Pure excitement!!

(This is where I am right NOW, on the top floor! The view is unreal but pictures will not do it justice. It is absolutely breathtaking!!!)

So today we started training for this summer!! And it has made me so excited and confident in my decision to be here and invest 7 short months of my life doing this! We first had a session about our theme for the summer which is "Stories", I think :) In which, is how we will be sharing the Gospel at camps this summer. Caesar Kalinowski is part of a church in Tacoma, Washington called SOMA, I believe, and is just a very powerful teacher of the Word! He is taking us through the story of God and I have already been moved by it! I am excited to continue learning more about the Lord in a new and fresh way!! We also had our first session on teaching English and it seem a little challenging but so exciting! It is amazing to me how much I take for granted the fact the I am from the US and that speaking English is a dream of so many people outside of the states! I am thankful that the Lord is using my native language to connect with students in Eastern Europe to futher His Kingdom!! Something that I think is no big deal, God uses to move and change people! Man, I have a long ways to go!! I am so inadequate to be here, but God uses our willingness to be used by Him!

So I feel like there is still so much to tell, but obviously do not have time to tell every detail... So if you have more specific questions, email me at sara.schakelaar@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer :)

Please know that I feel your prayers over me and for that I am soooo thankful!!

4 COUNTRIES IN 2 DAYS!!!

WOW!!!!! Oh my gosh!!!! I seriously don't even know how to begin to say how these past few days have been... I honestly am not even sure what day it is... I think its friday :) and its 3:25pm and 8:25 am in oklahoma... time difference is so wierd to me!!! So one word to describe me right now is EXHAUSTED!! I mean physically I can barely walk because of how much walking we have been doing!! RIGHT when I got off the plane in Vienna, we got out luggage and started the amazing race... We walked so much for the next 8 hours and then slept for 5 and DIDNT EAT and woke up and did it again!!! I am not complaining... PROMISE!! It has just been so insane!! My legs have NEVER been more sore in my entire life!! I have been in FOUR different countries in the past two days... We started in Veinna, Austria, and we walked around Veinna for literally like 8 hours!!! Then ended up in Bratislava, Slovakia and stayed in a hostile there. Then yesterday spent the day in Budahpest, Hungary, and today we woke up and finihsed the race around Bratislava! Got a train and I am currently in Czech at the same place where I came in the fall for the conference!! So its been awesome but exhausting!! So I miss you all so much!!! I wish I could talk to all of you and tell you everything... but there is my small update!!! Sorry if this doesn't make any sense... :) LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

kelly michelle ross

I had to say goodbye to one of the best friends I have ever had in my entire life tonight. Well first of all, she is the most gorgeous person I have ever seen and on top of that, she is the most non-judgmental, loyal, caring, loving, fun, best friend a girl could seriously ask for. She makes me laugh so hard but then she can also be the best person to talk about difficult things. She has a heart bigger then words. She has been there for me in ways no one else could be and has loved me through it all! I hope she knows how incredibly thankful I am for her. the Lord has truly blessed me with kelly michelle ross!!!!! I will miss her so much it will hurt. Tonight we talked about how the worse thing in the whole world is missing someone. I mean I said that but I think she agreed :) But I think in way its incredible because it shows you how much someone means to you. and then on the flip side of that, the best thing in the world is seeing that person that you have missed so terribly that your heart feels like someone is literally squeezing it when you think about that person. There have been a few times in my life that I am so excited to see someone that I have missed so bad that I am shaking when I finally get to see them. Its the best!!! But if missing my whole life is what I have to do to experience the Lord in a way that I never have before then so be it. I will miss so many people, too many to name. But in reality 6 months and 19 days isn't that long. I will be back before I know it!! And the Lord will take care of every drop of loneliness I will experience. HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT IT!! Thats what my grandma always tells me, He knows all about it, sara. And I believe it!! I believe. :)

chillin...

Airports are so bitter sweet to me!! And today I can't figure out what I feel, but probably for many reasons. Im sitting in the Denver International Airports. One of my favorite airports, probably because its so familiar to me and I just like it!! Its nice and I feel safe. Its just like a good feeling because I am either going home to colorado or home to oklahoma and I love going to both of those places. However, in two weeks from tomorrow, it could be a different story. It could be my first sad experience in the great DIA! The 26th I leave okc and fly to denver and then to washington dc and then to zurich and then to vienna!!! I cried last I left the country and it was only for 3 weeks. I was sitting in the chicago airport and called scott bawling like a baby!! And of course, he had the perfect words. But this time is different all the way around!! I will not be staying for only 3 weeks, it will be almost 7 months. I AM SO EXCITED!!! (OH MY... i just saw a bird flying around in the terminal... how the heck did it get in here?? weird) And if we are honest. I am sad. sad. sad. for some reason. But I am just sure that it will quickly fade!!! :) the optimist coming out in me!!
K I am going to go do some more people watching!!! Lata!!

...

I am sitting here all alone at 11pm on Thursday night wondering how and where to I begin to start saying thank you to each and every person that helped me get this night together. I mean I guess I could just start going through my phone and calling every single person that helped and came tonight to my fundraiser and gave me about $1700!!!!!!! I mean I am in awe of the generosity that EVERYONE has blessed me with!!! But thank you isn't enough. It's just not but I am not sure what else I can say except from the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! becca, amanda and colby, elizabeth, lauren, amy, kel, katy and brett, michelle, allie, caleigh, andrea and evan, larissa, misty and chad, scott, clay and till, justin, melissa, ashley, jennifer, mitch, krysta, cheri, melissa, eunice, and im sure im missing more people but thats just to name a few... THANK YOU!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

3 WEEKS and counting!!!

So I discovered that blogging is a bit overwhelming and that is why I haven't in awhile! How do you decide what is worthy enough for spending time blogging about that maybe, just maybe, a few people would like to read about!

Well I did find something that is worth my time in sharing! And its all because my friend Becca told me to :)

This Thursday evening I am having a dessert benefit thing for raising my financial support. I still have about half way to go in the large amount of $14,ooo. But can I just be real honest right now! The Lord has given me a peace beyond understanding about this large amount of money, and not just the money but about His call for me right now! I think a HUGE part of that peace is because of the community that the Lord has blessed me with! For this fundraiser, there are approximately 20 people helping bring this all together by bringing desserts, drinks, paper goods, etc. A couple is playing music for me, someone is helping welcome people, people helping me set up and get every detail worked out!!

The way that I got the room was totally from the Lord! Or more the fact that it is actually going to be FREE!! That is a miracle in and of itself. But why am I surprised, when I know how God is faithful! I called a few churches and one simply would not let me and one cost a lot of money to just use a room. But my good friend Katy Bradley suggested the Hearth Room at SNU and every detail has worked out beautifully! At first I was going to have to pay just like $10/hour for this room which is the best deal I have found and then I was maybe going to have to pay for catering and the Lord opened doors where I do not have to pay one penny!!! Wow!! But I have said from the beginning of this whole process, I am believing before I see, which is totally just practicing faith! (NOT THAT I HAVE IT DOWN) BUT He has been faithful throughout this whole journey! I won't lie and say I haven't worried or stressed at some points, but the Lord has just continued to reassure me that He isn't leaving me and He is bigger then anything I could dream up!

So I am leaving for SLOVENIA in exactly 21 days. Well actually I will fly into Vienna for training and then go to slo a few days later I think? ha!! Ahhh I am so excited!!!

Say a prayer :)

Lataaaa!!!