Ellie in Poland

I feel like I say it every week, but man, what a week! We finally had our first full Fusion camp. Our intern team was divided, half of us at a camp in Suszec, and the other half (including myself) in the gorgeous mountain town of Wisła near the Czech border. We teamed up with a short term American team from Indiana and the leaders of a local youth group called Echo to lead our week-long English and Fusion camp. The kids had a choice whether they wanted to take English classes or be part of the Fusion choir and learn instruments during the workshop time. For meals, sports time in the afternoon, theme days (baby day and superhero day), and the evening talks and discussion groups, everyone in English and Fusion were together. I was responsible for leading alto sectionals, leading the choir, teaching choreography, and leading a choir directing workshop. Our main goal was to prepare 5 songs with a full choir and band for a big concert at the end of the week, with only about an hour an...

Another whirlwind of a week behind us, another tornado of a week ahead of us! Such is the life of a Fusion intern. We spent the past week traveling around to different English camps, spending the afternoon teaching a Fusion choir workshop, and playing worship for their evening program. We covered a lot of ground and interacted with a LOT of students, and it was a little overwhelming at times, constantly being surrounded by brand new people. But, the campers and staff responded really well, and we ended up having some great interactions, and quite a few people showed interest in possible future Fusion programs. Super exciting! Our last English Camp workshop was at a camp in the woods in a town called Marylin. One of my favorite moments of the week happened when we led worship at their camp. Towards the end of Forever Reign, we asked people to declare truths about God while we played softly in the background. It started with leaders, saying things like "God, you are light," ...

We had a much needed Sabbath back in Malenovice with the entire Poland Josiah Venture team, including English Camp and Fala (our Polish JV partner). For one day, we were not allowed to do anything that felt like work, and were encouraged to listen and bask in the voice of the Lord. I'll admit the idea stressed me out at first. In just a couple days, we were supposed to dive into teaching workshops in primary schools in the mornings, then head straight to Fala headquarters and lead worship for the first round of short-term American teams leading English Camps! We had so much to prepare, and we were supposed to take a day to just do nothing? But it wasn't nothing. It was a day to trust that if we made sacred space for God, He would renew our strength and provide for the rest of the crazy week. It was a day to reflect on everything He had done up to that point. It was a time for thankfulness, rest, and security. A time I didn't realize how much I truly needed. ...

Wow wow wow wow WOW! So, I've been in Europe now about 2 weeks, in Poland for one week, and so much has happened already that I hardly know where to start. The first 3 days of the Josiah Venture internship consists of a team-building exercize modeled after the scavenger hunt tv show, The Amazing Race. Without using smartphones, we had to decipher clues, find locations, solve puzzles, complete physical challenges, all competing against 28 other teams of interns who would be serving in various countries this summer. Our team hit a few bumps in the road and ended up finishing in 25th place, but right off the bat we we able to see how we cope with stress, problem solving, and working together as a team to use all of our different strengths and weaknesses towards a common goal. Aside from seeing some pretty incredible sights, my favorite moments were the ones where we prayed together as a team and were able to refocus our attention on why we were there in the first place, and I th...

It's absolutely bonkers to think that a week from today I'll be on a plane to Europe. This journey has already been a long one and I haven't even gotten to the actual traveling part! Please pray that I will stay healthy, and for safe and uneventful travel when I depart next week on May 28th. Everything is finally ready - I'm fully funded (thanks to all of you!), fully packed, and have been practicing all our music and what little Polish I know like crazy. I don't think it will feel real until I'm on the plane, or maybe not even until I land. One thing that does feel real, and has felt real throughout this entire process, is God. When the unexpected death of my father prevented me from going last year, I was initially very discouraged and wondered if I had made the right decision, questioning whether I actually felt God calling me to Poland or not. I was so confused because I had felt so strongly that I still had work to do in Poland, but nothing was working ...

Dear Friends and Family,  In 2016 I had the opportunity to serve at an English Camp in Poland. I watched God work in incredible ways as teens opened their hearts to His message. Ever since then I have felt God tugging at my own heart to return.  I am thrilled to announce that I have been accepted as a 2018 Fusion Intern with Josiah Venture in Poland!  Josiah Venture is an organization dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Central and Eastern Europe. They accomplish this by running evangelistic youth Music Camps and working with local churches to make disciples who make disciples. As a new era of freedom emerges in the wake of war and communism, young Poles are growing up with many opportunities their parents never had, but still know very little of what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I want to change that. As a Fusion intern, I will be promoting music camps, training short-term teams,  and working closely with l...