turned around if a few of us will stand up- be accounted for in the ranks of God’s army. To go into battle everyday with our hearts open to talk to people about Him. I’m still not all the way there…As MA is over now, I’m going to be tested. Will I continue this life or give into fear? With God’s grace and strength, I want to be one of those generation changers. A world changer.
So many things could be said about what God did this summer. So many more could be said about how I felt about all those things :) But for the sake of your attention span and because I know how hard it can be to read those mega-long updates, I want to take the last little bit of space and tell you about my next step.
After much prayer about the next step (a ridiculously over-used phrase in my life… lol) I really feel led to stay on as staff here in Las Vegas. It’s not at all something that I would have expected to do, and I never thought I would live in Las Vegas!! But God is bigger than my conventions and my thoughts. As I’ve surrendered to Him, this way has become something that I want to do and feel I should do.
I will be helping Sam (who’s leading MA next year) plan and re-vamp the program a bit. I’ll be helping teams that want to come next year and keeping in contact with them. Also, I’ve been approached about being the administrator or the accountant for the Las Vegas YWAM base. Please pray for me about this!! I’m nervous about such a big responsibility, but I know that God has given me talents that I need to use.
So right now, I’m in the application process. I will know if I’m officially accepted in the next few weeks! My plan is to stay here for about another year- until MA is over next summer at least.
So much is happening, and I know that your prayers are what have kept me sane! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! There’s one more important number of the summer, and that’s one you’re a part of… the hundreds of people praying for me and others here. You have been a big part of what happened here this summer. Thank you for partnering with me!

Prayer Points:
- Wisdom for the base leadership team on my application
- Rest after an exhausting summer
- God would fill my loneliness after missing my family, friends, and will soon become the only girl living on base.
- Self-discipline in so many areas.
- Finances. Being base staff means that I will need monthly supporters- something that honestly scares the dickens out of me right now! :)
- Peace for my family. It’s hard for them to think of me being gone longer.

Thank you so much~ God bless you with his joy and peace!
~LeAnna Rae

Update the first few weeks~

Hey Everyone!
It’s been awhile since my last update, so I thought I’d write and tell y’all what’s up (that’s a bit of the Texan accent I picked up from the last team!)
So far, we’ve had two weeks full of teenagers! The first week, there were three churches- Idaho, Wyoming, and California. We started the second week with lots of good memories of the last week- including crazy stunt-performing kids and people putting their faith into practice. I was stretched in HUGE ways… God really blessed us with an easy starter team, and I’m so thankful because not only did I get over my apprehensions about the summer, but I was able to deal with so many other things happening inside of me.
The second week started out a bit rough. My first impression of the team and it’s leaders scared me… I didn’t want to have to use the confrontation knowledge I gained over my DTS, but I gave it to God that first night. It was difficult, and the group wasn’t as “polished” as the first, but these kids and adults (from Arizona, Texas, and Oregon) came away changed and impacted. On the last night, we have a commitment service, where we give a challenge to the kids, and then just tell them to go pray on their own and turn on music. It’s mind-blowing how God uses that time!! When we first did it, I was thinking, “shouldn’t we be doing or saying something more?! These kids aren’t going to get anything out of this time…” But how wrong I was! God spoke powerfully to so many of them. He even used us leaders to speak into their lives through prayer and prophetic words. One girl came running up to me and Sam (fellow MA staff) saying, “Guys, you’ll never believe what God just said to me!!” Then she went on to tell how God was calling her into dance ministry and how God wanted to use her passion to glorify Him! I was beaming- so filled with thankfulness and in awe of the power of God. She was buzzing and couldn’t stand still she was so excited, so our conversation ended in me praying for her and then her running off to go dance :)
There were two girls who met there, from two of the different churches. During the commitment service, they came up to Sam and I crying and laughing at the same time. God had told them both individually at the same time that they would be doing missions together. They were overwhelmed with God and what he’d told them. Sam and I were completely ecstatic too, I really felt this wasn’t just a fluke thing, but could see that it was definitely God that was speaking to them!
So many stories come to mind of what God has accomplished in our first two weeks of Mission Adventures. I’ve learned and grown a lot. God’s really been affirming many things He did in me and taught me on DTS, and I’m becoming more aware of what I need to do and where I need more growth. Praise God for His great Grace!!!!
Over the past week, we’ve been on break from MA. I had the amazing opportunity to go to Minnesota with Kevin (MA leader), Kati (from Finland), and Richard (from Great Britain). For those that don’t know, I was born in Minnesota and lived there for about eight years… so I kept having flash backs there! :) It was a good rejuvenating time. Admittedly, I didn’t get too much sleep, but we spent many hours just relaxing and many more hours at a Christian retreat camp listening to teaching and worshipping. I had lots of fun and my relationships with the three who also went were strengthened.
So, in a few days the next batch of kids comes. Kati leaves to go home to Finland today. I already miss her… and one of our team has yet to rejoin us here in Vegas. But I am gearing up for the next crew with great expectation of what God will do!!

June 14, 2007

Today I ate lunch with a homeless man named Edward. I found him in a park. He was really cool- alcoholic, retired Army sargent, and country western singer! Richard and I teamed up to talk to him about God and just life. It was really fun, and at the same time incredibly sad. It's hard to release people like that into God's hands sometimes.
After chatting it up with Edward and Richard (such classy names!), we all had a water fight... well, sort of. Actually, the guys grabbed Kati and Laura and carried them across the park to the water fountain/play area and dunked them in... next they came after me, but I fought them off until we were all completely exhausted... and I was absolutely dirty from flailing on the ground and fighting them off with my teeth (not quite, but that sounds good. lol)... after aslight period of recovery, they grabbed Laura again, and I followed them over to the fountain- laughing... but then, Kevin came at me again I held onto a metal fence around the play area- Kevin tried prying my fingers off, but it only worked when he got a little kid to throw this huge thing of water at me from the other side of the fence... then, blind with rage (lol...), they managed to get me completely wet. Later on, Sam threw a bunch of water at me, and I got this really mean expression on my face and took off at him screaming. LOL- boy was he scared!!! And I totally would have gotten him, too... if I hadn't been barefoot. :) Anyways, it was a pretty fun time, but I was verrrrryy dirty and wet afterwards!

June 13, 07

Today we did evangelism on the strip- starting conversations with a "belief survey," and with a really big wooden cross that we took turns carrying. It was cool, but sometimes sad. I talked to a lady that said that if God was reall and loving, she didn't want him to be her best friend because it would be "Too close" and she didn't want to face all her faults. So hopeless....

Anyways, sorry for that slightly sad note ending.... I asked some of the guys in the office for some “happy things”, and this is what they came up with: "a child blowing bubbles in a forest." Yeah- and this is what I get to deal with on a daily basis!! Lol…

Oh another happy note: I spent three hours tonight in the hot outside heat, catching up on my journaling and talking to God. I was really hot and wiped when I was done, but it was totally worth it! :)

June 10, 07

uummm.... I can't really think of anything to say. My hand hurts- my blister's still there... and I used my hand (including that burned fingertip) to play the guitar for over 4 hours today! Kevin and I had to practice for worship, and it took FOREVER because he's ADD and has a hard time focusing on the task... Thank you for grace, Lord- I need all of it I can get!!
So basically, my hand hurts and I've been fighting off bad moods today... but God is GOOOD

Sorry this is such a boring update!

Watch out! LeAnna's in Vegas!

Hello Familia!
HOOORAYYY!!! I'm in Vegas now, and I've survived the first week! The spiritual climate here is really heavy- but it's not just a "heavy" heavy- it's a heaviness that sticks to you- that tries to infiltrate every fiber of your being... I don't usually have the gift of discernment, but when I flew into the airport here, it was all I could do to keep my prayers under my breath and not start shouting prayers of intercession for myself and this city that the enemy has such a hold on. Definitely an interesting "welcome"! Inside the airport, I got a friendlier one, though... and I'm not talking about all the porn (soft and non) shouting at me pictorally. Three of my fellow Mission Adventure leadership team members were there to meet me. Kevin- the main leader (who's absolutely cooky and has sweet taste in music), Kati - who's from Finland, and a TON of fun, and then Richard- from Sussex, England. He's an interesting guy- lots of tattooes, smokes, gambles- pretty sweet, actually. Later on, Laura from Colorado joined us- spunky and reallllly goofy... she adds a lot of spice to the group... then JD arrived- self-proclaimed "spiritual person" with an amazingly awesome moustachio :) He's from Oklahoma!So with all our group together, we've done a few bonding things over the past few days- pool time, walking around, movie, morning meetings, "get to know you" games, and shopping! I'm excited for the summer... things aren't crazy yet because kids haven't arrived... but when they do, I'm hoping I don't go mad!!! :)

Love you all - thank you sooooo much for your prayers! God Bless!
-LeAnna

ps. if you want to mail me something, I would LOVE to get it!!! My mailing address here is:

LeAnna Kaiser

1348 Pawnee Drive

Las Vegas, NV 89169

Laura, Kati, and I goofing off! :)

June 8, 07

Today it's been hot. Me and the other girls went up to the roof to "tan" lol... we got bored, but had a nice time laughing and talking about body fat together!! Definitely good female bonding time.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s a huge shopping mall just straight across the parking lot. In fact, a guy got shot and killed just a few years ago…. It’s super-ghettolicios!! lol

Anyhow, the DTS is having their official graduation tonight- we are going to it tonight at some friends' house where they have a pool! Yippee!! It will be fun to hang out and swim in a place where I know everyone instead of a weirdo pool with weirdo people :)

Today I was cooking again... and we had a accident... I burned my hand taking cookies out of the oven, and now I have a big blister on my finger :(((((

June 7, 07

Today it was really, really hot inside. The air conditioner is having issues. We spent a long time sorting through boxes and boxes of stuff that each kid gets when they come to MA- journal, t-shirt, pencil, lunchbox.... it took FOREVER! And in the hot weather, we were all pouring sweat... but it was a good feeling of accomplishment when we finished! Also, it felt MASSIVELY good to take a shower afterwards :) lol.

This evening, we went to college group/bible study in a few minutes where the returning DTSers spoke on their trip. It was hard not to fall asleep during the meeting on my fluffy bean bag :) Afterwards, though, I got my second wake and we went to Taco Bell- where Richard fell in love with Baha Mt. Dew (lol- he’s quickly getting addicted)! Then we came home and were completely exhausted… but it was a good night.

June 6, 07

Today is the first in a streak of non-hot days... the highest possible prediction is hi 70s, low 80s! And it will be like that for a few days! Wow!

It's a good thing I have paperwork skills, as I haven't heard anyone else on our MA staff team say they are good at it. So, I'm glad to offer my time... plus, I must say it is a bit comforting to see stuff on paper, as our leader hasn't really told us anything yet.

Today I made lunch - it turned out yummy!! :)

Tonight we’re going to the strip (main casino area) to hand out with the DTS that just got back… well, not really to just hang out with them, but hopefully it should be fun.

The last of our staff team is coming tonight- J.D. from Oklahoma! Yay~ I'm so glad we will finally be complete! :)

June 5, 07

Today the weather isn't super hot... inside it's about 80ish... and I'm cold! lol. Sad, but true! I actually wore a sweater around the house!!

I've spent most of the day on the computer doing work for Kevin (MA leader) and helping with paperwork. Yippee! (not) my brain was seriously fried, but he bought me a 32 oz pop to say thank you (lol- the brit on my team got a 64 oz- he was in total awe... and he's still working on it about 6 hours later! lol). I miss England! :)

June 3rd, 07 Update

Today has been a little bland. We went to church this morning at an Assemblies of God church- which was cool to me, because I go to an AG church back at home.... but mine's not exactly like this! :) They had a full-out Gospel choir for worship, which was AMAZING-- I knew all the songs we sang, too! The rest of the service wasn't .... "my favorite" but I did think it was funny when the pastor slipped up and said that Jesus was Solomon's father, and then corrected himself and said Jesus was Solomon's mother. LOL :) After church, we went to a coolio Mexican-style restaurant... I didn't eat anything, due to my pockets (if ya know what I mean) and it was fine. We sat around for a loong time with lots of people from the church, and then the DTS team that just got back from outreach (Mexico, NY, and Israel) last night.

So then, we forgot someone there, and then about two blocks away realized it and turned around to get the poor guy! :) Then, we drove around for a while, and I went to two dollar stores with some friends. It is soooo very hot here! The van we were driving around in most of the day had no air con, so hopefully it's helping me get more used to the climate here! lol.

Anyhow, there is my day in a nutshell... oh, and then tonight instead of doing constructive anything, we've been watching ancient Eurovision contests online! :) Fun stuff! I really like the French's video from this year! Although Ukraine is pretty sweet, too! LOL... well. Maybe today wasn’t really that bland now that I think about it :) It’s kinda sad thinking that I just missed the cruise and graduation for Academy Northwest… after going to it three years in a row, it’s so “final” to not go. It's just one of those trusting God things!

Welcome to Las Vegas!

Well, I'm here! I safely arrived last night to the Las Vegas airport... as I landed, I really felt a heavy thickness on the area- not all because of the weather, either. I felt the need to pray over the area and for me in it!! Please join me in my prayers for God's glory to fall here and that He would change peoples' lives (including mine!) during my time here!
So far, I've met some, but not all of the people I will be staffing with. Today we're just kind of hanging out, and it will be fun to get to know everyone better (already, I've laughed a TON!)
Thank you for your travel prayers- I definitely needed them! In the midst of all the stresses of scheduling, I bought my plane ticket online for the right date, but for the wrong airplane! Oops! So when I arrived in Seattle, I had to change my ticket!!! God totally worked it out, though, and I am praising Him for his everlasting kindness. The next plane was completely full when we took off, so God really did a miracle to get me a seat on it!
Well, that's it for now, I will hopefully be updating this blog semi-regularly, as there IS internet access here! (Praise God!)
Although many details are still not known, I'm doing well and seem to be fitting in here! Thank you again for all your prayers! They are immensely appreciated!

I leave today!

Well, it is the wee hours of June 1st- and my plane leaves in a few hours (thankfully enough so that I can get some sleep!)

I got my mailing address for the Las Vegas base today. I would LOVE any mail from you during my time there!! Right now, I'm scheduled to come home on the 28th of September, but that could change... I'll try to keep posting on this blog, but there are so many unknowns about the base there- including if I'll readily have internet access or not!

So goodnight and farewell until we meet again!

LeAnna Kaiser

c/o YWAM Las Vegas

1348 Pawney Drive

Las Vegas, NV 89169

~Update~ May 30, 07

THANK YOU GOD THAT WHERE YOU CALL ME YOU EQUIP ME- WITH EXACTLY THE TOOLS THAT I WILL NEED IN WHATEVER CIRCUMSTANCES MY ARISE!

So I thought I would give you a little update. Today was supposed to be my day off, but last night I found out it's not... this (combined with lack of sleep and hig levels of "unknowns" with MA in Las Vegas, is not making for the happiest mix today. I'm technically supposed to be packed at the end of today, but I have a sinking feeling that the most I'll get done is find a suitcase (which I don't yet have).

~~BUT GOD IS GOOD~~

This past weekend, I visited Spokane for the first time and was emensely blessed by the people I met there. I went with my best friend Kaeli and a guy I'd never met before (on e of Kaelis' friends) drove over with us. It proved to be an interesting drive- full of music, "fishtrap", and watermelon :) I had lots of fun, and it was good to get y mind off the fact that I'm leaving so soon. God really touched me during my time there, too. God's doing some crazy-cool miracles in the Spokane area right now, and it was so faith-boosting to hear and see his handiwork.

Coming home, I've gained a renewed awe of God (a super-clear answer to my prayers), and I've also gained a new extension of my family. No, (lol) I didn't get married :) and I didn't adopt anyone.. I connected in a way that's more than just friends with the people over there. Kaeli's cousins were awesome and I really love them now! It's so cool to see how God connects us with His other children!

Okay, so anyways, God is in control and He continues to be my everything and one thing (my personal relationship definer from the 1st week of DTS!)

Thank you so much for all your prayers- they are felt and appreciated!!

Top 10 Reasons Why Christians Shouldn’t Come To Las Vegas! (or so we’ve heard!*)

Because the Devil lives here
Because it’s “Sin City” – and God can’t change Vegas!
Because it’s a rehearsal for hell
Because it might make your Mom nervous
Because what would Jesus think if He saw you hanging out with prostitutes and sinners?
Because there’s too many homeless people to bother you
Because you might be taken outside of your comfort zone
Because you may actually lead a “sinner” to Christ
Because you’re not in “Christian-land” anymore, Toto
Because the “Devil’s gonna get you – and your little dog, too”!

* Yes it’s true – we really have heard most of these actually said to us! Our goal here is not to offend you, but to make you aware that the devil obviously doesn’t want you to come here! But God does - He loves Las Vegas with a passion and wants us to reach it with His Love. Will you take the challenge that many have not?

Note: This was on the YWAM Las Vegas website, and I though it would be a good thing for anyone worried abou me :)

I'm Accepted!

Hooray! I finally got the word that I am officially accepted to be staff for the Mission Adventure program in Las Vegas, Nevada! I'm really pumped about what God's going to do! I have the feeling that I'm going to be veeeerrry stretched, but without that, there is no growth! I have yet to buy my plane ticket, but I'm thinking I'll leave around the 1st of June. It depends on ticket prices.... (blech!)

:) Well, God is good, and right now I am feeling thankful for friends and for my future in Christ!

My Current State of Mind

I just had another friend leave for missions overseas...I'm so happy for her, but a small part of me wishes I was with her! But God has me here, and I'm learning to trust Him in trusting others for their timing for me to do what God's telling me to. Wow, not that THAT makes any sense, but oh well :) Basically, I'm still waiting for a go/no go answer from Las Vegas. I think, though, that the thing holding it up is my pastoral reference form- I have an inkling they haven't turned it in yet....
Right now, I'm at peace, but I think,"I should be really freaked out right now about this. Maybe my non-stressing is a BAD sign... maybe I'm not really supposed to do this. Maybe I don't care about it enough..." But then I think, well, all those things could be possibilities, but God told me to take the step and apply and to "do" mission adventures. That's what I'm trying to do right now, and HE hasn't told me to stop... so, I can only continue plodding on, doing what God guides me to...whoever said following God was safe was nuts :)

So What is Mission Adventures?!?

Hey, for everyone wanting more information on Mission Adventures (MA), this is basically all I have (and all they gave me!)…

The Dates for summer staff are June 9th- July 31st (but I might stay on afterwards)
The cost is $399 for the 7 weeks. This includes all food and housing. (Not a plane ticket :( unfortunately!)
The goal of Mission Adventure is to offer a “full-service” mission experience, meaning we take care of the details so that the teams can do the ministry. We prepare the food, do the housekeeping, accompany the teams on all outreaches, oversee work duties, drama training, and smallgroups etc. Everyone does not necessarily do everything, so the day is not really as daunting as it looks. Each staff member has a primary area of responsibility and then other main functions.
The teams are here Saturday through Friday mornings.Summer staff is challenging, stretching, but definitely rewarding. For many of the students coming through it’s their first missions trip andit’s really cool to see God impact their own lives as the step out andallow God to use them to impact others’.

So.... are you excited for me!! :)

I’m home!

Hello Friends and Family!
It seems like ages ago that I left home for England last September, not knowing what exactly to expect! Well, now I’m home, and I’m again in that place of slight uncertainty. But, I know He will use this time of uncertainty to continue His good work in me. Over the past seven months, I have gained a new passion for God and He has given me a lot more confidence in Him and taken away many of my fears. Even more encouraging than this, though, is that He is far from done with me!

Let me give you an overview of what happened while I was gone (and some of the highlights)…
Ø I arrived in England a few days early, to try to adjust to the time difference, and to meet Solomon Magura (my brother-in-law’s brother). God totally worked it out so that I could get to know my soon-to-be family through Solomon. He encouraged me greatly as He’s also done a DTS, and we had a lot of fun talking about our two families.
Ø My Discipleship Training School (DTS) started on September 23rd All my senses were overwhelmed for the first few days of trying to settle in and get to know people… on the dormitory issue I was slightly concerned about- well, I shared a room with six other girls, and I slept on the third bunk up (it was a faith-builder getting out of bed every morning!)
Ø My DTS was made up of twenty-five students- twenty-two girls and three guys. We also had six amazing staff members.
Ø During the first 3 months of DTS, we were in lectures- speakers came from the US and UK.
Ø Some of the most powerful things I learned/gained on lecture phase were: confidence- a huge revelation of my identity, some of my key fears were dismantled, and experientially learning how to work through conflict (both the right and wrong way).
Ø December 16th we left our beloved Holmsted Manor and the other half of our team (they went to Indonesia & Malaysia) for outreach phase. Our destination: Elbesan, Albania; a post-communism country that opened to Christianity not too long ago. On outreach phase, my team was made up of 15 people (including two leaders). At first, it felt like we were missing tons of people, but we were able to get to know each other better in a smaller group.
Ø From then until February 17th (when we left to go back to Holmsted for debrief week), we did many different kinds of ministry. One of the main focuses we had was to support the long-term missionaries in their ministry to the Roma Gypsy community that lives on the outskirts of the city. These people are extremely looked down upon by government and
society in general. One Albanian man, who saw us doing an Evangelistic meeting in the Gypsy community, said, “These are the people who steal your clothes and then sell them in [the] market…why are you bothering with these people?!” Praise God that he used our ministry to the Roma Gypsies as a witness to the Albanians!
Ø We did Bible studies, feeding programs, orphanage and daycare visits, many prayer walks, met with English-speaking Muslim students from the high school, and were expectant and available to God for whatever He had for us!
Ø When it came time to go back to Holmsted, there were many tears… It was hard to say goodbye to all the people we had become close to. We had ministered to many, but I was ministered to and challenged so much by the people I met during our time there.
Ø Over outreach, one of the main things God taught me was about relationships- how I relate to others, and how, when I trust people I might get hurt, but in the end, it’s worth it. Also, I think I got a feel of what it would be like to be a long-term missionary. This challenged both the way I think of cross-cultural missionaries, and also the possibility of me being one in my future.
Ø After outreach, we had a fun (but short) reunion with friends that had gone to Indonesia and Malaysia. Also, a new DTS had started at Holmsted, so we made some new friends, too! I also got the chance to go to Finland for a week with Iina, a girl I grew close to on outreach.
Ø I left England on March 15th. Amid lots of tears, I said goodbye to my friends, and to my beautiful Holmsted Manor (*grin*… people in the airport must have thought me quite a sight- my huge backpack and other luggage, bawling my eyes out in the check-in line!).

Now, I’m home! I’ve met my brother-in-law Moses, and had a joyous reunion with friends and family (including my niece who was born just a few days before I left!) God has taught me so much over the past seven months; about my identity in Him, about relationships, about how to hear Him better, and, through all the hard times, I’ve experienced God’s awe-striking love that is more crazy and incredible than I ever thought it could be.

Since coming home, I have purposed to live as a missionary in my home community… not easy, but definitely what God has for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m staying put! In June, I am planning on staffing a missions program for youth ages 14-18 in Las Vegas. I am still in the application process, and would appreciate your prayers for finances, direction, and God’s timing!

Thank you so much to each and every one of you who have contributed your prayers and financial support. It’s hard to put into words how you have helped change my life. At times during DTS, when things were extremely difficult, just knowing people at home were praying for me helped immensely. You have all touched people around the world through me, and my prayer is that you be blessed as a result.
Thank you and God bless,

LeAnna

Internet. Today. Tired.

Me, before going online to sell stuff on Craig's List:

One word. Dial-up. Grrr... it is the bane of my existence right now. I tried to get on Qwest to check out DSL, but my internet was so slow it wouldn't work! Ironic, huh? :)

I'm trying to sell a bunch of stuff for my grandma on Craig's List. It's not going so well. It takes forever to upload anything, and I have the feeling not many people look on Craig's list. Hmmm... I think I may have to give up soon and join Ebay. Maybe then I can make some money. Well, if any of you are looking for a basketball hoop, Milk glass serving dish, Carpenters record, or one of the other random items I have for sale, please email me! Or better yet, buy it on Craig's List!! :)

Me: After going online to sell stuff on Craig's List... (about 5 hours later)

How was my week? Well....

This past week I have been staying in a hotel up in Seattle- watching my niece! My sister has been doing job training, so I got the tedious (NOT!) task of watching the adorable Tinashe Chiedza-Joy!
It was so cool to finally bond with her after so long of not seeing her! She is a cutie pie and has the most hilarious expressions... she raises her eyebrows when she eats something and either screams, coughs, or giggles when she's happy :) I love her, and I just know she’s going to be one cool cat :)
It was kinda strange being with my older sister. We haven’t really known each other very well for the past few years, and it was weird spending such a big chunk of time with her.... granted, it was only after 5 when she got off and was soooo knackered, but whatever! :) I'm hoping that through me taking care of Tinashe, we will get to know each other again. It amazes me at how easy it is to take advantage of the people so close to us… thinking we know them when we really don’t… and it seems harder to get to know them than to get to know a complete stranger. It’s just our crazy world we live in, I guess!

My Hair... oh what a process!! :)

The Long And Arduous Process.... that is my hair :)

Pre-DTS: Nice and brown.... untouched by purple/pink :)

Pre DTS: Oops! How did THAT happen?! :) Purple hair turned fushia... twice!
Albania: I had my hair braided on outreach by one of our wonderful Carribean YWAMers! It took a little over 2 hours to do it all!

Just before coming home, I hair-sprayed my hair red... BIG mistake... the red didn't come out for weeks because I couldn't get it out with braids.

Post DTS:Wow! Poof-mama! It took two hours to take all this hair out of the braids, and it felt really strange to scratch my head again!

Wow! I actually washed my hair... :( After 3 1/2 months of no shampoo or conditioner, I finally gave in... that silly red stuff just would not come out!!

Home now....

I've been meaning to send out one of those “I’m home” email... due to a variety of excuses both creative and lame, I haven’t gotten around to it. I have to say though, it is fun to surprise people and say "I'm home!!" but maybe our flourishing "grapevine" in my community isn't the BEST way to get the news across :) Re-adjusting is going okay... somehow though, I've managed to make myself extremely busy once again- but I'm trying hard not to continue... today I stayed in bed until 1!!! After experiencing "delayed-jetlag" (probably due to the fact that I have only gone to bed before 12 once since coming home), I decided I needed it. Actually, the general consensus around these parts is shock at how good I'm doing... not much culture shock. lol... maybe that means I'm "cut-out-for-it" as Mom said, but I like to think it's the grace of God (really it's that either way). I am realizing how much of a sacrifice it's going to be to keep up on my relationships- both with God and DTS friends... I'm afraid both have kind of been put on the "I'm-tired-and-can't-be-bothered" back burner. Accountability, anyone?!? – Definitely a hard thing about not living in that tight Holmsted Community! Well, this was a bit over a one-liner, and definitely not as long as it should be, but oh well! :) God bless!!

A few Musings from Finland

So I've been thinking about how small this world is- It's so weird to think that a friend from DTS is home in hot, HOT Hawaii, and I'm here in snowy Finland, when just a few days ago we were together in mediocre rainy weather!! :) (okay, maybe not that bad....) Here at Iina's house in Finland, there's not as much as I expected, but still- snow is snow.... and it seems to keep snowing, but only enough to keep it on the ground and about a foot high maybe.... well, maybe a foot and a half...
Iina's family is so nice - she has older siblings, but only her mother and father live with her. Her Mom speaks some English and is ADORABLE when she uses it.... such a thick accent! lol....and her Dad can say "Hello" and that's about it :) So far, I've learned a few words, and, apparently, have a gift for repeating words just like they're said to me - one of the funniest instances of this was when we sat down to dinner and I asked what the Finnish word was for what we were eating (it was like casserole) and when the response was "Makaroonilaatikko" I repeated it perfectly on my first try - which prompted lots of laughs and shock..... :) It's a lot of fun!
Yesterday we went to the capital of Helsinki - I saw the ocean; frozen!!!! (well, the sea anyhow...) It was soooo sooooo cold there- there's a lot of wind that comes off the sea. But it was fun- we went shopping, and I actually got something! :)
I'm here in Finland until the 5th of March... so I'm sure I will have lots more to write about soon.
I'm still not sure of my plans for when I go back to England... I have a few invitations and ideas, but they all take money and they would all probably be fun (oh such a dilemma, I have to chose from too many wonderful things! lol.... I really am so blessed!). I need to decide soon though! Welcome to semi-adulthood, LeAnna!
Here's a thought to leave you on.... at what point to people become adults? In Finland, the idea is apparently much, much different than the US, and it's been the topic of Iina and I's closest thing to an argument! Wow... interesting. I would love to hear any musings on this!

YFG... Dreamcasting

I had a chat with the girl, Cherry, who coordinates Year for God... the program is like a year-long DTS. I initially wanted to do that instead of just a 6 month one. Cherry’s trying to find (well, praying to find, anyways...) a replacement. Listening to her talk about her job and asking her questions was interesting..... it sounds so like me- like what I'm good at, what I love, and what God's gifted me in- all rolled together... I have a desire to do it, but at the same time, I know that this is not the time. Next year might be (smile) but not now. And I have complete peace with that- I would be so excited to do it, but I really, really want to do what God wants me to. The whole year is only about £200 a month and that adds up to about the same price as DTS! And, I would get to visit the students in the countries they're at for about a week or two at each place (depending on how many students, there can be several countries) Anyhow... it's just a thought right now :)

Macedonia... an overview

Macedonia was AMAZING! We all had a really, really great time and enjoyed the scenery (and the shopping) immensely... The city is on the side of one of the most ancient lakes in Europe (so says a Macedonian man we met who became our impromptu tour guide on two occasions!) and is surrounded by mountains. It's so gorgeous! There is a castle/fortress on top of a hill, and walking around the cobbled streets just makes me feel like I'm in such an old place. It's crazy to think of all the history that has happened on those streets and in those places! :) We went to a church there that was one of the first to open up and be "legal" during the beginning of Constantine's reign. Really interesting stuff!! :) Lana had a splendid time checking out the many, many jewellery shops there- apparently there are pearl producing-oysters in the lake, so there is a lot of gorgeous jewellery as a result :) I have to admit, I bought some stuff myself- all at bargain prices as well! (which just makes it that much better... lol) So, we are back in Elbesan and at our cold flat, but even though we are tired, we walk with joy and are looking forward to meeting up with team Indonesia in England in just a few days!!!

Macedonia!!

- Started out semi-early with not knowing what to pack! :) So, I decided to wear some insane layers: Iina’s long sleeve, a t-shirt, a tak top, and a ¾ sleeve! With Matt’s fleece and my coat! I was veeeery warm :) I thought it would be much colder than it actually was :)
- We took a coach (aka van) to the border, where we stood in a queue for wuite some time (which was okay since people were getting over nausea from the coach and exhaustion from an impromptu snowball/ice fight :)
- From the border, we taxi-d to the hostel that had been recommended, but when we say how far it was from the city, we decided to try somewhere else- a place our taxi drivers knew about! It turned out to be really nice and not far from shopping and sight-seeing! Hooray :) We dropped our stuff off and went to find a place to make reservations for dinner that evening.
- We booked somewhere right on the water- it was so gorgeous, and with the sun shining, it was quite tempting to just glory in the moment… unless you were Lana, who was VERY anxious to find food.
- Tori, Lana, and I (and a few others) wanted to spend our first day shopping, but first we went to find some grub :) We first went to a fast food place. No English 2-Pizza place. Slow and no service. 3- The Pink Panther! An American-inspired restaurant that had okay food :)
- During our meal, I changed my decision to shop and wanted to go sight-öseeing instead. Since it was such a gorgeous day, I wanted to capture everything I saw on film (or memory space, or whatever :) ) Out the restaurant’s second story window, I saw the group going to the Fortress aka Castle. So I left some dinar [SIDENOTE: exchange rate= 60 dinar to 1 dollar; not the easiest to figure out in your head!] with Tori and Lana and ran to catch up :)
- We first went to the Colloseum. It was so weird to think of the people who sat in those seats almost 2,000 years ago (well, not quite). Later on, I learned a bit of the history. Originally, it was just for plays and such, but then it got re-furbished and designed to be a gladiator arena… I found out that 100s, probably even 1000s of Christians were killed there… so much history.
- From there, we trekked up some CRAZY hilly streets (where we almost god mowed down by a little car speeding down hills=. We slowly made our way to the castle at the top. It was so pretty, and it was fun to look around and explore the [mostly renovated] walls. We even got serenaded by a guy with a Macedonian-version bagpipe (it was a sheep stomach I think).
- After the castle, [including some forbidden wall-scaling escapades with Lauren, Iina, Jo, Matt and I], we walked down to see the church and basilica (a place where public meetings would have been held, ect.)
There, we met a theology dude, who became our impromptu (and VERY willing) tour-guide. We joined the 2 young guys (who, if I understood correctly, are training to become electricians! What they were doing there, who knows!) in learning about lots of the deeper meanings of the things around. We also got to go into a church and see some of a Greek Orthodox service.
- Then, I went to a café with Gab, Lo, Jo, Bec, and Paul… instead of going to a library thing with our new friend.
- Then we looked around a bit and asked about getting piercings…. some of them got their ears pierced and then we went to dinner. It was kinda scary how fast it happened. They went in to ask a question, and came out 5 minutes later with their ears pierced- no paperwork required!
- At dinner, I saw waves breaking on the dock and it made me miss home, and the ocean.
- Back at the hostel, there was some goofing off, but we were mostly calm and went to bed soon. It was sooo, so cold, but Iina and I got to sleep after we put our beds together to be warmer.

A Not so Normal Day in the Life.... Journal Excerpt

- Wow! It’s Februrary! Time has gone so fast! Today I’m in a funk mood. It’s our “Historic Tour of Elbesan” day, but I do NOT want to go. I feel sad and left out.
The Orthodox church on our tour was cool, though… very pretty. As for the museum… well, I’d rather not talk about that.
- Boot shopping with the 3 Jolly Caribbeans! I bought some stylish high-heeled ones! Whoop, Whoop!
- Romas- Lauren spoke on the Great Commission. It was good.
- Watched “Holiday” that evening. Bad acting, pretty lame story, choppy scene editing, but I really liked it! It was certainly an odd experience… sitting in a cushy theatre chair, in a huge, nearly empty theatre, with large schip (Albania) subtitles fuzzing half of the picture, while the few Albanian men in the theatre laughed because the titles were off-sync with the film :)
When it was over, mostly everyone walked home balking at how ridiculous the film had veen, but a few of us liked it :)
- A spot of cake, then bed!

Open Air - Journal Excerpt

Today we had worship with the YWAMers and then one more open air in the lager (Gypsy community) at the church. We put all the pews out in the front lawn and then started praying for people to come! :)
They did, of course, and we had some women there this time, too! We did the Redeemer skit, some testimonies, and songs.
Afterwards, one of the Gypsy ladies said she had really been impacted by Redeemer- that she thought she had been a Chrisian before seeing it, but wasn't and that she really saw how much Jesus had done for her- Praise God!!
I think we all walked away with a sense of accomplishment- hmm... I wonder if that sounds bad. It sounds like people are our projects... not my heart though. It's just so good to see very obvious fruit of what God has been doing though us here.

Tirana- A Journal Excerpt

The day started out pretty well- we hurriedly got ready and walked to the Post Office roundabout to get Taxis…. I borrowed Hanna’s boots for the day, but when I got just about to Lio’s Souflagge, I saw that the seam on top was kinda coming undone!! Yikes~ I didn’t have enough time to go back and get different shoes, so I tried to be careful all day :§ oh well… I looked good :)
On the way to T-town, I sat in the back taking pictures and sitting next to an Albanian woman. The 2 1/2 hour drive actually seemed kinda short! We saw some really pretty scenery on the way, too!
First Stop: The Stephen Center- a restaurant started by an American couple. They serve American, Mexican, British, and Chinese food. YES!!! I had a mocha, strawberry pancakes, and an omelette for breakfast. We were all giddy with excitement and anticipation before the food came. Luckily, we were sitting downstairs, so no one saw our ridiculous behavior (other than the waiter) :)
After a scrumptious meal, we walked to the city center (dodging traffic and Mormons on the way). There, we visited a book store where we all found something to see- I bought a magazine to cut up~ hee hee (an addiction whose withdrawals have been especially harsh since coming here).
A HUGE Museum was our next stop- there we learned some “keys” [in Wayne lingo):
- Apostle Paul came to Albania! (It used to be called Illyria)
- The first Albanian translation of any book was the Gospel of John.
Mostly what blew me out of the water was seeing ancient, ancient sculpture, pottery, and jewellery just inches from my fingertips – and knowing that people over 2,000 years ago loved those things. As far as I can remember, no other museum has had such a huge impact on me mentally or emotionally (yeah, okay, so I teared up at the enormity of it all).
Towards the end of our tour, we started majorly rushing – apparently the museum was closing :( Sad Day! But, oh well- I don’t think anyone got terribly bored!
Then our group split up and people went shopping. HARK! A grocery store with 2 levels!! Oh my word, is this still Albania?!?!? :) Unfortunately, I didn’t really find souvenirs I liked, but I did manage to get some sweet presents for family.
Then Sharon [note for those just joining us- Sharon is one of the long-term YWAM team in Elbesan… she’s a lot of fun and from St. Lucia in the Caribbean] and I went shoe shopping. I found some that were quite nice, but didn’t buy any.
Then, back to the Stephen Center for a chocolate milkshake, some fries (still not as good as US or our favourite souflagge guys’) and a snippet of a friend’s Mexican food.
Time to go home! We walked back to where we asked the bus drivers to meet us- to find that one of the drivers didn’t get the message to come back and pick us up, so we got a different dude. Oh well… the trip home was okay.
Then it was Home Sweet Home Elbesan! :)

Wedding Bells from Far Away

DeLynn and Moses got married today. I feel so out of the loop – I’m really sad I couldn’t be there…. and in a really selfish way, I wish they had stuck to the original plan of having a really small officiating service where they exchanged vows, but then had the big shebang when I got home… but I’m really glad they had a beautiful wedding. I still don’t really know how it went though. I’m waiting for anyone at home to email and tell me :( yet another downside of not being home.

Last Night

It's been SUPER stormy here. Thunder and lightning so close it shakes
our house.... last night I was scared for a few minutes, which is
really weird for me; I don't think I've been scared of the weather
since I was literally like 3!! I usually love thunder and
lightning.... So, instead of sleeping, I wrote a nice long letter to
my Mom :)

I haven't been able to sleep the past few nights, but I think part of the problem is I stay up so late :) Last night I watched a ridiculous movie with some friends... called Rebound. We made this little fort out of a table and some blankets- the three of us barely fit underneath, but it was really really funny to try to squish! The copy was a pirated one (which they all are) that we had rented. We put on the English subtitles for the sake of the Spanish girl I was watching it with, but they were completely wrong most of the time, which just made it that much more funny, since pretty much none of it made sense :) Good memory making!! :)

Update, anyone?!?

Wow... I am soooo sorry I have been so negligent in updating this blog. It's amazing how fast this time has been going and how much has happened since I've been here. I think I will put snippets of emails I've either recieved or sent out. That will hopefully give you a small idea of what has been happening in my life recently!
So, right now I am in Albania on the 2nd half of DTS - outreach phase :) We've been here for a month and will be here for one more month. When I am done in Albania, we fly back to our base (Holmsted Manor!!!) in the south of England for a debrief week... Also, it will be a reunion with our other 1/2 of the DTS students... they have been on outreach in several locations in Malaysia and Indonesia. It has been hard in some ways that I have been here in Albania instead of there... but God's ways are higher than mine and I have been learning a lot about perseverance and about myself and relationships... Probably a lot more about those things than I would have if I had been on outreach in Indonesia and Malaysia. GOD IS GOOD

Our Beautiful Home City in Albania: ELBASAN!!