blogging by candlelight :)

The dinner party is over, the dishes are done (except those that had to soak) and rain is gently falling. I had lit candles throughout the apartment to make it smell good. I just haven't put out the one in my room yet. It's my own "spa like" retreat. ha ha.
The dinner. Everyone said it was good. The caserole was a little dry. I didn't put enough milk into the soup. I always do that! ugh. The brownies were so good.
The conversation flowed much better than at my first dinner party. I was able to participate more with this conversation.
Ali is from Africa and he entertained us with some interesting facts about Africa....like champanzees only have 4 fingers. In the jungle they are aggressive and they're strong. If they slap you they can take a chunk out of your face, rip your ear off, but beware if they get your hand they will literally take off your finger because you have 5 fingers.
People use the jungle to hide because a lot of people stay away from it because it is so dense.
If you see an ape or gorilla (I can't remember which he said) you are not to make eye contact with it and you are to bow to it. They're like dogs and the eye contact is a sign you want to fight them.
If you sleep in the jungle you should not sleep with your legs straight together. you need to sleep with them spread apart. Why? you ask...there are snakes (boas I think is what he said can't remember) anyway they will unhinge there jaw and eat you and you wont know it at first. Therefor if you sleep with your legs together he will devour both of them. If they are apart he will just start on one.
Africans will eat dogs, cats, bats, rats, snakes, he even said they will eat the little bugs that fly to the lights. There is a lot of voodoo and tribes believe in spirits etc... There are some areas where they believe if someone is real sick they will kill them to relieve the spirit. Then they eat them. Or if the person dies they will eat them. They believe white meat (people) taste better.
People there get malaria a lot. Ali has had it several times. He said you take medicine everyday because you know you'll eventually get it. I think he said with his you get a bad headache and some stomach pain.
All in all it was a good party and I enjoyed myself.

Not so sure

Thursday night I did laundry and to save time since the dryer is sooooo slow I decided to hang dry a lot of my clothing. Which is fine I've gotten used to it ang bought some fabric softner that smells beter than Downy. Anyway this was also the night I went to watch the movie. So I decided to dry only the towels I needed and hang the rest. Well this morning I went back to retrieve them only to find them stiff and hard. It was like velcro. And to think I'm going to have to use those to dry off with. OUCH! That will not happen again. They will be dried in the dryer so they will be soft and fluffy.

Testimony

A friend once asked me how I got involved in missions since my parents are not missionaries. I thought about it for a minute and couldn't recall when I became interested. I was raised in a Baptist Church and attended GA's (Girls in Action) which is a missions based program. In addition to the church I was also raised in a Christian private school. We learned about George Mueller, Cory Tin Boon, Amy Carmichael etc.... I had plenty of opportunities to go on mission trips while in high school, but at the time I wasn't ready. After my sophomore year in high school I decided I wanted to leave the private school and attend a public school. This was a culture shock to me. Having no close friends at the school, I fell in with the wrong crowd. My life began to spin out of control. I dated guys I knew I didn't need to be with, in fact my mom warned me not to go out with them, but I didn't listen. The result was me suffering consequences of being in the relationship instead of following my mom's direction. I suffered a lot of heartache and pain. As I look back on it now, God was always watching over me even though I was not faithfully seeking Him.

One day my cousin invited me to go to church with her and her fiance. At this point I had stopped going to church, but for some reason decided I had nothing better to do that day so why not go? I was greeted by one of the singles (Aimee) and she filled me in on their church. She and another girl (Amanda) came to visit me and I began to build a friendship with them. I liked this church and began going back to church.

Amanda invited me to a college praise and worship group (Connections). Through this group I also became involved in one of their Bible Studies. It was here that God began to work on me. He opened my eyes to how I really wanted my life to be. I began to have a daily walk with him and really worship him while singing. My prayer partner (Teyerra) gave me a card one day. In it she wrote "I believe God is calling you into missions. I will be praying for you." As I read this I rolled my eyes and said to myself "whatever!" Me? A missionary? Yeah right! God had other plans and he kept these words on my mind and heart. I went to a few close friends and told them about it. I asked them to pray for direction for me.

A few months later my Sunday school teacher, Rita, announced an upcoming singles conference and encouraged us to go. Amanda and I decided we wanted to go, but it was 2 weeks away. God had a plan and he provided the money for us to go. On the way to the conference (it was Solocon '03 in Alabama) I was looking over the literature and noticed the theme of the conference was "Missions: The Called Out Ones". I didn't think much about it. I had fun at the conference and made new friends. At the nightly services I really didn't get much out of them. However, on our last night there (Sunday) I was captivated by the speakers speech. I found myself saying "Okay God, wherever you want me to go I will" As I'm saying this I had an internal battle going on in my head. Like a good and bad. Here I was making this commitment to God yet the human part of me was saying "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"


My first mission trip was the following December in 2003. I have never really cared much about Mexico or speaking spanish. I had no desire to ever go to Mexico, yet here I was about to go on a mission trip there. God prepared me and changed my view of Mexico. I absolutely love it! I love the people and the language. I feel called to do hispanic ministry and hope to one day be serving in a Spanish country.

In an email to a friend, I wrote about my recent trip to Ecuador. In the email I spoke of the stories we heard from other missionaries and how I could relate to them. Some of them had been through similar situations I had gone through. I think sometimes we put missionaries, pastors, etc...in the mind set of "they're not like us. They're too good" when in reality they are human just like us and have made mistakes too. In Beth Moore's Bible study Breaking Free she talks about how Isaiah was not a follower of God before he was a prophet. He was living the life like other non-believers of his time. Yet he changed his ways and followed God. Isn't it amazing how God will take someone from the deepest pit in their life and use them for his glory!

something new

Last night Simone fixed dinner for Lisa and I. It was a celebration to an end of a stressful week (for some that is. mine wasn't all that stressful). Simone fixed chicken Quesadillas with a twist. She added suteed onions and thinly sliced apples (cooked together sprinkles w/ a little sugar, and the chees was bri. It was different but definitely good! There was also chopped mango to put on the side or even to add that to the quesadilla. Then we had sparkling grape juice. All in all the dinner was great but I think the fruits from the drink, to the mango to the apple didn't set well with me. I got a little nausiated but never got sick.
The 3 of us have planned a day trip to Zurich next Sat. to do some shopping at Ikea (www.ikea.com is also in the states) Crabtree & Evelyn and some other stores.
Verne group up as an MK in Papua New Guinnea (sp?) so last night he what he called Papua Guinneas at 9. Basically you go chat and eat spaghetti. Just hang out. I didn't go b/c I didn't feel well.
Tonight Ali, Barnabas, Peter & Petra, and Simone are having dinner with me. I made the brownies last night and surprisingly they turned out better than they do in the states. I bought a baking dish. They do not have square ones (8x8) so I had to get a small rectangle one. still worked. They're wood mixing spoons here are tiny. The handle is the same but the spoon itself is small and round. They don't have the white crisco here so I got something similar which I think is basically butter. It's a lot softer than crisco. Maybe thats why they turned out so good. I had to bake it at 180 celcius which is supposed to be the same as our 350 but I had to bake it about 10 min extra to get them to firm up inside. Maybe i need to cook the caserole longer tonight. Time will tell.

Rice and Prayer 2

SO today we had Rice and Prayer and this time there was an agenda. I didn't go last week. We had grilled cheese which were way different than that of home. Don't care for their version...but I did try it and eat it. The soup was tomato. It had more of a spaghetti sauce texture. It was very thick. Probably better than campbells...but then I don't eat soup so I really wouldn't know. After we ate we prayed for South America. Victor gave us some facts and prayer request then each table had prayer time. Victor closed with prayer in portugeese since he is from Brazil.

Girls night

I was on my way back from walking/running last night when Petra stopped me and asked If I wanted to come to her house and watch a movie. A group of us got together and watched Titanic. It was so much fun and so girly! It was a much needed night and I got to try some new foods. Some I liked and some I did not. :)
Tonight I think Simone, Lisa, I, and some other girls may get together and have another girls night and celbrate the end of a long week! :)
I'm having my second dinner party tomorrow night. Simone, Ali, Petar & Petra are coming. I'm fixing Tuna Noodle Caserole.

Wow! Learned something new I didn't learn in class.

Today I was messing around reviewing some websites trying to get some design ideas. I came across one that had a scrapbooking affect where they placed a picture over what looked to be like torn paper. I loved the idea and tried to re-create it using Fireworks. My luck was not good. Nothing I did worked until I googled it and found exactly how to do it. I just had to use filters and then adjust the style to what I wanted.

Bible Study part 2, 3, ?????

Yet another day of God using Beth Moore's Bible study to speak to me. This weeks lessons have been rather difficult and challenging in what I'm having to face with myself. Today's was on restoration of Joy. It talked about how God will put us through situations and then bring us out of them to restore the joy and salvation in Him. By this we are able to help others when we share this joy. 1 Peter 5:10 "But may God...after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you." Like any parent God will punish us for our sins. Sometimes it's gentle and other's it's hard. But when we repent, ask for forgiveness, and say we're sorry he's there with his grace to restore our joy and relationship with Him. Beth Moore closes the lesson with "if you are willing, restoration is coming!...He is faithful who promissed!"

Running? Jenn? You bet!

I think my asthma is much better here. I ran about 2/10 of a mile total tonight and walked the rest of the way. It's a baby step for me but a much anticipated one. I was out of breath but I did not wheeze or have an asthma attack. My close are begining to fit better. :) It's so nice not to be as self -conscious when doing things. At any rate my body is taking on a new shape slowly but surely! :)

Romania

I caught a clip on CNN.com about unwanted children in Romania. I was horrified at what I saw. How even though some were born healthy b/c of they way they were cared for they now have emotional problems. I've always thought even if I could or couldn't have children I would want to adopt a hispanic or Indian baby...but now....I just wanted to save those kids. Say a prayer for them. If you want to watch the clip click here http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/world/2006/09/26/rogers.romania.orphans.itn However if you're emotional like me it will be hard on you what you see. Mom, you wont be able to handle this so if you don't want to cry then don't watch it or just have a box of Puffs on hand. Maybe I need to do ministry in orphanages or special needs homes. I'd just want to save them all though.

Joy

Even as I write this I'm not sure what to Title it. Hopefully by the time I'm finished I will have a title. The other day one of my co-workers (Verne) took me to walmart (I can't drive b/c I don't know how to drive a standard) On the way back we got into an interesting conversation. He asked if I had been in the old church. I replied no and then asked if I had told him about my phobias with old places. (I forget what and who I've told and try not to repeat myself). So I told him and asked where the fear came from. I honestly couldn't tell him. I just know I've been like this since I was quite young. The conversation went on and he said do you have any other fears and I sat there for a min and thought "Was he talking about life? faith? what?" So I just answered what I thought he was saying. I told him of my fear of how I would die, fear of the 10/40 window (what is this? go to www.1040window.org ), Fear of being like Peter and while you think you would never deny Christ when it came down to it would I be like that and deny that I was a Christian / Christ (most of this stemed from when the kidnappings and beheadings began in the middle east)? Fear of persecution. How much of it would I be able to take? This goes along with the other comment also. He looks at me and says "Do you believe God loves you?" I said yes. If you believe God loves you and wants the best for you then there should be nothing to fear. He never said it would be easy though. I think you need to give your fears to God and work through them. Funny how God orchestrates things. This was on Friday. Last night I was doing my Bible study (Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore). The lesson was on Joy and talked of Paul and Silas about there joy in prision despite the circumstances. What stood out to me was "In Christ, Paul discovered that "to know Him" was greater than any loss he would suffer. Paul's joy in tribulation was motivated by his knowledge that the "best"of God's presence, purpose, and power was undoubtedly discovered in the worst of circumstances. It went on to talk about Stephen (Acts 7:56) "...Christ...standing on behalf of the first of many who would willingly lay down their lives for the cause of Christ." "His (Stephen's) joy provided strength not only to live for Christ but also to die for Christ. It closed by saying "Are you willing to look for HIm in the midst of your struggles? After talking to Verne and doing this lesson my fears are trivial. My prayer is that I will have this joy. I have joy but I want the joy where I have no fears and can be strong for Christ.

Full Moon?

Okay so I read some more in the second book last night. Then went to bed. I must have been dreaming b/c Katie (one of our guest) had unlocked the bathroom door on her side so I would be able to get in. Only I thought someone was breaking in. Naturally the book went into play. ha ha. I kept saying "who's there" and I guess I couldn't hear her but finally she yelled "Jennifer, it's just me! Katie. I'm unlocking the bathroom door." I felt so embarrassed. I thought it was a garage door going up and someone was coming in to kill me. we both laughed a/b it.
Today is yet another rainy day!. THe rain here seems to be a hard drizzle. Never really real rain. But it sure is steady. It's been going on since around 10 yesterday morning and nonstop. So, me not having an umbrella had to walk to work in the rain. I need to get one. Yet another partially good hairday gone bad.
Then I was crossing the street and almost got hit by one of my co-workers. Nikolaj. He was stopped but watching for traffic coming from the left b/c he was turning right. He kept inching. and I kept moving out of the way. He felt bad. Needless to say no harm done. Just feels like a full moon. Although I have no idea as it's clouded w/ rain clouds here.

Confirmation

Today was another awesome day in church. We sang the song He is Able. The line that puts me in check the most is "...to do much more than I could ever dream..." Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would be in Europe. I always figured it would be on my honeymoon and only then if we (my future husband whomever he may be) could afford it.
My parents are having to complete the selling of the car as it did not sell before I left. I love my car and it's beautiful, but it has it's drawbacks for others because of the high mileage and the fact that it's a Ford. I didn't get to raise all of the money before I left. I was at 75%. Still God allowed me to come. I have no idea how or when the car will sell, or even how the other 25% of the money is going to come in. But I know for sure "My God will supply all my needs according to his riches and his glory." Phil. 4:19.
He is able more than able to do much more than I could ever dream!

Midnight Swim in the Rhine

Well Friday night was different. We had a bonfire for F&F and roasted marshmellows and stick bread. To do the stickbread you have to be patient. So I'm sure fishermen would love this! You roll the bread into a snake (not to thin, not to thick) then wrap around the stick and roast it over the fire. Mine was too thick and took too long therefor I gave up on it. After that a few of us hung out and the guys decided to go for a midnight swim in the Rhine. We decided to go with them. Some of them went ahead of us. As we rounded the corner and walked down the dark pathway between two houses, we were engaged in conversation. When suddenly out of nowhere two of the guys leaped from the bushes and screamed. Another girl and I both jumped and screamed, her water leaped out of her cup and onto me. Talk about heartattack. Not to mention the fact my scream was pretty loud, and here they take screams seriously. Luckily no damage was done and cops were not called. It took the guys a while to jump in but they did. I overheard them conspiring as to who they were going to throw in....I discretely backed away trying to avoid it. The picked Emily up first. She begged them not to do but eventually gave in and said "at least take my shoes off!" At that point it was as if she was being arrested because the guys started asking "is your watch waterproof? Is there anything in your pockets you need to remove before you go?..." Then they swung her and threw her into the cold water. The dock was pitch black. As she got out she couldn't see the chain and therefore tripped over it falling to the ground on her knees. It was as if she was being tortured! Not really but since it was dark it had that feeling. They went for the next girl and asked the same questions. Then they went for Victor. In his portuguese acent he screamed "No no no! Please no!" It was absolutely hysterical but they gave in and decided to lend him mercy. After that we all walked back to the dorms. It was fun. However I will not go back unless I'm ready to swim in the Rhine and I have a swimsuit!

Record Set! I'm shocked myself.

I can't believe it! I have finished an entire 374 page book in 4 days! 4 days you guys! I don't think I read a Left Behind book that fast! There were so many intense moments througout this book. Twists and turns I wasn't expecting! Tense moments where I wanted to scream. I found myself talking to the characters when I didn't agree with them or yelling for them to get out when they were in dager. As if they could hear me! Hello Jennifer?????? At any rate I can't wait to start the next one here. I'll have to wait to finish the entire series as the school only has the first 3 books. Their books are donated to them.

Halloween Already???? Can't be!

This morning I woke up to yet another extremely foggy day in Busingen. The kind of day you see in the movie People Under the Stairs w/ Nicole Kidman. I went to see if my jeans were dry as they were hang drying. On my way back to the dorm i noticed white string from trees to the dorm. I thought maybe the guys had gotten into a silly string fight. As I looked closer I realized it was a spider line. Then as I approached the door I noticed a tree that had white coverings on it. I looked and there were intricate spider webs everywhere! As I walked to work everywhere I went there were spider webs. Big and small ones. Some come from a branch of a tree to the ground. SOme of them blanketed grass and bushes. I have never seen anything like this. Beautiful yet creapy. I was so afraid I was going to walk into one I couldn't see. Luckily I didn't!

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

For those of you who know me all to well....you know I don't do scary movies. And when I do I'm crouched down in the chair with my face covered squeeling and screaming! Tonight i got to use my library card for the first time. I picked a well rounded choice of history, systematic theoology (i have no idea what this is but apparently a lot students here have studied it so I thought maybe if I read something on it I could participate in some conversations), and fiction. I thought about conquering the more scholarly ones but I think those are for a sat. or sun. I chose the fiction for tonight. Private Justice by Terrie Blackstone (you can find it at Mardels, Lifeway, etc...) I'm already on Ch. 8 which is a record for me. This means it is well written and very good if it's held my attention for this long! From the begining I can picture the scenes in my mind and here the voices of the characters. It's like I'm playing the movie in my head. Well there is this intense moment where a murder happens (it's almost like in Twister when their at the hotel by the drive in and the tornado comes without warning everything is an erie calm) and I wanted to drop the book and scream as I was reading it. I tried to look away and not finish the sentence but I couldn't. This has never happened before. Well I've had my intermission I need to get back to see how everythign unfolds. This will probably be finished by the weekend. That would be a record for me!

a library card it is!

Here in Germany you have to pay a tax to have a t.v in a room so basically like cable. There is one t.v in each dorm , but you have to sign up to use it. Needless to say I haven't watched t.v since I left the US. which is good in that i'm doing my Bible study, watchiang movies, and doing word searches. Other than the Bible Studies it gets old after a while.
I felt out of place at my dinner party the other night. They were talking about systematic theology and I had not a clue what was going on. I almost felt like Bridget Jones. Here I am the hostess of the party yet I couldn't maintain conversation on that level. I've decided to get a library card. While I may not read about systematic theology it will give me something else to do and maybe my "higher education" vocabulary will come back to me. ha ha.
Before I wasn't much of a news person but now I'm catching up on the news via cnn.com to get more of a grasp of what is happening in the countries in our region here.

Marriage

Today I started work w/ listening to Beth Moore. I remembered back in school finding that she had a 30 min or so talk on her website. I figured since it had been a while maybe the topic had changed. I was right. Todays topic was on marriage and forgiveness. While no I'm not married, it will help me when I am blessed with a husband. She talks about how a man can be romantic one minute and the next be a total guy. She highlights lows and highs in a marriage. She brought up the point that she almost told a couple it only gets better. Which isn't true. In her case it was true but because they allowed it to get better through God. She talks about honoring your husband and what it means to love him. That he is her best friend. It was so refreshing and the stories she tells will have you rolling in the floor. check it out. http://www.lproof.org/beth_live.asp

Would you look at that! My my my.

Tonight Simone and I went walking after dinner. I'm not sure how far we walked but it was a good walk and saw some spectacular views of Busingen. As we walked by the fields of corn I noticed a camel...Yes there are camels here but this one seemed to be out of his area. We started walking really slow, then simone started whispering our conversation which made me laugh. We were trying not to distract the camel. I wish I had my camera. He was having a meal of corn. yummm. or maybe it was a she. I didn't look to tell you the truth. At anyrate IT was just on the other side of the one lane road so maybe 6 feet away from us. It kept on eating and we kept on walking. I think I swallowed a bug. Have a tickle in my throat I can't get rid of. Hopefully it's just my imagination and it will be gone in the moring. lOts of little bugs flying around. If your from Little Rock and you've walked by the River underneath 430 then you know what I'm talking about.

Picky picky picky

Okay I think the lunch lady (Hilde) knows I'm a picky eater! Today she saw me and said "Lunch good Jennifer?" As she smiled and nodded. I said yes, it was wonderful. She put a list out for this week (granted it's tentative) so I can see what days I do not wish to eat. For instance tomorrow is Beef strogenauf (sp???) and Wednesday is Gouloush (sp???). If I give her plenty of notice I do not have to pay for those meals I miss. This will be great for the soup days! I can't wait to get my mac & cheese and Peanut butter. I need to look for cream of mushroom soup so I can make tuna noodle caserole!

home sweet home

today i met Gustavo's wife Rachel. It was so refreshing talking to her. She invited me over to their house (tba) to have authentic guatemalen food. I can't wait! Oh, and I can speak spanish to them. SO what i thought was going to be year w/o spanish will not. and while I wont see hispanic familiar faces I will get the culture! Thank yOu God! I miss Samaratano Iglesia!!!!

What is this?????

Okay so today has been a slow ho humm day. It's 8:20 p.m. and I'm bored out of my mind. Talked to a friend on line for a while and that was good. Made a real grilled cheese sandwich. Just like home! yummmmmmmm! Pringles here are made in Belgium and are less salty have more of a roasted taste to them.
So as I was saying, I'm bored! I had worked a puzzle (word search) but my eyes got tired after doing 2 of them. I decided to watch my friends dvd. I remember seeing that it had "beginings...seasons 1-10" I'm thinking great! It's the season premier for each one. I put it in and clicked on the one I wanted only to discover that it's the opening. So the theme song with the different shots for that year. Was I disappointed. Maybe I'll watch a movie. None of my friends are online at this point. still bored. still raining. getting chilly! brrrrrr. good hair day today!

Rain

Rain rain go away come again another day.....it has been raining since before I woke up this morning and it is now 5:15! While it has been slow, steady, quiet and calming.....I'm ready for it to end. It's been nice though because after the potluck (awesome food! great chocolate cake) i came home and watched The Magic of Ordinary Days. My stomach has still been unsettled since last night. At least the guest who came are doing fine. Maybe I've been drinking too much chocolate milk. Oh man has it been chocolaty!!!!!! :) Nesquick is sold over here! so I tend to add extra powder to the milk. YUMMMMMM!

Kabobs & a dinner Party

Today I went shopping with Des, Nacho, & Victor. Lidl was extremely crowded. Not as fun as when I went w/ Barnabas & Shahade. Shahade had told me about Kabobs and how good they were. There was a stand outside the grocery store and since it was after lunch I bought me one. It was so good. Filling! I couldn't finish it all. I also got mineral water but didn't realize I had gotten the carbonated one. Took one sip of that and about spit it out. Next time I will know.
I decided to have a dinner party tonight. I am fixing porkchops, sauteed green beans, and potatos. I wanted to mash them but we do not have an electric mixer nor do we have one of those manual mashers. So I guess I'll just dice them and cook them w/ butter and parcely. The potatos here are white (not the red ones) and are small. I hope all turns out well tonight. I threw this together on a whim so I think I will plan ahead and do this once a month. As most couldn't come. But I have 5 (including me) which is enough since that's all that will fit at the table and I can't feed everyone on campus. ha ha.

F&F

Last night was my first F&F. Some of my friends were quite proud of me and I know mom is to in that I took the innitiative (sp?) and went to play volleyball on my own w/o waiting for anyone to go. By that I mean waiting to see which of my friends would go etc...So step 1 has been completed! I had so much fun. Got a work out as it was on a hill so on one side if the ball went to far we had to run down the hill. Not bad though, good for the thighs! Cellulite be gone! ha ha
At 8 we played bunco, pictionary, and then a group of us finished off the night by playing.....PHASE 10! Just like home! People skipping people for no reason, although....I didn't have anyone skip me just for counting my cards, like someone in my family I know! ;) ha ha Tara! I love the way these people shuffle...They don't shuffle all that good. Just kind of mix up the cards. So there were a few rounds I went out on the first play. At one point I was dealt 4 wilds and drew a 5th. Sweet Vicotry! I had a lot of fun and can't wait until the next one. I just realized this morning that with the F&F each Friday.....this year is going to fly by. I'm really starting to like this place and the people here. Everything will work out in God's plan and at the end I'll know what I'm supposed to do. It's foggy outside!

Look!

Look what God painted for me tonight.....can't you see the brush strokes in the clouds? How beautiful!

Rice and Prayer

Fridays are reserved to eat a less expensive meal. They take the difference between the cost for that meal and a normal meal and save the money. At the end of each year they vote on a project to use the money for. Last year they bought solar pannels for a hospital so that they could have hot water.
Todays meal was soup. I know I know...but I don't like soup! so I went back home instead and had spaghetti and garlic bread! yummmmm!

I had no idea!

I didn't know there was a national unmarried / singles week. I got an email from Christian Singles Today and in it the writer reminded us: "just remember that you're "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (Ephesians 2:10). And Zephaniah 3:17 tells us God takes great delight in you."
Seems like God's speaking to me through my emails today! I've been struggling with something b/c I know even as a full time missionary I would not be allowed to date (while on the field), nor on the field as a volunteer. I'm under contract. I was given a good explanation for this actually which made sense! What I struggle with is having the desire to be married and riase a family. It's going to take a lot of preperation and me overcoming this with God if I'm to be on the field as a single person doing full time ministry. Today is fine b/c I'm only here for a year. Lots of prayer on this matter! God has a plan, he will prevail and provide all that I need.
Addendum: just listened to Aaron Shust song "My Savior, My God" puts things into perspective..."I am not skilled to understand What God has willed, what God has planned...I take him at his word..."

Awesome Quote!

I was reading an email from Mission Focus Int'l. about some upcoming retreats for prospective missionaries. One of the quotes listed from a former attendee was:

"Maybe I can’t leave for the field tomorrow but I can pursue what will prepare me now for what God has in the future." - unknown

What an awesome outlook on life when God's timing has not yet arrived for you to go and fulfill his call on your life!

Hamburgers Galore!!!!!!!! Yippppppppppeeeeeeee!

Todays lunch was hamburgers and french fries...Oh I didn't tell you, the mustard and maynonaise (aside from miracle whip) come in a metal tube similar to a tube of toothpaste but bigger...Strange. The burgers where not the fresh style but they were good....Oh and I had some dill pickles! The tomatos here seem to be better than those at home. I guess these are home grown tomatos. Ohhhhhh and we had french fries...haven't had those in a while. Nor have I had any Mcdonalds, Wendy's, etc.....Yall wont recognize me when I get back. ha ha. ;)
Tomorrow night is F&F (fun & fellowship) soccer at 3, VOLLEYBALL (and yall thought I would get to play any while away! sure miss Sunday nights!) at 5, then at 8 games with hot drinks (???? I'm assuming coffee & tea- They drink this all the time no matter what the weather) and roasting marshmellows. Sounds fun....Okay mom here goes my boldness and my schedule will be forever booked! :)

7hrs +

Last night was my first time to do wash since arriving. I started my wash at 5:30. There were 2 washing machines and 1 dryer. These European machines are lot more difficult than ours. Instead of times there are Celsius degrees listed for temperature of water. No hot, cold, warm etc…. no 12, 8, spin etc…. well maybe the words but in German. It’s a front load washer which I have never used before and talk about tiny. I think they’re smaller than the stackable ones in America. I’m surprised I got 5 pair of jeans into one load. What would normally take me 2-3 loads turned into 5. Since I had so many loads to do I wanted the shortest time possible for the wash to complete. So I turned it to that setting and wouldn’t you know it takes 59 min., but better than 1 ½ hour. They have hang lines to hang the laundry on, but I am not accustomed to that. Besides, don’t your clothes come out stiff????? I only had detergent and bounce, no downy type stuff to make them supposedly soft. To save time and get another load started I did hang my jeans and dry everything else. So far nothing shrank! Thank You God! Finally I put 3 pairs of jeans in so that I would have something to wear today other than a skirt. I went to go get them out of the dryer (by this time it’s past midnight). Apparently, the lights go out on campus too at a certain time. I didn’t have a flash light so I grabbed my cell phone…..Yeah, like that really helped! The light was so dim I could barely see it on the ground. Luckily my eyes adjusted and I was able to make my way, just praying I didn’t walk into any spider webs. By this time I was tired and needed to get to bed. I grabbed my jeans and left the other 2 on the line. I guess I’ll find out tonight how stiff they are. I’ve got to figure out a better way to do this.

Lunch....Fish

Today was fish day....not the Gordons beer battered fish from the freezer but fresh fish. Since I'm so finiky a/b eating fish I opted to eat meat on these days. I had potatos on my plate and then the lady came around w/ chicken curry. It was good but she dumped the juice onto my potatos. I quickly scooted them to the edge of the plate after she left. I do not like soggy potatos (these where whole not mashed) which is why I don't include them in my roast when I cook it. Oh man....roast beef and gravy! sounds so good! I wonder if they have crockpots here!

Earphones

You know sometimes you hear the words of a song better when you listen w/ earphones. Today I was listening to one of my spanish songs that also had some English in it. I heard it loud and clear the words "wash these eyes 'til all I see is you Lord, wash my heart, that I may see you, open my eyes, I want to see your beauty, 'til all I see is you,....I want to dwell in your courts Oh Lord, to behold the beauty.... might see your worth, open these eyes, open these eyes, open these eyes....Til all we see is you.

Euro Lingo

Some interesting phrases / words I've learned:
filter- tea bag
balck tea- hot tea w/ no cream or sugar
white tea- hot tea w/ cream

Get out there!

Okay this weekend Ihad some socializing issues. I was invited to a bbq but opted not to go because I had just eaten hoagies w/ the guys. Then Sunday after church I went down to the fellowship for a few min. but felt uncomfortable so I quickly left.
Today I was talking w/ Ali and he mentioned I was not at the bbq and asked why. I expalined I am shy and I had just eaten. I then went on to explain Sunday. He rolled his eyes and in a semi-frustrated voice he said "It doesn't matter here. You just show up. They don't care. They don't say, Oh we need to invite Jennifer. There are many different cultures here." We had a good talk.
This weekend I was reading in Ruth a/b how she left her homeland to be with her mother -in -law. On the side note about Naomi it said "Naomi models the way God works through a woman who moves foward even in the midst of tragedy and trials activiely seizing every opportunity God provides rather than waiting passively for events to happen.
So, yes even before the talk with Ali, God was already speaking to me. I'm not going through tragedy just trials of adjusting to a new place and people. Just give me time!

What to say Lord

What can I say Lord????
Today was my first service at the International church on campus. It’s an English speaking church. They sang some beautiful songs I had never heard of before. I believe one was Here I Am (but not the one by MW Smith). They then had a time of sharing from students who had gone home for the summer and did internships in their countries. It was awesome to see what God is doing in those countries and the prayers that were answered. When we started to pray he asked just for 3-4 people to praise God and give him thanks openly. There was a bit of silence, but he waited on the Lord and the people began to openly praise God with just a sentence or two of thanks.We had some missionaries from Brazil speak. The story he told really gripped my heart and I can see myself serving in this way b/c I think I would like to serve in compassionate ministries. This pastor answered the call to go to another town to start a church. However, it wasn’t as easy as he thought. Word got out that the people of the church were not good. Only 2 people showed up to the service. Some time went by and nothing had happened. He told his wife to stay home with the kids and he was going to go and spend a night in prayer and music. He didn’t know if maybe he had missed God’s call and they weren’t supposed to be there. Morning came and he went to the river. As he played his guitar he talked to God. Asking for direction, a girl heard him played and approached him. She asked for 20 he thought she meant $20 but she meant 20 cents. He asked her if she was hungry, she answered yes. He invited her to his house for breakfast. She ate breakfast; the wife let her clean up and gave her new clothes. As she the pastor asked if she would like to come again the next morning (she’s homeless) she said yes and asked if she could bring her brothers and sisters. The pastor said that would be fine. The next day they had 14 kids. This was there sign from God. They had thought their ministry was to begin with adults but God’s plan was to start with street kids. The story Goes on and gets even better.After church was over they have fellowship time. Everyone gathers for tea downstairs and chats before heading out. Next week is potluck.

Walmart is....Walmart

Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart
Saturday I went shopping with my new friends Barnabas and Shahade. It was quite a journey. Barnabas driving is well…..a bit fun! Fast! Never felt unsafe though. And at one point we went over a hill one of those stomach jumpers. Ha ha! We got held up at the border for a bit, no problem though. We first went to Wal-Mart. Shahade helped me find things. I wanted to get some rugs (even though I hate them) b/c our floor is linoleum and even though swept it still seems to have some dirt still left. So I wanted to have something to stand in different areas where my feet wouldn’t turn black. So…wasn’t finding what I was looking for and what I did find didn’t match my colors. Then he (Shahade) found one of those car rugs for children. So I played along and said “If only I had brought my little cars” I had so much fun with them. Oh, the washcloths….not what we’re used to. They’re bigger and are in the form of a mitt. There towels….well lets just say they’re smaller. It’s the equivalent to having a towel to stand on when getting out of the shower. We next went to another town to buy groceries as it is cheaper…..I FOUND MIRACLE WHIP!!!!!! THANK YOU GOD! I’m sure Sahade thought I was quite weird when I got all excited over that little find! Not sure what kind of cheese I got. They have lots of Gouda here…just don’t care for it on sandwiches. The guys were making hoagies for their once a month treat, they invited me to eat with them. They were so good. Oh you should have seen them when they went to buy the meat (the meat counter is like a butcher shop but after the checkout lines in Wal-Mart) they’re faces lit up and they got all excited as they announced they were going to buy meat. It was like a Friends episode where Joey and Chandler come over for a BBQ and they say “We men. We make fire. We cook meat.” It just reminded me of that.

Germany

Germany is so beautiful. Nothing compared to Arkansas. Yes, everything is old here and I'm adjusting. I was in a building yesterday that I thought was pretty new....well to them it's new and it's only 100 years old. They had remoddled the inside so it was very modern. In the early 1900's it housed the fire brigade, police, and mayors office. Back then horses and carriages were used so the front of the building has 2 storage areas (now offices) that were originally for the horses. I've seen some buildings that still have the originally gates on them. On the drive we took into a city yesterday we passed through what I would call a forest. I need to go again and take a picture. Everything is very safe here. So strange. Walk the streets with no problem.
The apartment is not airconditioned. It has large windows that open up. (they do not have a screen on them) For blinds they have this venician blind type things on the outside that roll up and down. Very good for darkening a room! Just found out the apartments have floor heating..."That's different" Right now the apartment is bare but I plan to get some things to spruce it up a little and I'm going to rearrange it. The bed is comfortable! :)

No Tears

No tears! YEAH! I just didn’t look back for one last goodbye. You know in the story of Sodom & Gamora where they turn into a pilar of salt when they look back. Well I produce a flood of tears if I look back when saying goodbye. So today was a success!
US Airways was a small plain. I bumped my head on the overhead bin while getting up. They didn’t have Canada dry gingerale. They just had seagrums. Yuck! That’s like flat gingerale. Lufthansa turned out to be better than I expected. It was roomy. I had a tad bit more room than I did on delta going to Ecuador. Luckily both mine and my moms prayer was answered and there was an extra seat so I had room to spread out. Eating was a treat! Before they serve you dinner they bring you warm moist toweletts to wash your hands. Then the meal….was far better than delta, although I did like the rice that was served on the way to Ecuador. I got a glazed chicken w/ spicy corn and rice, roll, ceaser salad, cheese, Tierre mi su. My favorite! Breakfast was a different story…I sent it back before ever eating it. It was some kind of yogurt, some cookie thing ( I think shortbread) gross! And a meat and cheese sandwich roll…not what I wanted. Just had tea. I think I walked a mile in the munich airport to get to my gate. I kid you not. I kept bypassing the exchange places and I think I shouldn’t have now…that’s okay I have some food to tie me over. Will get exchanged in Zurich.

God does answer Prayer

Okay, I just remembered I forgot this....Earlier I think I had written that my mom was excited that my stepdad was coming home from his business trip. She was counting on him to get her through when I leave. However my stepdad is flying out the same day as I.
My mom and I are close and whenever one cries so does the other....tomorrow will be one of those days. It will be harder because I will not see her for 1 yr. I've been praying that God would give me someone to talk to on the plane. As I don't wont to be crying forever and a day. Plus my eyes would be way to puffy. When we got home today my stepdad had told me that he had just checked in for his flight. I noticed he was on the same airlines as I was. I asked him what time he was leaving and he said the time. I said, where are you flying into? He told me the city. I said that's the exact same flight I'm on. You're my answer to prayer. Funny how God works sometimes. Our flights were arranged at 2 different times by different agencies, yet God knew I was going to need some support. How awesome is he. While I think we're sitting a few rows away from each other, I'll still be able to talk to him before we take off, and hopefully not a lot of tears. Okay so i have the carry on and the purse ready...just need to wash clothes and pack the last suitcase. I'm such a procrastinator!

countdown has begun!

Today was a ????? I really can't begin to describe it. It all started last night when I fell asleep on the couch watching Flip that House. I woke up and decided I should go to my own bed. This was about 1 or so in the morning. I tossed and turned. Could not get to sleep. So, I decided to watch t.v. as this will usually put me to sleep this late at night. NOPE! nothing was on either besides early morning news. So I kept that on and wrote "Thank You" Cards. I bet I knew before all of yall a/b the croc. hunter dying. Do you think he said "Crykie" as he was stung? Ok ok ok....I know that was low and uncalled for. Anyway finally was able to get to bed. Woke up early! :( Found other things to do besides packing....still have that to do and it's 7:30 p.m. However, I did get my car cleaned out. It was sad locking it for the last time! I'm going to miss my car!
We went shopping to pick up last minute items and a German dictionary. I was shocked when my mother bought me some razorback pajama pants. The reason being is that I loved them, there weren't any in the women's section therefore these were guy pajama pants. luckily it's the kind with the button on them. Anyway I think I will look rather cute in them. Go Hogs Go! I hope they win their next game. hmmmmmmmm should be packing.....not really wanting to.....well I will go for now. aufweidersehn (may be spelled wrong)

Goodbye part 3

Today was a good day and it's only 2p.m. I saw my hairdresser for one last eyebrow wax. He wasn't his usual upbeat glad to see me person. I think he's working too much. But we had a good conversation. Then it was off to my old job. I hadn't seen them since I quit over a year ago. Everything has changed and it was so good to see everyone. I was going to join mom and one of her friends for lunch but they were running late. So I ran errands and went to best buy to look for some things. As I came out, I was bobbing up and down as I was in a good mood. The guy parked next to my car caught my attention and let me know that someone had hit my car on the other side. Luckily the lady who hit was still there and had called the police. It did some damage. SO all this right before I leave and we're trying to sell it. I was calm through the whole thing. Didn't really bother me. Just kept saying...it's okay.
After I left I went to have lunch with mom at Community Bakery only I didn't see them when I walked in. So I called several times but no answer. This is when I began to get frustrated. I thought maybe they had gone to Daddy's Deli. So I drove around downtown but couldn't find it. Still getting more irritated because mom's not answering her phone. Called Daddy's found out that they aren't located downtown anymore. By this time I had had it! So I called mom and left a message about what had happened and that I was headed home. A minute later she called back, the restaurant was so noisy she couldn't hear the phone ring. They had been there the hole time I just somehow overlooked them. I ended up having a good lunch with them. Roast beef pannini....Ohhhhh so good!

Have you seen the original movie Sabrina? I love it! I love Audrey Hepburn movies.