Hello family and friends! Welcome back to another day of Central European storytime. This is Sophia speaking, coming at you live from home base on our apartment couch. It was another long and wonderful day in the grassy hills of our host country. We kicked it off by meeting at 6am to work on the farm (no doubt this blows the minds of most of our loved ones 😉 We were able to beat the heat thankfully, as half of us cleared a field while the other half weeded the greenhouses and planted some new vegetables like bell peppers! Knowing that this farm will directly benefit a women’s shelter ministry keeps us motivated even as we dodge snails, repair stubborn rakes, and dream of our beds. Heading back to the apartment after was glorious, and we may never take a shower for granted again.
Next up was buffet-style lunch at one of our favorite local cafes (I ate a savory crepe and tomato-feta salad, yum) and then we headed to visit the gift shop in our church next door. The next hour or two were free for us to explore, and we made sure to investigate snacks at the grocery store, clothing boutiques, and obviously the local gelato stand as we experienced more of the lovely town.
Finally, we loaded back into the van to roll to the second camp location, mildly torturing each other with riddles and camp games and singing as we enjoyed the countryside. Honestly, we were nervous to start over, but we are also excited to see who God has put in our path. And, thankfully, He’s keeping us busy with another welcoming and wild group of kiddos and teens to spend time with.
After our evening drive home, the ladies were blessed with a subsequent challenge of our door lock being jammed, which was solved relatively quickly but I am including for the comedic value of our frustrations (check the selfie).
    All in all, we have been more than blessed so far by the hospitality and beauty of the culture here. Every day is full of people and places that grow us and show us new ways God is moving as we learn to better study and live out the Gospel and love the people around us. Plus, we’re inching closer and closer to having the alphabet here memorized, and can at least hold a conversation in the local language. We are beyond grateful for each other (even on the long days), for the field workers and translators that partner with us, and for the prayers and support of the people we love. And, we are slowly getting better at European futbol. Love you x2 family!
