Iowa and the cute little towns of Sully and Pella
I had the opportunity to visit my good friends from the Bible College, Nathan and Elizabeth Van Wyk, who live in the town of Sully in Iowa. It was really nice reconnecting with them and seeing where God is leading them in their lives. They met at the Greek Bible College and now they are married so it was different seeing them as a married couple, but it made perfect since they are absolutely a great match!
I stayed with Nathan’s mom, Jaci, whose company I enjoyed very much and just loved hearing her share stories. Her laughter will definitely be one of those things I’ll remember and smile whenever I think of her!
I also was given the chance to share with a group of teenagers on one night and then at a local church the following night where people came and heard me share about Cyprus and what God is doing there. In both cases people seemed to be really interested in Cyprus and asked questions wanting to know more about Cyprus in general and the ministry work there. The people really encouraged me and I know they will keep me and the work in Cyprus in their prayers and to me that’s one of the greatest blessings you can experience.
One of the things I definitely consider a blessing in disguise is hanging out with Kathryn De Penning. We had only met once in the past but hardly had the chance to talk properly and so meeting up with her now was almost like getting to know her for the first time. She attended the Bible College a year after I graduated so it was a lot of fun sharing experiences and talking about our love for the Greek people in general. I loved seeing how evident her love for God is and I felt really blessed just by spending time with her.
She took me to a nearby town called Pella where a lot of people who live their came from the Netherlands so it is very much Dutch looking. It was also tulip season and so the whole town was covered in tulips. It was really beautiful. (I have attached pictures so you can also see some of the tulips).
Overall I had a great time in Iowa and absolutely loved reconnecting with people and seeing where they are at. I was truly encouraged and glad that I added Iowa into my plans.
Thank you for your continuous prayers and encouraging messages.
God bless you,
Anastasia
P.S. I also tried deer meat for the first time and it was really good.
