A Season of Blessing...

I'm posting my latest prayer letter here since yahoo has temporarily halted my ability to send emails.

November 2009 Update

This has been such an amazing year. Not only has the Lord taken me from one city and placed me in another, but he has completely transformed me in the process. As I look back on 2009 during this season of Thanksgiving, I cannot help but be thankful that I serve God who is Everlasting, Sovereign, Omniscient, Omnipresent, the Beginning and End, and the One True God, to which all other kings and rulers are subject. Most importantly, I’m thankful for a God that called me out as a little girl and changed my heart of stone. He is a God that continually changes hearts. He not only changed me, but He is working in the lives of the Romanian youth I will be joining in early February. I’d like to share a few of their stories so that you can see how God is using your prayers and finances to change their lives. These stories are told from Andy & Tresha McKnight, with whom I will be working in Romania.

Florin
Florin is an orphan boy of gypsy decent, dark-skinned with big, brown eyes. His story is that of hundreds of orphans in Romania. Though we are not exactly sure, Florin most likely was one of those little ones the world saw on TV when communism fell. Living in pitiful conditions, tied to a cot, dirty, and malnourished, Florin beat the odds to survive when so many died. He has a gentle spirit now, and with it a very child like personality. Somewhere Florin stopped developing mentally, maybe to protect himself from the pain, maybe as a result of all the suffering, no one can tell for sure. His presence at camp always brings such joy, and God has put His hand on Florin in a very special way. Florin has the ability to radiate joy in such a powerful way that anyone who spends time with him will see Jesus, if they look close enough. Florin's tears at the end of each camp will never be forgotten. He just loves to be loved, to feel a part of a family. It is always hard to leave Florin back in the slums after camp. He now lives in a run down apartment building, with no windows or doors, drug addicts lying on the stairs, in a neighborhood where fights and stabbings are daily occurrences. Through it all, Florin keeps going and his joy is abundant. God is faithful.

Gabi
We hadn't seen Gabi for many years, and almost 8 years had past without a single word about the little girl we met in the hospital. She had come to the hospital for tests and was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, contracted from a blood transfusion as a baby. Gabi was frightened in her new surroundings, but we were able to comfort her some as we played games, sang songs and loved those little ones for Jesus. Gabi’s heart softened and she drew close to us over those days in the hospital. Then one day, she left the hospital and it was eight years before we saw her again while collecting kids for our first camp. Hardly recognizable as the little girl we knew, she had grown up and a hard life could be seen on her face. During our time with her, she began to soften once again and share the things she had been through. She had be abused by those who should have protected her, raped and sold as a prostitute, she had to have an abortion, and so on. But God is faithful. He knew Gabi would be back with us. God still was waiting for Gabi to reach out to Him and she did. He began to heal her heart of all the scars of the past, and though this is a slow process, she is making steps in the right direction. She is reading the Bible and coming to the Day Center for encouragement and help. Gabi is free of prostitution now and her life is getting better.

These are but a few of the hundreds of children the Joshua Project serves and it is for so many more that the Lord calls all of us to play a part. In this final hour, I pray that we as a church are not caught standing idle. To God be the Glory.

Three's a Crowd...

If three's a crowd...what's four? I say, "four's a blast!"

So far, it's been eight weeks since I moved into the glorified basement here at MMT. Okay so it's not really a basement, but it sure is cold like one! In the last eight weeks, I've had a great time getting to know the other students here with me. Last weekend we went roller skating at the local rink. Yeah, I think I'm still sore. We had a great time though. It was fun to take it back a few years. Here are a few pics showing evidence of our circular travels that night.

Having a little fun with the housemates (Brad, Me, and Kristen)

Another way we've been able to fellowship in Libby is with members of the singles group at Faith

Bible Church here in Libby. Sunday night we had a game night and provided fun through food, dominoes, and a game of sardines. Even though I don't attend this church, it has been so welcoming to our group and has reached out to our group since first coming here. Faith Bible has a long standing with relationship with International Messengers as many of the students that have come through the training center have attended the church and are supported by the church while overseas. To the right is a picture of Bambi (another one of the students) and me during game night. I'm not really sure what I was going to do with that water, but the look on my face suggests I had ulterior motives. Ha!

Here are three of the ladies that I've had the pleasure of getting to know while here in Libby. Check out the spread of food we prepared for them. I prepared the Velveta & Rotel dip in the crock pot. Funny thing about that though, when I went to the store to purchase the Rotel...I got some very strange looks from my housemates. They have NEVER heard of Rotel? Seriously? However, they DO have Dr. Pepper in Montana, which is something I'm very excited about. It'll be nice to indulge in that comfort a little while longer.

For Everything There Is A Season...

"...A time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate
A time for war and and a time for peace." -Ecc. 3:1-8

I've gone through many seasons in my life and many more I still must go through. The latest season has not been easy. For the last 7 weeks I've been living in Montana with people I do not know, going to church with even more people I do not know, and missing those that I know oh so well back home. There has been a stripping away of sorts as God is continuing the work he began in me, as well as brokenness in areas of my life that I have never given Him. There has also been a season of grief as I have chosen to leave behind the life I became comfortable with for a life I hope to never be comfortable in again.

The season of grief is not over, however. I left behind not only family and friends, but also a sweet kitty cat named, Moxie. Miss Moxie has been my friend for the last three years and it was with great anxiety that I turned her over to a friend upon my departure from San Antonio in August. The last I knew ( a few weeks ago), Moxie was doing fine and adapting nicely to her new home. However, some time over the last few weeks that changed. I received a call today from my friend stating that Moxie had stopped eating over the last couple of weeks and developed liver disease. I agonized over the news as I knew what I should do. While liver disease is curable with a very large bill and a feeding tube down her throat for the next two months, there is no guarantee that she will not do the same thing again. It seems that cats tend to stop eating when they are stressed or sad, as in, when their owner leaves. So it's with sadness that I face the decision to let her go.

Before owning a pet, I could not have imagined how attached you could be to an animal. Having owned such a sweet one for the last three years, I am now on the other side of the coin. I realize not everyone can understand it, but I know that the Lord gave this kitty to me. She was my friend in a time of great loneliness and the Lord used her to minister to me and heal me in such a sweet way. So I grieve tonight as I face the realization that her time on Earth will soon be over. I grieve that I cannot be with my sweet friend as she passes. Mostly, I grieve because I will miss her terribly.

My three year-old kitty, Moxie, that brought such joy to my heart.
How I will miss you my friend.

Nothing to See Here...

...do not look at the yellow "donate" button on the left-hand side of the screen. Okay, look at it. Upon the repeated suggested of a friend (thanks, Kelly ;-) I have added a PayPal donate button to my web page. Donations made into this account will go directly to the needs of the Joshua Project, therefore directly toward the youth/young adults we serve. Since the money I'm raising for Romania goes toward both my living expenses and the expenses of the Joshua Project ministry, it is a win-win situation. If anyone is interested in making a contribution that is tax-deductible, please send me an email at (heyamy7@yahoo.com) or leave me a comment with your address and I'll send you the appropriate information. If reading this post about money made you uncomfortable, read the blog below...it's much more interesting.

To Romania and Beyond....

Hello All! I realize that I haven't updated my blog with pictures from my recent travels to Romania, across Wyoming, and beyond. Let me begin by apologizing to those of you that were waiting on pins and needles for pictures. To the other 100% of you that completely forgot I even said I'd share pictures, here you go.

While driving through Wyoming...we saw this incredible site.
Little did we know this would be one of the last houses we'd see for four hours.

On our way to Montana, we drove through Grand Teton National Park.
Here's a small glimpse of what we were able to see before the sun went down.

The first look at Yellowstone. Simply breathtaking.



Buffalo!

What's a trip to Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful?



The changing face of Yellowstone

There are a zillion other photos I could post of this incredible park, but you can view them just as easily by visiting my facebook page. I would like to leave you with one last slide show. Just a few pics of the youth I've come to love in Romania...along with a few of my friends from back home. Enjoy!

Hollywood, Strip Malls, and Asbestos...

Oh, my! I found out something very interesting about Libby, MT this weekend (the town where I'm living,) well okay...maybe four things:

One: When you live in an area without a Wal-Mart or any kind of "shopping" at all, it becomes very exciting to visit a city that does have those things. Hence, the excitement regarding my trip to Kalispell this past weekend. I went to Target, Wal-Mart, Ross, and TJ Max! What's a girl to do!

Two: Libby, Montana has the highest rate of Asbestos poisoning in the world. Apparently, President Obama gave 6 billion dollars to Libby residents affected with asbestosis back in the spring...and this place became a media frenzy. However, it has negatively affected the town because now that all those residents have money, they don't work. The economy is really depressed here. If you want to read about it yourself, you can google "asbestos" and "Libby, Montana." I was amazed at all the information that popped up!

Three: The movie, "Always" was filmed at Libby airport (think tiny...only little planes fly out of here). I love that movie and now feel proud to be temporarily located here. Another film called, "Devil's Pond" starring Tara Reed, was filmed at local lake here as well. The starring actress's name should give a clue to how great of a movie this was.

Four: Libby has more casinos per square mile radius than in Las Vegas. Seriously, I've seen the statistics.

Who woulda thunk it?

Side note: I know some of you have been asking for pictures of my recent trip to Romania, Yellowstone, etc. I just got my new computer and will be downloading them in a slideshow shortly!

Also, for those of you that have been wanting an updated mailing address...check my facebook page or email me directly. I'm not one to put a physical address on cyberspace to see!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

You might think the next line is, "to grandmother's house we go." Well after the river and the woods, I didn't exactly end up at grandmother's house. Instead, after 72 + hours of traveling, I ended up in Libby, Montana...not exactly what you would call a "bustling metropolis." First, let me back up a bit.

After returning from Romania, I had two days to pack up my life, divide it amongst friends, and set out for a new one in Montana. Okay, maybe not a whole new life, but definitely a chapter! The two days I had to pack were pretty wild and tiring. I didn't have any time to adjust to time change, nor could I give in to the looming jet lag, and so without the help of my mom, K, Marissa, and Amanda, I surely would have come apart. Toward the end, I was just looking at the piles in my living room, unable to do anything but cry. Seriously. If someone looked at something on the floor too long, I told them to take it with them, that's how desperate I was. Thankfully, everything found a home and the apartment was cleaned. Boy, am I glad that is over! (For now at least)

Once I left San Antonio, I headed to Grapevine to visit my brother Jeremy and his family where I was "begged" by my five year-old niece not to move. I did my best to explain to her that Jesus has commanded all of us to go, but somehow that couldn't get through that precious little brain of hers ;-) My father and I left for Montana the next day at 6:00 am...and after a few wrong turns and one threat to "fire me as navigator" we made it to Denver. The next day we headed to Yellowstone only to encounter the most ridiculous 30 mile stretch of road ever. It seemed as though every stretch of road we turned on was under construction. After weaving through Yellowstone at night, narrowly missing a buffalo that was walking down the center stripe of the road, we pulled into West Yellowstone for a nap. The next morning brought fresh eyes to the grandeur of Yellowstone National Park. That place is amazing! It seemed that at each and every turn, my dad or I were stopping to take a picture of the amazing landscape. For those of you that haven't visited Yellowstone, it really is a place you should take time to visit. You will be "Wowed" at what God created. We spent the night in Missoula and arrived in Libby, Montana in the afternoon of day four. Even though my dad had to turn back around and head home, he was such a sport. I will greatly treasure that trip with him. (Love you, Dad!)

So now I'm here in the gorgeous state of Montana, surrounded by mountains. Despite my fear of being attacked on the open road by a pack of wolves, a mountain lion, or bear (ridiculous I know), I've managed to get up in the mornings and go for a walk/jog. The last three years at the desk job I held have really done a number on me...I do not desire to feel 31 any longer! Even though we're two hours away from the nearest Wal-Mart, Libby is not short on attractions. Today we visited Kootenai (pronounced "Koot-knee) Falls, and marveled at the power of falling water. My classmates and I figured that since we are novice hikers, we should start out slow. However, next we're bumping it up to the 9-mile hike through Cedar Lakes! Not to worry though, one of the men here at the training center said he would loan me his "bear spray." There really is such a thing. Whodathunkit?