My Mission Trip to France=$3800

I have raised $3,857.00 to date. My support raising is complete! Thank you!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

legit, again

I feel completely okay about writing in my Sheena Does Europe blog again, because...I'M GOING TO FRANCE for the summer!!!

Being back in Orlando has been just lovely, and I see the ways that God has me here, ways that He has so greatly BLESSED me and so greatly USED me.
But honestly, I've been heartsick and being back has been harder than I want to admit.

I was talking to my best friend Sarah, who I visited in Bilbao this past fall, on Skype the other day. In a moment of honest expression, I shared how I truly feel this has been the most amazing time in my life. With this past Fall as a catalyst, God has been developing and sharing with me a life of amazing miracles and amazing loves. I can see the Lord answering prayers, prayers I've prayed for years, and I see the ways the Lord is actively pursuing me and healing my life. I'm daily in awe of the Lord's love for me. Hallelujah. Hallelu.

Oh we have a great GOD.

However, even in the midst of the most lovely community, my heart feels torn and incomplete.

I talked to James for awhile the other day, and it seems we both have left our hearts in (Paris) France. I have spent days missing the culture and the people, the atmosphere of France and the ways and rhythms of life that I created while there. I miss sitting in beauty, being cocooned in love, and talking to strangers about beauty and life and love.

Awhile ago I got a message from my dear friend Gerin encouraging me to go on an Edge trip (short term summer mission project) with Pioneers ministries. I love Pioneers and all my dear friends there, and am passionate about the work of church planting that they do there. I am also drawn to their trips because they tend to be smaller and more intimate, with teams of about five or so.
They specialize in ministering to unreached people groups. Upon going to their website, I was praying about opportunities for my summer. I really do think God has arranged my life to spend my summer serving, and I want to be a good steward of such opportunity.

So I went to the website, thinking maybe there would be an opportunity to serve an unreached people group in Africa or perhaps the Middle East. I've prayed passionately for the Kingdom to come in these places, and while it's not France, I could see the ways I could bless and be blessed by a summer of service in these places.

Imagine my surprise when I went to the Pioneers website and saw their was an Edge trip to southern France. France?! Unreached peoples? What?
Yes, it's true. Basque country is a place of hardened and cynical souls to the Gospel. This was something I've learned and have learned as Sarah is living there and sharing her life with me. As details about this mission trip unfolded I learned that it involved working and serving in a hostel and building relationships and talking to people about life, and love....and beauty....and God.
Everything my heart was missing...

Is this real?

Well friends, I prayed, applied, and got accepted to go on this trip. I just found out yesterday.
Faithfully, I will leave on June 6th, and be in France, again.

I can't wait to post more details as I hear them and once again share with others my adventures in Europe.
So yes, I'm "doing" Europe, again. Oh love.