Moving in MAY?

Oh I hope so! Looks like we're getting closer and closer! I am at 85% support now and there's only $770 left to raise per month! I am on partial support now, and have closed my business for dog training! Weird!
More about this later.

Visit to San Antonio and Degirolomo's

So, we went to San Antonio to visit Karen and Rick, Doug, Jenn and Jason Todd. It was really weird to see our Calvary youth pastor now serving at Wayside EFC. We had a chance to see SanAntonio and to catch up too. I was asked to speak to the Jr. High kids and took the chance, of course. After talking to Rick and Jason, we're hoping to get some Youthbuilders activity from Wayside and I know that they'll be pleasantly surprised by how good Youthbuilders is. Jenn and Jason Todd, who serve as JrHigh leaders at Wayside have been YB leaders to Peru and they loved it. Hopefully we'll see them again on a trip.

Calvary Senior girls at Winter retreat

Me and a new friend from the FSTML conference, John. He works with Wycliffe Bible Translators in California. the Fellowship of Short Term Mission Leaders conference was a great encouragement and a great motivator for me. We spent 4 1/2 days of focusing on making short term missions efforts excellent and full of time for networking with other leaders. I can see why so many of them return year after year!
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Short Term Missions conference

I'm hanging out with Short Term missions leaders from all over the country and internationally! We just started our conference today, here in Atlanta, Georgia. The topic of the session tonight was International Justice and was given by a lawyer who is part of a ministry that speaks on behalf of people caught in illegal practices all over the world. It was so inspiring and touching. I was also inspired by his exegesis of the story of the loaves and fishes and how Jesus asked the Disciples....what do you HAVE? and to the boy maybe....look what I can do with your LUNCH! Meaning, let's not be overwhelmed with the task (ie. feeding 5,000 people) give what we have to Him and He will accomplish great things through us. He also said, God's way of making His Goodness known to the world is showing His goodness through US. That there is no other plan, no plan "B" for the task of letting Him be known, we are IT. The main text this conference is Micah 6:8 ..Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God."
Check out the International Justice Mission at www.ijm.org all you law inclined friends.....maybe God has a place for you in rescuing those who are oppressed and have no one to speak for them, no advocate! Will you?
So, I have a roomate, who currently is all alone because I'm here writing to you... and she is cool. She is from India originally.
So this conference has begun well. I'll let you know how it goes!

I went to Wisconsin!

Hi!
At the very last minute I decided to include myself in a retreat that the Short term missions office was having in Menomonie Wisconsin. I'm so glad I went. Everyone from my future office team was there, even some of the other candidates. We got to get to know each other so much better and learn about what each of our strengths are and how we will best fit in at the office.
I even got to be blind and have no use of my arms for lunch one day! Yah, see we had to break up into groups of 5 and then we were all assigned special handicaps that we were to perform durring out lunch break. Out team was given 4$ per person and we were to get ourselves out to lunch eat it and get back, also having learned something new about each other during the event. So! I got "blind and missing both arms". Not until I got into our vehicle did I realize that that meant I wasn't going to be able to feed myself. Oh, fun....yah. but at least I didn't have to see the people who were staring at us as we wadled into the Taco Mac and fed each other and made signlanguage to our mute guy.:-)
So we stayed at a camp in upstate Wisconsin, and FROZE!! the second day. We had some super times praying together and talking about what God is teaching us; as well as laughing and having a good time together. I am really looking forward to working with this group of people. Something that I was afraid of because of the lack of a sense of teamwork; now gives me great encouragement. I can't wait, and now that I'm pushing 70% it is looking like more of a reality!
Thanks for all your help in getting me this far. If it weren't for those of you who are already a part of this team, I'd be so discouraged. THANKS!

I'm an Aunt! My nieces name is Aurora Anne Pitts. She was born Sept.4. I'm gonna teach her how to fly! ;-)
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What an Adventure!

Wow! Missed flight, midnight train from Praha(Prague, Czech Republic) and a fabulous time in Slovakia!
We have made it back safely after two weeks in Hermanovce, Slovakia amoung a church family there led by a wonderful pastor, Pastor Peter Pristiak. They made us feel so welcome and at home.
We lived in their church and worked on the future Christian camp site during the morning and part of the afternoon, and then held a kids English class at 4:30 until dinner time. We liked the hard sweaty work in the site ( I blew my shoulder!, dummy) and the girls fell in love with the kids. It was hard to leave. WE really enjoyed getting to know the young people at the church who, left on their own mission trip to Ukraine durring our first week. We climbed up to Falcon Rock, saw a real Castle and learned to really love Hermanovce as "home".
We saw God provide strength and purpose and we heard how our work was investing into the long term goals of the Hermanovce church. They are beginning a unique work in Slovakia with the very first Christian camp of it's kind there. We also were able to begin what may become a long term ministy to children. We held their first class for kids! Those kids were great!
If any of you from Hermanovce are reading this! We SOOO miss you! Tell Maya and Lubka to write and tell us all about Ukraine! and Magdalena......words cannot say how much you meant to us, thank you.....and may we meet again!
I KNOW God wanted us to be in Hermanovce and He taught us alot about Himself and we are so blessed to have had a chance to meet brothers and sisters in Slovakia! We love you.

Our Slovakia Team leaves Friday July 22. Dagney (me), Jessica, Vivian and Hannah!
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2 Weeks and we're in Slovakia!

I'm heading off to Slovakia with three teens from Calvary church on July 22! We have so much to accomplish, I can hardly believe it's gonna be that soon!
We've been meeting every Sunday afternoon for 2 hours, memorizing James, preparing English lessons (10 of them to be taught for 2 hrs each), and getting all the various tickets, luggage stuff .....and of course, eating Perogies!-typically potatoe/cheese stuffed bread things!. yumm.
Our biggest challenge right now, is the enormous cost of the airline tickets. $1200 each! whew!
We did a special event, Bible lesson this week...beginning at a maternity ward, then to a nursing home, and followed by a visit with a local funeral home......THAT was weird! AFter all that, we had lunch of Polish perogies and stuffed cabbage at a....cemetery! Makes one wonder about us huh? :-)Actually, it was really cool. Very interesting. The topic was maturity. What IS maturity? There is a difference between age, and maturity. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example to believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity" Timothy
Believe me! Adults can be much less mature than teens on the mission field in many ways.
So, we've got about $700 more each to raise before we go. But, we're excited and expectant!!
New York to Kosice,Slovakia ---July 22!!!!

Memorize? ME?

I am going to Slovakia this summer, with a few girls from Calvary. I'll tell more about that in another post. But in preparation for the trip in July, one of the requirements is to memorize the book of James! Yes, the BOOK! So I'm on verse 25.
What is really cool, is that I think about those verses all the time! Today it was specifically encouraging! "If any one lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault!" and......as I continue to learn to keep my mouth shut!!!!!....."Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires"!!!

What have I been doing lately?

Wow, believe it or not, I've been a juror and it has been taking up ALL of my time! We're talking almost 4 weeks now!
So, just about everything has been on the back burner, dog training, youth ministry and all my evenings too.
Complaining, am I ? Well, not until this week. I was good until we passed up the original deadline, then things started getting hectic. Really, being a Juror is very interesting. I have been able to see the Legislative office working and it is encouraging. But......the demand on my time is beginning to wear. I am grateful to God, that I live in such a country, where we are judged by our peers!
When will it end? Who knows!? I hope....soon! See ya on the other side!

Getting closer to Wisconsin

Well, friends Wisconsin is getting more and more possible. Now I am at 60% God has been blowing me away with the way He is providing my support. I am constantly amazed. i guess it's really just that I am surprised by His timing. Just when I got to the end of myself, and my ability to raise the support myself, He began to make things happen.
Thanks everyone, pray for 100% by Fall!!!

Hanging out with the teens at our Bamboo house on my YouthBuilders trip in Thailand. That was one of the best parts about living in Thailand. We all loved our bamboo house. It was a raised floor and had 5 rooms. We felt like we were in "National Geographic". Would you want to try it sometime? Call YouthBuilders and come as a leader or assistant leader! 715-235-9193!! :-)
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Support level is way up!

I am happy to announce that I have now reached 55% support and rising! I feel really excited, but I also have been having new thoughts about actually moving. It has occured to me that I may be living my last days in my old house and with my dogs and family. Feels weird to think of being away from all of this. I am still really eager to be doing missions full time, but thoughts of what I'll miss have suddenly occured to me. wow.
I realize now that I can not make this adventure work. It is WAY beyond me. God has held back the support in order for me to rely more heavily on Him. I am seeing more now than ever that He is the one who is in charge of the events of my life.
This new advance is encouraging and spurs me on to be even more active in the pursuit of this new adventure!

I loved my Thailand YouthBuilders trip in 2003!
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Isn't Maine cool!

I'm back from Maine. 10.5 hours of driving later! I arrived at Faith EFC in Waterville,ME and had some kickin' Thai food for dinner! Thurs. night I enjoyed a great time of singing worship, followed by an excellent teaching time. My housing hosts, Al and Daphney were wonderful and so gracious! they even make their own Maple syrup! Cool!
Friday was the big day of networking. I was able to meet a bunch of pastors from the New England area, and hopefully made an impression for Youthbuilders. Many of them had heard about YB but they didn't know about the great new approaches that YB offers for 2 Weekers.
I hope to send out some Introduction letters to churches this week, and hope to get some speaking arrangements. Pray for that.
I wore my cowboy hat in order to be memorable. They certainly noticed the crazy girl with the hat!

I'm going to Maine!

I'm going next week to the New England District Association (of Evangelical Free churches) yearly conference. I will have the opportunity to speak for 7 minutes! So, in that time I want to share my vision for short-term missions. Short term missions is the major factor for people to decide to serve full time in the mission field of the world today. It also develops the worldview and character of the members of our churches who go on trips. I hope to make some good contacts for speaking arrangements at various churches and to build the network I need to finish raising the support to begin working full time with Youthbuilders. Pray for clear communication, excitement in the subject and interest in Youthbuilders as well as support.
Short term missions is a modern approach to an ancient "call"....Go therefore into all the world..."

Are Short-term mission trips really worthwhile?

I wish that every Christian in our American churches would go on ONE short term missions trip. It would affect the church in ways we can only imagine! For me my mission trips have opened my eyes to notice what I DO have, the blessings of living in America, and the responsibilities! I pray differently, I give differently, and I see the greatness of the task of evangelism beyond my own town. I am less annoyed by the kid in the row behind me or the lady with a candy wrapper, when I attended a church where chickens and dogs attended and kids played with HUGE bugs, right in the isle! I have had a chance to see what is really important in life, because I’ve seen how others have joy in Christ, in spite of hunger and the comforts of life. Yes, our churches would be so different if we all saw the worldwide church at work. Short term missions is critical to the task of evangelism and the work of God in us.

So, when do you leave?......everyone asks…..

Answer...I have to raise all my support first. I don’t know when that will be! Aaghg.
I’m learning an important lesson in the way God works. He needs me to come to the end of my abilities in order for me to know Him better.
What will my job be? I am to be the Recruiting and Marketing member of the Youthbuilders staff. Speaking to youth pastors, missions boards, youth and parents about the awesome opportunities available to serve God on the mission field as a teenager. To spread the word how churches can influence the world with THIS generation! I want the local churches to realize a vision for their youth in worldwide evangelism! It is documented* that short term trips can be extremely beneficial if not a deciding factor in confirming the desire to serve in full time career missions.
I have been in Youth ministry now for going on 12 years. Almost all of my time has been spent at the local church level, serving under 4 consecutive youth pastors and attending innumerable retreats and events. I’ve attended and/or helped lead 8 missions trips including the last with Youthbuilders. Wow, what a difference! Youthbuilders is a quality outfit!
My first dream was to fly for JAARS or MAF, but that wasn’t God’s intention and He placed me in a ministry that I love, with teens in short term missions! Now I just want to get there.