Counting Down

Well, the countdown has begun! We leave for Serbia three weeks from Thursday (June 16th)! We are so excited about the prayers God has answered to make this happen. God answered many years' worth of prayer for a joint mission opportunity, recent prayer for time off of work for Jim, and prayer for $5,000 to finance the trip. He was faithful in every way.

It has been an whirlwind few months as we have prepared for this journey. We have had a church-wide fund raiser, attempts to learn a bit of Cyrillic and Serbian, and multiple meetings to learn about the culture and history of Serbia. As it stands, we have a team of three joining the Bell family from June 7 - 17, and Jim and I will be the only FBCA representatives with the Bells from June 16 - 26. The first team is doing art classes, and we are going to do construction work on several different sites. (This is great news for Jim! Being a girly girl, I am not so great with mortar or hammers, but I'll do whatever God wants me to do, and I'm very excited for my handyman husband to do what he enjoys for the glory of the Lord.) I am also excited to encourage the members of the church in Serbia. Theirs is a very small, discouraged church, and I pray that our love, enthusiasm, and prayers will bring needed refreshment.

This is Jim's first trip outside of North America. It will be our first trip of any magnitude together. We never had a "real" honeymoon and have never taken a true vacation together. So, on our way back from Serbia, we are spending three self-funded nights in London, just for relaxation and fun. We are so thankful for the opportunity, and we're looking forward to experiencing two very different cultures and climates on the same continent.