First, let me apologize for taking so long to get to this post. I have had so many thoughts and feelings to deal with that I haven't really had a moment to put my thoughts together in any semblance of a blog, but I have not forgotten. I just want to be sure that what I write is truly how I feel because a lot has changed since my last post.
First of all, I have fallen in love with Serbia and it's people. I could go on and on about the warmth and hospitality shown to us by our national team, our host families, the students and all of the Serbians with whom we were in contact, and it still would not give you a vision of how much we came to love them. I could show you the 1000+ pictures of our new friends and the Serbian countryside and it still would not give you a glimpse of how much places like Opovo, Ljutovo and Subotica mean to us.
We were also blessed with international friendships with people from Romania, Britain, Ireland and Australia. We even made a few friends from the States whom we didn't know before the trip. Those friendships literally span coast to coast. There is no way you could understand the impact that these people had on us unless you were there. It was an amazing trip.
And God showed up and showed off.
It began with me. Before camp began, He brought me to a place where I saw for the first time how much my insecurities and fears had held me captive. In His loving mercy, He took me out of my comfort zone so that He could show me that it wasn't a comfort zone at all. It was a prison. He brought me to a safe place where I could begin to live in the reality of who I am in Christ. He surrounded me with friends who held me accountable and reminded me that who I am is okay. It was an amazing transformation.
He also did amazing works at camp. The students were awesome. They came to learn English, but their hearts and minds were open to all that we had to say - whether they believed it or not. They shared their lives with us. They befriended us. They loved on us - and we loved on them. They stole our hearts.
So many things have changed in me since my last post, and I am still learning to live in my new reality. We sang a song every day while at camp called "Never Going Back to OK." I know one thing for certain, I will never be the same again - and that isn't OK. That's awesome.
