Me, Myself, and I

I decided to start a blog even though I vowed that I never would. I had been thinking about it for a while, when my friend Kenzie asked me, "Elissa, why don't you blog? You'd have so many stories to tell." I thought, "Why not?" and here I am. 

I am Elissa Ann Raatz and I am 17 years old. Over half my life now, I have lived overseas as a Missionary Kid--an MK. Where you ask? Moldova. And where is that you ask? Well, Moldova is a small country. It is sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. It is above the Black Sea and in Eastern Europe. It is a one hour plane ride to Istanbul, Turkey, a 3 day drive to Germany, and about 6,000 miles away from the center of the USA. It has been my home for 10 years now and I love Moldova. 

Along with my love for Moldova, I love a multitude of other things. 

I love and adore books. Mostly the Christian romance fiction kind, but I can be found reading other types. I'm a hopeless romantic and become very attached to the main characters in the books I read. Just reading about Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables makes me giddy. That said, I am loyal to every character that I fall hopelessly in love with. I defend them well when I am teased mercilessly by the rest of my family. They just don't understand how wonderful Todd Spencer really is, or how amazing of a guy Gilbert Blythe is. 

I also have a fond appreciation for music. I play the violin and have for about 9 years. I love it. However, I must say that I play through classical pieces with as much excitement as I can muster--which isn't much. But, give me a fiddle piece, and I'll work my tail off trying to perfect it. My love goes deep for the Celtic, Scottish and American folk music. 

I love being an MK. I love most everything about it. I can't imagine not living overseas. Being an MK has offered so many unique experiences. I've seen cool things and gone to some pretty amazing places. Of course, there are those things that will never receive any of the love I have to dish out. "Squatty potties" and the horrible, awful smell of our neighbor's homemade moonshine brewing in the fall, will never be on my list of "Things I love as an MK." 

But, one of the things I like best about being a missionary kid is seeing what God is doing in these places. Lives are changed through the ministries that we do. It is a blessing to be able to show God's love. 

In addition to all my other loves, I love spring in Moldova. I love the peaches we can get in August. I love the hot, carefree days of summer. I love the mountains. I adore cowboy boots. I love dresses. And, I especially love cowboy boots with dresses. I love my crazy family. I love my wonderful and caring mom. I love my dad, who is always there for me. I love my younger sister, Natalie, who is a beautiful and thoughtful girl. And, I love my littlest sister, Lauren, who is the logical, funny, baby of the family. Oh, and let's not forget Gracie, the Mini-Schnauzer who thinks she is a princess. 

So, there is a little bit about me and I can't wait to get to know all of you. I am excited to begin to share with you guys all of my stories and the lessons that I have learned from my side of the world.