Greetings in Jesus' name!
It is hard to believe that I have been here for a week and a half. It seems like I have been here for a long time because I feel right at home. Let me give you the rundown on what has been going on!
First of all, God has been so good in regards to how he has been using the teachings to minister to my life. One of the first teachings was on Catholics and Protestants. It was an engaging discussion as I realized I had a lot of misconceptions about the Catholic faith. From that lecture I learned that Catholics and Protestants have a lot in common. Regardless of some of the differences in how we carry out the church service and view church, we still come together on the central meaning of why we gather together and that is to worship God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Restorer. It has become one my heart's desire to see the divide between the Protestant and Catholic faith weaken in the name of Jesus. We also had lectures on Hearing God's voice and Intimacy with God. Both were very interesting discussions and the Lord has revealed himself in a powerful way. God is speaking and pouring over his deep love for me as well as his strong desire for me to go deeper with him. I am excited about the intimacy that God and I are fomring together. it is my prayer that I will know the heartbeat of God.
Everyday is scheduled almost to the max. Let me give you an idea of what a typical day is like. Wake up around 7:15. Have breakfast at 7:30. Quiet time from 8-9 a.m. Praise and worship/ Lecture 9-10:30. Coffee/Tea break 10:30-11...mmmm tea! Lecture 11-12:30. Lunch 1:00-2:00- We eat the traditonal slovak lunch which is soup and then the main course. Lunch is the main meal so we always have some form of potatoes as well as salad and some form of meat- usually its chicken or pork. Small group 2-3pm.. Work duties 3:30-5. Right now my work duty is to wash, dry and put away the lunch dishes. This is a lot of dishes! Thankfully, there is usually someone who graciously helps me which i appreciate greatly and I usually have wonderful in-depth talks with whoever helps me. It sure makes the job a lot more fun! Supper 6-7. At night the activities vary from intercession, lecture, local outreach and time to do assignments. Its quite the day, but its so worth it! Usually in my free time, I walk wiht some friends the 2 minutes to the historic downtown square. It is absolutely beautiful. The architecture is victorian style. I feel like I am walking the streets in a dream. Its wonderful! There are some wonderful shops in the downtown as well as some tasty ice cream shops that I am enjoying from time to time!
On the weekends we are free do whatever. This past weekend Ad, the base leader, planned an all day trip to an ice cave, hiking in slovak paradise and going to the oldest castle ruins in Europe. Unfortunately the ice cave was closed. However that gave us more time to hike in Slovak paradise which was gorgeous. Its in eastern Slovakia which is a 2 hour drive. We hiked for a good 3 hours. The surroundings were beatiful. There were waterfalls everywhere and we had to climb up steel ladders to get around them. Ahhhh it was absolutely breathtaking! The castle ruins were incredible. I couldn't believe how massive it was. I thoroughly enjoyed adventuring through the castle with the group. It has always been a dream of mine to go to a caslte and I am so happy it came true!
The community life has been incredible. We have so much fun together! Some highlights are having every meal together and having stimulating discussions about our cultures, the lectures, God, our families and friends, etc. At one meal time, I learned how to eat the proper European way with a fork in the left hand and knife in the right hand. I must say I am a bit awkard at this, but I am learning! Hopefully by the time I come home I will have the best table manners in Michigan! Another meal time I provided some excitement when I began to choke on some rice that went down the wrong tube. Thankfully, Andres, my friend from Sweden, performed the Heimlech manuever and the rice came flying out! It was defintiely a scary experience but I praise God for saving my life through the help of Andres!
At night time if we don't have anything planned, we hang out as a group and do fun things like have a dance party slovak style! We learned a slovak dance and then the Americans taught the electric slide. It was night full of laughs, sweat and great memories! Another night the Lord led us into a time of praying for each other, anointing the building we live in and its rooms- we did this to signify that this place belongs to God and that wherever we are we want to recognize we are in the presence of God and desire to grow deeper with him. We also had a praise and worship time. It was a powerful night! It was incredible to intercede as a team for each other and for the work that God wants to do in Banska Bystrica. What a blessing to be a part of the family of God!
This week the theme is Worship. Jon Dejong is our guest speaker. He is widely known for his talent in the acoustic guitar and song writing as well as for his desire for people to worship God. His definition of worship is the expression of a submissive relationship with God- Father, Son and Spirit. His teachings have been thought-provoking and inspiring.
Thank-you for all the prayers that you have lifted up to the Lord on my behalf. I have felt and seen them answered in a mighty way. Please ferevently keep me in your prayers.
Pray:
-for God to continue to give me a teachable spirit that is open to everything that is taught and that I will apply it to my life
- for God to continue to bless me with deep friendships.
- for my whole being to be aware of Gods presence and His voice and to listen when He speaks- that I will know the heartbeat of God.
Praise God:
-for the frienships that I am forming.
-for this amazing opportunity. I feel so blessed.
-for being a God who designed us to be dependent upon him. A God who craves intimacy with his sons and daughters. A God who is mighty and so worthy of praise!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
My traveling adventures to Banska Bystrica, Slovakia
Ahoj from Slovakia!
It took a car, two planes, bus, van and 3 days for me to arrive in Banska Bystrica. I did not expect that the journey would take this long, but it was all worth it. Let me explain the crazy 3 days of travel and how God was my travel companion.
It all began in Grand Rapids where I left by car with my parents to drive to the O’Hare airport in Chicago. It was an enjoyabl e ride and amazingly we never ran into traffic so it only took us 3 ½ hours! Now this is actually almost a miracle because I have a friend who lives only 10 miles from the O’Hare airport and she says that sometimes it takes her an hour and a half to get to the airport! Also, we arrived around 4:30 which is near rush hour so God definitely was guiding us through and pushing all the cars out of the way so that we could get through!!:)
My plane wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8 p.m. so that left plenty of time for me to spend with my parents and to call some of my friends and family to say one final goodbye. It was such an exhilarating feeling to step onto the plane and to know that when it landed I was going to be in Europe! The flight went well although as always the food on the plane tasted a bit like plastic, but thankfully the seats were semi-comfortable so I was able to get some sleep.
When I stepped off the plane into the Amsterdam airport, I was disappointed to see that it was raining and cold because I had wanted to go into the city since I had an 8 hour layover. However, I had an enjoyable 8 hours in the airport adventuring through the many shops and taking advantage of the comfy chair sections where I took a little snooze and journaled. Being in my motherland I decided I had to treat myself to their wonderful delicacies like gouda cheese, toberlone chocolate and biscuit bread. Despite being alone, I knew God was with me. His peace, love, protection and presence were so thick. I absolutely loved it. I was so content.
With God as my travel companion, we left at around 6 p.m. from Amsterdam and arrived in Vienna around 8 o’clock. As soon as I got into the airport, I was instantly aware of the thick smoke cloud that covered everything. I couldn’t help but cough and hope that my lungs would survive! After I got my luggage I ventured off to find out where my bus to Bratislava was located. Well this turned out to be a very frustrating and intense experience. Let me explain. When I got the bus schedule from the tourist info place, I realized that there was more than one bus stop in Bratislava. Immediately I began to panic and fear entered my heart because I didn’t know which one Peter, a former YWAM leader was going to pick me up at. So I decided to call Ad my YWAM leader. Simple, right? Wrong. I had troubles using the pay phone and the tourist info people were not very helpful. Apparently, my panic was noticeable because an older gentlemen asked me if I wanted to use his phone. I wasn’t going to turn his offer down. Unfortunately the call didn’t go through. So I went back to the pay phones to call again, but once again it failed. By this time my eyes were filled with tears and I slumped down onto a nearby chair. I felt defeated, lonely and completely hopeless. However, this soon came to pass after I recalled the words an encouraging note a friend had me open when I arrived in Vienna. The words were from God saying “ I with you always. I am your protector and provider. I will never fail you.” I clung to these truths and in desperation asked the Lord to help me. He heeded my cry and I went up to the pay phone to try again and I got through to Ad! Praise God! Words cannot begin to express the relief, comfort and peace I felt after I spoke with Ad. Knowing which bus stop I should get off at, I relaxed in the airport for an hour until my bus arrived. Then I rode the hour to Bratislava and got picked up by Peter at 11:30p.m. Then we went to Marta’s, a former YWAMer where I was warmly welcomed and stayed the night.
On Saturday, I slept in and hung out with Marta at a seminar in the afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture until jet lag began to kick in. So I went in the back and slept on the couches for 4 hours! In the evening I got picked up by Steve, one of my DTS leaders , and by Tony one of the students. From there we went to IKEA to get dinner and then we went to the Bratistlava airport to pick up a staff member and then finally we headed to Banska Bystrica. We arrived at the school at 12:15 p.m. and boy was I exhausted. I was so thrilled to finally see my room, especially my bed so I could finally get some good rest after travelling for 3 days.
So thats my travel adventure to Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. Praise be to God for guiding and protecting me!
It took a car, two planes, bus, van and 3 days for me to arrive in Banska Bystrica. I did not expect that the journey would take this long, but it was all worth it. Let me explain the crazy 3 days of travel and how God was my travel companion.
It all began in Grand Rapids where I left by car with my parents to drive to the O’Hare airport in Chicago. It was an enjoyabl e ride and amazingly we never ran into traffic so it only took us 3 ½ hours! Now this is actually almost a miracle because I have a friend who lives only 10 miles from the O’Hare airport and she says that sometimes it takes her an hour and a half to get to the airport! Also, we arrived around 4:30 which is near rush hour so God definitely was guiding us through and pushing all the cars out of the way so that we could get through!!:)
My plane wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8 p.m. so that left plenty of time for me to spend with my parents and to call some of my friends and family to say one final goodbye. It was such an exhilarating feeling to step onto the plane and to know that when it landed I was going to be in Europe! The flight went well although as always the food on the plane tasted a bit like plastic, but thankfully the seats were semi-comfortable so I was able to get some sleep.
When I stepped off the plane into the Amsterdam airport, I was disappointed to see that it was raining and cold because I had wanted to go into the city since I had an 8 hour layover. However, I had an enjoyable 8 hours in the airport adventuring through the many shops and taking advantage of the comfy chair sections where I took a little snooze and journaled. Being in my motherland I decided I had to treat myself to their wonderful delicacies like gouda cheese, toberlone chocolate and biscuit bread. Despite being alone, I knew God was with me. His peace, love, protection and presence were so thick. I absolutely loved it. I was so content.
With God as my travel companion, we left at around 6 p.m. from Amsterdam and arrived in Vienna around 8 o’clock. As soon as I got into the airport, I was instantly aware of the thick smoke cloud that covered everything. I couldn’t help but cough and hope that my lungs would survive! After I got my luggage I ventured off to find out where my bus to Bratislava was located. Well this turned out to be a very frustrating and intense experience. Let me explain. When I got the bus schedule from the tourist info place, I realized that there was more than one bus stop in Bratislava. Immediately I began to panic and fear entered my heart because I didn’t know which one Peter, a former YWAM leader was going to pick me up at. So I decided to call Ad my YWAM leader. Simple, right? Wrong. I had troubles using the pay phone and the tourist info people were not very helpful. Apparently, my panic was noticeable because an older gentlemen asked me if I wanted to use his phone. I wasn’t going to turn his offer down. Unfortunately the call didn’t go through. So I went back to the pay phones to call again, but once again it failed. By this time my eyes were filled with tears and I slumped down onto a nearby chair. I felt defeated, lonely and completely hopeless. However, this soon came to pass after I recalled the words an encouraging note a friend had me open when I arrived in Vienna. The words were from God saying “ I with you always. I am your protector and provider. I will never fail you.” I clung to these truths and in desperation asked the Lord to help me. He heeded my cry and I went up to the pay phone to try again and I got through to Ad! Praise God! Words cannot begin to express the relief, comfort and peace I felt after I spoke with Ad. Knowing which bus stop I should get off at, I relaxed in the airport for an hour until my bus arrived. Then I rode the hour to Bratislava and got picked up by Peter at 11:30p.m. Then we went to Marta’s, a former YWAMer where I was warmly welcomed and stayed the night.
On Saturday, I slept in and hung out with Marta at a seminar in the afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture until jet lag began to kick in. So I went in the back and slept on the couches for 4 hours! In the evening I got picked up by Steve, one of my DTS leaders , and by Tony one of the students. From there we went to IKEA to get dinner and then we went to the Bratistlava airport to pick up a staff member and then finally we headed to Banska Bystrica. We arrived at the school at 12:15 p.m. and boy was I exhausted. I was so thrilled to finally see my room, especially my bed so I could finally get some good rest after travelling for 3 days.
So thats my travel adventure to Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. Praise be to God for guiding and protecting me!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Intimacy
First of all, I want to apologize for not updating in a very timely manner. However, I plan to change this behavior so no worries you won't have to go another month and a half without another update!
With that aside, I would like to share how God has been a part of this process especially when it comes to the details. Regarding storing all my stuff which is quite a lot :), I was not very settled with the idea of having to pay $40-$50 a month to have my stuff sit in a storage place for 8 1/2 months. God saw this need and provided a place for me store my stuff for free through a friend's dad who owns office buildings. Not only did I get a free place to store my stuff, my friend and a couple other friends along with my parents helped me move which made it go very quickly. I thank God for my friends who have such beautiful servant hearts.
Not only do I not have to pay for a storage place, but I dont' have to pay for my cell phone because my plan ended in the middle of August and my cell phone company allowed me to pay for one extra month. Praise God that I didn't have to pay a cancellation fee or have to pay a fee to keep my phone going while I am gone!
Slovakia is known for their hiking trails which I am very excited to take full advantage of!However, I was experiencing a lot of knee pain even when I ran for just 10 minutes so I thought there was no way that I would be able to enjoy it. Thankfully, God provided me with free physical therapy through a person that I have mutual friends with. With his kind servant heart and my baking expertise, I was able to get free sessions with him and now I am stronger than ever before. Praise God!
There are many more stories like the above which shows me how God is going to take care of me while I am abroad doing mission work. It is so affirming to watch how God is providing for my every need because I know I am exactly where God wants me to be.
I have felt the love of my family and friends in such beautiful ways in the past few weeks. All i can say is that I love you too and appreciate all the encouraging words and prayers.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I continue to prepare to leave for Slovkia on Thursday. Pray that all the last minute "things to do" will be accomplished. Pray that I will be able to savor each moment from packing to saying goodbye to getting on the airplane. Pray that God will protect me while I travel espcially from the pickpocketers and that I won't have any delays or problems with my airline. Pray that God will give me wisdom and discernment. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
You can praise God with me for being an intimate God who takes care of all our needs. Praise God for creating us as relational beings and blessing us with supportive and loving friends. Praise God for his tender love and amazing grace.
Here is what my travel schedule looks like:
-I fly from Chicago at 8 p.m on Thursday night and arrive in Amsterdam on Friday at 10 in the morning. Then I have an 8 hour layover in which I hope to explore the fresh air of Amsterdam. Next, I fly from Amsterdam at 6 p.m and arrive in Vienna at 8 p.m. Then I take a bus from the airport that leaves at 10:30 and arrives in Bratislava at 11:30 p.m. It is here that I will be picked up by one of my leaders from YWAM. Then I will be travelling by car to Banksa Bystrica which is about a 2-3 hour drive that night or the YWAM leader and I will stay the night in Bratislava and drive to Banska Bystrica the next day. Whew...I sure will be tired!
My next posting will be from Slovakia! Talk to you then!!
With that aside, I would like to share how God has been a part of this process especially when it comes to the details. Regarding storing all my stuff which is quite a lot :), I was not very settled with the idea of having to pay $40-$50 a month to have my stuff sit in a storage place for 8 1/2 months. God saw this need and provided a place for me store my stuff for free through a friend's dad who owns office buildings. Not only did I get a free place to store my stuff, my friend and a couple other friends along with my parents helped me move which made it go very quickly. I thank God for my friends who have such beautiful servant hearts.
Not only do I not have to pay for a storage place, but I dont' have to pay for my cell phone because my plan ended in the middle of August and my cell phone company allowed me to pay for one extra month. Praise God that I didn't have to pay a cancellation fee or have to pay a fee to keep my phone going while I am gone!
Slovakia is known for their hiking trails which I am very excited to take full advantage of!However, I was experiencing a lot of knee pain even when I ran for just 10 minutes so I thought there was no way that I would be able to enjoy it. Thankfully, God provided me with free physical therapy through a person that I have mutual friends with. With his kind servant heart and my baking expertise, I was able to get free sessions with him and now I am stronger than ever before. Praise God!
There are many more stories like the above which shows me how God is going to take care of me while I am abroad doing mission work. It is so affirming to watch how God is providing for my every need because I know I am exactly where God wants me to be.
I have felt the love of my family and friends in such beautiful ways in the past few weeks. All i can say is that I love you too and appreciate all the encouraging words and prayers.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I continue to prepare to leave for Slovkia on Thursday. Pray that all the last minute "things to do" will be accomplished. Pray that I will be able to savor each moment from packing to saying goodbye to getting on the airplane. Pray that God will protect me while I travel espcially from the pickpocketers and that I won't have any delays or problems with my airline. Pray that God will give me wisdom and discernment. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
You can praise God with me for being an intimate God who takes care of all our needs. Praise God for creating us as relational beings and blessing us with supportive and loving friends. Praise God for his tender love and amazing grace.
Here is what my travel schedule looks like:
-I fly from Chicago at 8 p.m on Thursday night and arrive in Amsterdam on Friday at 10 in the morning. Then I have an 8 hour layover in which I hope to explore the fresh air of Amsterdam. Next, I fly from Amsterdam at 6 p.m and arrive in Vienna at 8 p.m. Then I take a bus from the airport that leaves at 10:30 and arrives in Bratislava at 11:30 p.m. It is here that I will be picked up by one of my leaders from YWAM. Then I will be travelling by car to Banksa Bystrica which is about a 2-3 hour drive that night or the YWAM leader and I will stay the night in Bratislava and drive to Banska Bystrica the next day. Whew...I sure will be tired!
My next posting will be from Slovakia! Talk to you then!!
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