Camp is quickly approaching!

Hello everyone!

Things here have been crazy! Our team is finally here, (after 2 bags lost coming from Canada, and one team member almost missing his flight!) and we have been trying to get settled here and prepare for camp. Things have come together very well in the past 24 hours and our team has really been working together to help one another and get things accomplished. I have been trying to prepare my lesson on "Spreading your Vision" (that I will be speaking about on Wednesday) and I can say that our team is truly one with a vision here: We all desire to make a lasting impact here and to really cultivate the friendships that we have made here. Please be lifting that up this week and for the rest of our time here.

I have been put in charge of handling the money for the camps and it's a hilarious job considering Joanna and I have no clue what to do with some of the receipts, etc.  Pray that I don't 1) Go crazy, and 2) Lose anything! hahaha

On July 4th, the faithful day of our nation's independence :) I went to Senada's house to visit and to bring over some little apple desserts I had made. (I mean what is more American than apple pie??) On that day, I experienced my first (and second) taxi ride ever in my life, I walked through a torrential downpour of rain in high heel shoes, ate a massive quantity of fli(a traditional meal of layered pastry/bread-like substance that is quite tasty, but VERY filling) and tried my hardest to avoid eating a massive quantity of cos (it tastes like sour yogurt...I dipped my fli in it and it wasn't that bad but they were eating spoonfulls of it and I think I would throw up if I did that! haha my American stomach isn't strong enough for that!). Oh, and don't let me forget: I got a marriage proposal to a random neighbor guy of theirs. GREAT. Apparently these neighbors had never stepped foot in their house in the 15-20 years they have lived there, but they saw me walking down the street to their house with Senada and decided to "Drop by" for a visit and conveniently try and fix me up with their son. (How rude of them to act in such a way to Senada's family!) The word JO was very helpful tonight... (Jo, pronounced in English "yo"=NO!) hahaha so awkward and funny!

Tomorrow we are planning to go hiking at the camp location and just really take a day to get mentally prepared for the camp. It will be such a nice day to really focus on things above and to spend time unifying as a team through Him who redeems!

If you read this in time, I would really like to ask some of you to take a day and really focus on lifting me and my team up. If you could just reply to this post and let me know which day you will be focusing on, I would really appreciate it! Knowing that others around the world are lifting this camp, the high school students coming to the camp, the weather, the timely preparation of food, the presentations and the hope that the power will stay on for the powerpoint presentations, and the relationships we will be building this week, will really mean a lot to me and I know that it will make such a difference!

Thank you all for your continual support! I can't wait to tell you all about it in person! (Ok, actually... I CAN wait because I don't want to leave! hahaha, but no worries... I'll be forced to at the end of the month by Kaylee and Laura, and Joanna wanting her apartment to herself again! heehee)

And last but not least, today is my Dad's BIRTHDAY! So Happy Birthday, Dad! You're no longer Emily's favorite number, but I'm sure you're still her favorite "pappy" so please don't cry yourself to sleep tonight :) I love you and wish I could be there with you at your birthday par-tay, but we'll just have to celebrate when I get home! I'll be sure to do the Albanian birthday tradition and yank your earlobes upward for as many years as you are old! (kind of like birthday spankings, but this one just gives you really cool looking Yoda ears, so be looking forward to it!) hahaha HAPPY BIRTHDAY!