Week 23!

I am in the center right under Dora with the yellow shirt. And apparently it is a tradition for Kairos classes after the scavenger hunt to take a picture with Dora. haha

 Our first full week back was great! At the beginning of the week we learned about our strengths. We took the strength finders test (If you have ever taken it and know your strengths, please share! I'd love to know more about you in that way!) Strength finders fascinated me! It was so cool to see how my class' strengths play out in our day to day lives. And it was cool to be able to put to words what I've only ever just noticed.

So if you were wondering, these were my top 5 strengths in order :
1. Responsibility
2. Discipline
3. Achiever
4. Restorative
5. Intellect ion

The first four strengths are Executing strengths and the last one is a Strategic strength. And now I don't remember what exactly that means. haha
But it was super cool to learn more and say for sure that yes, these are my top strengths and I see them in my everyday life.


The rest of the week we learned more on Leadership and our very own Tom Ives, director of Royal Servants came and spoke. It was amazing to hear his story of how he was practically thrust into leadership and how God used him.
Wednesday we had internships which was so fun to get back to! I felt like for the first time, I connected really well with my small groups that I am apart of. Which is 7th grade girls and 11th grade girls.

On Monday alot of us went and got our free cones from Dairy Queen. Yum!
Thursday was our cat Okin's birthday! He turned 1! He is such a fun little guy! Helps me not miss my kitties too much.
Saturday we went roller skating through my church that I intern at. It was alot of fun, painful but fun. Great memories!
On Friday our class went to the Mall of America and had a scavenger hunt...we had to find our staff! We had one hour and were split up into teams. We were allowed to use twitter to check for updates on our staffs location. Out of 7 staff, my team only found 2! Another team found 4! Some of hte staff were not found by anyone! haha! It was a great time, alot of running around. One of our staff changed so drastically that he walked right through one of the teams, literally could have touched them. Being the funny guy that he is, he snapped a picture of one of our guys walking past him, arms length away. And no one noticed!
I even saw one of our lady staff. I stared at her for 10 seconds and went "Nah, it's not her." I also walked right past her later on! And when I saw her at the end and realized it really was her, oh man! haha

But it was so fun. And wow, it was my first trip to MOA and it's crazy huge!!!! I mean it has to be to have a small amusement park inside....

So yeah! It was a pretty great week!
Also, thanks to a gift card, I had a nice treat! A large iced white mocha with cinnamon dulce drink from Starbucks. So refreshing!
The weather has gotten slightly more chilly but still beautiful!

Monday is my teaching so I have a busy weekend ahead to prepare for that and get a bunch of other work and projects done.

Prayers are greatly appreciated for some unspoken requests. Thanks!!

Week 22!

 Hey everyone! It's been so long since I last updated you all! Well, I have so much to catch you up on so bear with me. Also, I don't expect to go in order as I blog.
But just a general update, on 2/4 we flew out to Honduras. We actually flew into San Pedro Sula, it's like the most dangerous city...everywhere. Ya know, no biggy! ;)
We drove for 4-6 hours (in van for 4 but with stops it was about 6). It was a long day. We arrived in Yamaranguila at Mercy International's base, "The Farm". It was a beautiful place. Honduras was amazing. The weather was beyond fantastic. The people were beautiful and sweet. Don't get me started on the kids, not to mention the babies!
I had the time of my life! It was full of ministry and memories. I can't wait to blog about it!
After Honduras I had two weeks off for our "spring break". It was a great break which I will blog about as well but in short, I got to spend it with my family in the north. I stayed with my grandparents mostly. It was so great to see them and all of my other family. So be on the look out for pictures and stories from break and Honduras! I promise they will come!

I arrived back in Minnesota on Monday night. Wednesday morning Kairos drove down to Bricelyn, MN for an overnight stay at a camp. It was just a re orientation to just spend some fun time together as a class. We had an overview of what the second semester will be like and what we have to look forward to! Many leadership opportunities ahead! Because that is what this semester focuses on, LEADERSHIP. Which will be interesting and new for me. But I'm excited for what's in store!

Friday was our first day of class. Erika taught us on leadership and the qualities and characteristics of a leader and the importance of integrity in a leader.
We also were handed our books for the semester and given instructions on an upcoming class. Except for these classes, we the students are teaching! We all got to choose our characteristic of a leader that we will teach for 15 to 20 minutes on. I chose Self Discipline/Control. I'm pretty excited about creating a lesson. I've already found some funny videos and pictures that I can't wait to share! Haha! So hopefully I'll be able to do a blog post about my teaching! That way you are included!
Getting back into the routine of Bible reading and fitness. Over Honduras and Break these slacked alot. Well, I missed a few days in Honduras of Bible reading due to busy days of ministry. But everyday we had some sort of fitness (mostly just our ministry can be counted. You'd understand if you saw how those kids played with us or how loooong those hikes were...haha).
And over break, well, it was a vacation. Fitness wasn't on my to-do list ;) But it feels so good to get back into the swing of things! Especially now that the weather is soo nice out! I can start taking walks and reading my Bible on the porch! Yay for Spring!

Well, that was it for this week! It was a short one but a great one.

If you all could pray for my family, I've received some hard news from several members of my family (extended) that was unexpected and hard to process. They (we) need a lot of prayer. Most of that side of the family is unsaved and two of the families are going through some just very difficult things right now. And these, on top of several other things, can be so distracting to me. It's hard to focus on where I am when these things are going on. So prayers for me are appreciated as well!
Also, a door seems to have been opened for me this fall after Kairos ends. I need lots of prayer about this. I'm patiently waiting and praying about this possible next step. I just want to know if this is what I am supposed to do.
If so, I can't wait to tell you all about it! haha but for now, I welcome your prayers!

Thank you all so much! Your support means so much to me!

Love, Beka!!!

Weeks 15 and 16 and Intro to Honduras!

Hey everyone! I apologize for the delay! It's been a busy couple weeks! We wrapped up Speaking Blitz with a two day trip up north for debriefing. It was a great time spent with my team in the frigid north! Actually, it wasn't that cold out! I had the chance to walk on a frozen lake and ride a four wheeler (never rode one before) on the lake as well! My first experience on a frozen lake! And I watched as a few of our team got to ice fish! No one caught anything though. I also collected firewood for a fire we weren't able to have on the lake. Oh well.. Still fun!

This last week we prepped for Honduras. We worked on testimonies and teachings and created a VBS to do with kids. I helped create and teach the small skit on Zacchaeus. We had a lot of fun. I also made the props for the skit (beards, leaves and money). Hopefully someone at some point during the trip will record out skit. I hope so because it's hilarious...And a lot of fun. I'm excited to perform it for the little kids.

This last week has also been about getting our hearts ready for our trip. We have spent a lot of time in prayer nad worship and encouraging one another. We listened to an amazing audio sermon called 'Ten Shekels and a Shirt' by Paris Reidhard. It was amazing and I encourage you to listen. I mean, it was PHENOMENAL!

Well, as for Honduras. We leave bright and early in the morning! Most of us will be spending the night at the Reign Ministries office. We leave there at 3am and our flight to ATL leaves at 5:30. We will be in Honduras around lunch time.
Please keep my team in your prayers!
Specifically for these things:
-health (It's a dangerous thing, even bring a small cold to the remote villages of Honduras.) And also to just not get anything there or any injuries.
-Individual humility creates corporate unity. That is what we want as a team.
-travel days are long and hard, especially when they start as early as ours will.
-to be flexible and open to what God would have us do.

Thank you all so much for helping me get to where I am! I cannot wait to update you all about Honduras.
Well, so long for now! I'll be back in the states Friday, February 20th.

Oh, and I am down to only needing $329 for Kairos! Woohoo!
Though I may have a couple unexpected costs arise as the summer approcahes, such as visa fees. I will keep you updated!  But anything raised beyond the last $329 will go towards visa fees, spending money and anything else I may need.
If you would like to donate online, here is a link!



https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift2/?giftid=3C14F4E1-28B3-4FC4-8A37-F3611508F638

Week 14!

This past week was our first week of Speaking Blitz! It was an incredible week. Definitely had it's ups and downs. We started on Sunday and traveled through Friday. Today (Sat.) was our first day off. Some days are longer than others. We have traveled to schools for chapel services and we have spoken at youth groups on Wednesday night or Sunday school. It's been so cool to go through this time with my team. We have done a lot of traveling. I hope to, by the end, have a map of all the places we have visited.
I've had some great conversations with some genuinely interested girls. I'm excited to catch up with them and see where they are at. We have been so busy though I haven't had time to connect.
Today was great to sleep in and get lots done. Super productive day.
This last week wasn't all just travel and speaking. We had some fun times as well.

We visited Como Zoo. I haven't been to a zoo in years. It was so fun but it was a little sad too. The animals looked really depressed. Not all, but most. Still neat to see the different animals.

We also, during a spur of the moment drive by, we had the opportunity to visit a nearby Cambodian Buddhist Temple. So neat and I felt transported back in time to Nepal. I only got two pictures. Not sure why so few. But the Guardian lion I photographed was the same kind of guardian lion I saw in Nepal.






The picture on the left is from the Cambodian Temple in MN. The one on the right is from Nepal. So similar! Kind of.





This week we also talked more about our fast approaching trip to Honduras! Got some more information and realized there are a few more things I will need to have with me, especially depending on what team I am put on. We will be splitting up into two teams for one week (the middle chunk of the trip). One team will be staying at The Farm. The Farm is a place in the middle of beautiful country. It's a missions base. They are always taking in teams and housing them. They have bunk beds and such. I believe we will be working with Mercy International?
The second team will be heading up into the mountains. It's a steep 3-4 hour hike. They will primarily be focusing on construction, a vbs and small groups. This will be the more physically challenging. Maybe.
I should find out at the end of this next week which of the two teams I will be on. The two will come  back together and head out to the coast of Honduras and spend several days there for debriefing. (and we will have 4-5 days at the beginning together). I'm getting really excited for Honduras! And the weather may be a whole lot nicer than I firs thought! Then again, I've only ever traveled down south during the summer, never this early in the year :)

Thank you so much for your prayers!

For a few days I had an impromptu roommate. Chelsea, one of the girls in my small group, was banished from her house until the Flu subsided from several members of her host family. We were more than happy to let her stay with us! We had a ton of fun! We made several videos which I will post to the bottom. We just were silly and enjoyed each other's company. We went shopping and got ice cream, even in the freezing temperatures!

How could I forget????

So I realized today as I was going through and deleting pictures off of my computer that I had totally forgotten to share with you (and Facebook too!) my pics from Dec. 12, 2014 when we went to Operation Christmas Child. 

My job was the first in the line. I took the shoe boxes out of this big box and opened them and checked for money. A lot of times, donors put their checks for shipping and extra donations in the boxes. And any extra money is not allowed to be sent overseas. It could prove to be a danger for the child if they are seen with cash.

The boxes then move down the line where they are checked. If scanty, we add more filling things (small toys and such). Then it is taped up and packed up!

I loved seeing all the packed boxes and how awesomely people packed them! It definitely changes my perspective on how I pack future boxes. Seeing the fully packed plastic boxes compared to the scantily packed paper boxes. 

Seeing the difference, and not to cast judgement or anything, but it broke my heart. And I know, some boxes are packed by kids. But adults need to recheck the boxes and add things. These kids in other countries deserve more than some of those boxes I saw. 

It was just a real good reality/heart check. 

Like this box down here, "Put your hand on mine and together we can pray to Jesus!" 

That was just too cute! 

If you are going to fill a box, do it right. It's so much more fulfilling! 

Week 13!

 Hey all! Hope you all are well and staying warm this beginning of January! This week back at Kairos has been AMAZING. It is so amazing that I have to split it up into two posts. The life changing post will come after this boring weekly update ;) haha

I flew in on Saturday the 3rd. My flight was good. No bags were lost and I wasn't lost either. That is always a plus. And I sat next to a cute guy so I'm not complaining. haha... I spent the rest of the day unpacking and reading "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala. Talk about impact full! That book has ignited my prayer life tremendously. I highly encourage you to read it, or re-read it!
On Sunday we went shopping. I finally bought my water bottles I would need for my mission trips. Nalgenes are #1 !!! I'm so excited to finally own nalgenes again and I added cool stickers to them because that is what you do when you work with Reign Ministries. 

Then my good friend who I went to Nepal with in 2011, Stephanie drove up an hour and a half to visit with me for a couple hours. I haven't seen her since 2011 and actually, she is the first person from my Nepal team that I have seen face to face (outside of skype). It was so good to catch up with her! We promised not to wait another 3 1/2 years. 
 
 We have had some beautiful sunrises lately. I finally captured the beautiful colors!




Weather has been crazy last couple days. Thursday we got to leave school early because it had snowed all day (not a whole bunch though) and the roads were bad. We pretty much drove 20 mph all the way to my house. Took about an hour. 
During small group on Thursday, Chelsea made me a playdoh baby. I named him Enrique, my adopted Guatemalan baby. 
Good times in small group. (We like to do things while we have deep discussions. So we color or play with playdoh.)

 We also helped out the mailing department and stuffed letters!

And I'm down to only needing $414 left for Kairos!
WOOHOO!
God is soo good!

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers!
On Sunday we begin speaking blitz. Please keep my entire team in your prayers as we travel around Minnesota for a couple weeks and that God would open doors for us to speak into the lives of students and young adults. That they would respond to the tugging of God in their hearts. That our testimonies would impact their lives and we would have the opportunity to speak one on one with those who have questions. That these students would have courage to speak with us and ask us questions.

We leave for Honduras Feb. 4th!

Honduras Packing List!

Hey! We fly out for Honduras February 4th! I'm getting so excited!

But it's coming up quick! I need to start working on packing which means assessing what I have and what I will need. Thankfully, my list of what I will need to get is short.
I will need your help to get these things. 

Work gloves (I should have some somewhere but I can't recall where they would be if I did bring them so it is possible I may need to get another pair, or see if my mom can find them and send them. haha)
Water proof watch (I had bought one during the summer, used it a few times and it died so I'll need to get another one.)
Pancho/rain jacket
Work/Hiking boots
Frisbee (sounds trivial but it works great for holding our paper plates or even being an easy plate/bowl. It's a neat Royal Servant hack haha)

Thankfully, I have everything else! I might have to buy some longer socks depending on what the boots are like. The boots and rain jacket are my biggest needs. I am not sure what the costs will be like. It just depends on where I go. Hopefully I can go with someone to an REI sale and get a good pair for a discounted price. But I'll need some financial help with them and the rest of what I will need. These will also come in handy in future trips so it will be more than a one-trip use!

If you can donate something, even a little, it will help!
Thank you!

Here is my address (I'll need the $ sent to me directly since it is for supplies, it is outside the actual cost for Kairos)

Beka Kopenski
245 Walker Ave. N.
Wayzata, MN 55391

I will need any gifts by January 24th, that week before we leave with be prep for Honduras (so packing will officially begin then).