Intermission

We interrupt this blog to bring you some commical relief. ha ha.
Thursday 10:55 a.m.
I was in the middle of looking at a project when suddenly I remembered our Christmas Dinner for the ERO was tonight. I gasped as I mentioned the fact I had totally forgotten. What was I going to wear? Lisa and Simone laughed and tried to calm me down. They asked if I had anything else planned and I replied "Yes! It's laundry night!" (Such big plans for the evening! ha ha) We all laughed. Then they asked if I had any clean clothes. I said "Well yeah, I have things to wear I just don't know what I'm going to wear!" I will look when I go home for lunch today as I dressed casual today and the place we're going to is dressy!

Interlocken 4

I was quite surprised upon entering my room. There were 2 twin beds with European pillows and down filled duvet covers folded horizontally on the bed. There was not a top sheet on the bed as Europeans do not use them. There was no internet access at the resort. I thought that I had 2 closets similar to an armiore (sp?) only to find out one of them contained a sink. There were 2 community toilettes and 1 community shower each in it's own privacy. I laughed when I saw the toilette as it had a sticker on it with a picture demonstrating for the men not to miss the toilette. How funny! I did not enter the toilette to the right of the area because of the door handle. It had a black square meatle old door handle. I stuck to the one I felt comfortable with.

Interlocken 3

As we drove through the Alps I thought of the movie "White Christmas" in which they're on a train headed to Vermont expecting snow. However when they arrive there is no snow and the temperature is warm. The Alps are beautiful and green. As we got closer to Interlocken the mountains had sparsely covered snow peaks. Joel took this time to remind us to look at what was around us as we may never get another chance to see it. I was at an intense point in the book. I struggled with reading and looking. It didn't take me long to put the book down! I enjoyed the view. Occasionally Ali would point some things out to me on his side as I looked mainly out to the left side of the car. As we got off the exit there seemed to be a roundabout on every corner. It was like being on a carnival ride. ha ha. As we drove to the resort we passed by the lake. It was enormous and the water was choppy. As we approached the bottom of the mountain I was fascinated by what looked like a pipeline. We began the climb of the mountain and I realized it was a guard rail I was looking at. The road became one way either way and I wondered what happened when a car came down. I said several prayers as we climbed the curvy narrow road lined by rock hillsides to the right.

Interlocken part 2

It was 7:56 four minutes until load up time. I gathered up my things dragging the backpack behind me. I hollared to Simone I would see her downstairs. She stoped me & asked if I could come back and get her bags as she had to get the newsletter sent out. I assured her I would and if not I would send one of the guys. Joel & Sarah arrived and we put what few bags we could into the trunk. Nikolaj & Ludia were running late. Ali & I rode with Joel & Sarah, while Verne, Simone, & Lisa rode with Nikolaj. I thought I would sleep as I usually fall asleep in a car with in 5 minutes when on a trip. By this point I was a wake and decided to read my book The Healer by Dee Henderson. It had begun to rain again only this time it was a hard rain. Occassionally Ali would tell me what he was doing with his computer system, but I didn't understand. On our way to the Audubon traffic was almost at a standstill. It was rush hour and a lot of people travel into to Zurich. Reminded me of Little rock and all the people that commute in. After we were outside of Zurich there was a period of about 30 min. where the sun shone bright. I retrieved my sunglasses from my purse, Joel switched the visor to the side of the window, and Ali adjusted in his seat to see his screen better. The sun highlighted the blonde in my hair. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sun as the heat radiated against my face.

Interlocken 12/4/06 part 1

This morning I awoke to the sound of gentle rain falling along with the sound of my alarm buzzing on the desk. My eyes struggled to open. I tried to orient myself in the pitch black room. I struggled to open the netting hangning around my bed. "Why did you close the netting all the way?" I thought to myself. I grabbed the cell phone (it's my alarm), adjusted my eyes to the bright blue light, and wearily looked at the time. 5:30. "Do I get up and shower or snooze?" I thought to myself. It's too early! My body fell onto the bed as my hand hit the snooze button. "Nine minutes and then you've got to get ready!" I said to myself. My hand clutched the phone under the pillow as I drifted back to sleep. The phone vibrated in my hand and then began to beep. I instinctively hit the snooze button again. Just a few more minutes I thought. As I laid there I couldn't help but think I would oversleep. I decided to get up. I still was not fully awake and stumbled into the bathroom to prepare the shower. The sprayer fell from it's holder and danced about in the shower squirting water everywhere. Then when as I bent down to pick it up I knocked my head on the water knob. This was not turning out to be my morning! "I want to go back to bed" I thought to myself as I soaked in the steam!

Bittersweet Goodbye

Today I arrived home from the retreat. We had no internet access the entire time. To tell you the truth it was qutie nice! Upon checking my mail I found one from my mother entintled "Good News!" I thought this is it my car has sold, but then pushed the thought to the back of my mind so I wouldn't get my hopes up. As I read the email I screamed "Yes" several times. My smile stretched across both sides of my face. I ran into Simone's room to tell her the good news. My car had sold and for 200 less than what I had hoped to get (which was fine with me!) God had answered our prayers, given my moms the words to say, and led the person to buying the car! What a blessing! The best part is that it sold the day I left for the retreat! How awesome is God? Secretly I had hoped that it wouldn't sell and would be there for me when I return. However I know I needed the money and God provided as he will when I get home. I need not worry about the future what lies ahead when I return only the present!

Gentle Whispers

I'm not sure where I heard the phrase that sometimes God speaks to us in gentle whispers. Today was the start of Advent season. The music minister at the church sang a song about trusting the Lord. She brought up the point of how Mary and Joseph might have felt yet through it all they trusted God even though they didn't understand. She concluded before she sang with "Trust in the Lord no matter what your future holds" I'm not sure who wrote/sings the song but as she sang it some words in particular stuck out to me "When you can't trace his hands trust his heart" Over a year ago my friend, Teresa, added a screen saver marquee to my comp. and those were the words she put on it. I don't remember if I heard the song before today. It was a reminder of my friend and also to trust in God. "All things work for our good although we don't see how they could....Our father knows whats best for us...when we can't trace his hand trust his heart...He sees the master plan...Don't live as those who have no hope all our hope is in him...Like a tapestry he's weaving you and me to be just like him."
The sermon focused on how God does things and often times they don't come with big announcements. Like the birth of Jesus- was simple and quiet. The angels rejoiced, but as to the world....little knew. Whereas when Prince William was born there were celebrations, announcements etc... The points of the sermon (taken from Micah 5:2, 4-5) were

1. God often chooses small things to bring about results
2. God can make crooked ways straight again.
3. No matter what the past God can change the future. Don't dwell on the past

Today was filled with gentle whispers on trusting God even when I feel like he's not there, knowing he has made my way straight again, and knowing he knows my future. Even as I write this I'm reminded of the song "I have a Maker....He knows my name, He knows each tear that falls, and hears me when I call."

Christmas Market

Each year German towns put on Christmas markets. Some are a day, a week, or the month of December. Stuttgarts is the most famous (at least that's the one everyone talks about on campus). I opted for the Busingen Market as it was just around the corner. The aroma of roasted chestnuts filled the air. There was a booth with nothing but Germany pastries. I had a slice of Black Forest Cake! It was heavenly. My friend Lely sold some of her Indonesian food. The prophets are going toward her summer mission trip to Bali. A common thing here in Europe is to have "lotto" you pay 2 Francs for a ticket and the number on the ticket is the prize you get. I had seen a black satin evening purse with silver handles. It was my kind of purse. So I bought a ticket only ended up with an angel. I bought a few more but they were the "sorry not a winner" tickets. :( I found a tall porcelin teapot I thought my mom would like. The lady was busy and I decided to come back later. When I went back the teapot was gone! :( I need to go to the brokey (Salvation Army) in Shaffhaussen as they have some beautiful teacups there. They had a Saint Nicholas walk around and a german mens choir provided music.

Advent Banquet

December 1, 2006 EuNC hosted it's anual Advent banquet. It's the party of the year everyone looks forward to. In a way it could be compared to a prom. Everyone comes in their very best. Friday afternoon the girls around campus were busy doing each others hair, makeup, borrowing straightners, asking which dress looks best. Clothes adorned the beds from several changes to find that one perfect outfit that flattered them. Even those of us that didn't have a date (there were a lot of us! :) ) wanted to look our best as if we did. We were having a blast were daring shades of red lipstick or creating smokey eyes.
We arrived at the room shortly before 6. Everyone was standing in the hall. Barnabas ,being the flirt that he is, took each of the ladies hands as they arrived and kissed them as if we were royalty. Once we entered the room people began to quickly choose their seats and save others for late coming friends. It was like choosing a car for bumper cars.
After the banquet we had a 30 min. break then met in the chapel. The team had transformed it into a cafe. White lights and candles filled the darkened room creating a warm glow. One of the ladies who attends EuNC did a duet with her daughter. She played the piano and the daughter (around 6 or so) played the violin. It was beautiful. The second song she did she messed up but I have to commend her as she didn't get upset and just went on with the song. It was a difficult piece she was playing. My favorite skit was the "Last roll of toilet paper in the guys dorm" Shahade, Victor, Nacho, Andrew, & Peter did a slow motion coregraphed routine for a roll of toilett paper fighting for it. It was very well done. The music is one familiar and if you could hear me humm it you'd probably recognize it. It's a common one used in Epic movies. I want to say it's a requium. I could be wrong. The night was filled with laughter and even a tribal dance. Quite entertaining.

One of those days

The title says it all. Today had good and not so good elements to it. I had a relaxing day after church. Ate lunch, played piano, rearranged my room, etc... After I had eaten I took the composte out (the fruit flies are notrocious here!) When I returned I washed the dishes. As I was preparing the sink one of the glasses fell and broke. Luckily this was a drinking glass and not one of our nicer glasses. So "la ti da" I said to myself and went on about my day. I decided I wanted to watch a movie and chose Pride and Predjudice since I had not seen this particular version in a while. I stopped in the middle of the first half to fix dinner. I was looking forward to this. Eggs and toast! I went to get the butter out of the fridge (we have a small refrig. One that you would see in a dorm) and as I opened the door our water jug fell out and broke (there is no bar on the inside of the door). Water and glass went everywhere. I stood there dumbfounded as to what had happened. Meanwhile my slippers (we have no carpet in our apt.) were getting wet. I couldn't believe it. This was the second thing I had broken since lunch. What was going on? I found some towels to clean it up with. The glass shattered into paper thin specs. I got what I could up but I'm still finding some of the specs around. After that I had lost all interest in Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. I decided to read more in my book The Negotiator by Dee Henderson. It was good and intense but I was falling asleep. I wouldn't let myself fall asleep at 8 pm. So I decided to finish the first part of the movie. By now I was much more into Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth as I knew he was about to declare his love for her and she in return would turn him down. It's quite entertaining. You really should watch it (the BBC version from 1995 with Collin Firth).
I had a craving for chocolate but suppressed it for a while. I debated on whether to make brownies or chocolate chip cookies. Do I hold off and wait until the weekend and take them on the retreat? I gave in. I hadn't made them in over 2 months. Whenever I make choc. chip cookies I always eat a few of the chips right when I open the bag... Just something I do. Tonight I didn't use any butter just the German baking stuff called Sanella (?) So we're not sure if thats butter or like a butter crisco. I also added almond slivers. My cookies turned out better tonight then they had the last time I made them here. They were more like what I get when I bake at home. And the Almond slivers added a nice taste. I reserved a few for Simone and I, but the rest are being given away.
All in all my day was good. Tomorrow is the kick off for a busy month ahead. lol. So much to do and not enough time! :)

EUNC Thanksgiving

Last night was my second Thanksgiving meal with no leftovers being served ha ha. The Americans on the campus of EUNC wanted to show our thanks to the students and faculty for hosting us. It was potluck style and had an international flavor to it. They transformed the fellowship hall into a beautiful place. Candles and low lit lamps filled the room creating ambiance. The autum colored Napkins were placed length wise underneath the plates to add color. Burgandy flowers tied with burnt orange ribbon adorned the tables along with baskets of fruit. The fire was going, football was on, people were laughing and talking. Some dressed up in there Sunday best, others came casual while others came comfortable. Kids were running around screaming, giggling and building forts. It was just like home.
I made mashed potatos as I found a mixer to borrow! They were so good! However I forgot to tell them to warm them up before putting them out. They were a bit cold when they were served. Still good though.
After we had eaten we went around the table and said what we were thankful for. Then the table as a whole came up with one thing they were thankful for. Every table had the same answer of being in this community and having family. Ours was last and summed it up to God's faithfullness in bringing us to this place and establishing the friendships.
Dessert was served and there was no pumpkin pie! Shock to some of you I know! ha ha. Pumpkin in a can is not sold here. Although...I do have 2 cans myself, but don't tell anyone! Shhhhhh. I'm saving it for pumpkin bread. I tried a traditional swiss desert. I'm not sure what it's called but I guess it's like creamed chestnuts. You squeeze it from a tube and it looks like wheat spaghetti. It's very sweet at first then quickly changes to a bitter taste. I'm not fond of it.
At 8:30 we headed out to the yard inbetween the 2 buildings for some American football. It was crazy as at both ends were trees which weren't in the right place and in the middle is a kyak that is being used as a flower bed. Uwe (pronounced ooo-va) brought out his lamp stands to give us light! Michelle was playing in her bare feet. Not to mention the fact it was freezing outside and the ground was wet. I took some pictures and video. Not all the pictures turned out because of lighting. At one point I snapped the picture and I heard my flash make some clicking noises. I looked at my camera after the picture had been taken and I saw smoke coming off of it. I thought it was broken only to find out that it was my breath I was seeing. ha ha. After the game we went inside. Some of us watched Miracle on 34th St (the newest version! I love that movie) while others sat by the fire and talked.
This was a thanksgiving I'll never forget and I truly enjoyed!

Thanksgiving part 2

Thanksgiving at the Mullens was good. The guys sat in the living room and talked while watching the game and the women hung out in the kitchen. There were real mashed potatos. One made with an electric mixer! :) Turkey and gravy! Green Bean Caserole! I did good not to over eat! Didn't go back for seconds or for desert (they just had pumpkin pie, jello, and a kiwi thing which I don't care for any of these). Tell you the truth the plate I did have wasn't overwhelming and I was full. I tried a new dish. I'm not sure what it is called. It's a caserole with mashed potatos, zucchini, along with some other things. It was different but good. A lot of people eat zucchini here. I'm learning to like it! :) We just had dinner nothing else. I had to get back as it was my laundry night.

Thanksgiving part 1

Today is a holiday for the Americans here...although it hasn't seemed like a holiday as I ended up working some. I had scheduled a conference call earlier this week for today totally forgetting today was Thanksgiving, plus I had heard we wouldn't have off. Then yesterday I got an email from my boss saying we would have today off, but if we wanted to work that was fine also. I feel like they would rather you work than take off for a holiday. Anyway point being...I went ahead with the conf. call since I had cancelled out earlier this week. The call went great. lots of ideas were discussed and fine tuned. The man I had the call with appologized for not realizing it was Thanksgiving and we eneded the call earlier. It wasn't bad except for the fact that I was geared up with ideas for this page so I worked on it some. Finally I quit and watched a movie.
Tonight I am having dinner at my boss's house along with the rest of the American staff here. It's also laundry night! Anyway I was asked to bring pickles, olives, butter and jelly. The jelly threw me off as we've never had jelly at my Thanksgiving dinners before. We finally figured out it must be for the bread. Pickles here are called Gerkins and they're sweet. I have yet to find Dill pickles here. I decided to be spontaneous on the jelly and get Raspberry instead of the usuall strawberry or grape. I hope it's good. They didn't have a cranberry jelly. ha ha. This will be intertesting to see how the dinner goes tonight. It will be different. Something new! :)

self- control

This is my last week in the Living Beyond Yourself Bible study. The final week focuses on self-control. Beth put a different spin on it for me one that I had never thought of. Here are points that stuck out to me:

1. Love keeps us afloat; Self-control keeps us anchored
2. The key to self-control is the refusal to allow our enemies (flesh, world, or Satan) to rule or hold us captive in any way. Self makes the choice have control. Self extends authority to those listed above.
3. Walls of city- she focuses on stories from the old testament in which walls were built for protection, yet if the walls fell the city became vulnerable to any attack. "A city was only as secure as the walls which surrounded it" She compared the walls of the city to self-control. When we lack self-control we are vulnerable to what the enemy throws at us.
   

   Any out-of-control area in our lives, no matter how big or how small, is an open invitation to the enemy....he (Satan) has memorized every strength and every weakness in our lives. He is always on the lookout for that one crumbling section or your protective wall- that one out-of-control area- where he will enter and play havoic on your life. His weapons are your greatest temptation. Your wounds are guilt, shame, frustration, and failure; his goal is to hold you captive for as long as possible.

I think my mindset used to be that self-control was more about eating and not over indulging. It goes beyond that to addictions, anger, obsessivness and so forth.
If we let our self have control our lives will be disaster yet if we let God have control we will have self-control and our lives will begin to change.

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

Today I made my final car payment...Such a relief to have it paid off...Now for it to sell. I'll miss my car! but it must be sold to help with finances. So if you know of anyone who needs a car let me know. It's beautiful! And when it's washed it looks like a silver bullet...Okay okay I'm getting sentimental.

Ecclesiastes

I joined one of the small groups on campus for Bible study. When I found out the Spindles were hosting one I knew I wanted to be involved with theirs. On our first meeting we discussed different topics / issues we wanted to focus on. Of the list of items Ecclesiastes stuck out to me as that is one of the books I've never really studied in the Bible. Our groups were interrupted with the short term during Oct. and Chapel for the students was moved to Wed. nights during our group time. Therefor we all went to chapel together. In November we picked back up and Mr. Spindle decided to do Ecclesiastes and incorporate things we were interested into the lesson. Last weeks lesson was an eye opener. It was based on Ecc. 3: 1-22. The main things that stood out to me were:
"You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable"
God is working to create a masterpiece out of the moments of your life (3:9-13)
The events of our lives are designed to teach us to revere or stand in awe of God. (3:14-15)
Saturday night ,during the dinner party, I find out Mr. Spindle's mom is not doing well and they were leaving Monday to go home for good. Thus the end of our small group with the Spindles leading it. I think our group is still going to meet. I got to say goodbye to them on Sunday.
Even though they wont be here the remaining month of the semester, God still gave me Ecclesiastes in church on Sunday! He's so awesome! It was on Ecc. 7:2-4 it had to do with mourning since this past Sunday and next Sunday are days to reflect on those who've died and who've died in war. Sort of like our Memorial day. Even today as I started the last of the lessons in the Living Beyond yourself Bible study by Beth moore she directed a part of it to Ecclesiasties. God's just giving me different outlooks on it from different resources.

Happy Day

A couple of weeks ago I attended a chapel service. David, the worship leader introduced us to a new song "Happy Day" you think you know it but this is a different version. I love it. The words will free you! Me, one who doesn't clap that much while singing etc... I was bouncing as I sang it. How can you not sing this and be filled with joy? Click this link Happy Day by Tim Hughes to check it out.  I personally think it's better with piano, drums, and guitar. Just listen to the words.

fear 1

Some people believe that God called me to Germany to get over my fears. While I'm not sure if that was His only intention he has definitely been working on it with me. After finishing the book Trial by Fire by Terri Blackstock had more of a peace and understaning about death. It's not that I'm afraid of dying. It's the process of how it will happen. In the book she addresses this issue and she reiterates what Christ did for us. She talks about the thieves on the crosses with Jesus and the words he says to the one "Today you will be with me in Paradise" She reiterated this phrase in the context of the story because of the stiuation one of the Characters was in. The character was beaten several times and left to die. Yet the character was comforted by those words "Today you will be with me in paradise". I had a dream this summer in which i heard a voice say "Jennifer, death hurts." While death hurts....eternity will be in paradise with Jesus. My pain will last for what only seems like seconds compared to what I will enjoy in heaven. There will be no more tears, no pain, I will be completely healed of everything. When my time comes I can find comfort and rest with those words "Today you will be with me in paradise"

salvation

I just completed the book Trial by Fire by Terri Blackstock. (Great Book!!!!!) I liked how she defined some things. Such as: 1 Cor. 6 "Don you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulteres nor effeminate nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor the drunkards nor slandereers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdome of God. That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God."
She uses another analogy in the story. Refering to sin. As the Bible says "the wages of sin is death" We're all sinners yet Jesus has paid the price for it. Only you have to accept him as your Savior. She refers to it as the sinner being on death row "There's someone waiting to take your place. Your pardon is waiting. Until you take it you're in bondage...You think you're free but you're not." I have never heard of salvation explained like that. Jesus is waiting to give us a pardon for our sins if we only ask for forgiveness and believe that he is our Savior.

confused

Tonight I had dinner with a group a friends. I really enjoyed it. As we sat in the living room and ate appetizers we had some good discussion. Being on a theological campus, there are different views. Somehow we got to talking about the anti-christ. While I believe it will be one person they had a totally different view. Like it will be a movement or more than one person. Granted the anti-christ will have many followers because he will be able to charm and manipulate people. It just bothers me about their view. They explained their view a little but were careful to not let it go over my head. They asked me where I got my view from and I replied "the Bible". My friends are christians and desire to do ministry just as I do. I'm just confused on how they can have that point of view when it clearly states in the Bible what will happen and who he will be (personality etc...)

Thanks for the memories!

My mom has started a new tradition for Thanksgiving. She has the entire family over the saturday before thanksgiving. This way she gets to share with them so that they can be with other family members on Thanksgiving. This was my first one to miss. I had my own dinner party. I was going to fix Lasagna but was unable to get everything so I opted for spaghetti and garlic bread. For desert I made homemade lemmon bars. Everyone had a good time. There was Apfel Schule to drink...I don't care for it but most people here like it. After dinner we plaid scenerios and got some hysterical pictures. I had so much fun. The cleaning up....UGH! but I cleaned every dish so nothing was left to sit over night. Aren't you proud of me mom???? lol
I got to talk to my family. It was chaotic as always lol. Some I said Hi to and others I just saw briefly. Dylan was so cute. He sang for me and told me about halloween. He also mentioned that he talked to me and I didn't talk to him. They had tried to call earlier but I wasn't online. But he being only 3 didn't understand and kept saying "Hi Jenny" His voice is so precious. He sang Jesus Loves Me and at the end he sang the words "The Bible will tell me so." Carys showed me some of her dance moves. She has a natural talent. I would have like to have talked to her more. Brit said Hi and that was about it. But I had talked to her a few weeks ago.
Then there was the misunderstanding with my other cousin (Ernie and her married in January) she gave me a hard time b/c I asked if she had any news to tell me. I was hoping to hear she and Ernie were expecting. So then she turned it around on me and gave me a hard time about her weight! Family you just gotta love them! :)

Notting Hill

Today I skipped lunch and walked to the Rhine instead. It was a much needed time to get away, reflect, and think about things. I sat on the dock and watch the ducks and swans fish for food. It was so relaxing. The water was calm. The gentle waves splashed along the shore. I listened in on some ducks conversation. I have no idea what the quacks meant but apparently it was serious as 2 of them ganged up on the other duck. He / She in turn flew off. A few minutes later the duck rejoined the other 2 and they swam off. I watched a swan bob for food. Their tales sticking straight up in the air. Amazing how God created these animals to remain warm despite the cold of the water and wind. A rowing team passed the dock. They weren't going very fast. Although they were going against the current.
On my way back to the apartment I took my time and enjoyed the scenery. I saw a bench, which I pass all the time, under a tree and it just reminded me of the movie Notting Hill. In the movie they enter some private gardens that are only for the houses in that area. Busingen's own "Notting Hill" without the gates.

Chocolat

Yes it's spelled correctly! :) Friday night we had girls night as the guys were doing their thing. We decided to watch movies. We watched the new version of Pride and Prejudice and then Chocolat. Having seen the longer version of P&P with Colin Firth I was a bit disappointed in the new version. There was so much left out and things were changed around. I realize they had to do it this way to cut the movie down to 2 hrs. The ending was good as for it gave closure on Darcy and Elizabeth. I like Colin Firth but the guy who played Darcy in the updated version seemed to be what Darcy may have looked and sounded like. He had more of a deep voice with dark brown to black hair.
The second movie was Chocolat. I love it. It makes me want to make things with chocolate. It's set in France I believe in 1959. It's a cute romantic movie. The music in it is also good. I would love to have the soundtrack. I highly recommend this movie.

pudding

Last night I made pudding. It wasn't Jello pudding. The directions where in German. I got that there needed to be 750 ml of milk added. So I just did what I knew to do. I looked on the internet for a conversion table and came up that 750 ml. is about 3 1/3 cps. So I added the milk and cooked it until it thickened. I thought success! It tasted good when I licked the pan...a better chocolate taste than what we have at home. I waited until it was cool enough. The skin had formed on top of it and I was dying to have some. I dug in, tasted it and thought to myself "this doesn't seem right" It wasn't firm enough. I thought to myself "Had I not let it cool enough?" So I put it back in the fridge and decided not to eat it until today. After I had lunch today...(I fixed rosemary chicken, and it was soooo good!) I tried it again. still the same consistancy. So I took one I hadn't eaten and it was a little firmer but not much. It had a milky taste to it. So I think I added too much milk. Maybe the conversion table I used wasn't that accurate. Next time I think I'll just try 2 cups of milk! :)

Driving Lesson

Today, Lisa offered to take me driving and teach me to drive a standard. I was more than thrilled as I haven't driven since I left the states....Man it felt good to get behind the wheel. I did good. Bucked the car only a few times. Other than that did okay on shifting gears. I did have a little trouble with First gear. That I will need to practice on. Once I master that gear of stopping and going in first then we'll move on to hills. Word to the wise...Don't wear your hair clipped on the back of your head when learning to drive a standard. ha ha....the clip dug into my head a few times. I actually got to see more of Busingen...the back streets that I normally wouldn't go on b/c they're not really in walking distance. So beautiful. and lots of curves! woohooo!!!!! My Bible study this past week was having a teachable spirit...."Our teach ability most often depends on our teacher..." Beth Moore. Todays lesson went a lot smoother than when I last tried to learn w/ my now ex-boyfriend...that sounds bad...that's not why we broke up. Maybe in few weeks I'll drive to Lidl to get groceries. Then a couple more weeks to walmart...but as far as Zurich???? Well i think we decided not to do that until the spring! :)

funeral

The other day, during the announcements at lunch, we found out that the old man who lives next to the school had passed away. Some of the staff who had been her a while and the students knew this man. I would say he was in his 80's. He and his sister live in the house next to the school. Today the work and witness team was working on the third floor and it was quite loud. I chose to go to the conference room to work. I opened the curtains to let in natural light even though it wasn't all that sunny. At 2:10 the church bells began to ring. I looked at my clock thinking my clock was 5 min. slow as they usually ring on the 15 min. mark. The bells dinged, danged, donged, clanged, and began to make a repeat rhythm. I noticed people slowly going into the church across the street. One guy paced back and forth on the pourch before finally going on. Older people were being pushed in wheelchairs, blankets covering their laps to keep them warm. They went in through the side of the church. One lady walked in dabbing her eyes with a kleenex. It hit me...this was the funeral for the man. The bells continued to ring. The preist, pastor, vicor, (I'm not sure what his title is) pulled up. He was wearing a black robe with a white tie that lay in an open knot...Sort of like from Pride and Prejudice. Uwe and Christa pulled up outside the building. He saw me in the conference room and waved. I'm not sure if he could see that I was crying. The bells rang for 10 min. Tears fell from my face. I didn't know this guy. I had never met him. One day I saw him sitting on a stump at his barn. He was tall and gangly with white hair. Finally a friend came in and talked to me which helped get my mind off of what was going on across the street. It was tears of sadness and mourning for the sister and family. I didn't know him but I still mourned for them.

fruit flies! YUCK!

oaky so as I was blogging today I had my glass of juice on my desk. I picked it up to take a drink. I had just drank the juice. It was in my mouth but had not began its journey downward. When all of the sudden this fruit flies drops from the sky into my glass of juice. My eyes got big and and I quickly spit the juice back into the glass. I didn't know where it came from and then I thought what if it was already in the glass and I didn't know it. There for it escaped on the way into my mouth with the juice and flew back into the glass. Oh I was so disgusted! These flies don't drown either and he's got quite some stamina. he's still swimming around. I tried to swril the juice hoping it would make him dizzy and confused. This has been going on for at least 20 min. I'm afraid if I dump him out he'll escape. The thing needs to die!

No-Yes

The other day I was listening to Beth Moore online and she made this quote that stood out to me.
"When God says "No" to me it means there is a greater "Yes" ahead.
It helped put things in perspectives from my past, to why I'm in Europe and not Guatemala. I don't know the answers just that there are greater things to come.

Fight the Good Fight

"At times, the evidence of what we can se stacks up so high against the assurance of what we can't that a lifelong faith curmbles in a moment." Beth Moore. Day 4 was about fighting the good fights. I'm sure you've heard the verse "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" 2 Tim. 4:7-8
The focal verses of this section were Ephesians 6:10-18 where it talks about the armour of God. Faith is representd by the shield hence "shield of Faith." Beth describes how the shield was made, it's measurements and the job of the shield. It's job was to protect the soilder from the firery darts. The soilder knew how to manipulate the shield to protect his body. His armor may have prevented things from penetrating him, but the shield provided the overall protection against the firey darts. While we need every element of the armour of God the shield of faith is what protects us from the "firey darts" thrown at us. Without this shield of faith we are vulnerable to any attacks Satan throws at us. Satan is constantly waiting for us using things against us to get us to "lower our shield of faith" Once our shield is lower he "wounds and burns us." Beth points out that Satan stacks up tangible evidence in oppositions to God's assurances. He delights in doubts and Lies. He studies our weknesses and then aims where we're vulnerable...His priority is to keep us from believing God...first, for salvation then for completion." How often I have fallen into this trap of Satan from the relationship with my dad, coming to Europe not fully funded, to being 30 and having no prospects in sight for marriage. He knows where I am weak and he uses people to attack me and man do I fall big time. Sometimes into a pitty party for myself and begin to believe the lies that he plants in my mind. He points out my inperfections, my mistakes, why I can't do things and I believe him. I become so vulnerable. "Look at what you've done. Why would God use you? Nobody's going to except your past. Look at your firends...they're getting married...what's wrong with you..." These are thoughts that go through my mind when I'm vulnerable and he's attacking me. How foolish I am to believe these! "Satan hesitates at nothing to create an atmosphere where fear abounds. He takes advantage of our fear of disappointment, our fear that God might not "prove" His love to us, and our fear of humiliation before others" Beth Moore. She goes on to state that destructive fear is a product of the power of darkness and Satan will strive to turn your doubts into fears and fears into panic. Our recourse is our faith in God. We are to "be aware of our battle with invisible principalities, but we need not be afraid." Whether we have fear or faith depends on the commander we're saluting. If we have fear we're giving in to Satan yet if we have faith we're fully trusting God and walking with him. Beth goes on to talk about how those of us who have been Christians for a while have a casual familiarity in God. We know what he will do and we limit ourselves by creating boundaries to keep us from being disappointed. She states that Mark 6 makes clear that you can know Christ for a long time and still not know Him well. Those who truly know Him never stop inviting Him to receal His awesome presence. She also talks about how brand new Christian come to Christ with a childlike faith. They fully trust God and they don't limit what they ask for God. There's a hunger and a thirst for them to know more. I remember my last semester year in college I was involved with a prayer group. One day a friend and I were talking. He was telling me of a conversation he had about me with another friend. He pointed out how I come before Christ like a child. A childlike faith. I was one of those with casual familiarity. I limited God so I wouldn't get hurt. I had known Christ from an early age yet I didn't start to "Know" Christ until 2000. Thats when my faith and walk with God began to grow again. I'm constantly learning new things. Sometimes I have the child like faith and sometimes I fall. I once heard if you are content with your walk with God then there's something missing. We are constantly growing and walking with God if we allow him to teach us. Beth closed the lesson with "Satan will use our fears and our familiarities against us. Never stop growing; never stop knowing; and He'll never stop showing.

Shipwrecked

"When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete, But long after, a tempesuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. SO when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive." Acts 27:13-15
The focal chapter for Day 3 of Faithfulness was based on Acts 27 through 28:10. It amazes me how adventurous the Bible is. I don't recall ever reading this passage. It's like something out of Moby Dick. The whole passage talks about sailing, the troubles they encounter, God's plan, faithfulness. The Bible is filled with stories like this, of war, love, etc...
Day 3 was entitled "A painful Deliverence" and yet again it was something I had to face. Beth talks about our faith how it transform our character. She points out that we "not always be aware of another person's absence of faith, but you will quickly be aware of another person's presence of faith!" As I am writing this I noticed she uses the words "Christian Character" it brought back memories of being at Arkansas Baptist. Durring elementray school at the end of the year we were given Christian Character awards. Our teachers watched us throughout the year and at the end gave us a certificate of a christian quality we possesed and showed throughout the school year. Some points Beth makes of Paul's shipwreck are:
1. Feelings of perception cannot be the basis of faith even in the most Spirit-filled life.
-One reason many people feel "disappointed in God" is because they treated their feelings as fact.
2. Faith comes from listening
-God's Word is always true
-God always keeps His promises, but He reserves the right to apply His Word as He sees fit.
-We must seek his heart to know if a particular assurance is ours to claim in a particular moment, But once God provides His Word to cliam, the mimmediate burden of blief falls into action.
-the most certain way to Know God is to know His Word.
-Paul had a steadfast faith in the midst of a rocky situation
-God is capable of speaking over the winds and the waves. He may calm them as He did for the disciples, or He may lead you through them as He did with Paul.
3. God's deliverance came through the ship running ground.
-Deliverance does not mean ease.
-God's deliverance in your life may be one of the most excruciating things you
ever experience. This is where it hit me. I've not always had the best relationship with my dad. Partly because we've got a lot of the same personality being stubborn, bullheaded, and in my opinion getting our feelings hurt easily. This past year has not been the best for us. I didn't say goodbye to him before coming to Europe. I was hurt over some things and Satan used that to destroy our relationship. I was afraid of what would be said to me and didn't want to face it as I hate conflict and try at all cost to avoid it. You can only run so much before your past catches up to you. I love my dad. Always will. I was just scared of consequences and words that would be
said. Yet I know he's hurting because I shut off all communication with him. Amazing how satan plants "conversations" in your mind and you believe that's what will be said to you. I had to write my dad. So I sat down and wrote a letter to him and my stepmom. It was hard and I cried but I had to appologize and ask for fogiveness. After I got everything out in a nice way it was as if I had a burden lifted off of me. I know this is not going to go away over night and it will take time and healing. It was long overdue. Beth points out that "heavy winds and raging seas don't always mean you're on the wrong course. It may mean you're right on target...Perhaps He couldn't get you to your destination any other way, and like Paul, you may run aground for the sake of the crew on board with you.
4. God always has a destination in mind when He delivers
-Once you have been faithful to who He is, He will show you what He can do
-we may have to toss a few things overboard to keep from sinking, but if we believe, God provides deliverance even in the midst of "Plan B".
Beth finished the lesson by asking the question "Describe a time when God let you 'run aground' into His will."
I encourage you to read the scripture quoted at the begining then go back through the notes. If you have this book you're in for a ride!

Faithfulness part 3

The last part of Day 2 talks about Faith Based on Who God is. This is the faith we should have. "Genuine faith walkds steadfastly with God for the pleasure of His company not for His results"- Beth Moore. We are called to seek God's heart not his works. When we have faith based on who God is our faith is not greatly moved. Where as before when we discussed faith based on what God does...that is greatly moved because when things don't work out they way we expect God to work them...we loose faith. Having a faith based on who God is has our "focuses on a God not greatly moved". As we draw closer to God through prayer, the Bible, Bible studies etc. we increase our understanding of His ways. We need to make knowing who God is a priority over what God does. "He may heal one person while He calls the other home. He may be glifiried in the poverty of one and the riches of another. He will likely exalt you one year and humble you the next. Our entire lives are lent to change. But who He is will never change...His heart remains the same. In the midst of a society where the only thing you can count on is that you can't count on anything. God is your gurantee." Beth Moore When our faith is based on who God is it frees God to show us what he can do. We just have to change our focus! She ended the lesson with "Right motives invite real miracles!"

Faithfulness Part 2

Continuing from part 1 the lesson went on to talk about times in our life when we don't understand why things happen. Why is child taken away from us to be with the Lord, why a loved one is not healed of the cancer and goes home to be with the Lord. Durring the times we pray for the healing and it just doesn't come. I once heard say we're always asking for healing but never do we ask for God's will to be done in their lives. It changed the way I pray for people now. Look at Job who lost everything from possesions to family yet through it all he had faith in God. In the end God blessed more than he could have imagined. I think we become so selfish of our family we want them to stay with us when we know the minute they're in heaven they are healed and restored. My family went through this last November with the death of my aunt. She had Breast Cancer. She had been through so much in her life and then the cancer came yet through it all she was faithful to God. She had such a ministry with those around her and in her hospital stays. I remember my cousin telling me how the nurses would come to her room on break just to talk to her. She didn't care that they were of different religions. God gave us more time with her than we ever expected. He let her be in remission for about 10 years before it came back and began to spread. I remember one of my cousins bargining with God if he would just let his mom live he would change his life. I think in some ways he's still bitter about that. He knows his mom is now healed but he doesn't have faith in God. Beth pointed out in the lesson "What about those times when He obviously allows your loved one with cancer to glorify HIm through restoration in heaven and not on earth...If your faith is based on what God is doing, you are in for the scariest ride of your life." We will never be able to understand why God allows things to happen. Isaiah 55:8-9 His thoughts are not ours his ways and thoughhts are higher than ours (summarized). When we think God is not doing anything he may be doing more than we could ever imagine. Having faith in what God does is not faith at all. It's based on God but only by what we can see. Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the Evidence of things not see. Beth ends this section of the lesson with "The faith of the faithless says, "If God is not obvious, He is obviously not God." I've seen so many friends, family, and myself have this reaction at one time or another. While you may think you've never had this type of reaction I'm sure if you look back at some situations you'll find at least one.

Faithfulness part 1

If you've been keeping up with my blogs then you know I'm doing the Bible study Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore. This week's lesson was on Faithfulness. And in some ways I think it dealt more with my fear. SO much this week stuck out to me and situations I have been in, in the past. They way I've seen myself, family and friends react in different situations. Day 2 was entitled "Those Who Believe". Beth addressed what she called "Hall of Faith" she took it from Hebrews 11 which addressed a few among many of the faithful from the old and new testement. Read it...It opened my eyes. almost before every entry it said "By faith..."(nkjv) Re-iterating those words before every action made it stick in my mind. Realize how God was present in every situation of faithfulness and how he brought them through the situation. Heb. 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We were created to please God. To walk with God we must have faith. I think it's intersting that Beth points out that before we were called Christians we were called believers. She goes on to state that the term believers means 'the faithful' or 'those who believe God.' "If we refuse to keep believing God after salvation, He has no pleasure in us. Love for us? YES. Pleasure in us? NO".
An annolgy Beth uses to describe our faith is like being on a roller coaster. How this hit me in the face. With my call on my life, coming to Europe, and many more times. Especially with Europe. Not having all my finances raised but God still allowing me to come, then once I was here the finances were still not in order. My faith in God was strong at the begning but then after I got my first financial report my faith waivered. I prayed that God would continue to provide yet in my mind I knew I was sinking. I didn't have full faith in God. My mouth spoke it but my actions said otherwise. Crying on bed to the point of a hyperventalating cry. Crying out to God for help but not fully trusting him that it would come. The only way to get off that emotional rollercoaster of lack of faith is to have stead-fast faith that can't be "greatly moved" (Psalm 62:2. Beth asked the question 'DO you base your faith on what God does or who He is?" At that time about a month ago I was basing my faith on what God does not who He is. For that fact my world came crashing down. I wasn't seeing results the way I expected to see them. Therefore my faith folded. I think at times in our life we often have faith based on what God does...we'll believe God as long as he does what I ask...the faith is based on how often our prayers are answered or how well they are answered. When our faith is based on what God we will never get off the rollercoaster. It will constantly be a series of ups and downs. We're good as long as God is answering our prayers but the moment we don't see God being active we begin to spiral downhill.

Let is Snow Let is Snow Let it Snow

Last night as I was returning from the laundry room I looked up at the brilliant white moon. It was like a spotlight in the sky. Around it was an amber haze. I thought to myself..."doesn't that mean snow? you're just kidding yourself Jenn." It had turned bitterly cold (in my opinion that is). This morning I was tending to the flower gardens at the office when I noticed some white stuff falling from the sky. I looked up and it was snow! My face lit up like Christmas morning. I ran inside and dashed up the stairs looking for Verne, Lisa, and Nickolaj. As I approached the office I saw them standing by the window and in a highpitched voice I said "It's snowing!" and then laughed. They laughed too because they thought my expression and excitedness was funny. At any rate it made working more enjoyable. I ate lunch today at home. This gave me time to do my Bible study. At the end of the lesson Beth encouraged us to go on a prayer walk. So I decided to walk down to the Rhine and sit on the dock for my time with God. I steped over the chain, yet my right foot got caught on it. I fell forward lunging into the railing. My upper stomach slammed up aginst the bar as the inside of my elbow hit the bar hard. Luckily I don't think anyone saw me. My arm is okay but my stomach will be bruised. It's a bit painful. As I'm sitting there talking to him it begins to sleet. So I headed back to the office as I did not have my coat or an umbrella. Just my fleece pullover and scarf. I decided to take a break from gardening and do some work. although here I am typing this. ha ha. Now the sun is out shining bright! :) What a day!

Fried Chicken

Sunday I fixed fried chicken, mashed potatos, and corn for lunch. I invited Luci and Sabera over for lunch with Simone and I. The chicken turned out good. I mashed the potatos w/ a hand held masher as we do not have an electric mixer. They turned out good. No lumps! Amazing what you learn to use on the field. ha ha.

Espresso & Scillian Cookies

This morning Joel brought us Italian Espresso and Scillian cookies. The cookies are made once a year for All Saints Day! They were so good. Some reminded us of strangly flavored Ding Dongs! They were all good...And yes I had some espresso. I didn't finish it all but I did have a/b half a cup...which as you know the espresso cups are extremely small.

Christmas Project

Each year at Christmas I have many opportunities to give to others when at home. I get more joy out of giving to others than receiving. Here there aren't that many opportunities. The church is doing Christmas boxes for Bulgaria but it just hasn't hit me that, that is what I need to do. This morning during prayer it hit me what my Christmas project will be. This will be my first Christmas without my family. There are a lot of people who will be staying on campus for the holidays. I had a brilliant idea to do Christmas breakfast in the fellowhip hall. We can all come in our pajamas (as long as they're decent)eat breakfast, sip coffee, tea, coco around the fire, play games etc.... Just like home only with a "huge" family. Christmas at EUNC! I can't wait! I want to "mail" the invitations now....but it's way too early! You can start to pray with me for this event. That it will be a blessing to those who come and that they will feel part of a family.

Kitty Cat

I saw the most precious kitty today on my way to work. It was beautiful black, dark brown, and creamy coffee brown. She blended in perfectly with trees. She let me pet her. Her fur was so soft. I wish I could pick her up, hold her and play with her. Don't wory I brushed the fur off and washed my hands thouroughly. No sneezing yet!

Reflections

Today I pulled out my journal and desided to catch it up on some long time entries. I hadn't written in it since 9/17. I've been blogging extensively that I neglected it. So, I decided to start updating with some of the things I haven't written on here. I walked down to the Rhine and sat on the dock. It was so peaceful. I wish I had a hammock. I wrote a few things about what has happened in the last month but the majority of my writing dealt with what was going on around me. So, for those of you who like my descriptive writing style...here's a taste.
"It's around 2:45 p.m. It is so relaxing here. There are gondolas in Switzerland. I thought those were only in Florence Italy. It's bathing time for the ducks. They pick at themselves then flap their wings. There are ducks and swans on the Rhine. A lady in a kyak went by, there is an old man fishing from his boat, but I think he decided to somewhere else as it didn't look like he'd caught any fish. A couple floated by in a gondola. He steered the boat then went and took a seat beside her. What I wouldn't give to be out in a boat lying back and relaxing with the gentle rocking of the boat as the cool breeze brushes over my body gently blowing my hair.
The fisherman left to early as I just saw a huge fish beneath the dock. I'm not sure what kind it is. I've never seen a duck come in for a landing on water before. The glide across the water as they make a splash. It's 3 o'clock. The church bells just rang. I also discovered that ducks have a squeal / scream. As I arrived at the dock there was a duck pecking at the bottom of another duck. I'm not sure if it was flirting or if it was angry. At any rate the one getting pecked at was annoyed and let out what seamed to be a duck scream. Across from the dock is what seems to be an island or just an extension to land. It's gorgeous. Fall colored trees line the banks. there is a path to walk on but I"m not sure how to get there other than by boat. The orange, yellow, and red leaves cover the ground. It's picture perfect. (In my opinion...perfect proposal spot for a fall engagement). The boats are lined up parallel to the bank tied to post. It's so European. A man just helped a lady into a boat. I saw her carrying a picnic basket. I wonder if they're going to the island or just out in thee boat to sit and enjoy the snack/meal? How romantic."
I didn't right much after that. I just laid back on the dock with my head turned to the left watching the ducks and enjoying the cool air. Time seemed to stand still out there. What seemed like an eternity was only about 45 min. The wind off the water seemed to be getting much cooler. If I would have had a blanket or a jacket I probably would have stayed longer.

Ladies Night

Last night was ladies night at Litzy's. We went to her place for spa treatments and pizza. She had the classical music going, candles, and a room fixed up for massages. After we ate pizza we did manicures, pedicures, eyebrow shaping, and for those who wanted got massages or gave the massages...I opted out of that one.... It was relaxing and the night seemed to creep by. It was a perfect end to a stressful week.

sleeping in my "new" bed

I was so excited to lay my head down underneath the white mesh canopy. Only when I laid down I felt the netting against my face, as I sleep on my side. I thought about switching to the other side of the bed, but thats not the side I sleep on. Even at home when I did that I didn't sleep well. When my alarm went off the first morning my hand got tangled up in the netting as I reached for it. In talking with Lisa she recommended getting a mattress topper to put over it so I could sleep in the middle. Well, I couldn't wait so I took the extra comfortor thing (they're the size of a twin bed) folded it in half length wise and placed it over the middle. I arranged my pillows, fixed my sheet and outer blanket, turned out the lights and crawled into the middle. I laid down and I could feel the edges of both beds on my side. This was not going to work. So I rolled over to my side and went to sleep as usual. I did pull the netting back further on the side. Wasn't much of a problem.

Fishin in Germany

Found out that to fish here you don't go and buy a liscense like you do in the US. Here you have to go through classes on the types of fish, how to kill them, how to clean them etc... It's comparable to our hunting courses for a hunting liscense. Who knew there would be so much work involved to go fishing?

Spa getaway

My room is complete! I finally got the netting hung. It looks like royaly. Now there will be no bugs dropping on me when I have the window open. While it does look like a princess bed it also reminds me of something you'd see in one of those spa resorts that movie stars go to that we can't afford. Ahhhhh at anyrate I can't wait to fall asleep tonight!

"sittin on the dock of the bay"...

After confining myself to my apartment yesterday and only leaving to get groceries I decided today I would get out. Yesterday I babied my foot, propt it up, and applied ice...yet I was bored out of my mind! Today the weather is beautiful mid 60's, sun shining bright....absolutely gorgeous. I was not going to stay in all day! I had to get out and enjoy this, as I've been told it wont last for long. The winter days here hardly ever see sun. Simone, Lisa and I walked down to the Rhine. I've never been to the west side of the Rhine from school so we chose that path. We came to a bench on a hill. We decided to sit there. Stair steps decended the hill side leading to a holding area for a boat. In the states we have docks lined up with boats tied. Here there are poles at which the boats dock. It's like parallel parking for boats. As we talked we planned future girls weekend trips to Paris or London. We were intrigued my the ducks and the ducklings swiming in the water. The water was clear and shallow. It was as if we were watching the Discovery Channel. The ducklings would dive under water and fish for food. Their little bottoms sticking up in the air for a second and then they were to the bottom. They were quite entertaining.
After a while we decided to walk to the east side of the river and sit on the dock. The leaves here are starting to turn. Houses lined with vines had brilliant colors of orange, red and yellow leaves. As we walked the leaves crushed against our feet. As we approached the dock we climbed over the chain and claimed our spot. Lisa laid back dangling both her legs off the dock, I chose to dangle one leg off and pull the other knee upward, while Simone chose to pull both knees up. We laid there basking in the sun, occasionaly talking about movies, books, and so on. It was realxing and felt a bit like we were at camp. How peaceful it was to watch the planes in the sky, the swans in the water, and to here the light sound of the waves as boats went by. I could have fallen asleep out there. A hammock would have been a plus. The day was relaxing and a nice end to a slow weekend.

Obedience

Today in church the sermon was on 1 Samuel about Hannah's faithfulness in God. How she heard his voice and obeyed. Some of the points that stuck out to me were:
-Give to the Lord 1st of everything you receive
-Lord was faithful to Hannah & she obeyed Him
-Sometimes we don't recognize God's voice
-When the Lord wants you somewhere he will get you there
-We often want to do things our way instead of God's way
-When you promise God something you can not go around it
-What is the Lord telling you?
-What does he want from us?
-We need to listend to the voice of the Lord
-respond with "your servant hears" with open ears and open heart.
It is up to us to be obedient & set priorities.
If we hear God call us to do something then we need to listen and act accordingly. We need to let him be in control and trust him.
In my opinion i feel called to hispanic ministry yet here I am in Europe. I didn't know why I wasn't sent to a hispanic country, and why God wanted me here, but I listened and obeyed. Now it's more of listening to God and seeking where he wants me to be.

water weights

I've heard before that if you don't have weights you can substitue a can of soup etc... to do exercises with. Sunday night we went to Sarahs for girl's night. I was carying 2 1liter cokes. As I was walking I swung my arms up and jokingly said something about lifting weights. It gave me an idea. Today when I was shopping I picked up 2 1liter bottles of water. They're cheap. It's not something I'll drink so no big deal. After I ate dinner tonight I took the bottles in my room and proceeded to "lift weights" doing exercises to strengthen shoulders and arms. It was quite a workout. Altough as I was doing this I noticed I had picked up the carbonated water. I might need to empty it out and fill it with regular water. There is a gym on campus but I heard it isn't all that good and a lot of the equipment is broken.

La Gondola

Earlier this week Simone and I decided to go out to eat on Friday. We chose La Gondola as it was close and the food is to die for. It is owned by a Sicilian family. This was my first time to eat out at a restaurant. It was so nice. The atmosphere was great, aside from the smoke. A cute guy made our pizza. Nice to look out but I'm sure he was way younger than me. Italian! :) We ordered pizza. Simone speaks some Italian, so she talked with the lady in Italian. The pizza was huge! It was bigger than anything I have seen in the US. We got the family pizza because we're having guest over for a party later on tonight. Next time I get one I'll take a picture of it. This was the best pizza I ever had! So good that I never want pizza from the US (dominoes, pizza hut etc....) The crust was thin but ohhhhhhh so good. If you're ever here...we will definitely go. We're going to try to visit a restaurant quite often so that we can get to know the people and build community / relationships.

falling apart

Today has just been the day for pains, injuries, etc.... This morning I had the pain in the arch of my foot, later on I went to get something off the printer and as I stood there my knee (the one I've had surgery on) wanted to give out on me. Then to top it off I was walking down the steps of the ERO office when all of the sudden my left foot turned under on it's side forcing my ankle to twist. OUCH! Then a dog, who's master saw it happened and stopped to see if I was okay, lunged at me and barked a deep bark. I was thinking....ugly dog I"m not going to hurt you. i"m the one thats hurt. Maybe he knew I called him an ugly dog in my mind. He was to tell you the truth. I was finally able to walk but the left side of my ankle is still hurting.

Community / Prayer

I received an email from a group of friends here. They referenced Matt. 6:33 b
Then they said "If seeking the Kingdom of God through consistant prayer in community is something that you are able and feel led to do..." and gave the days and times this will be occuring.
The term community just stuck out to me. It took me back to the days of Connections (college praise and worship service I attended), My bible study group with them, My friends at their churches talking about community, my friends I had the prayer group with this past year at school. I long for that. I don't have a prayer partner here. I'm missing that.
I got news from my friends church in Boston (http://www.oasisboston.org) about exciting changes going on there. I went back to their site to review look at some of their archives etc....They had notes on leadership based on Neamiah (sp?) In January we're having a leadership conference that I think the focus on that is church planting. At any rate it's like things are coming together from last night to this morning. Another time for God to grow me.
Oh and yes I plan to start going to the prayer meetings. Pray that God will wake me up every morning and knock me on the floor (not literally but what i'm getting at is that I wont sleep in).

salad dressing

olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh chopped garlic (or garlic powder), few drops of fresh squeezed lime. Just make sure not to get to much vinegar. I love it on my salad. Replace cheddar cheese with feta cheese! Sooooooooooo good!

heart pounding

Friday is cleaning day....last week i skipped it as the outside didn't look like it needed to be swept etc... Today was a different day. The leaves have fallen and are begining to clutter the walk way. I had to do it. I was thankful there were different people here today working on remodeling and fixing some things. I was praying they would be down in the basement and maybe that would take some of my fear away. Unfortunately, they were not. I decided to suck it up and go for it. As I went down the stairs to the first floor I was okay but then when I got to the bottom the arch of my foot had excruciating pain. To the point I couldn't put pressure on my foot or walk. I have no idea what happened. I quickly hobbled to the stairs, sat down and pulled off my shoe. I began to rub my foot in hopes it was something like a cramp. I got up to walk but still couldn't put pressure on it. I hobbled back up the stairs to my office with one shoe on. I rested and then realized I had to clean. Nikolaj is very persistant about the place being clean. After I had rested a few min. I decided to give it another try. This time there was very little pain and I could walk. I made my way down to the basement. As I appraoched the stairs I turned the light on, took a deep breath, and told myself I would be okay. I hurridly ran down the stairs. I opened the door and cautiously walked in, scanning my surroundings. I pushed the door back into position so that I could open the door to the broom closet. The door was cracked open. Cautiously I opened the door. I tried to see if the broom was close to the wall so that I could reach in and grab it. There was no broom. I had to reach in and turn on the light. The brooms had been pushed down the wall some. I steped into the room as if I was stepping into ice cold water. I saw that there were old cabinets and a dark green chest with it's lid partially open. I quickly grabbed a broom, shut the door, and darted up the stairs.
After I had finished sweeping I had to return the broom. Again I made the same treck down the stairs wishing this would all end soon. As I descended the stairs I imagined someone or something under the stairs reaching out their hand. This excelerated my speed down the stairs. I quickly shook my head and told myself it was just my imagination. I threw the broom into the room, shut the door quickly, and raced up the stairs. As I was ascending the stairs I noticed there was a small door in the wall underneath the stairs. I wondered what this was. What did it lead to? My imagination began to run wild and I had to get out of there. I ran up the stairs, through the hallway, and up a second set of stairs to my office. My heart was pounding.
Why am I affraid of basements? Why can't I get over this fear? Why can't they keep the broom on the first floor in a closet?

"A dream is a wish your heart makes..."

Have you ever watched or looked at something and hoped that one day you would get to experience that? I've seen it a thousand times in movies where the man will gently take the lady's hand as she stretches out her arm and he gently pulls it to his lip to give her a subtle kiss on the hand. Or when they're talking he gazes into her eyes and gently strokes her hair. Oh, how I've longed for a day like that...I don't recall any of my past relationships being that romantic. It almost has a Mr. Darcy and Lizzy feel to it. This gallient knight riding in on his horseto spend a moment in time with me.
Tonight was a little taste of heaven in a sense. I was sitting in the back row of chapel waiting for the service to begin. One of the guys walked in and took the seat next to me so that he could sit by his friend. Before he sat down though he stoped in front of me. I was in shock that he was speaking to me I have no idea what he said. He gently reached for my hand drew it to his close to his lips (but not touching) and kissed it ever so gently. I think my mouth droped to the floor. Then he brushed his hand on the edge of my hair (I have recently cut it) and this I do remember he said "You're hair." Then he took his seat between me and his friend. I was in such shock I was speechless....It's like the movie You've got mail when Tom Hanks visits Meg Ryan while she's sick and devulges some information the 2 of them know but she doesn't know that it's him she's been talking to. She has a look of bewilderment and wonder of what just happened as he walks out the door. While I know that what happened tonight was just the guy being his flirtatious self and making people smile (he has a girlfriend), it was nice! and I only hope that one day when I'm blessed with a husband he will be a romantic like that. Hows that song go...."You give your hand to me and then you say hello..." One day....in God's time

Mercy

A few years ago I did a spiritual gifts test. One of my top gifts was Mercy. For a minute I was shocked but then as I reviewed past situations I could see that I did have mercy. This lesson started with the scripture reference of Matt. 18:15-35. It’s the question of how much should we forgive someone and the parable of the servant who owed money. The servant begged for the King to be merciful to him and he would pay him back. The King agreed. As soon as he was free he went in search of a man who owed him money. Far less than what he owed the king, but as you know every little bit counts. The man was in the same position as the servant. He pleaded for mercy as the servant had toward the king only the servant did not show mercy on him and threw him in prison. The king found out and was infuriated. He in turn through the servant to be tortured until he could pay the debt back. His debt was so large that the torture would be never ending. He suffered greater consequences because he did not show mercy.
In the next section she talks about forgiveness…even as I write this I’m checking myself on judging…It’s so easy to say “so and so needs to hear this” etc… Beth defines Biblical forgiveness as letting go from one’s power, possession, to let go free, let escape…to cut someone loose. It’s like having the burden tied to your back. Hence, “unforgiveness is the means by which we securely bind ourselves to that which we hate most.” She then illustrated this by saying “forgiveness might best be demonstrated as the practice of cutting loose the person roped to your back.”She brought up the point of how difficult it is to live a Christian life when you have “somebody” strapped to your back because you won’t forgive them. Sure it’s easy to put on the smiling face and act like nothing is wrong but your actions speak louder than your words and in the long run you are doing more damage to yourself. You’re miserable! “The one who will not forgive always suffers more than the one not forgiven” Beth Moore. Re-read the parable again. Unforgiveness tortures the person who harbors it. She goes on to point out that forgiving doesn’t make the action right but it will make you all right. In that aspect you will not be tortured the rest of your life with this thing you would not forgive.When we don’t forgive we’re opening the door for Satan to harbor those thoughts, actions, circumstances etc…in us which then prohibit things from happening, destroying relationships, etc….
Beth closes with this thought ‘Only Satan wins in the war of unforgiveness. When he sees a rope, he sees an opportunity to hang us!”

Judgement

Day 3 was another “hit you in the face” day! It was on judgment. Beth points out that “if we are going to become vessels of God’s patience toward others, we must also learn to be void of judgment toward others.” This reminded me of the recent school shootings in the Amish school. The news went crazy over the fact that the Amish were forgiving the man who killed their children and were there to support his widowed wife. What an awesome testimony of God’s love towards others.
Some of the reasons she listed as to why we should not judge that stuck out to me are: (Rom. 2;1-5)
- when we judge others we cause God to be harder on us
- we do many of the same things we condemn in others (I’ve been in this position before)
- we do not know the whole truth
(Matt. 7:1-5)
-we risk applications of the same type of judgment to ourselves-we can not judge the speck of sawdust in another’s eye because of the plank in our own.

The final thing that stuck out to me was “how patient must we be toward others with whom we share the same sin. Judgment strangles patience and grieves the Holy Spirit.”
I never put judgment into this perspective. Often times I have been so quick to judge others when it was never my place to judge. Beth’s final thought for this lesson was to petition God for an extreme awareness of judgment. For an immediate sense of conviction over the sin of judgment and our tendency to condemn. We have no idea how deeply imbedded this sin may be in each of us until we invite Him to expose it.” What a challenge. A difficult one at that being that it’s a “refining” challenge but once you’re through it you’ll shine!

Patience Part 2

Patience part 2 In the Bible study Beth said “Paul emphasized the importance of being patient in respect to persons and enduring in respect to situations or circumstances.” I have never looked at it that way. It sheds new light when you turn the focus in a different direction. She also pointed out that “How we respond to others is critical” This really hit me in the face. I think sometimes I’ve been to quick to react to someone or a situation. She then referenced Heb. 10:36 and summarized it as ‘we should actively petition God for endurance in our circumstances…Patience is the release of the fruit of the spirit…supernatural outcome of being filled with the Holy Spirit is impossible except when expressed by God through us.” She then had us look at Gen. 6. It’s funny when you don’t read passages that often it’s like finding a lost treasure or something. I had no idea. She brought up the point that she seeks repentance for more thoughts than actions. It’s refreshing to hear other people do the same as you….because to tell you the truth there are times when I think something is wrong because I’m repenting for something I thought.The homework for this day was to wakeup before the sunrise then go out and sit facing east. She gave us 3 scriptures to read (Gen. 8:22, Lamentations 3:22-23, ands Psalm 30:5). The morning of this I awoke at 5:30 but with a splitting headache. I therefore slept in and didn’t do it. I finally did it today. Here the mornings have been fogy so we don’t see sun until the afternoon. This morning I made up my mind I didn’t have to see the sun rising. I fixed me some earl grey hot tea and with my Bible and notebook went and sat on the front steps of the building. The cool mist from the fog dampened my face but it was quite refreshing. As I read the scripture I heard different birds chirping and it was like I was in my own garden with God. Just me and him. The assignment after the reading was to then “write a prayer of response to God as the Sun of Righteousness rise in the morning breaks, simply record your thoughts toward Him”.It was so refreshing to do this. I could tell a different in my step as I walked to work. A smile was on my face which hadn't been there the last couple of days b/c I'd awken with a headache or woke up late. It’s like I wanted to kick up my heels.

Patience

This week the topic of the Bible study is Patience. On day 1 Beth analyzes Job and what all he went through. How he had patience and persevered in his faith in God. She brought up the fact that “Gold is not finished until it reaches a point of perfect luster. The chief objective of the refiner is to bring the gold to a point of greatest reflection. The gold is not as costly for its own sake as it is for the sake of that which it reflects. It is the light which exposes its qualities.” We are the gold and God is the refiner. We can not shine without having to go through some trials. It is here we learn patience and once God is through he is the light that shines through us.

Clean your room!

I'm sure we've all heard this at some point in our life no matter what country we come from. I heard this so many times growing up!
Today I got to talk to my mom on the phone. We hadn't talked by phone since I arrived and even then it was short b/c I started crying and I ended the call. We had a good talk today and got to share some things with her. I mentioned she wouldn't recognize me if she were here. Except for this week, my bed has been made every day. And now that I have a new bedspread I'm quite particular about how it is made and that is so not like me. I now can't stand for dishes to be left in the sink so they get done as soon as I'm through eating. It's like I've become a neat freak in a way. Don't get me wrong I have had a few messy days but they have been no more than 3 I'd say. It's like I'm a totally different person here.
Sooooooo who knows maybe this is God teaching me how to have a clean house and preparing me for my future husband. And to think all those years I wasted! ha ha. Just kidding...I know everything happens in God's time.

Chapel

Since this is short term (1 month) for EUNC chapel has been moved to Wed. nights at 7:30 ( instead of during the day). This is usually during our small group time. For the month of Oct. we will meet for dinner and then go to chapel. We will resume our discussion topics in Nov. Tonight, we ate chicken enchiladas. We had an ice breaker where we had to list the word Thank You in different languages. I came up with 5. Ali and Sandor (pronounced “Shawndoor”) came up with 10. It’s amazing the languages the students know. We had Dutch, African, Hungarian, and Indonesians at the table. We all laughed at each others stories or the names of our parents and how they’re pronounced. It was a good time.

Chapel here is like Plugged In or the River back home. One guy reminded me of Richard Smith or JP…when no one was standing they still stood and worshiped God. If they wanted to clap they did. It was awesome just to see the freedom in God people have. They sang a new song called “Who is This?” I’ll have to update later on with the phrases that meant a lot to me. I can’t seem to get a hold of anyone right now. At any rate it was very refreshing and felt more like home. The topic was on Timothy and ministry. I’m not sure what all the speaker said b/c my thoughts went back to when Tim, Brad, Teyerra, Amanda and I were doing Bible study. I remember Teyerra discussing the possibility of me co-leading it with her. The one thing that stuck out in my mind was when she said “I think you’re my Timothy” I didn’t quite get it then but last night it’s like everything made since. She was training / discipling me in how to lead. It’s like Paul calling Timothy “son” because he’s honored to be sending him. What a night!

Jenny

Oh that dreaded nickname I can't stand. Yet only a few people back home call me this. Here it is becoming more popular with the students and staff. Isn't it funny how an accent can change the sound of your name? So, for Europe I seem to be known as Jenny to most people. I just smile and go along with it. But for those back home....I'm still Jennifer!

Hummus

Tonight I was invited to eat dinner with Shahade, Elizabeth, Simone, and Lisa. Shahade fixed a salad with an Arabic dressing, traditional flat bread and hummus. I’ve never had hummus before. I remember Dr. Lyon raving about it in class but I thought it was disgusting! At any rate I went and tried it and I liked it! Imagine that! It had olive oil and some spice drizzled on top. The flat bread tasted like pizza crust. I was imagining sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni on top of it. Heaven! It was good by itself! The salad was different. Shahade had forgotten the lettuce so it was tomatoes, cucumbers, and crouton like pieces of bread. The dressing was olive oil, garlic, lemon (this was a strong taste) and some other spices. All in all it was a good meal. I got choked on the bread though. Everyone was talking about how big chic peas (what hummus is made from) can get when they’re in water and we had water with our meal. We were talking about being bloated. You should have seen my face! Ha ha. I hope I don’t wake up w/ an extra 5-10 lbs. tomorrow! Ha ha. Or have stomach problems.

RFTC

As I was reading the news from my hometown online I saw the headline “Record setting Race for the Cure.” I jumped for joy. This year Little Rock hit the 42,000 mark. I was so happy. When I was captain and co-captain their goal was to get 40,000 and this year they finally did. Only I didn’t get to be a part of it. I miss the days of leading the team, writing newsletters for the office, and being a part of a team to design the shirt. Granted it was stressful, but I loved every minute of it! I saw the pictures of the women lined up on Broadway waiting for the race to begin. I can feel the brisk air hitting my face, I can hear the quietness of the streets at 6 am. I remember the last time I did this race with my mom and family 2 years ago. Mom and I stopped at the gas station to get gas and I got a “gas station” cappuccino (sooooo good!). As we arrived we went booth to booth collecting free samples and running into people we knew. Writing on the pink signs in honor of Carolyn Soltis (my aunt) and attaching it to the backs of our shirts walking with pride as we began the race. Seeing the sea of pink crossing the Main street bridge as we crossed the Broadway bridge. I remember the guys on the side lines encouraging us as went and others who entertained us. The thrill of it all. I finished that race in less than an hour. I was so proud of myself. It was probably best I didn’t walk this year, as my aunt died in November. I think it would have been too hard. My cousins did the one in St. Louis in her memory. I’m sure it was hard for them….I never asked them about it. At any rate the days of being captain are gone for now, but maybe another year I’ll be back. I did fine they have them in Germany and Italy. I missed the one in Germany. It was Sept. 24 I think. Italy was in May ’06 so maybe they’ll have one again in May 07 and I can participate in that. That would be awesome!

God is working

Today in church we started off worship with the song God is Good. It was a reminder to me that no matter what God has always been good to me and faithful. We then sang a second song (one I’ve never heard of) Cry of my Heart talk about really speaking to you and bring you back to what God has called you to do. Some of the lyrics are “It is the cry of my heart to follow you. It is the cry of my heart to be close to you… All of the days of my life… Teach me your holy ways oh Lord. So I can walk in your truth. Teach me your holy ways, oh Lordand make me wholly devoted to you… Open my eyes so I can see The wonderful things that you do. Open my heart up more and more…” (Terri Butler)
For the focal scripture that was also used as the sermon it was Psalm 27. The pastor talked on fear. Funny how God works! The reference was good and he read it several times. And parts of it stuck out to me like God was emphasizing those particular parts to me. “The Lord is the light of my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes they stumbled and fell Though an army may encamp against me; My heart shall not fear Though war may rise against me in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord. That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life…(vs. 1-4) vs. 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" The first part dealt with my fears. It’s not something I believe will go away over night. I believe it will be a process. The preacher did mention “fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.” There is good fear and bad fear. The bad can be from Satan where he gets us to be so sure of our self that we have no fear and then he drops us in the midst of trouble. The fear from God is sometimes us thinking we’re all alone in a situation when in reality God is right there with us protecting us.
The last part was just a reminder to me to wait on God and not to rush anything in my life. That in his time his will for my life will be carried out and it will be well worth the wait!

Zurich

Yesterday Simone, Lisa, and I went to Zurich for the day. It was a much needed brake. It was my first time leaving the town w/o actually going grocery shopping or to Wal-mart. I also hadn’t been this direction since my arrival. Zurich is so beautiful. At times I felt like I was in Europe with the steep cobblestone streets and at others I felt like I was in New York City. To get to Zurich we had to go through a tunnel, which seems to be the longest tunnel I’ve been in. They have green arrows and Red X’s above the lane which ever direction you are going you want to be in the one with the arrows. This way they can switch the lanes if they need more.
Parking….Interesting concept here. There are signs that tell you which parking decks are open and how many spaces are available. Then you drive to that place and wait in line. Each parking space has a sensor so it knows when a car arrives and when it leaves. Once there are spaces available the gates will only let that many people in. Then it's like being on a hunt. You follow the arrows that lead you to the row where a space is available. To leave the deck, there are machines, before you walk into the garage, that you slip you’re card in and pay.
We found my favorite shop Crabtree and Evelyn. I was in heaven. I treated myself to some lotion. Now I can smell pretty! J The sales associate asked if it was for a present and I promptly said yes. The gift wrap is free so why not? Plus it was a present! For me! It was a pampering present for me. We then went to a store H & M. It was different. I felt like I should be in a club. But they had some cute clothes. Even though they had the US size marked they’re still a size or 2 smaller!. I found a sweater and Simone helped me put an outfit together. I got the Sweater and a tank top. Something I probably wouldn’t have tried in the states. I was very Fall like today in church! If you want to see some of the photos I took you can look at the photo album on line. We’re planning another trip back but to see the sites and the parks.

Freaked out

As most of you know I have a phobia with basements....man are they ever popular here! This morning was cleaning day at the office (every Friday). I signed up to do the outside. There wasn't much sweeping to be done so Nickolaj told me to do the weeding and Vacum the entry carpet and dust off the cobwebs from around the door area. He was telling me where gloves where (in the basement!) and I thought maybe i could wait to get the gloves until Ali came and he could go get them for me. I figured Verne would make me get them myself as he already knows about my fear. At anyrate I began to pull the weeds that weren't thorny and here comes Nickolaj with the gloves! God answered my unspoken prayer. :) I had finished the weeding and we found the vacum cleaner...they're so different from ours. I was outside vacuming up the cob webs when Nickolaj (coming back to the office) walks up the stairs and says something. My back was turned and I couldn't hear him approaching so when he spoke I let out a highpitched scream! My heart was pounding. I shocked him. He's not used to me yet. I forwarned him in a nice way not to do that again. The guys got a laugh out of it. So I come back in and sit down at my desk when Ali comes in and says he wants to show me something in the basement. I look at him, Verne, and Nickolaj and say "is this a joke?" they all reply no. Ali is trying to persuade me to come. I said "Are yall going to lock me in the basement?" Memories of being locked in Tim's bathroom came flooding back! They assured me this wasn't going to happen. So I go, but as I walk I'm apprehensive. I stayed a good 3-4feet behind Ali. We got down in the basement and he went into another room....this was the pool room. I couldn't figure out what he needed to show me b/c Verne had shown me this last Friday. So again i approached the door cautiously but I couldn't bring myself to go in. The pool is empty. I'm not sure why, maybe because the ceiling is lower...I don't know. I wouldn't go any further than the door. Ali is talking to me but I'm too scared to hear what he's saying. He looks at me finally and ask me why I'm not coming in. I said "I told you i have a phobia. I don't like this" He said you didn't tell me. I replied "I asked you on the stairs if I had told you about my phobia and you said yes" He said "I missunderstood you" So seeing the fright on my face he said don't worry we can go. So we turned and began to walk out and he said "Did I tell you the story about the pool?" Immediately thoughts went through my head and I bolted up the stairs. Then he continues with "There was this man...." and I took off running back to my desk saying "I don't want to hear it." the four of us are back at my desk (Verne and I share a table) talking Ali is telling them what all happened when Nickolaj says I'll tell you the story behind it....I turned to the window closed my eyes and grabed my head saying "I don't want to hear it. Don't tell me somebody died in this building." Finnally they saw how bad I was taking all this and told me why the pool was there and that nobody died in this building. What a morning. And to think Ali, didn't laugh when I told him a/b the prank phone call Simone and I got. He said that in his culture it's not funny to scare people....quite a change from todays events. I look back on it now and laugh.