We've Reached the End of Part II

After one week off, we flew into our third and final camp by welcoming our American team at the airport... This was a special welcome for me as my dad was on that team! It felt SO good to hug my dad after 24 weeks! 6 months really didn't feel like a long time until I saw him and it hit me how long I had been away from home. And it again made me thankful for the peace and sense of "home" that God has given me here in Slovakia. 

Welcoming my dad in the Vienna Airport

This camp was my 3rd camp with this church in Bratislava. They have been doing camps for a long, long time and definitely know what they are doing! So it was pretty much as opposite from our Hungary camp as you could imagine ha. It was organized, people knew their jobs, people DID their jobs, lots of kids were signed up... The camp was really off to a strong start with a strong team. And it proved strong throughout the whole week. The Slovak team and the American team worked so well together to humbly serve each other and these students each day. 

Our intern team did very well too as we helped teach workshops, conduct songs, and help with the evening band. But, there was no hiding that we were all but empty and running on fumes. I'm so proud of how our team continued to rely on each other and the Lord as it became harder and harder to pour out any energy into the kids and the leaders we were serving. Three camps + the spiritual battles we dealt with this summer had nearly defeated us. I'm amazed at God's strength though every day as He proves to be exactly what we need in every moment of weakness.          Camp Selfie at the end of camp!

During this camp, we had several opportunities for students to hear the gospel and to be able to take time to think about how God applies to their lives. Through all three camps, we had the same theme of "You Are Here". This will always be one of my favorite themes as it connected so well with my own heart, as well as so many students. 

My Survival team with the most complicated name: TaTeAbAnKaMiFiJu

So many times we see our past as something that has the potential to blacklist us or weigh us down. We see our pasts as something attached to us and we spend so much of our lives trying to hide it or pretend that it's not there. Same with our present; we can see that we are not satisfied with where we are currently but instead of facing it head on we adapt this "fake it til you make it" mindset and pretend we aren't actually in the situation that we are in. 

Choir practice at camp

In our camps this summer, we shared the truth with students that Christ sees your past, He sees your future, and He see your heart right now, and He loves you just the same. We had at least two students accept Christ at this Bratislava camp and several others were able to hear the Gospel and have the opportunity to ask questions about where they've been and where they want to go in their future.                                                            *On the right is Fusion Bratislava's camp concert

So by the grace of God, our team made it through camp alive. We enjoyed every minute of it, but I can't tell you just how completely physically and emotionally exhausting a summer like this was. 

Our final boy-band photo in Vienna, the night before sending the team home. 

After camp came an overwhelming amount of goodbyes... We said goodbye to our American team and we said goodbye to our interns. Having to say goodbye to the people I lived every day of the last 3 months with was very strange... Especially when you think about the fact that we didn't even really know each other, save a couple of us, before the summer even started. But these people became family throughout the long days, the lack of sleep, long car rides, and times we all got "hangry". We learned each other incredibly well, whether we intended to or not. We learned each other's weaknesses, strengths, favorite foods, and pet peeves. We shared in each others' burdens and prayers, we worshipped together, we jammed together, we cried together, and mostly we laughed so, so hard together. You would never know all the hilarious things that came out of this group from the serious boy band photos we took each week... All this to say, it was hard to see them all go home and go back to their normal lives, knowing that we might never all be back together again. 

Our team's last morning in Bratislava with the Chase family before heading to Vienna to fly home. 

And now? Now I'm in Week 28 of 33. I'm still in Bratislava working with Fusion and continuing to pour myself out into the relationships that God has put in front of me to invest into. My heart has been filled with contentment knowing that a huge purpose of why I came on this extended internship has been fulfilled and I have had time to reflect and rest in that peace. 

Moving forward into these last 5 weeks, I know that God is preparing my heart for the difficult challenge of heading home to Colorado. It is not going to be easy for me, I know that already. I can feel the tension as I think about leaving the family that I have found here, but my heart also rejoices in knowing that soon coffee dates with my parents or brothers will be a normal thing again.  

Even though the chaos has calmed for this year, I would ask you (whoever you are reading this) to please pray for me and for these students here in Slovakia. Pray that I am a humble tool to be used by our Father each day in whatever way He would choose. Please pray for relationships to continue growing, but most importantly, that students' relationships with Christ would catch like fire! 

Leading worship for the evening band at Bratislava camp.