Last Day of Day Camp

Well, day camp has officially come to a close. It's been such an awesome week! For our final day, we had an estimate of 70 kids plus some of their parents. They all lined up on the basketball court and sang and danced three songs for their parents, including "Light Will Shine." Afterwards we served cookies and juice to everyone. The kids went crazy! We had no success with trying to form a line! Hahaha. (see picture below)

Having day camp come to a close is a bittersweet feeling. I was reminded how much joy I experience when surrounded by little guys :)  I loved watching them sing words filled with such truth and power. I will miss that more anything. It was difficult to think that my time with some of them may be over but I was comforted in knowing that I will see many of the girls in my ballet classes next week. It was also a tiring week. So in that sense I am looking forward to getting more rest! :)  God has been so good to give me the honor of teaching these children and allowing me to be a part of a small portion of their summer.

Ledership Camp is coming up real soon! July 9th - 13th! I will be up in the mountains and will not have access to the internet during that time. But I will update you as soon as I can once I get back! Please be in prayer for all of the staff and students, that God's Will will be done.

Thank you for praying for my allergies and asthma. I have been feeling and breathing much better the past couple of days!

One my favorite little boys :)

Singing and dancing for the parents

The kids went crazy over the cookies and juice!

Day Camp Coming to a Close

Sorry for not posting anything in the last couple of days! It's been super busy here! I have had very little free time. Our last day of day camp is tomorrow. I am particularly excited because all the kids will sing "Light Will Shine" for their parents tomorrow. I've had several people tell me that they have seen the kids practicing and singing the song outside of camp. It brings such joy to my heart! I'm so proud of everyone! God is good....all the time! After the parents see the new songs their children have learned this week, we will serve cookies and punch and have a chance to introduce ourselves. I'm going to miss my little guys so much!!!

Last practice before performing for the parents!

Little Macy and me :)



Such AWESOME kids! I am so blessed!

"Light Will Shine"

Here's the song I am teaching the kids with motions! Such a good song! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Day Two of Day Camp!

God is awesome sometimes, you know?

The kids have not only been learning the motions to "Light Will Shine" but also the lyrics! This was an awesome surprise today when I got together with each group and saw them singing along with me! I got a little choked up at one point. It's so powerful to see God's truth be sung on the lips of His children. I felt honored to be in that moment and realized that God is allowing me to be a part of His work here.

Just a little side note: I have a special prayer request for myself. My allergies and asthma have all a sudden been acting up. It has made it more difficult to be full of energy when working with the kids, specially when I have to take Benadryl. I haven't had any problems since I got here but just today I have had difficulty breathing and breaking out in hives. Please don't worry! It's not to the point of going to the doctor or anything like that. I would just love your prayers :) 

On top of singing songs, we played relay races today!

First Day of Day Camp!

Wow! What a great first day! We had about 45 kids attend day camp today! The staff here said that the group will grow each day. We split the them up into three groups and rotated them every 40 minutes. At my station we sang "Father Abraham," "The Hokey Pokey" and "Light Will Shine." I was a little worried that the boys wouldn't dance with the rest of the group and would think it was dumb. But they all joined in and had a blast! I never heard or saw one complaint! My volunteer and I also taught them a clap game called Bull Frog.

I wanted to find a deeper song to teach the kids than just how "put your right hand in and shake it all about." So I went on iTunes and found "Light Will Shine" by Hillsong United. I originally I just liked the beat and I knew I could come up with simple motions to the words. But last night I was listening to the words more and realized how perfect the song is for this place and time. The lyrics say:

We are devoted!
We are devoted to You!
Your light will shine in the darkness!
Your light will shine in the dark, in the dark!
Whoah-oh-oh
We are Yours!
It's Your love!
Your love!

God couldn't have picked a better song! The rest of the lyrics are awesome as well! I have been using this song as a prayer. It is my heart's desire that God's light will shine in this city and in this country. It is with faith that I believe His light can shine in the darkest of places. It was also my desire and prayer that these kids would one day be fully devoted to God!

My kids learning the motions to "Light Will Shine"

Night Before Day Camp

Day camp officially starts tomorrow! I'm excited but also nervous. I have been working on creating fun motions to the song "Light Will Shine" by Hillsong United for the kids to do. I haven't been able to finish the whole song just yet. Chances are we will only through part of the song tomorrow anyways. At the end of the week they will sing it to their parents. I have never come up with original arm motions to a song before. This is definitely a first for me! I hope if turns out cool for the kids. I also found a new and "hip" version of "Father Abraham." I have been told that they have done this song before. I'm excited to see what they think of this new revised one!

It is going to be good, long week. During the day will have the camp for kids and in the evenings we will have a coffee house for young adults, where we will have special themes and games each night. Hannah and I will continue our English class on Thursday and I will have both ballet classes on Wednesday. It's going to so crazy but so good!

Pictures of the camp are soon to come!

The End of a Good Week

The week is quickly coming to a close. It's been really good! I had my two ballet classes on Wednesday. About twenty girls came between the two classes. This is definitely the highlight of the week for me! I have heard that the only access girls have to take ballet is if they go to a private school, which costs extra and most families cannot afford. There are not even opportunities for them to buy ballet slippers or other "ballet gear." They come in tights or leggings, a t-shirt, socks and they hair pulled back in a bun. They are so beautiful! I truly love working with children. The classes continue to get bigger each week.

Hannah and I had our first English class on Thursday. Unfortunately, we only had one person show up. We think that part of the reason is that college students here are going through examines right now. But things are expected to clear up this next week. We are also trying to get the word out more about our class. God will provide :)

Day camp is coming up real soon! We are still planning activities and games for the kids. I am in charge of the "songs and games" station. I have been searching all over iTunes to find fun but not cheesy kids songs. I'm really excited! Being with children brings me so much JOY!

The beautiful mountains of Kosova

First ballet class and more!

I had my first ballet class last week and what at success it was! I had fourteen girls that I taught and another ten that watched. Because the number was so high and the room being a little small, I split the group into two classes for this week. I absolutely LOVED this part of my job! They all seemed to really enjoy it! It is my prayer that, even though I may not develop an outside relationship with these young girls, I show them a love that only comes from God.

After a week of being by myself in the apartment, I now have two new wonderful roommates! It has been such a blessing to have them here! I didn't realize how much I would miss the little things when I was by myself -- eating at the table with others, sharing things about my day with someone, etc. The three of us have already become really good friends! God is good! That saying never gets old!

Hannah, one of my roommates, and I are starting an English class for adults this Thursday at Oaza, a community center here. We are both really excited and anxious to see what God does!

I have been able to further develop some wonderful relationship these past couple of weeks. Hannah and I were invited to join a couple ladies on a trip to visit a friend's hometown, Ferizaj. One of the things it's known for is a mosque and an Orthodox church are right next to each other (literally within fifteen feet). I wish I could have gotten a picture! We were invited to one of the girl's home there, were we were served Turkish coffee and homemade deserts. Albanians are so good at hospitality! We had some really good conversations with the women and did a lot of laughing!

Next week, we will have a day camp ("World Changers") for children ages 7 to 13. We have a lot of planning and prepping to do this week! There is a small team coming from Texas to join us. Their help will be much appreciated. I have heard that last year there were over a hundred kids that came.

Also, from July 7th - 13th I will helping with a Leadership Camp for young adults. This is a major event that staff have been preparing for for many months now. Students had to apply and be interviewed to be accepted. The topics revolve around how to be servant leader and go against the currant of society as a leader. The camp will be held in the mountains near Peja. It heard it's beautiful there!

Your prayers are always coveted.

First ballet class!

First Week

Well, it's been a little over a week since I have arrived in Prishtina! One of my roommates (Hannah) just arrived from South Carolina. She will be here for two months. It feels so good to have someone else in the apartment! I am so blessed to have her here. We officially begin orientation tomorrow!


Overall, this past week went really well. Everything was pretty low-key. Getting over jet lag took a little while. Everytime I began to feel sleepy during the day I would get up and walk around the city. It definitely helped wake me up and it also helped me get to know the area better. There is a mosque kiddy corner from our apartment and they play their prayers over large speakers into the community five times a day. The first one goes off at sunrise, which sometimes ends up being at 4 AM. This took a little time to get used to but now I can sleep right through it. J


The Kosovars LOVE to go out and drink coffee. There are about ten or more coffee shops per block! They will go out with friends to drink coffee, smoke and talk for hours and hours. I was actually really happy to discover this. It was super exciting to find out that they love two of my favorite things: coffee and talking! :) Their coffee isn’t like the coffee back home. It’s basically  espresso and milk served in a cute, little tea cup. I love it!


I was able to connect with some college students this past week. An employee here that I work with has been introducing me to some students from his English classes. This was definitely the highlight of the week! I have already been able to make some wonderful friends! We have been meeting for coffee and they have been helping me with my Albanian, which is has been a HUGE help. One of my new friends invited me to go to her art exhibit this past Friday. Her paintings and sculptures were amazing! Everyone here has been so welcoming.


I begin my first ballet class this week! I am so excited. Registration begins tomorrow and the first class will be held on Thursday. The classroom is a little small so I’m thinking I’ll only be able to hold around seven or eight girls per class. Depending on how many girls sign up will determine how many classes I will have each week. For now, the classes will be for girls, ages eight to twelve. I’m a little nervous but also super excited! I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and now the Lord is finally opening the door for it to happen.



God, you are so good. Your blessings never end.

Arrived in Kosovo!

After many hours of flying and walking through many airports, I finally arrived at my new home!  Our flat is really nice.  We have three rooms, a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and a balcony. My supervisor is giving me a low-key week, which is a huge blessing. I am in the process of getting over jet lag, which will take me several days. I will begin some language training this week and attending some group meetings. I will also spend time walking around the city and beginning the adventure of grocery shopping! Yay! I am learning to buy things with Euros for the first time! Exciting stuff! (lol) Everything seems a little intimidating right now. I don't understand any Albanian and I don't know the area. There are no street signs so it's a little tricky getting around. I know that everything will get better in time though :)

View from my window

View from our balcony