Goodbye South Side

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So, tomorrow is our last day at our church until we get back from Germany. This will be especially hard for Ryan since he has been our worship minister for the past 3 years. Even though tomorrow is his last day working there, we will for sure be returning to South Side Christian Church after Germany. I know that Ryan has loved working with all of the wonderful staff of SSCC and I have really loved being involved and becoming a part of the SSCC family! Thank you South Siders for everything you have done for Ryan and I! See you tomorrow!

be blessed

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What a wonderful life I have. Over the past few months, through our support raising journey, I had been finding myself more and more unhappy. I know that a lot of things going on in my life have been often times been weighing me down; a crazy hard semester of school, some family issues back home in CA, work, but most of all... Germany stuff. Just the combination of my heart breaking everyday for that place combined with the stress of making sure we get the funds and the support needed to head out there in just a short couple of months, had been a bit more than I could handle. After causing maybe some concern for my husband and family here, I felt like it was time to just give up. I was done trying to look not stressed and worried when in fact it was eating a way at me. Instead of holding onto resentment and worry, I have been trying so hard everyday to give everything over to God. I mean, I had been saying during the last 5 months, that I had been trusting God with everything.... but I knew I was not. And since I have given up on trying to be in control.... God has been showing me great things and blessing me immensely!

Just a couple of these crazy blessings have happened just in the last few days! First of all, on Sunday afternoon we went over to the Mudrik's home (an awesome barn in Springfield) to have lunch with them, and it was amazing! Elaine and Marek Mudrik have been the missionaries in residence here at LCU over the past year and we have been trying to get together for so long! They live and serve in Prague, have 5 amazingly sweet children and are just all around awesome! It was so great to talk Europe and missions with them! We're even planning on going to go visit them in Prague while we're in Germany because they will only be a couple hours away from us!

They were so fun to eat with, drink tea with and listen to James Taylor with :) Ryan and I both agree that they have a special talent at making people feel comfortable and blessed!

Also, got to speak with the director of our mission organization, KontaktMission, on the phone yesterday. Well, Ryan talked to him anyway... as I laid on the couch trying not to itch my allergy infested eyes :( Anyway.... it was really good to hear from him and get some encouragement about our progress with the whole support raising thing :) It was just more affirmation from God to let go and let Him take care us us!

ALSO.... it was graduation this past weekend!!! Not for me :( but for a lot of my friends! So we just went from grad party to grad party all weekend it felt like, but it was really fun. I even got to go out with a few of my girlfriends Sunday night to celebrate! Here are a couple of pics from my friend Meg's party! Congrats to all who graduated!!!


Yesterday I was on my way home from work and decided to stop by this garage sale going on (I know, the last thing I need to do is load up on more junk just as we're trying to move out of our place...). I started talking with the cute older couple who were having the sale and ended up telling them about Ryan and I moving to Germany soon, I don't really remember how it came up but I'm sure glad it did! The woman ended up telling me that she had been a missionary in Africa for 35 years! It was so great to hear encouragement from a total stranger, but also a fellow believer, a sister in the Lord. She had a cute little collection of antique plates with different states on them and let me have a California one for free saying that it should act as a reminder to me that she will be praying for us :) God is so good!

Well, hope that gave you a little insight in on our crazy lives right now! We're so excited for the different opportunities coming up for us like our garage sale!!! Hope you stop by and buy a lot of our stuff!!! Haha :)

Anyway, until next time... be blessed.

-Elyse