Hello everyone,
It seems like it's been a lot of routine things lately, going through shifts and helping people out. I think we've all realized how tired and weary we've become, and for me especially, it's difficult to keep going strong. It's not exactly the repetition of our days and our shifts, but I think the relational aspect has taken its toll on me. It seems like we pour ourselves into people so often, and with so many different people, and then after a couple days they always leave. I never thought I'd get so attached or connected with people (I think I mentioned that before) and it's been strange seeing how sad I am when people leave. I know that a lot of my own strength and energy have been spent, so now I'm just relying on God and his power to work through me. We are all getting very very tired, and as we get more tired, the harder it gets to stay patient and loving with one another, especially when we're ready to return home. But we need to persevere because we expect God to work through our exhaustion and do mighty works in this last week at Bergen and the last 9 days of our whole trip.
We have been able to share the Gospel with a lot of people lately, with groups of people coming in or even just couples or people traveling by themselves. We try to give every traveler the kindness and love that we would have loved to receive (and occasionally did) while we were traveling ourselves. One thing I realized yesterday as I was doing about 8 loads of laundry during my shift yesterday, is the surprise that people show when we as staff show kindness to them. I had forgotten what it was like when we were traveling when we were blessed with free laundry facilities, a great kitchen, kind people to talk to, or just someone who showed an interest in you and what you are doing. I realized that this is what we were doing here, along with sharing the Gospel, we are here to just love people. A couple days ago this really hit me when I had night shift one night, and there was a Metallica concert. A lot of the people in the hostel were planning on going to the concert so I kept the doors open later than usual so they would be able to come back afterward. Several people came stumbling in rather drunk, but in those moments and in the day afterward I began to realize how true it is that God loves every single person, and that he finds value in every single person. I was talking to one of my good friends about this, and he was saying that he often finds it difficult to give patience to these people, almost as if they don't deserve as much love as the respectful, kind, good people do. Because of that conversation I myself had my eyes opened to see that God's love... his UNFAILING love (hesed)... is for every single person. Not much separates us from the person next to us. Culture, family life, values and interests may differ, but at the core we are all human beings who have worth because we are made in God's image and he loves us and called us good. So who am I to decide who deserves more love or more compassion? I, a lowly, selfish, prejudiced person probably do not have the same span of knowledge or insight as God does... I don't know, just a guess.... so why am I making judgments about others or treating others like they don't deserve what I should get?
I don't know, I guess that's still a half formed thought in the middle of being processed. The problem is, now that I know that, I am no longer comfortable in my ignorance (or stubbornness) so I am obliged to live what I learn. That's the hard part.
Please pray that we are able to push through these next 9 days, taking them one day at a time. We are entirely incapable of finishing well without God's provision and strength.
Praises! We have been able to share the Gospel with so many people, and even though some are gone already, we have been in touch and deep conversations are still continuing. Pray especially for Kellie (whose grandmother just died recently, and she's started praying), Jannes (who has had a deeply troubled past and is "99.9% sure" that God exists, is loving, and that there is good and evil), Andor (who keeps asking deep questions and is looking for God to reveal himself in his life), and Marcello (a recent Christian, who is asking some big questions and trying to work out his faith).
Love you all! Go have a large hamburger for me.... and go to the beach if you can!!!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Are you a Mary or a Martha?
Well the last few days have certainly become a mad rush of people, work shifts, and trying to fit sleep in there somewhere. I was able to talk with Andor and Bence a lot more for the time they were here, they were so much fun and really enjoyed hanging around the hostel. When they left everyone was so sad that they had gone, and kept up promises of e-mail and facebooking. A couple nights after they left we had our first completely full night, and it just so happened to be waffle night as well. We have free waffle nights every Monday and Thursday night at 9pm, which always draws a big crowd because of the "free" part and the "food" part. This past Monday was crazy, with about 50 people around the hostel, practically inhaling the waffles as soon as we could make them. With the amount of people checking in, the laundry that needed to be done, and all the other things going on, I was pretty distracted and stressed out. It was nice to finally get off shift at about 10:30 and go downstairs to the quiet and peace of our apartment. I think I was so overwhelmed by everything that was going on that I was unable to see how God was working that night, but the next day we all discussed it at team time (prayer and devotion time). It was incredible to hear how God really had worked that night, despite my own perspective of a crowded house with little opportunity to talk to people. Jenn was able to make waffles with Jannes, a Romanian guy whose been staying here for the past week, and they talked extensively about the Gospel, Christianity and the church. Jeff spent some time with Charlie, a South African guy who was also a Christian, and Justin was able to lead Daniel, a Russian guy, to the Lord that night. Huge things happened during a time when I felt overwhelmed and distracted, which is a testament to how great God is and how he is so much bigger than our own perspective.
Just tonight I've been on night shift, and since we have more than 50 people, I had to stay awake the whole night. I was concerned that I wouldn't have the energy to do so, especially because I have night shift again tomorrow night, but I was able to have 2 very good conversations. The first was with Jannes, for some reason he never sleeps so he hung out with me for a while, and we got to talk about good and evil, the purpose of life, God and a whole bunch of other deep stuff. After his conversation with Jenn the other night, he began reading Mere Christianity, so I think he's been interested in discussing what he's been reading. After talking with him for several hours, there were 3 Spanish guys just hanging out on the bay window talking for what seemed like forever. I wondered why they were up so late and so I sat down with them and started talking. We spoke about Spain and America, differences in culture and family life, and ended up talking about religion, the Catholic church's presence in Spain, faith, and then about relationships and sex. It was so interesting to talk with them, and it was funny because they said they had been wary of coming to a Christian hostel because they were afraid the Gospel would be shoved down their throats. I laughed and said, no, we weren't a whole bunch of nuns and priests walking around in large flowing robes and disallowing anyone from saying curse words or "hell". I think they got a really different perspective of Christianity after our conversation, especially from a Protestant point of view, and I was really glad that they actually listened and participated. One of the things I was most surprised about was the fact that they understood me so clearly when I told them that faith was a personal relationship with God, it wasn't following rules and rituals that were manmade. A lot of times when we share the Gospel with others there is less of an understanding about the personal relationship aspect, and we have to say it a couple times before they actually begin to process it, but these guys totally ate it up and understood completely. We ended up talking until 5am, which was about half an hour ago, just about life things and faith things and relationship things. I always love when people are dying for deeper conversation, because there is so much small talk in the hostel community. Where are you from, where are you traveling, what are you studying, etc etc etc. But I find that so many people are just thirsting for deeper conversation and are oftentimes searching for something greater than they have seen in their lives, and I guess that's why we're here at the Intermission Hostel. We're here for people to talk to us, we willingly bring the conversation to a deeper level and minister to the whole being instead of skimming the surface.
Prayer Requests:
Several people on my team are experiencing discouragement and failed expectations, and others have things going on at home right now that are really tough and are big distractions. Please pray that God continues to work and gives us perseverance, as we've reached a point of weariness and exhaustion. Please pray for people we've shared the Gospel with and with whom we've formed relationships: Fernando, Daniel, Andor, Bence, the Spanish guys (Eduardo, Nicolas, and Pablo), Marcello, Jannes. Please also pray for Kellie, our friend we met in Brussels and who came with us to Berlin. She's a budding Christian, has started praying, but things are really tough for her because her grandmother just passed away.
Praises!
Things have been running pretty smoothly here, and God has been doing some great things. We've been able to share the Gospel with quite a few people here, and we have also touched the lives of many who have been staying here, with God working through us. The Russian guy, Daniel, just became a Christian the night before last night. God is giving plenty of opportunities for deep discussions and question asking.
Just tonight I've been on night shift, and since we have more than 50 people, I had to stay awake the whole night. I was concerned that I wouldn't have the energy to do so, especially because I have night shift again tomorrow night, but I was able to have 2 very good conversations. The first was with Jannes, for some reason he never sleeps so he hung out with me for a while, and we got to talk about good and evil, the purpose of life, God and a whole bunch of other deep stuff. After his conversation with Jenn the other night, he began reading Mere Christianity, so I think he's been interested in discussing what he's been reading. After talking with him for several hours, there were 3 Spanish guys just hanging out on the bay window talking for what seemed like forever. I wondered why they were up so late and so I sat down with them and started talking. We spoke about Spain and America, differences in culture and family life, and ended up talking about religion, the Catholic church's presence in Spain, faith, and then about relationships and sex. It was so interesting to talk with them, and it was funny because they said they had been wary of coming to a Christian hostel because they were afraid the Gospel would be shoved down their throats. I laughed and said, no, we weren't a whole bunch of nuns and priests walking around in large flowing robes and disallowing anyone from saying curse words or "hell". I think they got a really different perspective of Christianity after our conversation, especially from a Protestant point of view, and I was really glad that they actually listened and participated. One of the things I was most surprised about was the fact that they understood me so clearly when I told them that faith was a personal relationship with God, it wasn't following rules and rituals that were manmade. A lot of times when we share the Gospel with others there is less of an understanding about the personal relationship aspect, and we have to say it a couple times before they actually begin to process it, but these guys totally ate it up and understood completely. We ended up talking until 5am, which was about half an hour ago, just about life things and faith things and relationship things. I always love when people are dying for deeper conversation, because there is so much small talk in the hostel community. Where are you from, where are you traveling, what are you studying, etc etc etc. But I find that so many people are just thirsting for deeper conversation and are oftentimes searching for something greater than they have seen in their lives, and I guess that's why we're here at the Intermission Hostel. We're here for people to talk to us, we willingly bring the conversation to a deeper level and minister to the whole being instead of skimming the surface.
Prayer Requests:
Several people on my team are experiencing discouragement and failed expectations, and others have things going on at home right now that are really tough and are big distractions. Please pray that God continues to work and gives us perseverance, as we've reached a point of weariness and exhaustion. Please pray for people we've shared the Gospel with and with whom we've formed relationships: Fernando, Daniel, Andor, Bence, the Spanish guys (Eduardo, Nicolas, and Pablo), Marcello, Jannes. Please also pray for Kellie, our friend we met in Brussels and who came with us to Berlin. She's a budding Christian, has started praying, but things are really tough for her because her grandmother just passed away.
Praises!
Things have been running pretty smoothly here, and God has been doing some great things. We've been able to share the Gospel with quite a few people here, and we have also touched the lives of many who have been staying here, with God working through us. The Russian guy, Daniel, just became a Christian the night before last night. God is giving plenty of opportunities for deep discussions and question asking.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sleep? What's that?
It has been so hard for me lately to make myself get up and write this blog. There is so much to write about, and finding time in between shifts and sleep has been interesting.
Intermission Hostel in Bergen, Norway is a relatively small, cozy Christian hostel located about 10 minutes from the harbor and the Fish Market. There is a large dormitory with about 65 beds, a well supplied kitchen, and a common area with big comfy couches, a large table, a piano and a couple of guitars lying around. The common room is definitely my favorite, with large old windows which open up to the cool breeze coming through. Its very light and airy, and has some interesting Scandinavian furniture, tall tables with stools, low chairs, and lots of places to congregate and talk. I must admit, the dormitory is a little bit stark and not as comfortable as I imagined, but the community atmosphere definitely makes up for it. The building from the outside looks like an old, white typical Norwegian home with decorative trim and the white paint chipping off the windows. We live in an apartment downstairs that has 3 very small bedrooms, a kitchen, den area and one bathroom. It took a little getting used to, sharing a bathroom with 5 other people, but I think we've finally got the hang of things. We also made a work schedule with 4 shifts. Morning shift is from 7-3, and includes cleaning, checking people out, making sure breakfast is running smoothly, and just sitting at the desk being in charge. The Cleaning shift is a person who just helps with the cleaning when the hostel is locked up for the midday. We close from 11-3 so we can clean the hostel and have team time together. The cleaning shift also makes lunch for the day, the one meal we all eat together downstairs. The Afternoon shift is from 3-10, and consists mostly of checking people in, setting out afternoon tea and biscuits, and doing lots and lots of laundry. The Night shift is the most interesting, from 10-7. We pretty much hang out until 12 or 1, depending on if its a weekday or a weekend, to lock up the hostel at night. We have to count money and then are free to sleep for a few hours before going to the train station in the morning for the incoming 7am train from Oslo. We go there with a dorky Intermission Hostel sign in case anyone needed a place to stay, they could come with us. I think if I were a person getting off that train, I would be a little frightened of coming to our hostel, because I think we all look groggy eyed and not very friendly that early in the morning, especially after a late night. We have 2 days off a week, and we rotate through the whole schedule so we always have changing schedules.
I found that after the first nervousness of getting used to it all, helping people in and out, and making sure everything is running smoothly, its really a good job. Its fun because a lot of people will come just to talk to you, unless of course you look big and scary and like you are so sick of people that you just want to be left alone. While we were traveling for all of last month, I noticed things that I appreciated and liked in other hostels, and one of the things I liked was when the people running the hostel would just come over and talk with you. It's always interesting to get to know other people, so I love to be open and willing to hang out with other travelers. It has taken some time for my body to rest and get used to a relatively normal schedule, staying in one place and having the same bed, but I think I'm finally relaxing and settling in here.
Last night I had the night shift. Earlier in the day I was feeling really sick, with headaches, body aches, sore throat and just really tired, so I knew that it was only by the grace of God that I would make it through that shift. I figured I would lock the doors, hurry count money and just go to bed. Apparently God had other plans. After a couple of hours on shift, most everyone had cleared out and gone to bed. Two Australian guys were unabashedly hitting on two Swiss girls, which from my perspective, was entirely amusing. I totally knew what was going on the whole time, and it was fun feeling like a fly on the wall, listening in to their conversation the whole time while pretending to do official things. It was great. I couldn't help but smirk several times at what they were saying, I hope they didn't notice me. Another guy was by himself in the common room just playing the guitar. He had been talking with a French girl, Colle, earlier, but she had left to go to bed. He was playing along with the music I was playing (OneRepublic, great album!!!) on the guitar for a while, and then he was quiet for a really long time. I had met him earlier, his name was Andor and he and his friend (whose name starts with a B) were from Budapest, Hungary. He seems very thoughtful and quiet, so I walked over with my tea, plopped down on the couch and asked him what he was thinking about. Suddenly he just opened up, like his thoughts were overflowing and he just needed to get them out. He told me about how as an Eastern European traveling in a Western European culture, he found that a lot of people look down on him because he comes from a poor country. He was surprised that this would even happen, that people would see him as less just because of where he came from. He ended up venting as I listened, pitching in once in a while, but letting him do most of the talking. He was too bothered to go to sleep when he finished, so we basically sat around for 4 hours talking about life, family, religion, travel and culture. Pretty much we talked about everything. The best part of the conversation was when I told him about what we were doing here, how we're from a Christian college and we're here to share what we believe with others. This led to a conversation about his own searching, and how he's interested in researching different religions. There was my cue. In my head I was praying, Ok God, here I go, you're just going to have to speak through me because it's really late\really early in the morning. I asked him if I could share what I believe, and he was totally open and ready to listen. So God opened a way for me to share the Gospel message with him, about God's love for mankind, Jesus Christ's sacrifice and how we are now called to live a live in a relationship with him. He listened, and told me about his own beliefs so far, but there weren't any probing questions or intense interest. After that conversation when he finally grew tired enough to get to bed, I prayed the whole night that God would touch him, pull at his heart and open up his eyes to the truth. Andor is staying here for one more night, maybe a couple more if we can convince him and his friend, but I'm praying desperately that God would work in mighty ways and show himself to Andor.
Intermission Hostel in Bergen, Norway is a relatively small, cozy Christian hostel located about 10 minutes from the harbor and the Fish Market. There is a large dormitory with about 65 beds, a well supplied kitchen, and a common area with big comfy couches, a large table, a piano and a couple of guitars lying around. The common room is definitely my favorite, with large old windows which open up to the cool breeze coming through. Its very light and airy, and has some interesting Scandinavian furniture, tall tables with stools, low chairs, and lots of places to congregate and talk. I must admit, the dormitory is a little bit stark and not as comfortable as I imagined, but the community atmosphere definitely makes up for it. The building from the outside looks like an old, white typical Norwegian home with decorative trim and the white paint chipping off the windows. We live in an apartment downstairs that has 3 very small bedrooms, a kitchen, den area and one bathroom. It took a little getting used to, sharing a bathroom with 5 other people, but I think we've finally got the hang of things. We also made a work schedule with 4 shifts. Morning shift is from 7-3, and includes cleaning, checking people out, making sure breakfast is running smoothly, and just sitting at the desk being in charge. The Cleaning shift is a person who just helps with the cleaning when the hostel is locked up for the midday. We close from 11-3 so we can clean the hostel and have team time together. The cleaning shift also makes lunch for the day, the one meal we all eat together downstairs. The Afternoon shift is from 3-10, and consists mostly of checking people in, setting out afternoon tea and biscuits, and doing lots and lots of laundry. The Night shift is the most interesting, from 10-7. We pretty much hang out until 12 or 1, depending on if its a weekday or a weekend, to lock up the hostel at night. We have to count money and then are free to sleep for a few hours before going to the train station in the morning for the incoming 7am train from Oslo. We go there with a dorky Intermission Hostel sign in case anyone needed a place to stay, they could come with us. I think if I were a person getting off that train, I would be a little frightened of coming to our hostel, because I think we all look groggy eyed and not very friendly that early in the morning, especially after a late night. We have 2 days off a week, and we rotate through the whole schedule so we always have changing schedules.
I found that after the first nervousness of getting used to it all, helping people in and out, and making sure everything is running smoothly, its really a good job. Its fun because a lot of people will come just to talk to you, unless of course you look big and scary and like you are so sick of people that you just want to be left alone. While we were traveling for all of last month, I noticed things that I appreciated and liked in other hostels, and one of the things I liked was when the people running the hostel would just come over and talk with you. It's always interesting to get to know other people, so I love to be open and willing to hang out with other travelers. It has taken some time for my body to rest and get used to a relatively normal schedule, staying in one place and having the same bed, but I think I'm finally relaxing and settling in here.
Last night I had the night shift. Earlier in the day I was feeling really sick, with headaches, body aches, sore throat and just really tired, so I knew that it was only by the grace of God that I would make it through that shift. I figured I would lock the doors, hurry count money and just go to bed. Apparently God had other plans. After a couple of hours on shift, most everyone had cleared out and gone to bed. Two Australian guys were unabashedly hitting on two Swiss girls, which from my perspective, was entirely amusing. I totally knew what was going on the whole time, and it was fun feeling like a fly on the wall, listening in to their conversation the whole time while pretending to do official things. It was great. I couldn't help but smirk several times at what they were saying, I hope they didn't notice me. Another guy was by himself in the common room just playing the guitar. He had been talking with a French girl, Colle, earlier, but she had left to go to bed. He was playing along with the music I was playing (OneRepublic, great album!!!) on the guitar for a while, and then he was quiet for a really long time. I had met him earlier, his name was Andor and he and his friend (whose name starts with a B) were from Budapest, Hungary. He seems very thoughtful and quiet, so I walked over with my tea, plopped down on the couch and asked him what he was thinking about. Suddenly he just opened up, like his thoughts were overflowing and he just needed to get them out. He told me about how as an Eastern European traveling in a Western European culture, he found that a lot of people look down on him because he comes from a poor country. He was surprised that this would even happen, that people would see him as less just because of where he came from. He ended up venting as I listened, pitching in once in a while, but letting him do most of the talking. He was too bothered to go to sleep when he finished, so we basically sat around for 4 hours talking about life, family, religion, travel and culture. Pretty much we talked about everything. The best part of the conversation was when I told him about what we were doing here, how we're from a Christian college and we're here to share what we believe with others. This led to a conversation about his own searching, and how he's interested in researching different religions. There was my cue. In my head I was praying, Ok God, here I go, you're just going to have to speak through me because it's really late\really early in the morning. I asked him if I could share what I believe, and he was totally open and ready to listen. So God opened a way for me to share the Gospel message with him, about God's love for mankind, Jesus Christ's sacrifice and how we are now called to live a live in a relationship with him. He listened, and told me about his own beliefs so far, but there weren't any probing questions or intense interest. After that conversation when he finally grew tired enough to get to bed, I prayed the whole night that God would touch him, pull at his heart and open up his eyes to the truth. Andor is staying here for one more night, maybe a couple more if we can convince him and his friend, but I'm praying desperately that God would work in mighty ways and show himself to Andor.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Just Smell The Coastal Air!
Since Lyon, I can easily say that we have been in 3 of the most beautiful places on earth. From Lyon we traveled to Gryon, Switzerland, taking 2 larger trains and then a cograil up the mountain. It was so nice to be getting away from all the big city feel and the rush and crowds, and when we got off the cograil in Gryon we were astonished at the view. We were standing on a road alongside the mountain, with 4 mountain peaks in the distance and a perfect view of a small Swiss village in the valley below. What excited us even more was the hostel, a very homey and welcoming place with breathtaking views, big comfy leader couches, and a well stocked kitchen. It was incredible being able to use a kitchen with all the things we needed, like spices, pots and pans, plenty of dishes and working stoves and ovens. It was your typical Swiss Chalet, with slanted roofs and gingerbread trim. There was a fire pit and an outdoor patio, complete with a grill. There were plenty of boardgames and books to read, and the rooms were airy and light. All in all, it was the best hostel we had ever stayed at. The people were very friendly as well. It was amusing, the people working the hostel outnumbered those who were staying in it. Elizabeth and Matt owned and ran the hostel, and several people had come to work for the summer, Kati, Bryan, Chris, Jason, Megan, and a couple of other people whose names are escaping me at the moment. From the beginning they were welcoming, easy to just sit and talk with. Since they all knew each other, it was also fun to be goofy together, like the last night when we had an impromptu dance party in the kitchen.
I found myself spending more time with the people who worked there than the guests, which was different from the others on my team. Justin really clicked with a couple named Adrian and Melissa, and Jenn and I both got to know this girl Becky, from California. She was staying there for 2 months, so she was part of the larger group of people. I think the large group atmosphere didn't allow for many close, tight conversations, but we were still able to share the Gospel with a couple people. It was an interesting dynamic, being so welcomed and part of a larger group that had fun together, but keeping it at a shallow level, going no deeper than family life or goals and aspirations. I would definitely go to Gryon again, it was such a beautiful place. There was hiking all over, and there were amazing activities to do, like paragliding. Unfortunately, because of the risk managment office at Wheaton, we weren't able to go paragliding, but I'm hoping to go back there with my brother when we backpack around Europe and we'll be able to do it!
From Gryon we spent one night in Feldkirch, Austria, en route to meet up with everyone in Salzburg. Surprisingly, we met 2 guys at our hostel, which was formerly a leper colony long time ago. Harrison was from Arkansas and Eugene was from Oklahoma. They were really a lot of fun to hang out with and were quite easy to talk to. We were able to share with them a little bit of what we were doing and why we were doing it, which also didn't go anywhere. It was fine, though, it was a blast hanging out with them watching the Euro Cup finals. Unfortunately, Germany lost to Spain, but to be honest, Spain played a much better game than Germany.
Finally we made it to Salzburg and met up with everyone there. It was so exciting to be with the other YHM teams and listen to each others stories and about who they all had met. We had our retreat in Mittersill, Austria, in a castle called Schloss Mittersill. The day after we arrived was my birthday, and I kept saying over and over how exciting it was that I got to spend my birthday in a real castle!!! That's something only little girls dream about, and now that I'm 20, it comes true!!! Oooh... maybe dreams really do come true. Well our midsummer retreat was really nice, there was a lot of snacks like chocolate and fruit and other munchies, and we got to sleep and hang out all the time. As much time as I spend relaxing, I was surprisingly not rested. Even now a few days later I'm tired, but I'm sure I will regain energy soon.
Now we are in Bergen, Norway, a beautiful little sea town right on the West coast of Norway. Intermission Hostel, which we are now running, is a homey hostel with a cool common room and free waffle nights every Monday and Thursday! The catch is... we are in charge of it all, so we actually make the waffles, clean up everything, check people in and out. It's been refreshing so far to have a regular routine and an apartment downstairs to store all of our stuff and not worry about it. Whats even more incredible is the fact that we will be here for about 3 weeks! After moving every 4 days for a month, that is as close to heaven as you can get. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get my point. Side note... the landing into the Bergen airport was probably the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. The sun was just going down as we were passing over the fjords and the small islands dotting the west coast of Norway. There were boats still out, exploring the twisty watery areas, and there were many small houses on all the edges of the land. Most of the houses were only accessible by boat, having their own little private docks. The Everything reflected that golden glow that the sun gives as it goes down, so it seemed like a fairy land.
Ok well I feel like this post has been a lot of stream of consciousness, I'm exhausted and might go take a nap because it's my day off today! Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. Please pray for the people who will be staying in our hostel, that God will prepare their hearts and open them up to Him. Pray that we work well as a team, with the addition of our two YHM leaders, Heather and Sarah, and that we may work as though working for the Lord.
I found myself spending more time with the people who worked there than the guests, which was different from the others on my team. Justin really clicked with a couple named Adrian and Melissa, and Jenn and I both got to know this girl Becky, from California. She was staying there for 2 months, so she was part of the larger group of people. I think the large group atmosphere didn't allow for many close, tight conversations, but we were still able to share the Gospel with a couple people. It was an interesting dynamic, being so welcomed and part of a larger group that had fun together, but keeping it at a shallow level, going no deeper than family life or goals and aspirations. I would definitely go to Gryon again, it was such a beautiful place. There was hiking all over, and there were amazing activities to do, like paragliding. Unfortunately, because of the risk managment office at Wheaton, we weren't able to go paragliding, but I'm hoping to go back there with my brother when we backpack around Europe and we'll be able to do it!
From Gryon we spent one night in Feldkirch, Austria, en route to meet up with everyone in Salzburg. Surprisingly, we met 2 guys at our hostel, which was formerly a leper colony long time ago. Harrison was from Arkansas and Eugene was from Oklahoma. They were really a lot of fun to hang out with and were quite easy to talk to. We were able to share with them a little bit of what we were doing and why we were doing it, which also didn't go anywhere. It was fine, though, it was a blast hanging out with them watching the Euro Cup finals. Unfortunately, Germany lost to Spain, but to be honest, Spain played a much better game than Germany.
Finally we made it to Salzburg and met up with everyone there. It was so exciting to be with the other YHM teams and listen to each others stories and about who they all had met. We had our retreat in Mittersill, Austria, in a castle called Schloss Mittersill. The day after we arrived was my birthday, and I kept saying over and over how exciting it was that I got to spend my birthday in a real castle!!! That's something only little girls dream about, and now that I'm 20, it comes true!!! Oooh... maybe dreams really do come true. Well our midsummer retreat was really nice, there was a lot of snacks like chocolate and fruit and other munchies, and we got to sleep and hang out all the time. As much time as I spend relaxing, I was surprisingly not rested. Even now a few days later I'm tired, but I'm sure I will regain energy soon.
Now we are in Bergen, Norway, a beautiful little sea town right on the West coast of Norway. Intermission Hostel, which we are now running, is a homey hostel with a cool common room and free waffle nights every Monday and Thursday! The catch is... we are in charge of it all, so we actually make the waffles, clean up everything, check people in and out. It's been refreshing so far to have a regular routine and an apartment downstairs to store all of our stuff and not worry about it. Whats even more incredible is the fact that we will be here for about 3 weeks! After moving every 4 days for a month, that is as close to heaven as you can get. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get my point. Side note... the landing into the Bergen airport was probably the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. The sun was just going down as we were passing over the fjords and the small islands dotting the west coast of Norway. There were boats still out, exploring the twisty watery areas, and there were many small houses on all the edges of the land. Most of the houses were only accessible by boat, having their own little private docks. The Everything reflected that golden glow that the sun gives as it goes down, so it seemed like a fairy land.
Ok well I feel like this post has been a lot of stream of consciousness, I'm exhausted and might go take a nap because it's my day off today! Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. Please pray for the people who will be staying in our hostel, that God will prepare their hearts and open them up to Him. Pray that we work well as a team, with the addition of our two YHM leaders, Heather and Sarah, and that we may work as though working for the Lord.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Freedom of Faith vs. the Shell of Religion
Hello All.
Well it's been such a long time since I've been able to post here! Where did I leave off?
Ok so in Lyon it was extremely frustrating because we weren't meeting anyone, it was way too hot, and our room was slightly run down. We moved hostels for the last two nights of our stay there, L'Auberge Jeunesse, where we were pleased with the relaxed, communal atmosphere and comfortable beds. I guess you could say the major lesson of Lyon was, if you pray for something within God's will, he just pours it on. At this hostel we met tons of people: Fabienne, a girl from Quebec who had torn her ACL and was in a brace, Joe, an ex special ops guy who was going to school in Lyon for the summer, Sam and Nick, two young intellects from Boston, and many other people just hanging around. At about every meal we had some person eating with us, just sharing and talking. Surprisingly, for how many people we met, we didn't end up having any deep conversations until the last night. Jenn and I were practically attacked with a theological debate, which ended up being an incredible blessing.
Sam and Nick were both in the boys' room, and earlier in the day they had found out that we were all traveling together and we were all Christians. They had a mocking approach to religion, and were snotty and rude toward the guys. So I think later that night when they started talking to me and Jenn, it was almost as if they were testing us or just coming at us with this debate to see how we would hold up. Either that or they thought it would be more exciting to beat a couple of girls at a debate like this. Little did they know that God was on our side. It actually started randomly, first with general questions about travel and stuff, with them complaining about how they had been mugged earlier in the day and had 150€ stolen from them. I felt a little sorry for them until I found out that they had been trying to buy drugs off this guy who led them down an alley, punched Sam, and then took off with the money. I had already decided that they were annoying when Nick turns to Jenn and asks, "So, what's your mission here?" Ok, what an opener, huh? She basically tells them the gist of it, and Sam and Nick take it into stride, opening up a debate about standards of morality and if there are universal human desires or needs. They started the whole thing pretty aggressively, making me concerned that this would be a huge debate over theological and philosophical ideas that would go around in circles. I began to pray that God would open their hearts and minds, I honestly didn't think it was possible and I didn't expect it at all, but I kept praying anyways, knowing that God was big enough to do whatever he wanted. After a good 30 minutes of talking about this lofty intellectual morality/universalism/relativism conversation, Nick suddenly brought up the point about how people use religion to make themselves feel better, almost like having to do penance all the time. I spoke up, saying "But you have to make a distinction between religion and faith" thinking that it would just be another random comment thrown in to keep our conversation going round in cirlces. There was a pause though. Pause, and then Sam said, "Explain what you mean by that." Ok I was shocked. I gave a surprised laugh, taken aback that they actually listened and wanted to know more. It was almost as if God was plopping the opportunity to share the Gospel right in my lap, no loopholes or thinks to watch out for. Jenn and I began to explain the difference between religion, which is full of ritual, rules and going through the motions, and then a living faith, which is a relationship with Christ, personal knowing and growing. At that point they started listening. It was still an intense conversation, but Sam and Nick were actually asking questions that meant something, like they were searching. Jenn was great at answering the deep philosophical and theological questions, because I honestly felt as if I paled in comparison to their intellect and memory. But we talking about Christianity, how many "Christians" don't live a Christian lifestyle, how God wants a personal relationship, the fact that Christians are absolutely not perfect, how we don't have all the answers, and yes, life really hurts sometimes but because of that we are able to see true joy and beauty when it comes. By the end of our discussion they really had a respect for what we said and believe. They kept thanking us and saying that it really was a good learning experience. Honestly, all I can say is that God had his hand on the entire discussion. The Holy Spirit was definitely present, because only by Him their hearts and minds were opened. After our conversation, Jeff and Justin noted that Sam and Nick were so much more respectful towards them. They no longer mocked their beliefs or what they were doing, because Jenn and I were able to give them a fresh, realistic view of our faith, not religion.
I find that a lot of people have a view of "Religion". It's a going through the motions, follow the rules, no questions asked kind of religion. But that's not what God is all about. I am reminded over and over again that it's about a personal relationship, and this incredible love that never fails and never ever will be taken away. For so long I couldn't grasp the idea of God's love, and now that I'm explaining it to other people I find that it is so much greater than I could have imagined. Seriously. I consider myself so blessed to have the vision to see that. Even to see past the shell of Religion and reach the place of a living faith. It's not about "reading the Bible" it's about spending time with God! How amazing is it that the God who created the universe, who holds the mountains in his hands and makes his path through the seas (Psalm 90something) actually wants to get to know us and love us and show himself to us? I am so thankful that I have been delivered out of the Religion shell. Even the ability to see where I have come out of is incredible.
If I was asked what I learned on this trip, I think I would have to make a list, because there are so many things. But I am most thankful for the fact that I am learning. To stop learning is to stop living, I think.
So off of my soapbox. :) I love you all and miss you.
Please pray for Sam and Nick. And thank you for all your prayers, they mean so much. I think a lot of times people say thank you for prayers and only half mean it, like it's just covering all their bases to be polite. But seriously, God is moving here on behalf of your prayers.
Well it's been such a long time since I've been able to post here! Where did I leave off?
Ok so in Lyon it was extremely frustrating because we weren't meeting anyone, it was way too hot, and our room was slightly run down. We moved hostels for the last two nights of our stay there, L'Auberge Jeunesse, where we were pleased with the relaxed, communal atmosphere and comfortable beds. I guess you could say the major lesson of Lyon was, if you pray for something within God's will, he just pours it on. At this hostel we met tons of people: Fabienne, a girl from Quebec who had torn her ACL and was in a brace, Joe, an ex special ops guy who was going to school in Lyon for the summer, Sam and Nick, two young intellects from Boston, and many other people just hanging around. At about every meal we had some person eating with us, just sharing and talking. Surprisingly, for how many people we met, we didn't end up having any deep conversations until the last night. Jenn and I were practically attacked with a theological debate, which ended up being an incredible blessing.
Sam and Nick were both in the boys' room, and earlier in the day they had found out that we were all traveling together and we were all Christians. They had a mocking approach to religion, and were snotty and rude toward the guys. So I think later that night when they started talking to me and Jenn, it was almost as if they were testing us or just coming at us with this debate to see how we would hold up. Either that or they thought it would be more exciting to beat a couple of girls at a debate like this. Little did they know that God was on our side. It actually started randomly, first with general questions about travel and stuff, with them complaining about how they had been mugged earlier in the day and had 150€ stolen from them. I felt a little sorry for them until I found out that they had been trying to buy drugs off this guy who led them down an alley, punched Sam, and then took off with the money. I had already decided that they were annoying when Nick turns to Jenn and asks, "So, what's your mission here?" Ok, what an opener, huh? She basically tells them the gist of it, and Sam and Nick take it into stride, opening up a debate about standards of morality and if there are universal human desires or needs. They started the whole thing pretty aggressively, making me concerned that this would be a huge debate over theological and philosophical ideas that would go around in circles. I began to pray that God would open their hearts and minds, I honestly didn't think it was possible and I didn't expect it at all, but I kept praying anyways, knowing that God was big enough to do whatever he wanted. After a good 30 minutes of talking about this lofty intellectual morality/universalism/relativism conversation, Nick suddenly brought up the point about how people use religion to make themselves feel better, almost like having to do penance all the time. I spoke up, saying "But you have to make a distinction between religion and faith" thinking that it would just be another random comment thrown in to keep our conversation going round in cirlces. There was a pause though. Pause, and then Sam said, "Explain what you mean by that." Ok I was shocked. I gave a surprised laugh, taken aback that they actually listened and wanted to know more. It was almost as if God was plopping the opportunity to share the Gospel right in my lap, no loopholes or thinks to watch out for. Jenn and I began to explain the difference between religion, which is full of ritual, rules and going through the motions, and then a living faith, which is a relationship with Christ, personal knowing and growing. At that point they started listening. It was still an intense conversation, but Sam and Nick were actually asking questions that meant something, like they were searching. Jenn was great at answering the deep philosophical and theological questions, because I honestly felt as if I paled in comparison to their intellect and memory. But we talking about Christianity, how many "Christians" don't live a Christian lifestyle, how God wants a personal relationship, the fact that Christians are absolutely not perfect, how we don't have all the answers, and yes, life really hurts sometimes but because of that we are able to see true joy and beauty when it comes. By the end of our discussion they really had a respect for what we said and believe. They kept thanking us and saying that it really was a good learning experience. Honestly, all I can say is that God had his hand on the entire discussion. The Holy Spirit was definitely present, because only by Him their hearts and minds were opened. After our conversation, Jeff and Justin noted that Sam and Nick were so much more respectful towards them. They no longer mocked their beliefs or what they were doing, because Jenn and I were able to give them a fresh, realistic view of our faith, not religion.
I find that a lot of people have a view of "Religion". It's a going through the motions, follow the rules, no questions asked kind of religion. But that's not what God is all about. I am reminded over and over again that it's about a personal relationship, and this incredible love that never fails and never ever will be taken away. For so long I couldn't grasp the idea of God's love, and now that I'm explaining it to other people I find that it is so much greater than I could have imagined. Seriously. I consider myself so blessed to have the vision to see that. Even to see past the shell of Religion and reach the place of a living faith. It's not about "reading the Bible" it's about spending time with God! How amazing is it that the God who created the universe, who holds the mountains in his hands and makes his path through the seas (Psalm 90something) actually wants to get to know us and love us and show himself to us? I am so thankful that I have been delivered out of the Religion shell. Even the ability to see where I have come out of is incredible.
If I was asked what I learned on this trip, I think I would have to make a list, because there are so many things. But I am most thankful for the fact that I am learning. To stop learning is to stop living, I think.
So off of my soapbox. :) I love you all and miss you.
Please pray for Sam and Nick. And thank you for all your prayers, they mean so much. I think a lot of times people say thank you for prayers and only half mean it, like it's just covering all their bases to be polite. But seriously, God is moving here on behalf of your prayers.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Doldrums
Our traveling day from Munich to Lyon, France was our longest and most tiring yet. We woke up at about 5am to catch a 7am train. Felix kindly drove us to the train station, which was definitely a blessing, not having to catch the S Bahn that early in the morning. We took 3 trains that day, 4 hours from Munich to Zurich, 3 to Geneva and 2 hours to Lyon. We got a little lost walking from the train station to the hostel, but we eventually made our way in the blistering evening heat to our place. Sadly, our toilet didnt work in our room (we later found out that the water had just been turned off there) and we had to take the elevator down from the 7th floor to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, our shower worked! Im sure it had hot water, but it was so hot here that I ended up taking cool showers for the past couple days. We are spending the next 2 nights in another hostel in the city, because we hadnt booked anything for those days because it is extremely expensive here and everything is booked. God was good, though, and provided for us 2 nights in the cheapest hostel in all of Lyon.
We didnt meet anyone at our last hostel, and honestly its getting kind of discouraging. There were some students from Louisiana staying there for the summer, but they were into themselves and busy with their own groups of friends. Sadly, they also seemed to be those obnoxious, loud and inconsiderate Americans who thought they could do whatever they wanted and get away with it. We have higher hopes for this next hostel, though, because it seems to have a good community area and people actually hang out there during the day.
Lyon is actually a very beautiful city. The rooftops have tons of chimneys, reminiscent of Mary Poppins and the chim chimney song. We hiked up a street yesterday to some Roman ruins, an amphiteater that was now used as a concert and theater venue. It had a fantastic view of the city, with buildings spread out everywhere and peeks of the 2 rivers flowing through. It has been so incredibly hot here, reminding us that its summer! I guess we keep forgetting that its summer because its been cool in a lot of places, and we are so busy we dont remember that people are actually on vacation. Walking along the river really makes us want to go swimming, but the slight murkiness makes our decision for us. Lyon is a great city to explore, with tons of little nooks and crannys where you can find small stairways, parks, cafes and fruit stands. Caution, though, before you think about visiting here make sure you have lots of money to spend!! We have been eating relatively well here, making pasta for dinner, sandwiches for lunch, and having eggs for breakfast. We were concerned about how expensive it would be, especially when we didnt know how expensive our last 2 nights would be, but God has definitely provided!
Yesterday we went to Sunday morning services at a Protestant church near our hostel. It was a very small church, but it was wonderful to attend a service that was less formal and ritualistic as all the others we had been to. What stuck out to me the most was how this church did Communion. When the time came, the whole congregation (which was maybe 40 people) got up and stood around the church in a circle. The pastor blessed the elements and then passed the plate of bread around, and then the goblet of grape juice. It was so inclusive and welcoming. Even though we didnt speak French very well, and the majority of them didnt speak English, we had a bond, a sense of community in Christ. I really liked how they did this, taking the individual element out of the practice. Now I am by no means advocating passing a goblet around our church of about 400, sharing germs with all those people, but the act of standing together around the church and passing the elements to one another held a sense of reverence and respect for what we were doing.
Prayer Requests:
We are all so weary. The travel is taking a toll, we are getting tired of having to compromise and work out everything together, we are all a bit homesick and are disappointed and discouraged that we havent met anyone. I know that we are all looking forward to our next city, because we have heard its incredible, and then our Midsummer Retreat and then Bergen. Please pray that God sends people in our direction, that we are able to encourage and lift each other up when we really dont want to.
Praises!
We have kept in contact with Kellie, the British girl we met in Brussels and who came with us to Berlin. Her whole trip was about finding spirituality, and the meaning of life, that was actually why we started talking to her. We had seen her reading a book about modern spirituality, so we asked her about it. After talking and spending time with us, she is going to start attended a Bible study at home with her friend Ruth, who has been inviting her for a long time. Pray that God works in her friend Ruth, and that Kellie will be drawn even closer to the Lord.
Also, a lot of people have been reading the books we give them, especially Blue Like Jazz. Pray that the books may touch their lives and stick in their minds and hearts!
I love you all, and thank you so much for your support!! In my learning about giving, my eyes have been opened to the fact that we are being supported both financially and through prayer by so many of you back home. I thank you so much for your gracious support. Even knowing that you read my blog means so much to me!!
We didnt meet anyone at our last hostel, and honestly its getting kind of discouraging. There were some students from Louisiana staying there for the summer, but they were into themselves and busy with their own groups of friends. Sadly, they also seemed to be those obnoxious, loud and inconsiderate Americans who thought they could do whatever they wanted and get away with it. We have higher hopes for this next hostel, though, because it seems to have a good community area and people actually hang out there during the day.
Lyon is actually a very beautiful city. The rooftops have tons of chimneys, reminiscent of Mary Poppins and the chim chimney song. We hiked up a street yesterday to some Roman ruins, an amphiteater that was now used as a concert and theater venue. It had a fantastic view of the city, with buildings spread out everywhere and peeks of the 2 rivers flowing through. It has been so incredibly hot here, reminding us that its summer! I guess we keep forgetting that its summer because its been cool in a lot of places, and we are so busy we dont remember that people are actually on vacation. Walking along the river really makes us want to go swimming, but the slight murkiness makes our decision for us. Lyon is a great city to explore, with tons of little nooks and crannys where you can find small stairways, parks, cafes and fruit stands. Caution, though, before you think about visiting here make sure you have lots of money to spend!! We have been eating relatively well here, making pasta for dinner, sandwiches for lunch, and having eggs for breakfast. We were concerned about how expensive it would be, especially when we didnt know how expensive our last 2 nights would be, but God has definitely provided!
Yesterday we went to Sunday morning services at a Protestant church near our hostel. It was a very small church, but it was wonderful to attend a service that was less formal and ritualistic as all the others we had been to. What stuck out to me the most was how this church did Communion. When the time came, the whole congregation (which was maybe 40 people) got up and stood around the church in a circle. The pastor blessed the elements and then passed the plate of bread around, and then the goblet of grape juice. It was so inclusive and welcoming. Even though we didnt speak French very well, and the majority of them didnt speak English, we had a bond, a sense of community in Christ. I really liked how they did this, taking the individual element out of the practice. Now I am by no means advocating passing a goblet around our church of about 400, sharing germs with all those people, but the act of standing together around the church and passing the elements to one another held a sense of reverence and respect for what we were doing.
Prayer Requests:
We are all so weary. The travel is taking a toll, we are getting tired of having to compromise and work out everything together, we are all a bit homesick and are disappointed and discouraged that we havent met anyone. I know that we are all looking forward to our next city, because we have heard its incredible, and then our Midsummer Retreat and then Bergen. Please pray that God sends people in our direction, that we are able to encourage and lift each other up when we really dont want to.
Praises!
We have kept in contact with Kellie, the British girl we met in Brussels and who came with us to Berlin. Her whole trip was about finding spirituality, and the meaning of life, that was actually why we started talking to her. We had seen her reading a book about modern spirituality, so we asked her about it. After talking and spending time with us, she is going to start attended a Bible study at home with her friend Ruth, who has been inviting her for a long time. Pray that God works in her friend Ruth, and that Kellie will be drawn even closer to the Lord.
Also, a lot of people have been reading the books we give them, especially Blue Like Jazz. Pray that the books may touch their lives and stick in their minds and hearts!
I love you all, and thank you so much for your support!! In my learning about giving, my eyes have been opened to the fact that we are being supported both financially and through prayer by so many of you back home. I thank you so much for your gracious support. Even knowing that you read my blog means so much to me!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
To Tent or Not To Tent?
Sorry to everyone who has been waiting for me to post. We have been so busy here in Munich for the past few days, and only now am I able to share the details with you! Our trip from Cesky Krumlov to Munich was fast and easy. I actually met a couple on one leg of our trip who was from Arizona, and the husband just happened to have coached my high school counselor while she was playing volleyball in college! That was definitely another reminder that this is a very very small world.
We arrived in the Munich train station where Jeff's friend Felix picked us up. Felix had lived with Jeff and his family while he was in the States doing community work. Apparently, guys in Germany need to do community service or military service, and Felix went to Grand Rapids to do his. Felix drove us to our hostel, Tent Munich, which was near the Zoological Gardens. It really just was a big tent with lots and lots of bunk beds and lockers inside. There were some cool sitting areas outside and a fire pit nearby. We dropped our stuff off and headed to Felix's house to meet his family, his mom Christel, brother Chip (his real name is Niclas) and his mom's boyfriend Klaus. It was so nice to meet people living here, and to be in an actual home. His family was really nice, and we spoke English and desperately tried to understand the German they spoke to each other. Surprisingly, I caught on to their German relatively quickly, understanding some of what they were saying. We ended up running to the market to grab some things for dinner and Jenn and I made pasta for everyone when we got back. It's always a lot of fun cooking with her, a good time for conversation and doing something together. Afterwards, we returned to Tent Munich where a lot of people were congregated around the bonfire, drinking and talking. We were all so completely exhausted from our active day of travel and hit the sack, underneath the 4 wool blankets they gave us, bundled up in our warmest clothes, and making sure to put our earplugs in. Apparently, people were so loud and drunk that night that some people actually got kicked out for being a disturbance.
We determined to meet people and see if we could hang out with anyone the next day, but everyone had their own agenda, leaving early or sleeping off their hangovers. Surprisingly, for as many people as there were staying at the Tent, there were few people who stuck around and were willing to socialize. Jeff went off with Felix to hang for the day, and after a couple of hours sitting around, talking to a few people in the cold and rainy weather, Jenn, Justin and I decided to leave and see downtown Munich. We were all a bit frustrated with the people situation, but I guess God had a different plan in mind. We enjoyed a nice day walking around Munich, going into some shops and sitting in Coffee Fellows, a sleek cafe near the train station. It was so enjoyable to people watch there, because I had chosen a nice leather chair looking out the windows. I wish I could have spent more time there, but the others were ready to go back after snoozing in their chairs for a while.
Once we got back to Tent Munich, the weather was nicer, with the clouds moving away and the sun peeking through. We talked with Dan, a guy from Indiana who was going to West Point in the fall, and Steven, another guy from Florida who was basically just hanging around Europe for a few months for the heck of it. There were no serious faith/God conversations, but we were able to tell them about Wheaton and about our own lives. It was disappointing being at Tent Munich, because it was basically a party hostel and we couldn't get to know anyone, and we felt God leading us to Felix and his family.
So we ended up canceling the 3 extra days at Tent Munich and headed over to Felix's house where we were welcomed to stay for the remaining time.They were so hospitable, giving us big comfy blankets to sleep with (we basically took over Felix's bedroom in the basement), letting us do laundry (SO EXCITING!!) and letting us use their phone to call home. Jenn and I made sure to pick up a bottle of Merlot to give to Christel for allowing us to stay, which she ended up really liking.
Yesterday, Felix took us to Dachau, the first concentration camp, which we were all really interested in seeing. I found myself so surprised at how detached I was from it all. It was as if I were merely walking through, observing, but unable to feel anything. It was a large, expansive gray area. Gravel was everywhere, and even the buildings lacked color. The ironic thing about it was that the sun was shining beautifully through some puffy clouds, and the wind was rustling through the forests surrounding the camp. And then there was one row of beautiful trees lining the camp road that was between all the barracks.It was these same trees that had so many memories. If trees could talk, these ones would speak of the atrocities committed there, under the motto of Arbeit Macht Frei, "Work will set you free". They helped judge the span of time, in all the pictures they were small and young, yet now they towered above the buildings and gave large amounts of shade from the sun. It seemed so strange to me that a row of trees so beautiful would be planted in such an ugly place, either giving hope to the hopeless or merely mocking the fact that they had no freedom.
And then we got to the end, and entered the gas chamber and the crematorium. That was seriously a chilling experience. Not only were these buildings the coldest because they were the only ones made of brick, there was a tangible air of revulsion and horror. It hit me, shocking that human beings actually put other humans through this terror, locking them up in a room to be gassed to death and then just carting their bodies to the next room to be cremated in the ovens that were made exactly right to hold a body. How a human could do this to another is just beyond me, violating all ideas of decency, respect and dignity. As I mulled it over, though, I began to realize that we are really no different. We could have been the killer just as easily as we could have been the victim. Felix kept saying how he hating having this in his German past, being associated with it, but honestly, it could have been anyone. It was me standing there, carrying out the orders to place the poison in the room. It was also me standing there in that room, terrified, yet going to meet my death. It was me in the guard shacks, the barracks, the kitchens and workyards. I am a sinner, separated myself from a loving God, determined by my own mind that I am superior and deserve better than others. How incredible is then, that God has fallen so in love with us that he desires for us to live with him for eternity. Even with the deprivation, all the questions asking how did we get to such a place? How did humanity become this way? We have been given a way to freedom, completely undeserving. So utterly undeserving. I guess we reject God when we think we have it all under control, when we are so sure that we are doing it the right way. But really, we can't truly experience grace until we see how low we are. So how different are we from those who carried out everything in the concentration camps? Have we not also hated and murdered in our hearts and minds? Have we not also become comfortable in the idea that we are superior to others? We must keep in mind though, that God doesn`t ask for us to become perfect before accepting his grace and salvation. He`s the one who fixes us, we can`t fix ourselves before approaching him.
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; Not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
We arrived in the Munich train station where Jeff's friend Felix picked us up. Felix had lived with Jeff and his family while he was in the States doing community work. Apparently, guys in Germany need to do community service or military service, and Felix went to Grand Rapids to do his. Felix drove us to our hostel, Tent Munich, which was near the Zoological Gardens. It really just was a big tent with lots and lots of bunk beds and lockers inside. There were some cool sitting areas outside and a fire pit nearby. We dropped our stuff off and headed to Felix's house to meet his family, his mom Christel, brother Chip (his real name is Niclas) and his mom's boyfriend Klaus. It was so nice to meet people living here, and to be in an actual home. His family was really nice, and we spoke English and desperately tried to understand the German they spoke to each other. Surprisingly, I caught on to their German relatively quickly, understanding some of what they were saying. We ended up running to the market to grab some things for dinner and Jenn and I made pasta for everyone when we got back. It's always a lot of fun cooking with her, a good time for conversation and doing something together. Afterwards, we returned to Tent Munich where a lot of people were congregated around the bonfire, drinking and talking. We were all so completely exhausted from our active day of travel and hit the sack, underneath the 4 wool blankets they gave us, bundled up in our warmest clothes, and making sure to put our earplugs in. Apparently, people were so loud and drunk that night that some people actually got kicked out for being a disturbance.
We determined to meet people and see if we could hang out with anyone the next day, but everyone had their own agenda, leaving early or sleeping off their hangovers. Surprisingly, for as many people as there were staying at the Tent, there were few people who stuck around and were willing to socialize. Jeff went off with Felix to hang for the day, and after a couple of hours sitting around, talking to a few people in the cold and rainy weather, Jenn, Justin and I decided to leave and see downtown Munich. We were all a bit frustrated with the people situation, but I guess God had a different plan in mind. We enjoyed a nice day walking around Munich, going into some shops and sitting in Coffee Fellows, a sleek cafe near the train station. It was so enjoyable to people watch there, because I had chosen a nice leather chair looking out the windows. I wish I could have spent more time there, but the others were ready to go back after snoozing in their chairs for a while.
Once we got back to Tent Munich, the weather was nicer, with the clouds moving away and the sun peeking through. We talked with Dan, a guy from Indiana who was going to West Point in the fall, and Steven, another guy from Florida who was basically just hanging around Europe for a few months for the heck of it. There were no serious faith/God conversations, but we were able to tell them about Wheaton and about our own lives. It was disappointing being at Tent Munich, because it was basically a party hostel and we couldn't get to know anyone, and we felt God leading us to Felix and his family.
So we ended up canceling the 3 extra days at Tent Munich and headed over to Felix's house where we were welcomed to stay for the remaining time.They were so hospitable, giving us big comfy blankets to sleep with (we basically took over Felix's bedroom in the basement), letting us do laundry (SO EXCITING!!) and letting us use their phone to call home. Jenn and I made sure to pick up a bottle of Merlot to give to Christel for allowing us to stay, which she ended up really liking.
Yesterday, Felix took us to Dachau, the first concentration camp, which we were all really interested in seeing. I found myself so surprised at how detached I was from it all. It was as if I were merely walking through, observing, but unable to feel anything. It was a large, expansive gray area. Gravel was everywhere, and even the buildings lacked color. The ironic thing about it was that the sun was shining beautifully through some puffy clouds, and the wind was rustling through the forests surrounding the camp. And then there was one row of beautiful trees lining the camp road that was between all the barracks.It was these same trees that had so many memories. If trees could talk, these ones would speak of the atrocities committed there, under the motto of Arbeit Macht Frei, "Work will set you free". They helped judge the span of time, in all the pictures they were small and young, yet now they towered above the buildings and gave large amounts of shade from the sun. It seemed so strange to me that a row of trees so beautiful would be planted in such an ugly place, either giving hope to the hopeless or merely mocking the fact that they had no freedom.
And then we got to the end, and entered the gas chamber and the crematorium. That was seriously a chilling experience. Not only were these buildings the coldest because they were the only ones made of brick, there was a tangible air of revulsion and horror. It hit me, shocking that human beings actually put other humans through this terror, locking them up in a room to be gassed to death and then just carting their bodies to the next room to be cremated in the ovens that were made exactly right to hold a body. How a human could do this to another is just beyond me, violating all ideas of decency, respect and dignity. As I mulled it over, though, I began to realize that we are really no different. We could have been the killer just as easily as we could have been the victim. Felix kept saying how he hating having this in his German past, being associated with it, but honestly, it could have been anyone. It was me standing there, carrying out the orders to place the poison in the room. It was also me standing there in that room, terrified, yet going to meet my death. It was me in the guard shacks, the barracks, the kitchens and workyards. I am a sinner, separated myself from a loving God, determined by my own mind that I am superior and deserve better than others. How incredible is then, that God has fallen so in love with us that he desires for us to live with him for eternity. Even with the deprivation, all the questions asking how did we get to such a place? How did humanity become this way? We have been given a way to freedom, completely undeserving. So utterly undeserving. I guess we reject God when we think we have it all under control, when we are so sure that we are doing it the right way. But really, we can't truly experience grace until we see how low we are. So how different are we from those who carried out everything in the concentration camps? Have we not also hated and murdered in our hearts and minds? Have we not also become comfortable in the idea that we are superior to others? We must keep in mind though, that God doesn`t ask for us to become perfect before accepting his grace and salvation. He`s the one who fixes us, we can`t fix ourselves before approaching him.
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; Not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Dobry Den!
Oh my goodness, I can't believe we've already been here for 2 weeks and we're already at our Traveler's Retreat. But I must start where I left off!!
From Berlin we traveled to Prague, which I was anticipating with high expectations, having never been to the Czech Republic and having heard so much about Prague. Sadly, I was actually disappointed by Prague. It was beautiful, and it had the appearance of a fairytale land, but it was super touristy, crammed with people everywhere and it lacked the simple beauty of what I was expecting. In a way it seemed like a European Las Vegas to me, people crawling all over the city and little touristy shops on every corner. To be honest, Prague was one of the hardest cities we had been to yet. We met very few people there, and the ones that we did meet left the next day each time. We were able to share the Gospel with some of the travelers, but it really was just in passing about our own lives, as it seemed no one was really interested in listening to us. Team stuff was also really tough there, we had a couple team conflict talks which drained us all completely. I had actually had a feeling that Prague wouldn't be the best city, that it would be one of those draining difficult cities, but we made it through! A few good things we got to do while we were there was climb a hillside park to a monastery and walk down through the palace. I got to see the main square where part of the movies Les Miserables was filmed, and some of the smaller canals. We also ran into some Wheaton people who were doing Arts in London, and that was pretty fun to talk with people who we knew and were familiar with. To be honest, I really don't have much to say about Prague, so I'll move on to more interesting things!!
From Prague we took a train to Cesky Krumlov, a smaller, slightly touristy village in South Bohemia in Czech. Getting there was quite interesting, we took a train to Cesky Bujedovice (where Budweiser originated, apparently, the US company and the Czech company keep suing each other) and followed a lady to a bus area, and took a bus to another train station, and then took this tiny tiny local train to Cesky Krumlov!!! That was definitely an experience, and let me tell you, my bathroom experience on the small train was just that.... an experience. I was desperate to go to the bathroom, so when this little train started moving, I went inside the little room that said WC. Honestly, I've been in a lot of sketchy bathrooms, but this was definitely #2 worst. The first was at the circus in Armenia, and it was just a hole in the ground with 2 feet holds. Ok, so I went in the WC and surveyed the area. It was extremely dirty, and if I had any lower tolerance to dirtiness I'm sure I would have puked. So I meandered over to the toilet, trying not to touch anything, and looked down because the room felt surprisingly breezy. I was shocked to see a gaping hole from the toilet to the tracks. I could actually see the rails and gravel passing by underneath me. I quickly did my business and got the heck out of there, grabbing my camera to take a quick picture and then sitting down in my seat for good.
Once we arrived in Cesky Krumlov, we walked a bit down from the train station and were welcomed by the delicious smell of grilled foods and amazing buildings guarded by a huge castle. It was filled always with the smell of wood fireplaces and fresh air, coming from the littel homes along the river and the nearby wooded hillsides. It was crisp and cool, so refreshing from what we had in Prague. Later after taking a delicious nap, we met up with Sarah and Heather, our YHM leaders and officially began our Travelers retreat!!! It has been incredible, beign able to relax, walk around on my own and sit for hours and hours journaling. It has definitely been a welcome break. An interesting thing happened yesterday, as I was sitting on a park bench overlooking a great view of the castle, a small violin quartet and a wedding party came and I saw teh entire wedding ceremony right there in teh park!!! The exchange of rings, the crying mothers, and the first kiss as a married couple. I felt privileged, and slightly embarrassed that I was watching the whole thing, but it was so fun to watch.
So that's where I am now, looking forward to 2 1/2 more days of relaxation and peace before going out again. Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Please pray that we may find rest in God, so that we are rejuvinated again to go out. Pray for us as we grow stronger as a team, and please pray that God prepares our hearts and the hearts of those we are going to meet in the cities ahead.
I love you all and highly recommend Cesky Krumlov if you every need to go to a small, beautiful yet slightly touristy Eastern European village!!
From Berlin we traveled to Prague, which I was anticipating with high expectations, having never been to the Czech Republic and having heard so much about Prague. Sadly, I was actually disappointed by Prague. It was beautiful, and it had the appearance of a fairytale land, but it was super touristy, crammed with people everywhere and it lacked the simple beauty of what I was expecting. In a way it seemed like a European Las Vegas to me, people crawling all over the city and little touristy shops on every corner. To be honest, Prague was one of the hardest cities we had been to yet. We met very few people there, and the ones that we did meet left the next day each time. We were able to share the Gospel with some of the travelers, but it really was just in passing about our own lives, as it seemed no one was really interested in listening to us. Team stuff was also really tough there, we had a couple team conflict talks which drained us all completely. I had actually had a feeling that Prague wouldn't be the best city, that it would be one of those draining difficult cities, but we made it through! A few good things we got to do while we were there was climb a hillside park to a monastery and walk down through the palace. I got to see the main square where part of the movies Les Miserables was filmed, and some of the smaller canals. We also ran into some Wheaton people who were doing Arts in London, and that was pretty fun to talk with people who we knew and were familiar with. To be honest, I really don't have much to say about Prague, so I'll move on to more interesting things!!
From Prague we took a train to Cesky Krumlov, a smaller, slightly touristy village in South Bohemia in Czech. Getting there was quite interesting, we took a train to Cesky Bujedovice (where Budweiser originated, apparently, the US company and the Czech company keep suing each other) and followed a lady to a bus area, and took a bus to another train station, and then took this tiny tiny local train to Cesky Krumlov!!! That was definitely an experience, and let me tell you, my bathroom experience on the small train was just that.... an experience. I was desperate to go to the bathroom, so when this little train started moving, I went inside the little room that said WC. Honestly, I've been in a lot of sketchy bathrooms, but this was definitely #2 worst. The first was at the circus in Armenia, and it was just a hole in the ground with 2 feet holds. Ok, so I went in the WC and surveyed the area. It was extremely dirty, and if I had any lower tolerance to dirtiness I'm sure I would have puked. So I meandered over to the toilet, trying not to touch anything, and looked down because the room felt surprisingly breezy. I was shocked to see a gaping hole from the toilet to the tracks. I could actually see the rails and gravel passing by underneath me. I quickly did my business and got the heck out of there, grabbing my camera to take a quick picture and then sitting down in my seat for good.
Once we arrived in Cesky Krumlov, we walked a bit down from the train station and were welcomed by the delicious smell of grilled foods and amazing buildings guarded by a huge castle. It was filled always with the smell of wood fireplaces and fresh air, coming from the littel homes along the river and the nearby wooded hillsides. It was crisp and cool, so refreshing from what we had in Prague. Later after taking a delicious nap, we met up with Sarah and Heather, our YHM leaders and officially began our Travelers retreat!!! It has been incredible, beign able to relax, walk around on my own and sit for hours and hours journaling. It has definitely been a welcome break. An interesting thing happened yesterday, as I was sitting on a park bench overlooking a great view of the castle, a small violin quartet and a wedding party came and I saw teh entire wedding ceremony right there in teh park!!! The exchange of rings, the crying mothers, and the first kiss as a married couple. I felt privileged, and slightly embarrassed that I was watching the whole thing, but it was so fun to watch.
So that's where I am now, looking forward to 2 1/2 more days of relaxation and peace before going out again. Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Please pray that we may find rest in God, so that we are rejuvinated again to go out. Pray for us as we grow stronger as a team, and please pray that God prepares our hearts and the hearts of those we are going to meet in the cities ahead.
I love you all and highly recommend Cesky Krumlov if you every need to go to a small, beautiful yet slightly touristy Eastern European village!!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Deutchland! Deutchland!
After hanging out with such fun and incredible people in Brussels, we were all sad to be going, but excited for what was waiting for us in Berlin. A girl we met at our hostel in Brussels, Kellie, was going to meet us in Berlin because she was traveling by herself and loved hanging out with people, especially us. So the morning we left, we woke up at 5am in the very wee morning light, packed up and got on the train to Berlin. We switched trains in Koln and finally arrived in Berlin! We were staying at a hostel for one night on the edge of the city, so we didn't quite have a map that covered the entire part of our area. We decided to wing it and trust God that we would eventally get to the hostel (it was only 2pm, we had lots of time to get lost) so we got off the train and went down to the street. We must have been looking a bit puzzled, looking for a street sign or something when this man in his 30s came up to us and asked if we needed help. We were shocked that someone would actually offer help, as opposed to helping when asked, but we gladly showed him our map and address. He told us that it would probably be a couple hours walk, which we were very relieved to find out beforehand, so he directed us to a stop on the train that we could go to and then walk from there. We find our way up to the platform, and within 5 minutes he runs back to catch up with us, out of breath, telling us an even better way to get there, one that would put us right by our hostel. We thanked him profusely and proceeded to take the S-Bahn and U-Bahn to the correct stops. He (Dirk) gave us our card to contact him if we needed his help at all during our stay, and once we looked at it on the S-Bahn, we realized that he was a Christian, the title of his job being in charge of something like International Ecumenical Relations. Wow!! We were all floored by this not-so-circumstantial circumstance, but not entirely surprised, because God definitely works if his followers have their ears open to him.
We arrived at our hostel, which was a very cheap, slightly creepy, but charming in its own way and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had made a decision to make our travel days "transition days", to relax and get settled in.
The next day we left that hostel, after having spoken to just a couple people there, and walked to our next hostel, JetPak hostel, that was voted cleanest hostel in 2006 and 2007. Yay!! We LOVE clean!!!! Marty was the receptionist guy, a very friendly and nice guy, originally from Hungary but who had spent some time in South Dakota. Apparently while he was studying in SD, he got so bored that he volunteered to work at a funeral home, working with the dead bodies and doing all the final prep stuff for the funerals. When I found that out I was definitely surprised and grossed out. Along with Robbie and Harlen, two guys from UCSB who were sitting out in the front with us, we drilled him about what exactly he had to do in that job. Lets just say it's something you really don't want to know, but its so fascinated that you do.... blech. During the course of that whole conversation we talked about religion and faith a bit. The USCB guys were surprised to find that I didn't drink, smoke or party, and were quite interested when we spoke about politics and the Republican association with Christianity. I hope I was able to broaden their horizons a bit, sharing why I live how I live, and letting them know that not all Christians are Republican, or even conservative for that matter.
Berlin was an absolutely amazing city and we met the most interesting people there. I've considered living abroad at some point of my life, and thus far, Berlin has really captured my interest in that sense. So I guess I have to start learning German now. :) The third day we were there (Day 1: creepy hostel, Day 2: JetPak hostel and hang out with people) we took a free tour of Berlin, and Kellie came with us as well as Diego, a Brazilin guy I had met the night before and who was planning on taking the tour as well. The tour was AMAZING!!!! It was so interesting to learn all that history about Berlin, as we saw the Berlin wall and stood in the parking lot that is above what used to be Hitler's bunker, where he hid away at the end of his life and eventually committed suicide with Eva Braun. One of the most interesting things I learned, though, is that for every 63 people there was 1 SS officer assigned, and when they would be taken in for interrogation, there would be a small piece of cloth atop the chair they sat on. After they left, the officer would put the piece of cloth in an airtight jar and label it, in case they needed to track down that person later by their scent. So when the Nazi regime finally fell, hundreds, and probably thousands, of little jars were found with all of these little cloth pieces in them.
Later that night, Dirk got in touch with us (because we had emailed him earlier, asking if he wanted to meet for coffee or ice cream) and we all went to get gelato with him. It was fascinated to listen to him, about what he does for his job as well as what it was like to grow up in Germany. We got to learn a lot about the culture, as well the history of Germany and Berlin as well. It was so encouraging to speak to another Christian here in Europe, especially after having talked to so many who are not. Any glimpse of the light of Christ here is incredibly encouraging.
The next morning, as it was Sunday, we went to church in this beautiful cathedral like building. It was all in German, but the service was close enough to a Catholic service that I was able to follow along. The choir was hidden above in the balcony, and the extremely high walls made the music sound ethereal. The walls were made up of small blocks of blue stained glass, and with the light coming in from the outside, it created a cool glow. It was definitely an experience just being in that building, as I observed the elderly congregation and gazed at my surroundings. One of the things I was contemplating during the service was the Jesus at the front of the church. It was huge, and an intersting artistic contrast with its shining, glowing gold surface and the roughly hewn features of the face and robe. It was as if Jesus were hanging on the cross, but with no cross behind him. This led to a reflection on the difference between crosses in Protestant and Catholic churches, and what this Jesus, who had no cross but was hanging there as if he were, meant in that context. A thought came to me that it might represent the resurrected JEsus, his position and scars proof of his sacrifice, but without a cross behind him, death conquered. I didn't come out of the service with a conclusive decision, but it was definitely interesting to ponder.
Later that evening, after hanging out with lots of people at the hostel, we decided to get out with all of Germany for the start of the Euro Championships, a beginning game between Germany and Poland. (football=soccer) We went with Kellie and Chris, an Australian guy we had met earlier, to where there was a large screen set up to show the game. It was incredible! People were painted in Germany colors, wearing crazy hats and holding flags and drinking as much beer as possible. (Which, when you're German, is QUITE a lot) The crowd that had gathered erupted both times when German scored its 2 goals, causing a national celebration when Germany beat Poland 2-0. On our way back to the hostel and on the S-Bahn, everywhere was packed! People were chanting, singing, dancing in the train stations and the streets, celebrating as if they had won themselves. Outside, every single car in the city was honking its horn, people hanging out with windows with German flags and anything yellow, red and black. That was definitely an experience of a lifetime.
Once we got back to the hostel, I didn't really feel like going to bed, so I stayed up with Kelli and Chris talking, and Jeff joined a bit later. Jeff and I were able to share our faith with Chris, telling him what we were doing and why we were doing it. Funny, it all started because he just couldn't understand why we had so little money for food and why we were sticking to such a strict budget. We told him that we trust God with our well being, and that he has already provided us with so much. It's not that we're starving to death, we are definitely eating, we just don't eat as well as we're used to. In sticking to the budget, we have learning great things, like how to empathize with the poor and how it's easier to give or share when you have less. We have also learned to trust God in all these situations, and that he absolutely provides. There is always so much more than what you think there is. It's not a matter of starving or lacking money, because in emergencies we always do have our own money. It's a matter of partaking in lesson learning, and finding that we will be provided for, because we are the Beloved of God, and our lives are not our own. We were able to give Chris a small copy of the New Testament for him to read, to establish a foundation for what we were talking about. He was asking so many questions, that he was really in need of a foundational approach. Why we were doing things. How we know what to do. Who Jesus is, and what he stood for. He was somewhat cynical of certain aspects, but who isn't? I just pray that he is able to find answers and that God draws him in.
I want to thank you all for your emails and posts, it really means so much to me that you are all actually reading this thing!!! Thank you for all your prayers, because God is definitely working here. Please pray for us, that we have energy and are able to keep going. The thought of having 2 more weeks of travel is daunting, and we are all getting a little homesick. Pray for Kellie, that she seeks after God and lets him in. One thing she said before we left for Prague was that her friend had been inviting her to Bible study for a really long time, and when she gets back she actually might go. Pray for the people we met at JetPak: Kellie, Diego, Marty, Caroline, Chris, Hunter, Robbie and Harlen, pray that God touches their lives through what we did, or even just what we lived.
Thank you so much again, and I love you all!!
We arrived at our hostel, which was a very cheap, slightly creepy, but charming in its own way and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had made a decision to make our travel days "transition days", to relax and get settled in.
The next day we left that hostel, after having spoken to just a couple people there, and walked to our next hostel, JetPak hostel, that was voted cleanest hostel in 2006 and 2007. Yay!! We LOVE clean!!!! Marty was the receptionist guy, a very friendly and nice guy, originally from Hungary but who had spent some time in South Dakota. Apparently while he was studying in SD, he got so bored that he volunteered to work at a funeral home, working with the dead bodies and doing all the final prep stuff for the funerals. When I found that out I was definitely surprised and grossed out. Along with Robbie and Harlen, two guys from UCSB who were sitting out in the front with us, we drilled him about what exactly he had to do in that job. Lets just say it's something you really don't want to know, but its so fascinated that you do.... blech. During the course of that whole conversation we talked about religion and faith a bit. The USCB guys were surprised to find that I didn't drink, smoke or party, and were quite interested when we spoke about politics and the Republican association with Christianity. I hope I was able to broaden their horizons a bit, sharing why I live how I live, and letting them know that not all Christians are Republican, or even conservative for that matter.
Berlin was an absolutely amazing city and we met the most interesting people there. I've considered living abroad at some point of my life, and thus far, Berlin has really captured my interest in that sense. So I guess I have to start learning German now. :) The third day we were there (Day 1: creepy hostel, Day 2: JetPak hostel and hang out with people) we took a free tour of Berlin, and Kellie came with us as well as Diego, a Brazilin guy I had met the night before and who was planning on taking the tour as well. The tour was AMAZING!!!! It was so interesting to learn all that history about Berlin, as we saw the Berlin wall and stood in the parking lot that is above what used to be Hitler's bunker, where he hid away at the end of his life and eventually committed suicide with Eva Braun. One of the most interesting things I learned, though, is that for every 63 people there was 1 SS officer assigned, and when they would be taken in for interrogation, there would be a small piece of cloth atop the chair they sat on. After they left, the officer would put the piece of cloth in an airtight jar and label it, in case they needed to track down that person later by their scent. So when the Nazi regime finally fell, hundreds, and probably thousands, of little jars were found with all of these little cloth pieces in them.
Later that night, Dirk got in touch with us (because we had emailed him earlier, asking if he wanted to meet for coffee or ice cream) and we all went to get gelato with him. It was fascinated to listen to him, about what he does for his job as well as what it was like to grow up in Germany. We got to learn a lot about the culture, as well the history of Germany and Berlin as well. It was so encouraging to speak to another Christian here in Europe, especially after having talked to so many who are not. Any glimpse of the light of Christ here is incredibly encouraging.
The next morning, as it was Sunday, we went to church in this beautiful cathedral like building. It was all in German, but the service was close enough to a Catholic service that I was able to follow along. The choir was hidden above in the balcony, and the extremely high walls made the music sound ethereal. The walls were made up of small blocks of blue stained glass, and with the light coming in from the outside, it created a cool glow. It was definitely an experience just being in that building, as I observed the elderly congregation and gazed at my surroundings. One of the things I was contemplating during the service was the Jesus at the front of the church. It was huge, and an intersting artistic contrast with its shining, glowing gold surface and the roughly hewn features of the face and robe. It was as if Jesus were hanging on the cross, but with no cross behind him. This led to a reflection on the difference between crosses in Protestant and Catholic churches, and what this Jesus, who had no cross but was hanging there as if he were, meant in that context. A thought came to me that it might represent the resurrected JEsus, his position and scars proof of his sacrifice, but without a cross behind him, death conquered. I didn't come out of the service with a conclusive decision, but it was definitely interesting to ponder.
Later that evening, after hanging out with lots of people at the hostel, we decided to get out with all of Germany for the start of the Euro Championships, a beginning game between Germany and Poland. (football=soccer) We went with Kellie and Chris, an Australian guy we had met earlier, to where there was a large screen set up to show the game. It was incredible! People were painted in Germany colors, wearing crazy hats and holding flags and drinking as much beer as possible. (Which, when you're German, is QUITE a lot) The crowd that had gathered erupted both times when German scored its 2 goals, causing a national celebration when Germany beat Poland 2-0. On our way back to the hostel and on the S-Bahn, everywhere was packed! People were chanting, singing, dancing in the train stations and the streets, celebrating as if they had won themselves. Outside, every single car in the city was honking its horn, people hanging out with windows with German flags and anything yellow, red and black. That was definitely an experience of a lifetime.
Once we got back to the hostel, I didn't really feel like going to bed, so I stayed up with Kelli and Chris talking, and Jeff joined a bit later. Jeff and I were able to share our faith with Chris, telling him what we were doing and why we were doing it. Funny, it all started because he just couldn't understand why we had so little money for food and why we were sticking to such a strict budget. We told him that we trust God with our well being, and that he has already provided us with so much. It's not that we're starving to death, we are definitely eating, we just don't eat as well as we're used to. In sticking to the budget, we have learning great things, like how to empathize with the poor and how it's easier to give or share when you have less. We have also learned to trust God in all these situations, and that he absolutely provides. There is always so much more than what you think there is. It's not a matter of starving or lacking money, because in emergencies we always do have our own money. It's a matter of partaking in lesson learning, and finding that we will be provided for, because we are the Beloved of God, and our lives are not our own. We were able to give Chris a small copy of the New Testament for him to read, to establish a foundation for what we were talking about. He was asking so many questions, that he was really in need of a foundational approach. Why we were doing things. How we know what to do. Who Jesus is, and what he stood for. He was somewhat cynical of certain aspects, but who isn't? I just pray that he is able to find answers and that God draws him in.
I want to thank you all for your emails and posts, it really means so much to me that you are all actually reading this thing!!! Thank you for all your prayers, because God is definitely working here. Please pray for us, that we have energy and are able to keep going. The thought of having 2 more weeks of travel is daunting, and we are all getting a little homesick. Pray for Kellie, that she seeks after God and lets him in. One thing she said before we left for Prague was that her friend had been inviting her to Bible study for a really long time, and when she gets back she actually might go. Pray for the people we met at JetPak: Kellie, Diego, Marty, Caroline, Chris, Hunter, Robbie and Harlen, pray that God touches their lives through what we did, or even just what we lived.
Thank you so much again, and I love you all!!
Friday, June 6, 2008
I would like to add little note, in order to ask for specific prayer requests. Right now, as Jeff said, we are starting to get over the "honeymoon period" and are realizing that we are going to have to work really hard with one another to work as a team. We want to be a small faction, representing the Body of Christ, but we also want to keep our individuality and personality as our own. We have been starting to struggle with team dynamics, not quite understanding each other or why someone does or says something. We are finding it difficult to create and flow and a rhythm within our group, especially when we are all tired from traveling, we have little food, and we are drained spiritually and emotionally from sharing the Gospel with others. It seems as if we are being attacked so that we cannot work together, hindering us from ministering to people so that God's word cannot permeate the world. If you could pray for our team unity, understanding and compassion within the team, diligence and discipline to keep up our teams times and alone times, ease of conversation and debate within the team, and strength to overcome our fatigue. Most of all, please pray that we are all given the desire to do these things and work as a team. The Gospel cannot be spread if we are all butting heads with one another. Please also pray that we can find a peace, so that we may rest in God when we have time to rest, and so that words are given to us when we are sharing our faith with others. It seems as if we are all quite independent people who have their own opinions and are willing to speak up if necessary, so listening is key to doing all of these things.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Into The Swing of Things
Jonathan and Aaron left on our third day in Brussels, so when we moved to another hostel for the next two nights, we were glad for a small break before meeting more people. It was a morning full of practical things, like checking in and out and going grocery shopping to get food. We planned on shopping at the grocery store from now on so that we could get more food for a cheaper price. We all went to the market and there it all began. It was so difficult finding inexpensive meals for all of us, having to agree on it all, and reaching a consensus. It also didnt help that we were all hungry while we were shopping as well. We ended up getting two big bags of pasta, sandwich stuff and some cheese. On our way from the store back to the hostel, we stopped in the Botanical Gardens (Les Jardins Botaniques) to eat lunch. It was glorious (that one was for you, Dad) sitting on the large steps in the sunshine, looking at the modern buildings peeking over all the foliage and the large fountains. It was our best meal at the time, and we returned after a while to the hostel to get checked in and journal or read. Once dinner time rolled around, we found ourselves making our way to the bright and cheery kitchen of the hostel to make a pasta dinner. While we were in there waiting for the water to boil, we pulled out Uno and started playing. Soon enough 2 Finnish guys named Otso and Mikko, Aadhar, who just graduated from Georgia Tech, and 2 Australian guys, Evan and Scott, made their way in, either to grab a beer from the fridge or make dinner themselves. We pulled them into the game, and thus started one of the most complicated Uno games I have ever played in my life. Never try to make a meal and play a fast moving card game at the same time!! Dinner was a blast, and it was so much fun hanging out with the new people that we had met. It was just a relaxed, loud dinner filled with laughter and lots of conversation.
The next day my team and I went out with Otso and Mikko to go check out the EU building. On our way there we ran into a large crowd of people waving Italian flags around, lighting off firecrackers, and holding up homemade posters. As we walked a little further through the crowd, we saw a barricade of barbed wire set up with soldiers standing behind it, helmets, guns and shields ready for anything. They were standing there cooly as the mob where we were standing heckled and talked to them, newscameras capturing everything on film. Wisely, as we are responsible young students, we figured that it was probably not that best of an idea to stick around for too long. We didnt want any headlines in the newspapers the next day, "Five American students and two Finnish students died yesterday on the streets of Brussels, caught in a large mob caused by a protest." On our way out, my curiosity got the better of me and I went over to three old Italian men who were standing nearby. "Excuse me, do you speak English?" They told me no, they only spoke Italian and French, so with a combination of French, Spanish, Italian, English and body movements, I gathered that they were protesting the price of oil or gas, coming from Italy. I was so proud of myself to to have gotten that much out of them, as we went back to the hostel to make lunch. We ended up having a huge meal together, and spending a relaxing lunch around the large table in the kitchen.
We were able to spend a lot of time with Otso and Mikko, Aadhar, Evan and Scott. It was incredible to sit together, discuss politics, home life, families and travel with such different types of people. One of the greatest things I learned in spending time with them, especiallz Evan and Scott, is that friendship is unconditional and priceless. The bond between those two was so strong. Thez reallz did care about each other, having grown up together and gone to the same school all their lives. There was such an ease and comfort with them and between them that it was almost surprising to see such a bond between people I dont know well, especially between non Christians. For some reason I have had this mistaken belief that the truest and deepest of friendships and commitments can be found in the Christian realm, but I am beginning to find that there is this depth and dedication even throughout the world.
Please pray for our team dynamics, so that we may learn to understand and be compassionate towards one another. Pray for those we have met and who we are about to meet, and that we may have a boldness and the words to speak.
I love you all, and wherever you are, I hope God is touching you in incredible ways! Even during these hard and tough times, I find that the only thing you really can rely on.
One last note. I have always been amazed at the abilitz for the poor to share so much of what they have, even though they have so little. I have learned, though, that being poor creates an empathy. When you are hungry you know what the beggar sitting on the side of the road feels like. Thats why Jesus said it is so hard for a rich man to get into heaven (that whole bit about the camel passing through the head of a needle). When you have less, you realize you have less to lose.
The next day my team and I went out with Otso and Mikko to go check out the EU building. On our way there we ran into a large crowd of people waving Italian flags around, lighting off firecrackers, and holding up homemade posters. As we walked a little further through the crowd, we saw a barricade of barbed wire set up with soldiers standing behind it, helmets, guns and shields ready for anything. They were standing there cooly as the mob where we were standing heckled and talked to them, newscameras capturing everything on film. Wisely, as we are responsible young students, we figured that it was probably not that best of an idea to stick around for too long. We didnt want any headlines in the newspapers the next day, "Five American students and two Finnish students died yesterday on the streets of Brussels, caught in a large mob caused by a protest." On our way out, my curiosity got the better of me and I went over to three old Italian men who were standing nearby. "Excuse me, do you speak English?" They told me no, they only spoke Italian and French, so with a combination of French, Spanish, Italian, English and body movements, I gathered that they were protesting the price of oil or gas, coming from Italy. I was so proud of myself to to have gotten that much out of them, as we went back to the hostel to make lunch. We ended up having a huge meal together, and spending a relaxing lunch around the large table in the kitchen.
We were able to spend a lot of time with Otso and Mikko, Aadhar, Evan and Scott. It was incredible to sit together, discuss politics, home life, families and travel with such different types of people. One of the greatest things I learned in spending time with them, especiallz Evan and Scott, is that friendship is unconditional and priceless. The bond between those two was so strong. Thez reallz did care about each other, having grown up together and gone to the same school all their lives. There was such an ease and comfort with them and between them that it was almost surprising to see such a bond between people I dont know well, especially between non Christians. For some reason I have had this mistaken belief that the truest and deepest of friendships and commitments can be found in the Christian realm, but I am beginning to find that there is this depth and dedication even throughout the world.
Please pray for our team dynamics, so that we may learn to understand and be compassionate towards one another. Pray for those we have met and who we are about to meet, and that we may have a boldness and the words to speak.
I love you all, and wherever you are, I hope God is touching you in incredible ways! Even during these hard and tough times, I find that the only thing you really can rely on.
One last note. I have always been amazed at the abilitz for the poor to share so much of what they have, even though they have so little. I have learned, though, that being poor creates an empathy. When you are hungry you know what the beggar sitting on the side of the road feels like. Thats why Jesus said it is so hard for a rich man to get into heaven (that whole bit about the camel passing through the head of a needle). When you have less, you realize you have less to lose.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Je voudrais le gaufre avec le sucre...
Sunday morning we were planning on going to church before taking the train to Brussels, Belgium. We visited God's Embassy International church, held in the YWAM building, with a Rene, a guy we had met at Shelter City who had just been baptized a couple days before. It was a charismatic and very lively church with people worshipping by waving colorful flags and streamers, dancing throughout the building, and clapping joyfully to the music. We sang this fun song, "God is not dead, no, God is not dead... I feel him all over me. I feel him in my hands, feet, etc... Raise Jesus higher... Stomp Satan lower." While we were singing these lines, there were certain actions that went along with the lines, like raising your arms when you were raising Jesus up, and marching low to the ground when you were stomping Satan lower. Man, that church service was definitely a workout. The sermon was encouraging as well, with the pastor speaking on Romans 7 and 8 about how there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
After the service, we walked briskly to the train station and caught a train to Brussels. Once we arrived at the Brussels Midi train station, we hiked clear across the city with out packs and in the bristeling humidity to our hostel. To our chagrin, we found out that although it was listed as a hostel online, it was in essence a cheap hotel, so we had our own room and bathroom. We were all disappointed, wondering how we were going to meet people if it was just a hotel, but we trusted God that he had us there for a reason. Having very little money for food, we went off in search of something to eat and found a little take away [European for to go] restuarant where we got soup and bread. On our way back to our hotel, we ran into two Canadian brothers, Jonathan and Aaron, and hung out with them for the night. It was fun to hang out with them, and we ended up spending the rest of the night together, having theological and philosophical discussions, learning about why we were all traveling, and getting to know each other. Basically, God just plopped them right into our laps. We went to their hostel that night, and for a while I left the group for a bit and went over to talk to these quirky, fun guys from Tampa I had spoken to earlier. Our conversation eventually went from our plans in Brussels to politics to the gay marriage law that was just passed in CA to Christianity. They knew I was a Christian, or religious at least, when in our introductions they said, "Grace... so are your parents religious or something?" They started peppering me with questions about religion, faith, and God, not really having a complete grasp on the idea of religion or why a young, intelligent person in their right mind would be so devoted to God. Then they asked... "Ok, so what exactly is the Holy Ghost?" Oh no. NOT THE TRINITIY!!!!! EVEN I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THE TRINITY!!! God gave me the words, though, and I ended up explaining God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the story of the Gospel. Wow. By my own way I could never have come up with that.
The next day we hung out with Aaron and Jonathan all day, visiting palaces, parks and fun little streets with shops and restaurants. That day was filled with references to our own faith, yet it wasn't forced or pushy. We were basically sharing ourselves with them, while they shared with us. We loved the entire day, chatting away like no other. The highlight of the day was sitting in the shade on some lovely grass for about an hour and a half, relaxing after long walking and the heat. Later that night, the last time we hung out, we gave them Mere Christianity and Blue Like Jazz, books that just seemed to fit perfectly with their personalities and ways of thinking.
Please pray for Aaron and Jonathan, that God will touch their hearts and that they may find truth through those books. Also pray for those guys who I talked to, Graham, Alan and Joe (?) who have very little concept of faith and the work of God. For ourselves, please pray for our team, so that love and patience may abound, and that we may reach an unconditional understanding. Prayer for cheap, yet comfortable hostels, so that we have more money for food (we have very very little right now) is also needed.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and love. We are not in this alone, for you are all partners in this endeavor.
Love you all.
After the service, we walked briskly to the train station and caught a train to Brussels. Once we arrived at the Brussels Midi train station, we hiked clear across the city with out packs and in the bristeling humidity to our hostel. To our chagrin, we found out that although it was listed as a hostel online, it was in essence a cheap hotel, so we had our own room and bathroom. We were all disappointed, wondering how we were going to meet people if it was just a hotel, but we trusted God that he had us there for a reason. Having very little money for food, we went off in search of something to eat and found a little take away [European for to go] restuarant where we got soup and bread. On our way back to our hotel, we ran into two Canadian brothers, Jonathan and Aaron, and hung out with them for the night. It was fun to hang out with them, and we ended up spending the rest of the night together, having theological and philosophical discussions, learning about why we were all traveling, and getting to know each other. Basically, God just plopped them right into our laps. We went to their hostel that night, and for a while I left the group for a bit and went over to talk to these quirky, fun guys from Tampa I had spoken to earlier. Our conversation eventually went from our plans in Brussels to politics to the gay marriage law that was just passed in CA to Christianity. They knew I was a Christian, or religious at least, when in our introductions they said, "Grace... so are your parents religious or something?" They started peppering me with questions about religion, faith, and God, not really having a complete grasp on the idea of religion or why a young, intelligent person in their right mind would be so devoted to God. Then they asked... "Ok, so what exactly is the Holy Ghost?" Oh no. NOT THE TRINITIY!!!!! EVEN I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THE TRINITY!!! God gave me the words, though, and I ended up explaining God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the story of the Gospel. Wow. By my own way I could never have come up with that.
The next day we hung out with Aaron and Jonathan all day, visiting palaces, parks and fun little streets with shops and restaurants. That day was filled with references to our own faith, yet it wasn't forced or pushy. We were basically sharing ourselves with them, while they shared with us. We loved the entire day, chatting away like no other. The highlight of the day was sitting in the shade on some lovely grass for about an hour and a half, relaxing after long walking and the heat. Later that night, the last time we hung out, we gave them Mere Christianity and Blue Like Jazz, books that just seemed to fit perfectly with their personalities and ways of thinking.
Please pray for Aaron and Jonathan, that God will touch their hearts and that they may find truth through those books. Also pray for those guys who I talked to, Graham, Alan and Joe (?) who have very little concept of faith and the work of God. For ourselves, please pray for our team, so that love and patience may abound, and that we may reach an unconditional understanding. Prayer for cheap, yet comfortable hostels, so that we have more money for food (we have very very little right now) is also needed.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and love. We are not in this alone, for you are all partners in this endeavor.
Love you all.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
You Want a Cafe, NOT a Coffeeshop!
So traveling across the world is exhausting, but completely worth it. It's especially tiring traveling in a large group, but we made it here! We connected in Heathrow, but didn't have much time to look around in the super expensive shops there before we caught our flight to Amsterdam. People were a bit cranky once they got here (especially those who weren't quite used to the idea of jet lag), but we got to sit outside in the Dam Square for a bit in the sunshine. (Because as my dad always says, Jet Lag hates sunshine and fresh air!!!) It was great being back in Europe, seeing all the people and being completely comfortable in the area.
Here I am in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is so beautiful here, but the smells and sights are sometimes a bit iffy. :) Our hostel, Shelter City, is right on the edge of the red light district, and this morning we went with a partner on a prayer walk through the district. It was so incredibly haunting seeing the whole thing, how this perversion of such a beautiful thing was taken so lightly and callously. I felt for the people there, those girls in the scarlet windows, the people working in the sex shops and the groups of people (mainly men) walking around in search of fulfillment or temporary pleasure. It was disturbing to see the blatant way that the sex industry has become a part of life here. One thing in particular interested me as I noticed a man, an everyday house painter in his white hat and jumpsuit, painting the white frame around one of the windows. Such a practical, everyday thing to do, yet in such a dark neighborhood. We went on a prayer walk, but I found that I didn't quite know what to pray for. For the people? The neighborhood? The men walking around? I was just busy with what these people were living in and with, how did this become the norm? How did this become acceptable? All I could do, I suppose, was pray that those working at Shelter City (a Christian youth hostel) and its affiliated ministries can make a difference and reach these people for Christ.
We ate lunch at this cute little cafe along the side of one of the many canals in the city, a Caprese sandwich with the delicious crunchy European bread. Afterward I was able to walk around a little in the shopping area near the hostel, with the many cafes and cool little shops. It felt liberating to walk around by myself, not having to be somewhere at a certain time or make sure that we were all there. One of my favorite things was walking through a little outdoor farmers market. There were colorful flowers, huge hunks of cheese, fish, bread in tall baskets, and a little spice/fresh mushrooms (the real ones) stand. All the smells and sights like that always remind me of wonderful times in Europe, little outdoor markets in Armenia, Finland, Austria... they all have the same cultural quality, even if they are a bit touristy cheesy sometimes.
Here I am in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is so beautiful here, but the smells and sights are sometimes a bit iffy. :) Our hostel, Shelter City, is right on the edge of the red light district, and this morning we went with a partner on a prayer walk through the district. It was so incredibly haunting seeing the whole thing, how this perversion of such a beautiful thing was taken so lightly and callously. I felt for the people there, those girls in the scarlet windows, the people working in the sex shops and the groups of people (mainly men) walking around in search of fulfillment or temporary pleasure. It was disturbing to see the blatant way that the sex industry has become a part of life here. One thing in particular interested me as I noticed a man, an everyday house painter in his white hat and jumpsuit, painting the white frame around one of the windows. Such a practical, everyday thing to do, yet in such a dark neighborhood. We went on a prayer walk, but I found that I didn't quite know what to pray for. For the people? The neighborhood? The men walking around? I was just busy with what these people were living in and with, how did this become the norm? How did this become acceptable? All I could do, I suppose, was pray that those working at Shelter City (a Christian youth hostel) and its affiliated ministries can make a difference and reach these people for Christ.
We ate lunch at this cute little cafe along the side of one of the many canals in the city, a Caprese sandwich with the delicious crunchy European bread. Afterward I was able to walk around a little in the shopping area near the hostel, with the many cafes and cool little shops. It felt liberating to walk around by myself, not having to be somewhere at a certain time or make sure that we were all there. One of my favorite things was walking through a little outdoor farmers market. There were colorful flowers, huge hunks of cheese, fish, bread in tall baskets, and a little spice/fresh mushrooms (the real ones) stand. All the smells and sights like that always remind me of wonderful times in Europe, little outdoor markets in Armenia, Finland, Austria... they all have the same cultural quality, even if they are a bit touristy cheesy sometimes.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Feet, Dangerous Prayers, and Humility
Hello everyone!
For those of you who aren't quite sure what I'm doing this summer and why I have a blog, or for those who just happened upon this blog by chance (just know that it definitely wasn't by chance), here is a brief explanation. This summer I'm doing a missions trip called Youth Hostel Ministry (YHM) and will be traveling around hostels in Europe for 2 months on a team of 4 people (me, Jeff, Justin and Jen), sharing the great news of Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection! We will be minstering to the hostel community of Europe, where people often go to find answers to life, run away from home, or just travel the world. This blog will be my account of what we do this summer, who we meet, and all of the incredible things that will happen.
Ok, so the beginning. Yesterday we all met at our school to do final orienation things. We were all exhausted when we arrived, some of us had to wake up as early as 2 or 3am, but it was a thrill to meet everyone in the airport, giving us a taste of what it's going to be like in Europe (especially during the midsummer retreat). The most important things that we did last night, besides eating delicious food and hanging out, was separating as teams and washing each other's feet. I knew there was going to be some foot washing before it happened, and to be honest, I'm not a feet happy feet loving kind of person. I mean, I'm not a total weirdo when it comes to feet, but I would just prefer to refrain from touching something that gets sweaty, dirty, walks on the ground, and is potentially a practical petri dish for disease and bacteria. Then one of our leaders began reading John 13 about how Jesus washed his disciples feet. As God, he stooped down to the position of a servant and served his own disciples. "When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them. 'You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one antoehr's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:12-17) At that point, the perspective shifted. Don't you love it when that happens? The foot washing practice shifted from an unwanted foot-interaction to an action of love, servanthood and humility. I guess that was a kick in the pants, too. Jesus was the last person who should have been washing the feet of lowly fishermen and tax collectors, yet he lowered himself, giving an example of we should be doing. How difficult should it be for us if the King, God himself, did it first?
So here I go. Earlier in the year I had prayed that God would grow me. What a dangerous prayer. Opportunity abounds to grow and have perspective changes, and the first one already came. Humility. I think that's one of the Biblical concepts that can be thrown into a dark corner and forgotten about, perhaps because it's such a hard thing to attain and such a challenging thing to keep to. But we are called to it, nonetheless.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death -
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:6-11
So our flight is tonight and we'll be in Europe soon enough. Please keep us in your prayers as we go off on this grand adventure!
For those of you who aren't quite sure what I'm doing this summer and why I have a blog, or for those who just happened upon this blog by chance (just know that it definitely wasn't by chance), here is a brief explanation. This summer I'm doing a missions trip called Youth Hostel Ministry (YHM) and will be traveling around hostels in Europe for 2 months on a team of 4 people (me, Jeff, Justin and Jen), sharing the great news of Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection! We will be minstering to the hostel community of Europe, where people often go to find answers to life, run away from home, or just travel the world. This blog will be my account of what we do this summer, who we meet, and all of the incredible things that will happen.
Ok, so the beginning. Yesterday we all met at our school to do final orienation things. We were all exhausted when we arrived, some of us had to wake up as early as 2 or 3am, but it was a thrill to meet everyone in the airport, giving us a taste of what it's going to be like in Europe (especially during the midsummer retreat). The most important things that we did last night, besides eating delicious food and hanging out, was separating as teams and washing each other's feet. I knew there was going to be some foot washing before it happened, and to be honest, I'm not a feet happy feet loving kind of person. I mean, I'm not a total weirdo when it comes to feet, but I would just prefer to refrain from touching something that gets sweaty, dirty, walks on the ground, and is potentially a practical petri dish for disease and bacteria. Then one of our leaders began reading John 13 about how Jesus washed his disciples feet. As God, he stooped down to the position of a servant and served his own disciples. "When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them. 'You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one antoehr's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:12-17) At that point, the perspective shifted. Don't you love it when that happens? The foot washing practice shifted from an unwanted foot-interaction to an action of love, servanthood and humility. I guess that was a kick in the pants, too. Jesus was the last person who should have been washing the feet of lowly fishermen and tax collectors, yet he lowered himself, giving an example of we should be doing. How difficult should it be for us if the King, God himself, did it first?
So here I go. Earlier in the year I had prayed that God would grow me. What a dangerous prayer. Opportunity abounds to grow and have perspective changes, and the first one already came. Humility. I think that's one of the Biblical concepts that can be thrown into a dark corner and forgotten about, perhaps because it's such a hard thing to attain and such a challenging thing to keep to. But we are called to it, nonetheless.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death -
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:6-11
So our flight is tonight and we'll be in Europe soon enough. Please keep us in your prayers as we go off on this grand adventure!
Friday, May 23, 2008
What is charis?
charis: (greek) χαρις
- grace -- that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
- good will, loving-kindness, favour -- of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
- what is due to grace -- the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
-- the token or proof of grace, benefit
a. a gift of grace
b. benefit, bounty - thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:4-10
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