"I'll be home for Christmas..."

(I apologize for the gap of time in between posts this fall. A quick update on my computer situation -- I will hopefully be receiving my new power cord in the mail tomorrow and my computer should be running if all goes well!)

A very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that this time with family and friends has been a blessed time, a time of joy and laughter but also a time of reflection as we remember Christ being born into this world.

This Christmas has been a very different one for me this year. As you may already know simply because you have not seen me - I have spent this Christmas in SW Germany. It was something that from the beginning I was looking forward to. I was excited for spending this holiday in Germany because I would get the chance to experience how this country celebrates. While there were definite times of homesickness and wanting to be with my family it was also really neat to be in Germany for the holidays.
A good friend of mine told me not to think about all the traditions I was missing with my family as they happened, but to be excited about all the new ones we were making in our new home here.

Kandern had a Christmas Markt about once a week for the few weeks leading up to Christmas. Here there were lots of great German foods (wurst, goulash, kinder punsch, waffles) and there were also bands and choirs that performed Christmas carols. They would close off main street and set this all up along with big tree trunks that were upright and on fire! It was lots of fun!

My roommate, Courtney, back from Lethbridge times has been living in Scotland this past year to study abroad. On Christmas Eve she flew into Basel to spend Christmas with me! It has been really nice, especially since both of my roommates in Germany have been gone for the Christmas break.

For Christmas day we were invited over to the Storch dorm (where I dorm sub when the students are here). The dorm parents had all their kids there, as well as many of us who weren't with their families for Christmas. It was so great to have this time together and to celebrate the birth of Christ! We had lots of fun reconnecting (as some there were dorm staff and we share very opposite school schedules), eating amazing food and playing games together.

After coming home from a great evening with friends, Courtney and I both called our families, brought out the Christmas cookies and watched "A Christmas Story."

All in all - a great day!

I hope and pray that as we continue on in this Christmas Season and will soon be entering back into our busy schedules, that we will have spirits like Mary did. In Luke 1:35 she says "I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered, 'May it be to me as you have said." May the Lord be at work in our lives in 2011 and use us in ways that we could never possibly imagine.

Blessings in the midst of trials

As many of you know, I have had some health issues in the past few weeks. It has been hard as we still don't know what the underlying problem is. I have tested our German health care to its finest in the last two weeks. I have had blood work done, an ultrasound and most recently, a gastroscopy, among many other general doctors appointments.

It has been a trying time, not only because I haven't been feeling well, but because Christmastime is one of my favourite times of the year and there are so many exciting things going on.

In some of this down time I have had I have been thinking a lot about what God wants me to learn from this. Something that has been on my heart the last few days is that even though it hasn't been an easy few weeks, God is still good and there are still blessings in the midst of trials:

1. It's a huge blessing that after two weeks of being sick, and still not knowing what is wrong that I feel so encouraged. I know that so many people back home and here, have been lifting me up in prayer and continue to do so. While it's still frustrating not knowing what is wrong, I know that God is good and He has a plan and purpose for this. I appreciate and have definitely noticed a difference in people praying for and over me. I appreciate it so much. Thank you!

2. I am been so blessed to have a roommate who has stayed up late with me on painful nights, has made numerous phone calls, and has taken me to many appointments - among so many other things! I appreciate her encouragement and support during these hard days. I am so thankful for her!

3. Most of all - I know that satan is trying to overcome me and defeat me in this, he is trying to make living here difficult - but that is just another indication that this is EXACTLY where I am supposed to be and am so encouraged by that. It's still hard, but no one said it was going to be easy.

I hope that this Christmas Season you remember the reason we celebrate and are able to find blessings in the midst of trials.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your fath develops persevance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

Sugar Cookies at Storch!

Every Monday night I head over to the dorm, Storchenblick for a few short hours. Dinner together is first on the agenda, and is one of the only times during the day that almost all of the dorm is together in one room. 

After dinner the students do gratis' (chores) and have study hours from 7:30-9:30. Usually during this time I walk the halls helping with homework, get lunch prep ready or bake. 

Tonight was spent mostly on baking. I turned on the Christmas music and away I went. Two hours passed and I had made about 90 sugar cookies. Half were put away for a homeless shelter fundraiser and the rest were put out on the counter. I had also made some brown sugar icing and set out sprinkles for a fun topping. Within 45 minutes of the girls coming down from studying hard, there was not a crumb left. I would have taken a picture but they disappeared just so fast :)

While I sit at home feeling somewhat tired from a long day - I can't help but feel overjoyed. It was incredible just standing back and watching as the girls (and dorm brother) ate cookies and laughed together. There wasn't any special planned activity going on - they were just experiencing day to day life together. I am so blessed to be able to join them in this. 

This is just one more thing I am so thankful for in this amazing place. Thank you so much to all of you who have made it possible for me to be here. I can't imagine being anywhere else. 

"Yah this is home, now im finally where I belong" (Switchfoot) 

Not right or wrong, just different!

This phrase is one we have come to say over and over again as we experience new things in Germany. 

I wanted to give you a "Winter Comparison" to give you an idea of where I am living now, and where I come from.

This was today in Germany:

This was this week back home, in Southern, Alberta (Canada):

It seems so strange to me to be walking outside in just a long-sleeve shirt and jeans in late November. While it is different (not wrong, or right), I have come to appreciate the longer fall weather we have. It's another example of how intricately designed our world is, and how God put so much incredible detail into His creation - even just the difference in country climates is all so complex. 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

(Genesis 1:1) 

My first American Thanksgiving!

Last night Heather and I were invited to Storch's Dorm Thanksgiving. There were about 40 of us seated at a long table in the kitchen. I could have sat back and just watched for hours. There were a variety of conversations going on, many filled with laughter and smiles. While this group of people consisted of teacheres, students, dorm staff, and friends - there was indeed a family feel to it all.

We ate far too much - but that's what you do on Thanksgiving, right? We had a variety of things that I am used to - like turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream! A few things that were new to me this year were: fresh apple juice, bean casserole and candy pilgrim hats!

All in all it was a wonderful way to celebrate what God has done for us!

Looking forward to two more Thanksgiving dinners in the next week with friends!

                                                 Great is Thy faithfulness!

                                                 Great is Thy faithfulness!
                                       Morning by morning new mercies I see.
                                     All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
                                      Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!



"Getting back to what matters..."

This is what numerous posters around campus say. Every Thursday morning at 8:00 there is student led worship in the auditorium. This morning was the first morning I was able to attend. There were 17 students who were also at school early for this.

We sang:

All Who Are Thirsty 

None But Jesus

Never Let Me Go

God Of This City

In The Secret

The Heart of Worship

I was the only staff member there and it was amazing to watch these students come in early to school to worship. There were 3 students who led  in prayer, singing and in reading the Word. It was a great time to not only worship with the students but to see them laying down their day before Christ. It was so encouraging and powerful to see the passion that these kids have for Christ.

Please continue to be praying for these students as many earnestly seek Christ and others still seek out what that means. 

A Thankful Heart

It seems appropriate to end this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with writing about the many things I am so thankful for.

My heart is truly overflowing right now and like so many of my other posts it seems hard to really articulate just what that feels like.

Today I started back in the Front Office after having all of last week off. As many of you know last Monday (October 4) I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. Seems like a crazy thing to be thankful for - but I am. I had been in so much pain for the few weeks before that I didn't even feel like myself. I was also able to have my surgery 10 days before I originally had thought and that in itself was a major blessing.

I am so thankful for friends, friends who care about me and really took it upon themselves to care for me when I was out last week. To not be at home with my family during a time like this I thought was going to be really hard. And while there were times when I wished I was at home - there wasn't anything that the girls didn't do for me last week. I was encouraged with cards, gifts, books, flowers, and songs (just to name a few). They were so good to me. For them I am thankful.

I am thankful for the opportunity of living and serving in SouthWestern Germany. Some days I have to pinch and remind myself that this is not a dream. I get to work in a Front Office doing what I love, I get to hang out and love on students, and I am surrounded by a community of amazing staff who come from all over the world. Wow.

These are just a few things that I am so truly thankful for. God has blessed me with so many amazing "moments" that I am also thankful for. A few of them being:
-stargazing
-Sunday afternoon worship
-German church
-Canadian Thanksgiving (I was even able to eat the entire meal!!!)

Again, my heart is truly overflowing - and my prayer is that I would use that overflow to fill someone else up. We are the body of Christ and we are all in this together.