I am just about to finish my second week of school! The last couple weeks have been crazy with choosing classes, finding them, and getting used to having a real schedule. I think I've finally figured out what my semester is going to look like. I have four linguistic classes in English and four other classes in German. I shouldn't complain about that being crazy though. This weekend takes the place of all it!
Saturday started out wonderfully! I went to a flea market with some lovely friends, drank hot chocolate, and then had dinner with some more friends (homemade Chinese noodles and Italian Pizza). Sunday morning is where it all went wrong. I walked out of my dorm preparing to unlock my bike and ride to church and then realized wait...I have a problem. Where is my bike? I was almost sure I was standing where I had locked it up but alas, it was not there. Yes, my lovely 15 euro bike is long gone along with my new bell and basket. Sad times. Well, I shook that off and went on my way to church. I had to walk quickly because not having a bike adds about 15min to the way there.
Later on Sunday I was on my way to the refugee camp to visit the kids. I promised I would come and was anticipating seeing them! I was almost to the camp when I realized my passport was not in my pocket like I thought! Oh no! I replayed all I had just done in my head and retraced my steps. I finally came to the conclusion that it had to have fallen out on the bus! Well, that meant no refugee camp and no peace of mind! I could hardly believe I had been that careless! But God is good and Tuesday evening I got a random message on facebook. A woman contacted me and said her son had found my passport on the bus. She gave me her number and said that she could meet me somewhere and I could pick it up! Hallelujah!
Yeah, so what a Sunday! The rest of this week has been great though. I'm settling into my schedule and figuring out how I need to manage my time. I have to find time to study between classes, babysitting, visiting the refugee camp, and hanging out with friends. I have quite the full schedule these days and I love every bit of it! I'm even helping lead worship at church on Sunday! Also I feel like my German is really improving even though I have a long, long way to go.
The first week of school was so scary that when I entered a class I tried to look as German as possible. I even contemplated trying to have an German "accent" when I spoke so that I wouldn't stick out. I figured that may only offend people and so was not the best idea. The second week has been a bit better and I am gaining a bit of confidence in class. We'll see what the rest of the semester brings!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Who Am I?
Who am I to be born into a life where I have anything I could ever want and more? I can buy things that I don't need, sit luxuriously in coffee shops, and go to bed at night knowing that there is really little chance that my perfect little world is going to change. It is incredible how the geographic location of where you're born can so strongly determine your life.
Recently I have met people whose lives are subject to change every day. I don't know all of their stories and I am sure each is very different. I have met people from Iran fleeing a harsh government and from Iraq whose country has been ravaged by war. There are people from Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. In the words of an Ethiopian woman I met, "I pray and ask God why Africa has so much trouble. Why us? I don't know. But I trust God." It sickens me that these people had to leave their land, their country, their home because it is unsafe or unbearable to live there. I rejoice that they were able to move to a safer place but my heart breaks that they had to leave at all. I know that in the beginning God created a perfect world without any of the pain and suffering that is rampant today. I know that He is the only constant in this world of brokenness and uncertainty. I don't know the answer to that woman's question. I only know for certain that Christ is the healer of all hurt, pain, and brokenness. This is the one infallible truth. So many people present the Gospel as just a way to heaven but is so much more! It is a chance to be restored to what God intended us to be. It provides a way to have a relationship with the Creator of the world and find peace and joy in Him.
Tonight I was able to go to the refugee camp again. I played soccer with the children. Oh how I loved seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter! I think their favorite thing to do is laugh at me! Everything I do is a bit funny to them for some reason. But that's what I want to do! I want to be there with them and to find joy in playing soccer, swinging, or drawing with sidewalk chalk. I want to love these precious children that God has made and who He loves so much. I want to love them with Christ's love. This is truly the desire of my heart. Many of these children have had more trauma in their lives than I can even imagine. Just the fact that they had to leave their country and be thrown into a new language at such a young age. I praise God that I have the opportunity and the privilege to know them and hopefully be a blessing to them. And I pray that God will give me opportunities to do this for the rest of my life.
Recently I have met people whose lives are subject to change every day. I don't know all of their stories and I am sure each is very different. I have met people from Iran fleeing a harsh government and from Iraq whose country has been ravaged by war. There are people from Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. In the words of an Ethiopian woman I met, "I pray and ask God why Africa has so much trouble. Why us? I don't know. But I trust God." It sickens me that these people had to leave their land, their country, their home because it is unsafe or unbearable to live there. I rejoice that they were able to move to a safer place but my heart breaks that they had to leave at all. I know that in the beginning God created a perfect world without any of the pain and suffering that is rampant today. I know that He is the only constant in this world of brokenness and uncertainty. I don't know the answer to that woman's question. I only know for certain that Christ is the healer of all hurt, pain, and brokenness. This is the one infallible truth. So many people present the Gospel as just a way to heaven but is so much more! It is a chance to be restored to what God intended us to be. It provides a way to have a relationship with the Creator of the world and find peace and joy in Him.
Tonight I was able to go to the refugee camp again. I played soccer with the children. Oh how I loved seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter! I think their favorite thing to do is laugh at me! Everything I do is a bit funny to them for some reason. But that's what I want to do! I want to be there with them and to find joy in playing soccer, swinging, or drawing with sidewalk chalk. I want to love these precious children that God has made and who He loves so much. I want to love them with Christ's love. This is truly the desire of my heart. Many of these children have had more trauma in their lives than I can even imagine. Just the fact that they had to leave their country and be thrown into a new language at such a young age. I praise God that I have the opportunity and the privilege to know them and hopefully be a blessing to them. And I pray that God will give me opportunities to do this for the rest of my life.
Friday, October 8, 2010
My Heart is so Full!
God has been showing me so much in the last couple months! First with working at City Camps with kids this summer and again last night when I got to play with some refugee children. On Thursday nights I have the opportunity to participate in an event called Cafe Hope. It's a time to fellowship with and meet refugees that live in a camp near Gießen. They usually come from Iran or Iraq but last night there were also some from Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Anyways, there must have been some new families there because there were some kids that I have never seen before. There were a couple of boys from Iran (including a pair of twins), two girls from Iran, and a boy from Iraq. Their ages ranged from about 6 to 10-years-old.
When I arrived at Cafe Hope the kids were just roaming around bored. Then one of the other helpers suggested I take them to a play room and just keep an eye on them till it was time to eat. At first they were really shy around me and I was not sure if they spoke any German or English so it was really hard to communicate. But something that I learned in China is a smile goes a long way. So I just continued to smile and attempt to play games with them. Then one of the twins, who was pretty outgoing, decided he wanted to teach my how to say "give me five!" in Farsi. When I had kind of got that down I went around to all the Iranian children and tried my new phrase out. Their eyes became really wide and they started to smile. It was a perfect way to make friends! The rest of the evening I had a little crew around me. The kids wanted to go wherever I was.
What I have realized is that God has given me such a love for children! I could spend every minute with them. Just loving them and playing with them! My heart and soul are so content when I am doing this. The thought of anyone hurting little children hurts me as well. When I see pictures of hungry children or children who have no one to love them I cry. I know that this love for children is from God. I also know that in my life I will be content wherever God has me if I have children around me that I can love and care for. I need nothing else. I don't need nice clothes, a big house, or money. I don't even need to be married. I would just be content to work with God's precious little children no matter where I am and no matter the circumstance.
Here in Germany it is so easy to get caught up in material things. There is a shopping center only 5min by bus and 10min by bike away from where I live. I could be clothes, earrings, and whatever I wanted every day. I have cafes where I can go drink coffee and read. I have so so much. My prayer is that all these THINGS that I am surrounded with do not get in the way of what really matters. I want to minimize the amount I have and maximize the amount I love other people. I am coming to realize that to truly find joy you must think only of others. Focusing on yourself only causes you to be more and more dissatisfied with life. To find the joy and peace Christ offers others must come first. I want a pure heart that hungers after holiness. I want to become more and more like Christ in every area of my life. I have so far to go. I am still filled with so much vanity and selfishness. But God is good and He is here with me. And I know that it is only through His power that I can do anything.
Anyways, there must have been some new families there because there were some kids that I have never seen before. There were a couple of boys from Iran (including a pair of twins), two girls from Iran, and a boy from Iraq. Their ages ranged from about 6 to 10-years-old.
When I arrived at Cafe Hope the kids were just roaming around bored. Then one of the other helpers suggested I take them to a play room and just keep an eye on them till it was time to eat. At first they were really shy around me and I was not sure if they spoke any German or English so it was really hard to communicate. But something that I learned in China is a smile goes a long way. So I just continued to smile and attempt to play games with them. Then one of the twins, who was pretty outgoing, decided he wanted to teach my how to say "give me five!" in Farsi. When I had kind of got that down I went around to all the Iranian children and tried my new phrase out. Their eyes became really wide and they started to smile. It was a perfect way to make friends! The rest of the evening I had a little crew around me. The kids wanted to go wherever I was.
What I have realized is that God has given me such a love for children! I could spend every minute with them. Just loving them and playing with them! My heart and soul are so content when I am doing this. The thought of anyone hurting little children hurts me as well. When I see pictures of hungry children or children who have no one to love them I cry. I know that this love for children is from God. I also know that in my life I will be content wherever God has me if I have children around me that I can love and care for. I need nothing else. I don't need nice clothes, a big house, or money. I don't even need to be married. I would just be content to work with God's precious little children no matter where I am and no matter the circumstance.
Here in Germany it is so easy to get caught up in material things. There is a shopping center only 5min by bus and 10min by bike away from where I live. I could be clothes, earrings, and whatever I wanted every day. I have cafes where I can go drink coffee and read. I have so so much. My prayer is that all these THINGS that I am surrounded with do not get in the way of what really matters. I want to minimize the amount I have and maximize the amount I love other people. I am coming to realize that to truly find joy you must think only of others. Focusing on yourself only causes you to be more and more dissatisfied with life. To find the joy and peace Christ offers others must come first. I want a pure heart that hungers after holiness. I want to become more and more like Christ in every area of my life. I have so far to go. I am still filled with so much vanity and selfishness. But God is good and He is here with me. And I know that it is only through His power that I can do anything.
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