Good-bye Kentucky

Myself in Janurary

Irina and Susanna reading/posing for Sveta

Jonathan and Susanna doing dishes the day before we left

Can you find the faucet?

Here it is . Mama pumping water. (She looks like a Russian here)

As of now, we are in Cincinnati staying with some friends for a couple days on our way up to Columbus where my family will leave me. (This week is also special in that my parents will be celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary ... )Today is Sunday ... by the end of this week I will have said my good-byes to my family, at least for a time. I am excited and "ready" for it to get "started". I really don't know what to be expecting ... So I have my thoughts and wonderings in my mind. If that makes any since. I'll share an exert from my diary :

1-18-09

My greatest fear is that I would be a seed unwilling to die so that much life would be produced. One of those seeds that lay in the cold, dark earth laying dormant. Unwilling to let go of the little life I hold - to die in order to live ... " Vanity of vanities, "says the Preacher.'Vanity if vanities, all is vanity" ' that is how Ecclesiastes starts. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

" Fear God and keep His commandments. For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgement, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." The words of Solomon. A man in whom God has bestowed Wisdom - in abundance...My Spirit is befuddled within ... conflicting thoughts... paradoxes... confusion... passion...
Then I proceeded with many questions of life. In the end , I wrote ..."God is sovereign and truly His Yoke is easy and burden light. And I don't have to figure out this madness. All I have to do is lean on His never- failing arm and obey His commands."

Anyhow, many thoughts... I ask for your prayers. That I would learn true servanthood/selflessness as I attend this Pilate program at the school of Servanthood. And also that I will be able to develop good relationships with the youth in Columbus as that also is one of my fears. For some reason in my mind, I think since I grew up in such a different culture then the inner-city that I won't be able to relate with them as well as some people. So please pray with me about these things.

My job - my second family

Brandon and myself

Look what Rachael found under her bed ... Never know what you'll find there.

A bunch of us girls watching a movie - Sveta, Amanda, Rebecca, me, Miriam, JoAnn, Rachael, And Lilli

Jodi and Destiny. Destiny comes over some afternoons to do activities with the girls. She calls me "teacher".

Brandon

The field

Rachael and myself

Rachael and Lilli
Lilli and Teresa
Rebecca and myself

Ann
These are a few pictures of some of the kids I work with. The Kreiders have a ministry of caring for special needs kids/ adults. This is a family with people coming from all different places, with different needs, yet united with love because of how God has worked in Ron and Joann's hearts to take into their care anyone who would need care and love. This family has become like a second family to me. I've been working here about a year and a half or so. In that time the family has changed many times. As of now. They're is Rachael(18) ,downs-syndrome. She's full of life and spunk. She's my little buddy and is quit a talker. When I first started working here I would come here a couple days a week and play games with her, teach reading etc. Lilli (19)and Teresa(25) are sisters and they have been adopted. Ann(14) and Brandon(4) are special needs foster childen. Brittany is a 20 year old girl that is bed- ridden and has ceribal palsy. That's all the kids they have now.
20, 19, 18 ... I've been counting down the days till I leave for Columbus. And until then I will be mostly working at the Kreiders place. Since Just after Christmas, I have been working like this is a full time job. ( Before, I worked like about 3 or 4 afternoons and evenings a week, now about every day for long hours) I don't mind because they have become like a second family to me. It also is helping me save money for the up-coming school and get used to missing my family.

Susanna

Susanna Grace In 2005 - age 3

Susanna Grace in 2007 - age 6

Christmas

Regina , Elizabeth , and I - after the Christmas Eve mass

Andrew . What kind of look is that ? Too much coffee ?

Or a see how long I can-stop-blinking contest ? or maybe it's

just really late at night? Any ideas?

We had a nice Christmas Season this year. Humm. Christmas seemed to start with writing Christmas cards. One Sunday afternoon, back at the end of November, Sveta and I addressed and stamped about 60 envelopes. Then leaving Mommy and Daddy with the fun job of writing to the friends and relatives.( Unlike most, we like to write a personal little letter in each card which makes it no small job) So we sent out a record maybe 90 - that would include local ones too. Then their was the Christmas play. We had 3 weeks and about 6 practices. I personally enjoy practicing for our play because of the excitement of working together to bring this joyous message to people. This years play was tittled "the Shepard's Tale" . Ethan acting as the Shepard is relating the story of the Savior to his great-granddaughter. We act scenes as he remembers them ... Fr. Bob and Jerome wrote the script. It really turned out well. Sveta was the narrator and did a good job. She posted some pictures of it on her blog http://www.svetasstation.blogspot.com/ . Their was also the Christmas caroling , the gifts, the manger, the hot Chocolate and cookies, lighting the Advent candles each Sunday ... But what is Christmas to you? What are these things we do mean? What are they pointing to? It started so long ago when God chose the foolish things of this world to put to shame the wise, when God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty (1 cor.1:27) When God chose to become incarnate and enter this world as a Babe, the lowliest of all states. In order to bring the hope of salvation to all the world ... mere words cannot explain the love of God toward people He showed to us in sending His Son into this world. Anyhow, this Advent season the example of Mary kept replaying in my mind ... After the Angel had spoken to her bringing her this message from God She responded, " Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to Thy word ". She "embraced surrender" then look at all the LIFE that resulted from her submission. Those two words "embrace surrender" have challenged me ... I want to like Mary also say " do unto me according to your word (your will).

Just a country girl

Just a country girl - that's exactly what I am. What's this country girl doing ? Planning to do ? Moving to the city for 5 months that's what she's doing ... Well kinda. God has opened up an incredible opportunity for me. Our friends Aaron and Emily Starr are starting a missionary training school, The School of Servanthood. They invited me and another girl to be the first interns for this school. I have accepted this invitation. Aaron and Emily live in Columbus, Ohio inner-city. They have a ministry (http://www.reachingthenationsinternational.org/ )reaching to the youth in their neighborhood, they have a couple Bible studies at their house, they're missionary by the way they live...Anyhow, as an Intern for SOS I will be living with Aaron and Emily for 5 months. During those 5 months I will receive ministry and leadership training and will gain hands-on experience with their ministry. I will hopefully also learn how to be a better servant. That's just the beginning, the next 3 months I will be interning in a forgein country. Most likely Haiti. They have connections with a ministry called Living Hope Haiti (http://www.livinghopehaiti.org/ ) I'm really not sure what these 3 months entail. Emily told me this is definitely an "open door" but God may have a different plan that He hasn't showed us yet. I figure I'll get excited about going to Haiti and if God has a different plan then - GOOD, because God knows best.

So when does this start? January 29th is our starting date. The potential travel date to leave for Haiti is July 4th . And I will return home around the end of September.

This upcoming year is going to be one marked with an growing in the Lord and learning stuff that I will remember the rest of my life. I am going to be facing many challenges. First the obvious one, Different cultures. I figure I'll be going through 4 cultures next year; 1. The Starr's home 2. right outside their door is another world 3. Haiti and 4. readjusting to Kentucky life . And many other challenges too. But I choose to embrace them knowing that underneath are The Almighty's hands leading me on. I feel I'm definitely leaving my comfort zone. Please I ask for your prayers.

You may wonder what my family thinks about this. My parents are very excited for me. They knew about this opportunity before I did.They prayed about it a week or two before they asked if I wanted to do it. Someone asked Mommy what she'd ever do without me . She said I've got other girls. Jonathan says he's going with me. Sveta says she's going to miss me a lot...I've got my family's blessing.

I'll end this post with a little thought I have written in a little pink book I write down cool stuff I read in: "We are the clay , He is the potter. Humans have a fascination with the future. For centuries we have consulted astrologers and other claiming to know our futures. We've written books and made movies based on the concept of time travel. We want to know what lies ahead of us on our journeys through life. Just as the clay cannot ask the potter what it will be, so we cannot ask our Maker what we will be. But we can trust that God will create something beautiful and holy with our lives. We know by faith that we are the products of God's hands. In what ways do you need to trust that GOD, the Master Potter , is making you into a work of art? " Author unknown

Remember the only time is the present so embrace it