May 28, 2012
I’m wishing (I’m wishing) for the one I love to find me (to find me) today. @shaunakopra (Taken with instagram)

I’m wishing (I’m wishing) for the one I love to find me (to find me) today. @shaunakopra (Taken with instagram)

12:15pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyMInbSA
May 27, 2012
Dear Slovenia, Thank you so much for delicious Čivapčič. Love, gwynne (Taken with instagram)

Dear Slovenia, Thank you so much for delicious Čivapčič. Love, gwynne (Taken with instagram)

1:33pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyMF5p_l
May 26, 2012
Here is a photo from a Fusion event last Saturday. We played “Ping Pong Assassin” in the mall here in Celje. Everyone playing wrote their name on a ping pong ball, then the balls were put in a bag and everyone drew a ball. The name on the ball was who you were to “kill.” Everyone scatters amongst the Saturday shoppers and the kids in the sladoled (ice cream) line to try and hide or be the great hunter that goes boldly for their prey. Once hit with the ping pong ball, a player “dies” and must return back to home base….I was tempted just to hide in H&M and do some shopping. Much to my chagrin I was assassinated within the first 30 seconds of the game the first two rounds. The third round, however, I lasted a whole 5 minutes. wow. I must be a pro. We had a no running rule. I mean, this is smart considering the densely populated area. Humans are pretty solid and if you accidentally run into one, they will fall down. Foiled by the law of gravity yet again. Anyway, I say all that to say that it is really hard not to run when the lion hunter makes eye contact with you and you know you are the tastiest looking gazelle ever. “RRRUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!” repeats over and over at an ear piercing volume. I’m pretty sure the bright yellow shirt I was wearing was a poor choice when playing an assassin game. I was the weak, bleeding leg wound gazelle right from the start. I didn’t have a chance. Plus, I think some of these kids must practice at home or they have had a lot of experience with target practice.  It was a really great time and we even had a girl show up who has never been to Fusion. Score! Afterwards we made our way to the church for pizza and volleyball where I provided the sweet jams and maybe an impromptu dance performance to a Backstreet Boys songs. Three cheers for boy bands! Hip Hip Horray, Hip Hip Horray, Hip Hip Horray! What can I say? Improv is everywhere. 

Here is a photo from a Fusion event last Saturday. We played “Ping Pong Assassin” in the mall here in Celje. Everyone playing wrote their name on a ping pong ball, then the balls were put in a bag and everyone drew a ball. The name on the ball was who you were to “kill.” Everyone scatters amongst the Saturday shoppers and the kids in the sladoled (ice cream) line to try and hide or be the great hunter that goes boldly for their prey. Once hit with the ping pong ball, a player “dies” and must return back to home base….I was tempted just to hide in H&M and do some shopping. Much to my chagrin I was assassinated within the first 30 seconds of the game the first two rounds. The third round, however, I lasted a whole 5 minutes. wow. I must be a pro. We had a no running rule. I mean, this is smart considering the densely populated area. Humans are pretty solid and if you accidentally run into one, they will fall down. Foiled by the law of gravity yet again. Anyway, I say all that to say that it is really hard not to run when the lion hunter makes eye contact with you and you know you are the tastiest looking gazelle ever. “RRRUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!” repeats over and over at an ear piercing volume. I’m pretty sure the bright yellow shirt I was wearing was a poor choice when playing an assassin game. I was the weak, bleeding leg wound gazelle right from the start. I didn’t have a chance. Plus, I think some of these kids must practice at home or they have had a lot of experience with target practice. 

It was a really great time and we even had a girl show up who has never been to Fusion. Score! Afterwards we made our way to the church for pizza and volleyball where I provided the sweet jams and maybe an impromptu dance performance to a Backstreet Boys songs. Three cheers for boy bands! Hip Hip Horray, Hip Hip Horray, Hip Hip Horray! What can I say? Improv is everywhere. 

4:02pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyMBgMdK
May 21, 2012
Butterfly in my cup. You help to wake me up. Take a look, I’ll read my book. Kuna kafe! (Taken with instagram)

Butterfly in my cup. You help to wake me up. Take a look, I’ll read my book. Kuna kafe! (Taken with instagram)

5:36am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyLtBNTv
May 21, 2012
Team Slovenia! What a good looking bunch. 

Team Slovenia! What a good looking bunch. 

5:26am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyLtAaWA
May 21, 2012
I arrived in Graz, Austria May 1st. Johnny, Brooke, and Kinsley picked me up and we drove to Celje, Slovenia. My new home. May 1st will be my missionary anniversary. Wow. I have been in Slovenia for 21 days now and I still can’t believe it. I find myself looking around and thinking, “Really? I’m actually here?”  On May 2nd, we left for the Czech Republic for the annual JV family conference. Dave Patty talked about being “Found by the Father” and the great love that our heavenly Father has for us. It was an amazing week of leaning into God’s word and spending time with a lot of wonderful people. Some highlights include; corporate worship led by the older JV kids, going to the Czech circus on JV family day- yes there were horses, and camels, and a really weird clown, spending time with dear friends who live in Slovenia and other parts of the world, playing Star Wars mafia with the JV kids, and the JV kids program. The performance they put on at the end of the week was awe inspiring. I was floored by their talents and ability to put on this whole show in a weeks time. Amazing! I love the JV family and am so happy to be a part of it. It was a bit overwhelming, especially as I was simultaneously getting over jet lag, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I had prayed that the Lord would provide all my funds in time for me to go to conference and He made it happen. I look forward to many more JV gatherings! Thank you JV for making me feel so welcome!) 

I arrived in Graz, Austria May 1st. Johnny, Brooke, and Kinsley picked me up and we drove to Celje, Slovenia. My new home. May 1st will be my missionary anniversary. Wow. I have been in Slovenia for 21 days now and I still can’t believe it. I find myself looking around and thinking, “Really? I’m actually here?” 

On May 2nd, we left for the Czech Republic for the annual JV family conference. Dave Patty talked about being “Found by the Father” and the great love that our heavenly Father has for us. It was an amazing week of leaning into God’s word and spending time with a lot of wonderful people. Some highlights include; corporate worship led by the older JV kids, going to the Czech circus on JV family day- yes there were horses, and camels, and a really weird clown, spending time with dear friends who live in Slovenia and other parts of the world, playing Star Wars mafia with the JV kids, and the JV kids program. The performance they put on at the end of the week was awe inspiring. I was floored by their talents and ability to put on this whole show in a weeks time. Amazing! I love the JV family and am so happy to be a part of it. It was a bit overwhelming, especially as I was simultaneously getting over jet lag, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I had prayed that the Lord would provide all my funds in time for me to go to conference and He made it happen. I look forward to many more JV gatherings! Thank you JV for making me feel so welcome!) 

5:25am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyLtAW4p
May 19, 2012
Saying Goodbye From March 26-April 27th I was in Palmer, Lake CO attending missionary training. It was a wonderful time of learning practical methods of how to learn a language and diving deep into heart issues of how I handle conflict and what it means to live as a missionary, part of this is knowing how to say goodbye well. I arrived back in Lynchburg, VA very late the evening of the 27th and then was in my dear friend Erin’s wedding the next day, where I was able to see lots of friends and give them one last hug before flying over an ocean. Then on Sunday I said goodbye to my sister and my parents and I drove to Washington, DC. I flew out the next day. Saying goodbye is hard, but I know I am right where the Lord wants me. I am very thankful for modern technology and will be able to keep in touch regularly. Yay for facebook!  

Saying Goodbye

From March 26-April 27th I was in Palmer, Lake CO attending missionary training. It was a wonderful time of learning practical methods of how to learn a language and diving deep into heart issues of how I handle conflict and what it means to live as a missionary, part of this is knowing how to say goodbye well. I arrived back in Lynchburg, VA very late the evening of the 27th and then was in my dear friend Erin’s wedding the next day, where I was able to see lots of friends and give them one last hug before flying over an ocean. Then on Sunday I said goodbye to my sister and my parents and I drove to Washington, DC. I flew out the next day. Saying goodbye is hard, but I know I am right where the Lord wants me. I am very thankful for modern technology and will be able to keep in touch regularly. Yay for facebook!  

2:57pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyLmoSq5
May 15, 2012
Hello!  I have now been “across the pond” for 2 weeks now! wow. The first week was spent in the Czech Republic at a JV family conference (more on that later), and then the last week I have been in Celje, Slovenia, my new home!  Before I start updating all about life in Slovenia I wanted to go back a few weeks and talk about SPLICE, the 3 week Spiritual, Personal, Lifestyle, Interpersonal, Cultural, Endure/Enjoy training I went through in CO. I lived in Palmer Lake, CO for a total of 5 weeks so I’m pretty sure I can add it to the list of place I have lives. 5 weeks in CO, yes!  PILAT was full of practical language information and I used parts of my brain that I haven’t accessed since I was in college. I had to think, a lot! SPLICE was not so much about head knowledge, but rather exploration of the heart. SPLICE is all about diving right into heart issues and exploring what makes a person tick. A big part of the training that I actually really enjoyed was the conflict management stuff. I am not the biggest fan of conflict, I mean, who really is? However, I learned a lot about myself that will come in handy in full time ministry. I learned that I am the “Teddy Bear” style of handling conflict which means that I like harmony and unity and don’t like to confront in fear of losing a close friendship. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the basics. There’s a lot more that I found extremely helpful about SPLICE and I am so thankful that JV requires all missionaries to go through it. My favorite part of the 5 weeks is the friendships that were formed. I met so many amazing people and got to connect with some friends as well. With all of us being missionaries in training it was easy to connect immediately over common experiences. When I arrived at training I still needed 30% more of my support. How wonderful it was to share the process of all my support coming in with my new friends at training. They were praying for me and asked daily where I was and how much was left. The body of Christ was so alive while at training. I was so happy to report to them all when all of my support finally did come in and there was great rejoicing! God did so many amazing things at training that I am extremely grateful for.  I was also able to spend time with my friends, Danny and Evan, who I interned with last summer. They are both living in CO right now. Evan is actually raising support to come back to Slovenia right now and I am positive he would appreciate your prayers. Evan and I were also able to have lunch with our friends the Cravens and the Lillpops. They are two couples who live in CO and are raising support to head over to Eastern Europe. The Cravens are going to Latvia and the Lillpops are headed to Poland. I went through JV orientation with these two lovely couples and it was great to see them again.  Also, while in CO I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up and have tea with one of my supporters. I had never met her before! I actually went to high school in Germany with her husband, Jonathan and he is now in the Army and they are stationed in CO so I was finally able to meet Jessica, his wife. It’s a small world, right? It sure is! It was very encouraging to meet up with a support and share face to face with her what I had been learning at training.  I am so thankful for PILAT and SPLICE! And now I am in Slovenia!!! Thank you so much for your love and support. More stories to come…

Hello! 

I have now been “across the pond” for 2 weeks now! wow. The first week was spent in the Czech Republic at a JV family conference (more on that later), and then the last week I have been in Celje, Slovenia, my new home! 

Before I start updating all about life in Slovenia I wanted to go back a few weeks and talk about SPLICE, the 3 week Spiritual, Personal, Lifestyle, Interpersonal, Cultural, Endure/Enjoy training I went through in CO. I lived in Palmer Lake, CO for a total of 5 weeks so I’m pretty sure I can add it to the list of place I have lives. 5 weeks in CO, yes! 

PILAT was full of practical language information and I used parts of my brain that I haven’t accessed since I was in college. I had to think, a lot! SPLICE was not so much about head knowledge, but rather exploration of the heart. SPLICE is all about diving right into heart issues and exploring what makes a person tick. A big part of the training that I actually really enjoyed was the conflict management stuff. I am not the biggest fan of conflict, I mean, who really is? However, I learned a lot about myself that will come in handy in full time ministry. I learned that I am the “Teddy Bear” style of handling conflict which means that I like harmony and unity and don’t like to confront in fear of losing a close friendship. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the basics. There’s a lot more that I found extremely helpful about SPLICE and I am so thankful that JV requires all missionaries to go through it. My favorite part of the 5 weeks is the friendships that were formed. I met so many amazing people and got to connect with some friends as well. With all of us being missionaries in training it was easy to connect immediately over common experiences. When I arrived at training I still needed 30% more of my support. How wonderful it was to share the process of all my support coming in with my new friends at training. They were praying for me and asked daily where I was and how much was left. The body of Christ was so alive while at training. I was so happy to report to them all when all of my support finally did come in and there was great rejoicing! God did so many amazing things at training that I am extremely grateful for. 

I was also able to spend time with my friends, Danny and Evan, who I interned with last summer. They are both living in CO right now. Evan is actually raising support to come back to Slovenia right now and I am positive he would appreciate your prayers. Evan and I were also able to have lunch with our friends the Cravens and the Lillpops. They are two couples who live in CO and are raising support to head over to Eastern Europe. The Cravens are going to Latvia and the Lillpops are headed to Poland. I went through JV orientation with these two lovely couples and it was great to see them again. 

Also, while in CO I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up and have tea with one of my supporters. I had never met her before! I actually went to high school in Germany with her husband, Jonathan and he is now in the Army and they are stationed in CO so I was finally able to meet Jessica, his wife. It’s a small world, right? It sure is! It was very encouraging to meet up with a support and share face to face with her what I had been learning at training. 

I am so thankful for PILAT and SPLICE! And now I am in Slovenia!!! Thank you so much for your love and support. More stories to come…

9:43am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyLX7_Zi
April 9, 2012
The past 2 weeks I have been in Palmer Lake, CO attending PILAT (Program in Language Acquisition Techniques). Josiah Venture requires all missionaries to attend this training. Before going I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew we would be learning how to learn a language but that was about it. After two weeks of training I feel entirely more equipped to go to Slovenia and learn Slovene. The couple that wrote PILAT over 40 years ago were an inspiration with their story of how they were missionaries in Vietnam to the Jeh people. What a life they have lived! They are so passionate about language learning! Here are some highlights from the past two weeks: *All the other missionaries in attendance were a breathe of fresh air. There were 17 adults taking the training and we all bonded and felt like family by the end of the two weeks. There is just something about meeting other missionaries and having that special understanding and life perspective. One young couple is going to India, another young couple and their kids are going to Cambodia, one single is going to Columbia, another single to Lesotho (a country within South Africa), and another single is going to China. I will be praying for these dear friends and know that we will stay in touch and if we don’t see each other on this side of heaven, we will definitely get to share stories when we are all together in heaven some day. *We were taught and showed many models on how to learn a language. I was in the group that learned a bit of French in order to be shown how the models work. I was quite shocked at how fast I comprehended what was being said in French, a language I have never studied. It made me even more excited to learn Slovene! When I get to Slovenia I want to take walks all around the city and meet people and tell them I am learning the language and get their help. I am going to get a language helper to do the language learning projects with. *Another amazing highlight is my friend Evan, who I interned with in Slovenia last summer, lives in Monument, CO which is like 5 minutes away from Palmer Lake. He is in the beginning stages of support raising to go back to Slovenia. We have been able to hang out a lot the past two weeks and that has been a great encouragement. I am praying for him that his support comes in with supernatural speed and he is able to get back to Slovenia by Aug/Sept. The past 2 weeks was such a blessing. I learned many things and am pumped about applying them in the Slovene setting. Many friendships were formed, great conversations were had, and many games of Settles and other games were played. Thank you Lord for this special time of training in my life. Today begins the next stage of training called SPLICE (Spiritual Personal Lifestyle Interpersonal Cultural Endure/Enjoy). As the people at MTI put it, “Moving from one culture to another, with all of the accompanying value differences, is similar to the process of splicing together the strands of two pieces of rope. Splices are never invisible, but, as any sailor knows, the completed splice becomes the strongest part of the rope.” So stay tuned or the SPLICE update. I will meet more missionaries and glean many more things from the teachers at MTI. Again, I am so very thankful for this time of training and preparation.

The past 2 weeks I have been in Palmer Lake, CO attending PILAT (Program in Language Acquisition Techniques). Josiah Venture requires all missionaries to attend this training. Before going I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew we would be learning how to learn a language but that was about it. After two weeks of training I feel entirely more equipped to go to Slovenia and learn Slovene. The couple that wrote PILAT over 40 years ago were an inspiration with their story of how they were missionaries in Vietnam to the Jeh people. What a life they have lived! They are so passionate about language learning!

Here are some highlights from the past two weeks:

*All the other missionaries in attendance were a breathe of fresh air. There were 17 adults taking the training and we all bonded and felt like family by the end of the two weeks. There is just something about meeting other missionaries and having that special understanding and life perspective. One young couple is going to India, another young couple and their kids are going to Cambodia, one single is going to Columbia, another single to Lesotho (a country within South Africa), and another single is going to China. I will be praying for these dear friends and know that we will stay in touch and if we don’t see each other on this side of heaven, we will definitely get to share stories when we are all together in heaven some day.

*We were taught and showed many models on how to learn a language. I was in the group that learned a bit of French in order to be shown how the models work. I was quite shocked at how fast I comprehended what was being said in French, a language I have never studied. It made me even more excited to learn Slovene! When I get to Slovenia I want to take walks all around the city and meet people and tell them I am learning the language and get their help. I am going to get a language helper to do the language learning projects with.

*Another amazing highlight is my friend Evan, who I interned with in Slovenia last summer, lives in Monument, CO which is like 5 minutes away from Palmer Lake. He is in the beginning stages of support raising to go back to Slovenia. We have been able to hang out a lot the past two weeks and that has been a great encouragement. I am praying for him that his support comes in with supernatural speed and he is able to get back to Slovenia by Aug/Sept.

The past 2 weeks was such a blessing. I learned many things and am pumped about applying them in the Slovene setting. Many friendships were formed, great conversations were had, and many games of Settles and other games were played. Thank you Lord for this special time of training in my life. Today begins the next stage of training called SPLICE (Spiritual Personal Lifestyle Interpersonal Cultural Endure/Enjoy). As the people at MTI put it, “Moving from one culture to another, with all of the accompanying value differences, is similar to the process of splicing together the strands of two pieces of rope. Splices are never invisible, but, as any sailor knows, the completed splice becomes the strongest part of the rope.”

So stay tuned or the SPLICE update. I will meet more missionaries and glean many more things from the teachers at MTI. Again, I am so very thankful for this time of training and preparation.

9:47am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyJMZKq4
April 7, 2012
On March 9th, 2012 I had a Silent Auction for Slovenia. My mom was in town and so she helped create some yummy treats to serve at the event such as veggie squares and of course, stuffed mushrooms. Stuffed Mushrooms have been in attendance at every one of my events for Slovenia. It was become tradition! I always think of Fiddler on the Roof when I think of the word “tradition”. Basically I can relate anything to a song! Anyway…to prepare for the event I created some print based designs and some acrylic on canvas paintings as well as a very unique acrylic on wood with bottle caps. It was a blast putting all of these pieces together. Also, since the event was shortly after valentines day and as Slovenia quite conveniently has the word “love” in its name, we were able to adorn the house with Valentines Day Decor. Thanks Slovenia for having such a great name! Many friends came out to the event and bid on the various items. There was a Dinner with the Gardner Girls, a wine basket that my mom put together, some hair items that a friend was kind enough to donate, 3 half hour photo sessions from my near friend and amazing photographer, Amanda (these were won by my two engaged friends in attendance. A great price for engagement photos!), as well as some baked goods. All in all the night was a great success! Total, $700 was raised and it will all go towards Slovenia and Josiah Venture. Thank you to all who came! Here’s to LOVE for the beautiful country of sLOVEnia! : )

On March 9th, 2012 I had a Silent Auction for Slovenia. My mom was in town and so she helped create some yummy treats to serve at the event such as veggie squares and of course, stuffed mushrooms. Stuffed Mushrooms have been in attendance at every one of my events for Slovenia. It was become tradition! I always think of Fiddler on the Roof when I think of the word “tradition”. Basically I can relate anything to a song! Anyway…to prepare for the event I created some print based designs and some acrylic on canvas paintings as well as a very unique acrylic on wood with bottle caps. It was a blast putting all of these pieces together. Also, since the event was shortly after valentines day and as Slovenia quite conveniently has the word “love” in its name, we were able to adorn the house with Valentines Day Decor. Thanks Slovenia for having such a great name! Many friends came out to the event and bid on the various items. There was a Dinner with the Gardner Girls, a wine basket that my mom put together, some hair items that a friend was kind enough to donate, 3 half hour photo sessions from my near friend and amazing photographer, Amanda (these were won by my two engaged friends in attendance. A great price for engagement photos!), as well as some baked goods. All in all the night was a great success! Total, $700 was raised and it will all go towards Slovenia and Josiah Venture. Thank you to all who came! Here’s to LOVE for the beautiful country of sLOVEnia! : )

1:09pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZWgjZyJFZYuZ