Weekend in Hungary

I am so glad that we ended our 7 week trip to Romania in Budapest. I absolutely love the city and the people there. It had been two years since I had last been in Budapest, but I instantly felt right back at home. I don't know how to explain it but I just feel so right there. I really hope that I get to go back there. I miss all my friends! Good thing we can still keep in touch through Facebook and Skype.
Natalie, Jessica, and I were probably a little overly excited. But I'm glad that Becca and Whitnee got to experience the city too! It is so beautiful there. I guess I'll let the pictures show off Budapest instead of babbling on about it.

bye hungary! until we meet again :)

i'm sick in romania... danget

even though i haven't been feeling good for a few days now (why do i have a head cold? or how did i get sick? it's so hot and humid here!), yesterday was wonderful. we didn't do much and the day included a hot and sweaty nap, but it was perfect. we spent a long time in the morning talking to coleen and jeje. we talked about the trip, why we felt called to stay in romania for 7 weeks, and what we feel like God might be calling us to over the next year. at night we went out to the local grocery store and handed out fliers and talked to whoever would stop and listen. a man who was a jehovah's witness came to know the Lord. it was a sweet time of just stepping back and watching God work. later that night, just the six of us went out. it was our first time being alone in the city- without any translators or coleen and jeje. on our way to dinner, i saw a woman i had talked to two weeks prior. i had shared my testimony with her and had prayed with her. after kisses and hugs, we continued on to dinner. i am so happy that God let me see her again- even if she only speaks romanian. my uneasiness and stress about staying in romania feels like it has finally gone away. in its place is now a peace. God is definitely faithful and patient with me.
today, i'm feeling really sick. it's gotten worse since a few days ago. i've been lying down all day, just trying to rest. if you could pray that i get better quickly, i would really appreciate it. tomorrow will be a busy day i'm sure, as most sundays here are. so i want to be back to my normal self and able to hang out around all the others. i'm looking forward to seeing who, if anyone, comes out to church tomorrow! and it's ryan's first day of teaching. he'll do great.
i'll leave you with a few photos from the past few weeks. enjoy!

be strong and courageous

so my trip to romania is quickly approaching (it's a little less than 6 weeks away!). and i cannot believe it is already here and soon i'll be there. i don't remember if i talked about any of my fears concerning the trip on here, but i have been freaking out a little about the thought of staying in romania for 7 weeks. it was getting to a point where i would have little mini panic attacks when i thought or prayed about the trip. my fears were always about me. i would tell God that i was scared of being there for 7 weeks. scared i would freak out and want to come home. scared i wouldn't get along well with the other team members. scared that i would go crazy being around my friends for so long with no breaks. scared i wouldn't have any time for myself. scared that i was only going to romania because i wanted to go and that the Lord hadn't really called me there. these fears were taking over any of my thoughts towards the trip and i started to have a negative outlook on the whole thing. and then God told me to stop (in a kind and loving way of course :). He reminded me that He was going to use me and that all my fears and concerns were selfish. they were all about me and my comfort. and i am so glad that He reminded me that this trip was not in any way about me. it's all about Him and what He wants to accomplish there through myself and the team.

last saturday, we had a breakfast for all the girls going on the trip. and one of the girls made everyone cards and each person got a specific verse. mine was so perfect. i know God put it on her heart to give to me. God is so sweet like that! my verse was,

Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

*

it was amazing reading this verse on my card! i wanted to cry! i'm so happy to know that God knows all about my fears and that He promises that He will be with me and take care of me. i just love Him :)

*image found here

7 weeks til go time!

i leave for romania in 7 weeks. that's really weird. that is all.

some of the team

my heart right now

i'm sitting on whitnee's bed with natalie by my side. i love nights like this :) we went to dinner with ryan tonight and he treated all of us! he is too nice! thanks ry! bonus: we talked about romania the whole time and prayed over the trip. alksdjfaiseuralksndvlawueraksdngalsdguaslkjdf yay!

i think i mentioned before how badly i wanted to go to romania... yeah i totes did. did i mention that i am now considering and praying about staying there for... wait for it.... wait for it... 7 WEEKS. eeeeeeee! my heart jumps even when i just think about it! seriously Lord, i want to go so badly!

okay, so now i'm laughing. because whitnee is writing her mom a letter and asking us to find verses for her about seeking counsel from other believers, and verses about our plans versus God's plans. and two verses stood out to me and i think they are verses that i need to remember right now:

proverbs 19:21* "many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails"

proverbs 16:9* "a man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps"

oh, God. you got me. i need to slow down. will do :)

i just told jessica that i am so glad that right now my biggest concern/worry is over the romania mission trip next summer. life is so good! and i am so blessed! i really need to take time and slow down, and just come before the Lord and lay at His feet. because that is where He will confirm whether or not i am called to romania and whether or not i should go. plus, i need Him so badly! my heart aches and my life loses any source of joy whenever i am not consistently spending time with Jesus.

so God, thank you for this reminder to give my plans to you. and i shouldn't have plans or expectations. i need to give them all over to you and allow you to do your thing! i need to allow you to direct my steps. and i'm excited to let you to do so! please take my life and use it radically for you and for you alone Lord. i am all yours!

missing hungary

charee, me*, natalie, jessica

what else is new? i miss Hungary every single day. i miss my friends there and i miss the long days and long nights that i spent there two summers ago. i wish i could go back! i'm praying that i can.


it's funny, because i was talking to my mom one night and i asked her to pray for me and for what i should do next summer. well, more importantly, what God wanted me to do next summer. i wasn't sure if that meant trying to get an accounting internship or going on a mission trip. i was hoping that God was going with mission trip :) {side note: i love going on mission trips and serving. and last year i was praying hard that i could go to romania! God had different plans though (i had the privilege of going to haiti). and romania wasn't even in the works yet (haha! God must have been laughing a little at me jumping ahead of Him about romania! silly silly).} so literally, as soon as i hung up with my mom, i got on the phone with my friend ryan. and what does he tell me? oh that we might be going to romania for a few weeks in the summer on a mission trip. excuseeee me?! seriously!? and i had just spoken to my mom about this? but i was torn. because lately, i have been feeling like the best thing to do is get an internship. i'm planning on graduating in about a year, and i need to prepare for that.


so, i just don't know what to do. i mean, obviously God is going to give me peace about what i should do and what i am called to do. and i know my heart wants to go back to hungary so badly... but sometimes God asks us to do other things. things that we didn't think were ideal or what we wanted- but God knows whats best! it's the biggest lesson He has ever taught me. how to deny myself daily and just follow Him. to trust Him with all of my heart.


Mark 8:34* "When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

i'm excited to see what God has in store for next summer! praying and looking to Him for guidance! love you God!!