My stunning sister, Olivia, has been on staff at a camp in Texas for the past three years. Camp Blessing is a summer camp for both children and adults who have special needs. Her heart and soul reside deeply in this extraordinary place, and she loves the people that make up this place with such intensity. She has been begging me to come and volunteer at camp for three years, but year after year I felt God was calling me elsewhere. However, the Lord finally provided an opportunity for me to go spend a week at camp this past summer. I got to be “Cabin Mom” for my sister’s cabin for the week. As we prepared for camp to begin, the camp director came up to me and asked if I had met the family who was there from Serbia, knowing that was one of my 11 countries I would soon be traveling to. There was a family who came to volunteer at camp that week, and bring their 11 year old daughter, Hana, who has Autism, to be a camper. I met her mom, Jelena, but only spoke with her briefly before we had to part ways, and she shared a little bit of their family’s story and told me that they were from Novi Sad, Serbia. I was already so excited to make a connection with the first country I would be traveling to, but didn’t yet know the exact city I would be in.
The first day of camp, everyone was gathered and welcoming in campers as they arrived. I was in Olivia’s cabin, helping to greet her campers. Then in walked Hana, who happened to be placed in my sister’s cabin. Olivia and I glanced at her and immediately locked wide eyes with each other. Even her initial presence filled us both to the brim with wonder. She was physically beautiful, but there was also something about her spirit, or rather The Spirit within her, that was completely captivating.
I mostly failed in my duties as Cabin Mom that week because I was so captivated by the campers and what was happening at camp that I couldn’t help but follow them around everywhere. I just had to at least try to fully soak in the love of the Father that was pouring out through these children. I loved every one of the campers I met at camp that week, but Hana most fully stole my heart.
One evening, there was a camp-wide activity being held in their main camp meeting building, but Hana was not very interested in what was happening inside. She began to cry and tried to push through her counselors in order get to the door. Finally, Olivia told them to just let her out and see where she wanted to go. Hana burst through the door and went outside, but only for a few seconds before she turned around and went back inside. Slightly confused, her counselor followed her back inside, shutting the door behind her. As soon as the door clicked closed, Hana began to cry again and ran back outside. This continued a couple more times, and finally Olivia realized that Hana just wanted the door to stay open. So she opened the door once more, and Hana sat in-between the doorway so that this time it would remain open. I had no idea how the Lord would soon speak to me through witnessing that moment.
Hana and Olivia at Camp Blessing
Camp passed all too quickly, but I still held onto Hana’s spirit deep in my heart, with hopes that I might see her again. A few weeks after camp, and a few weeks before launching for the race, I received an email that held the contents of our ministry information for Month 1. We have six teams within our squad, that would all be scattered about the country. I opened my team’s ministry document to find that we had been placed in Novi Sad, Serbia. My heart leapt with utter joy. I would see Hana again.
I immediately contacted the Camp Blessing staff in order to get her family’s contact information. I was able to reach Hana’s parents, Greg and Jelena, via email and tell them that I would not only be in their country, but in their home city within weeks. They so graciously invited me and my team to spend time with their family, but said they would still be traveling through most of August and we would have to find a time closer to the end of our stay. Meanwhile, I fell madly in love with the city of Novi Sad, where the Spirit was so profoundly dripping with glory. We began to approach the last few days of our first month and Hana’s family finally returned to Novi Sad and invited me and my team to their home. That morning, I received a message from my dear friend and fellow racer, Paige, whose ministry was to serve at a camp in Belgrade for the month. She told me that her team was going to be in Novi Sad for the day because they met a couple at camp who invited them to their home. She said their names were Greg and Jelena. As it turns out, Paige got to serve as a counselor at a special needs camp in Belgrade and spent the entire week by Hana’s side.
Jelena came to pick me up from the church we were staying at and I jumped in the back seat with Hana, so overcome by her stunning presence. I could hardly believe I was sitting next to the same girl who had just stolen my heart in Texas, and we were now meeting once again half way across the world.
Shortly after we arrived at their home, Paige’s team walked in and both of our teams of seven greeted each other with great surprise and deep joy. Paige and I locked wide-eyes, just as Olivia and I had just weeks ago when we first encountered precious Hana. I was perfectly overwhelmed. I attempted to disclose my heart to Paige, but words just seemed to return void and I instead found myself in an expression of tears. Tears of purest joy.
During our time together, we all sat around in a large circle on the chairs and floor of their living room, with empty pizza boxes and coffee cups scattered about. Greg and Jelena asked each of us to share a highlight from our first month and what the Lord had taught us through it. My heart began to speed up and I knew I had to try and convey just how captivating their daughter is. I hardly remember what I said, but I was able to attempt to profess the beauty Hana carries and how evident the Spirit is within her. A kiss from Jesus to this world.
Meeting Hana in Serbia!
Before we left that evening, Jelena asked me if I would like to babysit Hana the next day. Of course I said yes without even thinking twice. I was overjoyed. I was going to get to see Hana once again. So the next day, my teammate Emily and I got to travel back to their village and babysit Hana and spend time with Hana’s older sister, Sara. We listened to lots of Taylor Swift, laughed, ate ice cream, and even danced together. The evening passed all too quickly and it was already time for bed. Hana fell asleep fairly quickly and the rest of us followed close behind her.
I was staying in the room right next to Hana’s and come 1:45 AM, Hana came bursting through my door, flung my sheets off of me, and pulled me out of bed. I tried taking her back to her bed and shutting the door to my room, but within seconds, the door came swinging open once again. I tried this a few more times, but quickly realized that Hana would not relent. She continued to run in and out of my room for most of the night and finally settled at about 5 or 6 in the morning. I woke up that morning with Hana peacefully in my arms and the door wide open.
Hana has a way of inviting the heavenly places to pierce the earth. Just as she sat between the doorway at camp, and did not let the door to my room remain shut. Hana was inviting the heavenly places to come in. On earth as it is in heaven.
I have been praying for the Lord to kiss my eyes, to give me a heavenly perspective so that I might see what he sees. My Father kissed me so very tenderly this week and graciously allowed me to see his daughter Hana the way he sees her. Then he revealed to me that this is how he sees all of his children, and this is how he sees me.
I am still blown away by every detail that was so finely coordinated by the Almighty One and the way the Spirit burst forth through the open doors with such powerful light. The heavenly places are dripping more and more into the depths of my heart and I am tasting the sweetness of it and witnessing with my very eyes the wonder of it all. And oh, this is only the beginning.
