Albania for 3 months, what??

Every time I think about living in another country for my whole summer, honestly it scares me but it makes me excited at the same time. Sure I have been away from family and friends for a long period of time but they were always a "free" phone call away or I could simply text them and say hello but this summer I won't necessarily be able to do that. Its going to be difficult at times when I want to talk to my momma but I can't because it will be day time where I am at but she will be sound asleep. I think those will be the times where I will need and want to lean on God for strength. There are going to be times where I feel like I'm falling apart (probably dramatic I know :) ) and I need someone to talk. I need to remember always that God is there and he can be the shoulder I cry on or he can lend an ear to hear me complain or cry to. Even though I am very very very nervous about this trip, I know its what I am supposed to be doing for my summer!
You hear people say that all the time...I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing. But truthfully, this is what God has planned for me for my summer 2011. My lovely roommate mentioned this trip to me at the beginning of this past year and usually I would just listen to what she had to say and then be on my way and not really think about the trip as something I should do or would want to do. But for some reason when she mentioned this trip to me it stuck with me from the very beginning. There was something inside of me that kept on thinking about this great opportunity. As the months flew by, money kept on coming in and it came so fast that it seemed as if it was a sign that I was supposed to go on this trip. So many people have helped in so many ways. I feel very grateful and am looking forward to what is in store for me and my team this summer!!!

-Johnna

All Packed With Nowhere To Go.

In seven days, I will be boarding a plane to Sophia, Bulgaria.

It is an experience I am still trying to prepare myself for, but I know nothing I can do here can get me ready like pure experience will. I am ready to jump in with both feet and an open heart.

Gorre, Albania will be my home for the summer. I will be living and working with two other Trevecca students, a missionary family, site coordinators, and locals to start a second kindergarten (ages 3-6) in the area, facilitating the local church in any way possible, learning the history and culture of Albania, and creating relationships through which the love of God can be shared in this vastly Muslim culture. Sixteen other Trevecca students will be in Romania and four different cities in Bulgaria. Each of us has a desire to see the Kingdom of God on earth and a passion for servanthood.

Thirteen weeks is a long time to be away from home, let alone on the other side of the world in a culture so different from our own. In just a few short days, we will begin our Spiritual Training Camp and I want to invite you to partner with us. We need your prayers, a lot of them! I have been in prayer for this trip for months now, as have many others, but we cannot do it on our own. I would like to thank, again, everyone who helped me monetarily. There is no way I would have this opportunity had you not allowed God to work through you. I am forever thankful because I know this is an experience that will follow me for the rest of my life.

This summer, I am not going home to Florida to see friends, family and visit my home church or to North Carolina to see my family. So far, this is proving to be the hardest part of the summer. This morning in church, I was overwhelmed with the amount of support I received from the family I have right here in Nashville. It is an awesome thing to experience and I am so grateful for it.

I am also very happy for a chance to relax and rest up for this journey. My apartment is packed, my bags are by the door, now all there is to do is wait.


Although I cannot guarantee how often it will be updated, please feel free to check our blog often. We will be using it to share our stories, photos, and hopefully a few videos throughout the summer.

-Vera