Nicole & Katie in Albania: Video Update 1

Here is a new video update from Katie and me. It is supposed to be funny so please don't take it too seriously. We use video journals to debrief our days.

Disclaimer: I do own more than one shirt, it just happened that this video was taken the same day as the house tour.

Welcome to Albania

I made it.

I'm here. In Albania. And it is good. It is hard to believe it's just approaching a week that we've been here.

Katie and I flew out on Monday morning. It was tough leaving the fam. but really it was just a see ya later, not goodbye.

God is good. When we got to the airport both our bags made the weight limit (they didn't even weigh Katie's bags) and we didn't have to pay the second bag fee. whhaatt?? We even called ahead to check on prices and weight before we got there so we were shocked to find we didn't have to pay. We had a 4 hour layover in Charlotte so I was able to meet Katie's family before heading out. And... we wee both able to get some sleep on our long flight to Germany. Dawn Bishop was waiting at the airport for us when we arrived in Albania and the rest is history....

It's summer. It's really hot but everything is new and exciting that we barely notice all the sweat dripping down our faces. Ok, that's a lie, we do notice but we try not to let it bother us. I don't know how to explain it, but being here is right. It just feels right.

Now I will take you on a video tour of our house-

Check back often for updates on life in Albania, new videos and how God is working over here.

See ya Later!

Thank you to all of you who came out to our send off service. Once again I am just totally overwhelmed by the support and encouragement of so many wonderful people in my life. It's such an awesome feeling to know that I will be covered in prayer, that no situation I face will be to big for God and that He has everything under control. I'm also thrilled that so many of you got the chance to meet Katie as well!

My bags are packed. I'm feeling good. Excited. I'm ready to take the next step in this journey.

It's been amazing watching the way God has been working in my life this past year and I'm so excited for the many surprises and adventures He has planned for the next two while I'm in Albania. I know it's going to be great. It might not always be easy, but it will be great.

Listed below (and to the left) is my mailing address. Just to kill any curiosity I should inform you that I do like mail...a lot. (Katie's address is the same, but would read: Katie Hawkins instead of Nicole Schara)

Nicole Schara

AEP Box 41

Kutia Postare 119

Tirana

Albania

Also for anyone interested, to the left, you can subscribe to my blog via email.  This just means anytime I update the blog you will receive an email informing you of the update. This way you don't have to keep checking... All you have to do is enter your email address in the box that says "follow my blog by email"

Welp... See ya later! 

Heaven and Earth will pass away...

This last week I have been re-doing my bedroom. My parents have decided to convert my bedroom into a guest room after I leave (hmm...what are they trying to tell me??) Therefore I had to transform MY bedroom into a room that would appeal to guests. If any of you have been in my room recently you know what a challenge this task was.

At first I was overwhelmed. I was at a point where I forgot the color of my carpet because I hadn't seen it in so long. After I cleared some stuff out I then became sad and upset. I didn't want to take my pictures down, paint the mismatched walls, get rid of a lot of stuff I've accumulated and peel the glow-in-the-dark stars off the ceiling. I felt that by doing this my room would lose the "Nicki" touch that I've worked so hard to create.

The last 2 things to come down before the paint job were the glow-in-the-dark stars from my ceiling and my world map. It actually took a few days before I could bring myself to take them down and even then the stars came down over the course of a few days. It was too much, emotionally, to do all at once. It's pretty silly, I know. Everything else had come down in stages throughout the year and was either sold, given away, or a few things have been stored for safe keeping awaiting my return (I can't get rid of everything!)

As I was removing the stars and pulling the map off my wall Matthew 24:35 kept popping into my head: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." I found comfort in this verse and the sadness quickly vanished. It's true. What am I living for? The material possessions I've accumulated are not what matters - they will pass with this world. Changing my room doesn't change who I am. It doesn't change my identity or the fact that I'm a child of God. My heart should not be torn up about what my room looks like, how it's decorated, or what possessions I have in it. There are too many other things in this world for my heart to be torn over.

100% X 2

I am 100% funded for my two year term in Albania! Even better than that, Katie is 100% funded as well. God is awesome!

We are both funded, the plane tickets are booked, and will depart together. And when I say together I literally mean together. Mark your calendars... Katie will be visiting Buffalo before we fly out together on Monday, July, 11. Find out how you can meet her below. 

Mind-blowing

God blows my mind. The depth of His love. The complex ways in which He works. I can't even begin to comprehend a fraction of it. God is God. He is big and powerful- this is something that I've grown up knowing and believing. But in the last few weeks He has revealed to me some new ways of how incredibly huge and loving He is:

• English is my heart language. I know it, I can speak it, I understand it.... most of the time at least. I took Spanish for 8 years. I can speak it a little, and understand it a little more. Currently I'm learning Albanian. I'm getting better day by day, but thoughts are usually a mix of Albanian, Spanish and English. I can speak a few sentences and can just barely understand a few additional sentences. So that's three languages that I'm semi-familiar with. I'd say that's about average. In America, it might be a little above average; around the world, it might be a little below average. Here's the point I'm trying to get at though: God doesn't just speak or understand one language. He is gazillion-lingual. Every single language that is, or ever was, is God's heart language. He hears it. He understands it. He speaks it. He knows it.

• I am amazed at the ways God is at work in my life. Every single day He's up to something. Sometimes it's weeks or months before I can identify ways He's working but that doesn't mean He's not at work. Other times it's minute by minute, I can just see His work unfold in front of my eyes. I love it. It keeps me on my toes. It makes me feel special that God is working in my life. It's so hard for me to believe that I'm not the only one! Perhaps that last sentence is a tad narcissistic, but sadly it's true. The incredible detail and complex intertwining of life events is not just happening in my life. He's constantly at work in the lives of every person. Every single day! WOW!

• I think of my life and the people in my life. I can't think of one person who has been with me every single day of my life. But God is. He has always been and always will be. He is the same God yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews. 13:8). The same God that was there in the garden with Adam and Eve, or on the Ark with Noah, walking with Jesus, is the same God that I have a personal relationship with. I have a personal relationship with the same God that Eve knew. This is unbelievable to me.

• I've done a fair share of traveling. I've been to some really cool places in this world. A variety of continents, landscapes, climates, landmarks, etc. Everything that my eyes have seen, (or any mans eyes have seen) so have Gods. God created it ALL. He knows every nook and cranny. He knows all of the popular destinations and all of the secret hiding places in the WORLD! And it's not just places here on earth that man can see or physically travel to. He been down to the deepest depth of the ocean. He knows every inch of the galaxy. No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to out travel God.

God is bigger than anything I can imagine. Ever. These few thoughts that I composed here are by no means an all inclusive list of how BIG God is. I take confidence in knowing whatever will happen in my life God can handle it!

You're a good friend... sometimes.

So I got a text this morning from one of my good friends. It was a sentence in Albanian: "ju jeni mik i mirë ndonjëherë." I could read a few words but was struggling with the others. I desperately wanted to impress her by understanding what she said just like she impressed me by texting me in Albanian (with the help of google translate.)

Ok, you can do this I thought... just piece it together.

ju jeni - "you are." Easy, I have that one down and I don't even have to think twice about it.  
mik - mik, mik, mik ??? I haven't learned this word yet. Stop searching your brain, it's not in there.
i mirë - "good" or "well." Mirëmëngjes means "good morning". Unë jam mirë means "I am well"... good or well. Check. Next.
Ndonjëherë - think, think, think. I know this word. Always? No. Sometimes. Yes, sometimes. Ndonjëherë, sometimes I let down my hair -- ok not really, but that's how I remember the word.

You are ? good sometimes... you are ? well sometimes... What is she trying to tell me? I am something sometimes...

Ok. As much as I wanted to I couldn't translate it on my own, now I had to rely on google translate for some help translating it back to English. "Ju jeni mik i mirë ndonjëherë" - "you are a good friend sometimes."

I am a good friend sometimes. Ok cool. Yeah. Sometimes I'm a good friend. Other times I'm not? That's kinda bold though, and doesn't really seem like something she would say, but thanks? I'll take it as a compliment.
 
Naturally I had to bust her chops. I replied to her text saying: "I may be a 'good friend sometimes' but you're a good friend 'gjithmonë' - "always'".

Her reply: "Did it translate to good friend sometimes? what a horrible compliment. I thought it said 'you are the best friend ever.'"

I proceeded to put her sentence into google translate, it came back "you are a good friend sometimes." But when I typed in "you are the best friend ever" it came back with the sentence she sent me. They were both the same though. Why doesn't this make sense? Something is not adding up. Somehow we lost something in translation. Apparently ndonjëherë means both "ever" and "sometimes."

So if there's a moral to this story, here it is: many words, phrases, sentences are going to get lost in translation when I am in Albania. It's just bound to happen. I hope, like this situation, that the outcome is funny and not offensive.

Via Dolorosa

When I was 20 I got a tattoo. It's on my wrist, and I wear it proudly. Now before you proceed to judge me I'd like to tell you a little bit about it and the reason behind it.

My tattoo is a cross and a heart. It's a pretty simple tattoo. I designed it myself. I gave it a lot of thought and consideration before I went to get it done. Everything about this tattoo was very intentional: the design, placement, color, and size. The purpose is quite simple as well: a permanent reminder of "the cross," and what that means to me as a follower of Christ.

After I got the tattoo, I typed up a statement to remind me and share with others what my tattoo means. This is what it said:

"It symbolizes my love for Jesus AND His love for me. It’s a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice He made for me. It’s to remind me to live my life for Him. To do things and be the person that He wants me to and not to do things that He wouldn’t want. It’s to show myself and the world that I'm in love. That I'm not afraid or ashamed of my faith. It’s to remember that without Him I am worthless and that through Him all things are possible. It reminds me I am a sinner but I am forgiven and because of His love and the cross I am going Heaven. It’s a permanent WWJD bracelet to remind me and tell the world that He is with me everyday of my life. I will have the tattoo until I die and then I won’t need it anymore. I wont need a symbol or a friendly reminder because I will be in Heaven face to face with Him, my best friend." (Dec. 2005)

It's easy to remember the cross at Easter. I mean that's what Easter is all about, right? I might go out on a limb here and say that throughout lent it's not too hard to remember the cross either. But Easter only comes once a year and like any other day it leaves just as quickly as it comes. As Christians we should constantly remember and give thanks for the ultimate sacrifice. What do you do to remember the cross on a daily basis? 

Via Dolorosa, by Leeland is my favorite Easter song. It perfectly depicts what Jesus did for us. 

Habitat for Missionaries

There is an exciting opportunity on the horizon which will help me and my support raising endeavors. I have been selected as a missionary candidate to work with an organization called Habitat for Missionaries. Habitat for Missionaries partners with local churches to rehab, and sell houses. When the house is complete (and sells) the missionary, in this case me, receives 100% of the profit. This project could potentially put me over the top and complete my support raising!! :-D

It is definitely a big project, but I am so thankful that God has provided this opportunity. Tomorrow I will be doing a walk through of the house and will have a better idea of what exactly needs to be done. We are hoping to flip the house in 52 days and put it on the market early June. 

This project is a great way to be involved with my mission and use your skills to serve the Lord hands on. If anyone is interested in volunteering your time and skills to work on this house, if you or anyone you know is interested in starter home, or if you have any other questions, please email me. Or for those of you who attend EHWC, there will be a chance for you to sign up after each service.  I will also be posting updates here on my blog throughout the project. 

My final request is that you pray along side of me as we ask Jesus to take leadership of this project. I truly believe that if it's bathed in prayer it will be a success. For detailed prayer suggestions please join my prayer team to receive my monthly prayer newsletter (enter your email in the box to the left of this post.)

Disconnecting to Connect

Social Media might as well be my middle name. I get excited when I learn about new programs online. I love the internet. I love facebook. I love twitter. I think they're all great tools for communication, sharing information, and in short make life a lot easier. I think they're all very beneficial and define our society today. They are part of my "deep culture" (an AmeriCorps term, meaning they make me who I am) - I have "grown-up" with these resources and I can't imagine life without them.

However, like all things if used too much they can become addicting, or harmful in nature. There is a fine line between the "good" and the "bad" of each of these resources. Sometimes, probably more often than not, I cross the line. I spend too much time on facebook. I get caught up in the internet and hours of un-productivity (I think I just made that word up) pass by. What do I gain from all the time I spend online? Not too much. 

So, what if I substitute the time I spend on the internet, facebook, and twitter with something that could make a difference? What if I spend the same amount of time I waste putzing around on the internet, connecting with God? What if use that time for prayer or reading my bible? Or perhaps building relationships with people in the world, not online, reading more, learning my Albanian or practicing my backgammon skills (some of the things on my to-do before Albania list.)

Last year when I came home from our mission trip to Cambodia I felt the need to disconnect from the internet - cold turkey. On the trip I was made aware that it held too high a priority in my life and needed to stop. It was an addiction. So I took a 21 day vacation from it all. My goal: draw closer to God.

As I've had a year to reflect on those 3 short weeks, I can look back and see that it was one of the times in my life I have felt the closest to God. In hindsight, I can see that we got a lot accomplished during those three weeks (some pretty significant things, might I add). Like kicking any addiction (I'd assume) it wasn't easy, I craved the internet and so desperately wanted to log on to facebook many times. But when I returned the internet and facebook didn't seem so important anymore, and initially, my interest of being online was minimal compared to what it was before the vacation.

It's amazing how clearly I was able to hear God speaking when I removed a distraction of the world. Though the internet is a great tool it often clutters my life and distracts me from what's important.

My mission this year: 40 days with limited internet and email, and no facebook or twitter. The goal: to continue grow in my relationship with God.

Sometimes you need to disconnect to connect. To refuel the relationship, and to reset priorities. As I grow with Christ and in my spiritual disciplines, I am able to cross back over the line, kick the addiction, and use social media for good.

Shunem House

Shunem House is the best place in the world! In my opinion it's even better than Disney World, can you imagine that? Mostly because of Jim and Jeanette Vermilya and their wonderful hospitality, delicious food, and humorous stories.

Shunem House is a home for missionaries who are back in the states and don't have a home. It's a place where missionaries can come to relax, and be loved on for a while.

Here is a promo video that I had a small role in creating while Katie spent countless hours finalizing. Check it out and you'll see why it is such a wonderful place to be!

Did you know? My mom appears in this video more than I do, and I'm a missionary.