Camps and Comfort Zones

In a previous post I put some pictures up of the camp I am working at 2 days a week. In this post I am going to talk about two of the camps I got to be involved in. I didn't get any other pictures than the above picture (that is of the second camp).

On June 30th one of my friends organized a leadership camp for 4 days up in the mountains. It was for all the organizations here to have a place to send their "more advanced" youth they've been working with. It was an intensive training time... and it was incredible. Originally I wasn't supposed to be helping out with the actual camp. But when I got up to camp on the second day, there had been some problems and I was asked to lead a small group. In my group were 10 people: 5 high school aged boys, 2 college aged women, 2 American high school students, and one older gentleman who was a Jehovah Witness. Interesting collection of people, huh? But it was an incredible time! God really moved in some of the guy's hearts, and He for sure touched my own! This past year I haven't had a lot of opportunities to do hands on leading of a small group (mainly because of the language barrier). So, this time was so special for me- to share my heart and passion for the Lord with these youth. One result has been that one of the young men has remained up at camp for the duration of the summer; helping lead the other camps. We aren't sure of his salvation yet, but he's become so dear to all of our hearts. Please, please keep him in your prayers!!!

The second camp was the group of kids that we all work with out in The Village- see the previous post for more about them! These kids are so dear to us all, and God has really worked in a lot of their hearts and lives. What a privelege to be a part of their lives for a week! But it was a difficult week for me as well. I have learned some Albanian during this year that I've been here, but I am so far from understanding everything that comes out of children's mouths- especially children from a village! However, because the team that was running the camp was from America, I was having to translate for the kids and the workers at times. It was pretty humbling at times. Not really inside any comfort zone for me! After the first day I became aware that one of the little girls had a terrible case of head lice. During my previous years of working at camp in America (Sky Ranch), we dealt with a lot of lice problems. Just talking about it makes my skin crawl. So, for me to have her laying on my bed, playing with my brush, sitting in my lap, playing with my hair... went against all that was logical and comfortable to me! But over and over God reminded me of what was more important: her feeling loved or me protecting my hair? After all, can't He protect my head? So, every day (more times than that, actually!) I committed my hair to the Lord and loved that little girl. I am happy to say that I didn't get lice. But even if I had, it would've been worth it! :-) How often did Jesus touch the leper, the outcast, the sickly when no one else would? Isn't that what we are called to do? The last way that I was extremely out of my comfort zone was on the way home. I rode the bus with all the kids down the mountain (30 kids, I believe). We'd hired a bus to take them home, and they were going to drop me off on the way. There weren't enough seats for the kids, so they were standing and crowding around everywhere. The bus driver decided it was hot inside, so he opened the automatic door. The kids were all hanging out the door as we drove at a rapid speed down the mountain. I almost lost it! But I am happy to say that I arrived home without permanately having lost all my sanity! That afternoon the team from Romania arrived... But that will have to be the next post!

Oh Kosov!

Above is the phrase that comes out of my mouth at least once a day. Many of the people I work and live with say it just about as much too. Basically what we are meaning is: Only in Kosovo! So, following are happenings from the past 24 hours...Enjoy the three-ring circus that is my life!

I was walking home last night from a nearby restaurant where we had all gone to eat after church. I was about halfway home when I heard my name called. Now, let's get something straight- your name is attached to your identity. It is personal and somewhat private. For someone to yell my name across the street and try to win my attention, they should probably know me or at least have a good reason for wanting to talk. So, my first mistake: I turned around. The man yelling my name didn't know me, but he was standing next to his older brother who I'd met once before (and thought I would be a perfect match for his little brother). What followed (after confirming that I was indeed an American...) was one of the most frustrating conversations I've had yet. He wanted to go for coffee this next week (that means basically going on a date). I rejected him on the basis that I will be up at camp and I am pretty busy right now. He inquired when I would be free for a coffee (mind you, this was all in severely broken English- I wasn't about to speak Albanian with him!). So, I cut to the chase and told him that my organization has rules about going out with the opposite sex, and I wasn't allowed. He became frustrated and began a few minute long rant about how he was supposed to find a girl to marry if he couldn't take her out for coffee and be alone with her; we are both believers after all. I don't remember much of what I said or was thinking at this point, I just remember watching his face, thinking it should be turning red from embarrassment... Nope! Nothing. I said, "Goodnight and Goodbye," and walked away...Marveling the entire way home at the amount of pride he had.

This morning I had a meeting with one of my friends here who is operating a real estate company. I am trying to buy a house for my team right now, and we were meeting at his office to work on some stuff. I walk up and he informs me that they'd been broken into the previous night and 200 Euros had been stolen. The police were on the way. So, I sort of sat to the side and flipped through one of the binders. Forty-five minutes later the police show up (I could've walked to the station twice in that time!). Two men in uniforms show up; one steps right inside the door and begins interrogating the secretary about whether anything had been touched (that lasted about 3 minutes). Then he and his partner go pull up chairs at the cafe outside, order coffee, arrange the chairs, and finally end up moving the table to be out of the sun. The secretary goes outside and, as they are trying to fill out the report, becomes the chief suspect...even though the door was forced open- of course, they wouldn't know that because they didn't look at the door! After a few minutes another cop comes, sits down, orders coffee, and begins the questions again. He didn't even enter the building. Two more police show up, and join in. My friend asked his secretary if they were going to fingerprint, and she said she had asked for that, but they wouldn't answer her (we were convinced they didn't know how!). Then two of the cops came inside and had a camera. At this point I had to leave, so I don't really know what happened. But it was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen...

Who needs TV when you can just live in a soap opera or comedy? I am taking applications to come visit...just email! :-)