Friday, September 11, 2009

Next Steps

I am back in the States, working again in orthodontics, getting ready to move into a house by a park and a library (my happy places), reconnected with my church families (now up to 3 in just this city), am back into beating my body at the gym, and have gotten to know my nieces and nephews a bit better. There are SO many ministry opportunities I want to jump into, but it's like God has a hand on my shoulder and He says "wait." I feel like a race horse ready to bolt out of the gates into something big.

So I wait and study in the meantime. I'm reading Piper's Desiring God by night, listening to The Heavenly Man during work, studying Romans on my own and with church family #3, Luke with church #2, 1 Cor with church #1, and starting a New Testament Survey class this week. I like learning. I like books. Maybe it's time for some more school :)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Indiana Girl

In a surprising turn of events I've moved back to the States this week. I already miss my friends in Germany, and I expect that to get even tougher when the students return to school in a couple weeks. BUT, I am excited to be here.

Today is the quads (my nieces and nephews) 2nd birthday, and I'm really looking forward to actually knowing them. It's great to see family and friends instead of playing catch up via scattered emails.

I've got some interesting business opportunities that I'm considering, a few potential roommates, a car that I'll probably buy today, and two wonderful church families with whom to reconnect. If any of you local readers know of a job, house, or motorcycle that you think would suit me, please email :)

I'm so thankful to have spent the last year in Germany because God taught me some invaluable lessons. He stripped away a lot of my pride and materialism. Although He could have burned away that chaff through some other means, He chose Germany. And I'm so thankful. I moved there with 2 suitcases and a rubbermaid tub. I lived in an apartment I saw for the first time when I moved in. I drove a purple car that I called the Confetti Mobile. And I did more than survive. I learned how liberating it is to not be tied down to STUFF- a ton of possessions and luxurious things to worry about.

Pre-Germany, I used to try to reach out to hurting people in hard places. But when I'd pick them up in my brand new car and drive them across town to my picture perfect apartment, I never saw the chasm that automatically made between us. Praise the Lord He opened my eyes to that and taught me how to live more humbly. I want to connect and love people where they are, not rub in their faces all the things they don't have. So that's what I hope to do here- live humbly and love generously.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Male RAs

School starts back up in a few weeks, and we are in desperate need of at least 2 quality guys to come on staff as RAs in the boys dorms. We have 3 male dorms full of teenage guys needing role models (as well as someone to do their cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving, help with homework, overseeing their chores, having fun with, etc).

Right now each of the dorms only has 1 returning male RA and 1 female RA. While us ladies are perfectly capable to do the work of the job, it would be a disservice to the boys to have a bunch of women raising them. They need men to teach them how to be men!

Please help me spread the word. Right now it's just me and Timmy as RAs for the 28 Men of Maug, and that just isn't gonna cut it! Last year they had 4 RAs and were still running ragged a lot of the time.

If you'd like to know more, send me an email or check out BFA's website

Don't you want to be a part of this? :)


And here's an update on the construction of the dorm. Still a ton or work to be done- maybe more than is finished. Here are some pictures:

The TV Room / My Temporary Bedroom & Workout Room

Michelle has been missing having Sky TV to watch American news. After weeks of fighting for it, the satellite showed up. I thought the name was appropriate.

These are the "stairs" to the top floor

New dishwasher (...cute)

The new kitchen. Check out how HUGE the hood is (the entire suspended unit)!

The scaffolding area will hopefully be a dining room within the next few weeks.

Bathroom full of stuff until the floor is laid everywhere else

And, finally, the difference between watching a puppy (Jersey, Palm dorm pup) and a dog (Maggie, Maug dorm boss):

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Hi, My name is...

Overwhelmed.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.



There is so much work to be done here and very few workers. I just hit the pause button on the overwhelming spiral of events, got some Asia Wok 33a and sang this song a few times. And now Carol and I are going to pray for some more workers.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Sugar & Spice

and everything nice. It is really hot here in unairconditioned Germany, living in the top floor, skylit, sun beaming (beating) in apartment with the shedding dog and corduroy couch. So here's a list of things I'm really enjoying:

1. AC in my car :)
2. Oscillating fans
3. Singing loudly in cornfields
4. Don Camillo Bolognese Sauce
5. Starburst Jellybeans
6. Spinach Dip
7. The Cannonhands CD I got in the mail today!
8. Porch Nights
9. Settlers of Catan
10. Evansville Living magazine (that I also got in the mail today!)
11. The latest pictures of my nieces and nephews
12. Orchids
13. Colossians
14. Fritz from "The Closer"
15. Tony's Creole Spice
16. German computer keyboards
17. Day dates
18. The French contemporary Christian radio station here

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Books

Several things have happened since my last entry. Graduation, students and staff saying goodbye and spreading across the world, moving out of my apartment, parents visiting, and moving my future dorm from one building to another. Yes, a lot has been going on, but the last few days have been much slower.

I'm dogsitting for a puppy who likes to chew and do rotten things when I'm not around. So instead of running around and searching for things to do, I've stayed in the last few nights to keep Jersey company and out of trouble. I've read some excellent books. For Men Only by the Feldhahns, a companion book to For Women Only. I've read the latter a few times, so it was a treat to read the flipside. I strongly recommend couples reading this book when preparing for marriage.

I also read Life Together by Bonhoeffer about living in Christian community. I am putting together some notes and thoughts about this book still and will probably read it again before I share about it. But also, another great and sound book.

Today I finished Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot and started Dan Kimball's The Emerging Church. It is Elliot's book on which I wish to comment. There are 15 main points I gleaned from her writing, but I think to include them all would be doing a disservice to the entirety of the book. So I'll just share a few highlights and recommend you to read it.

Tonight I shared with a female friend how I was challenged, how I was challenged on behalf of the men in my life, and what to do with loneliness and the seemingly far-fetched idea while on staff here of "being in love."

Elliot wrote these words that challenged my attitude and paradigm toward my motives, "the majority will sacrifice anything- security, honor, self-respect, the welfare of the people they love, obedience to God- to passion. They will even tell themselves that they are obeying God (or at least that He doesn't mind) and congratulate themselves for being so free, so released, so courageous, so honest, and 'up front.'"

And then, this challenged me for the men in my life (although it also applies to women). "We have to learn to trust in little things, even in what may seem like silly things if we are ever going to be privileged to suffer in the big things. The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted also in great."

After I shared this with my friend, her response to the idea of a man being trustworthy for a little thing was comical to her. She bit back, "Men?! Actually doing what they say they will? That's just how they are." It hurt to hear her say that because she believes it. She has obviously not had men in her life to prove her wrong, and that is sad.

On loneliness, Elliot wrote, "If the yearnings went away, what would we have to offer up to the Lord?" Interesting thought. It is in the lonely times that I tend to draw near. And he strengthens me. "Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down." I know it's trite to say "one day at a time," but really, when I offer my loneliness to God one day at a time, it is not as daunting. He carries me. And after a while prompts me to look back and realize how far we've gone just one day at a time.

And finally, on being in love: "'Being in love' first moved them [any couple] to promise fidelity: this quieter love [love the commitment, not the feeling] enables them to keep their promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it."

Good book. I'm thoroughly challenged to stop congratulating myself on being "so free" and thus, doing what I know I shouldn't, to be faithful in doing little things so that I'm trustworthy in big things, to offer my loneliness to Christ and live purely one day at a time, and finally to not be in love with the idea of being in love.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Spring Party 09

Spring Party was viking themed this year. Food, games, music, and fun.
Tug of War. The rope snapped after 3 good pulls during the juniors v. seniors

These boys found a loop hole to the 6-legged race

Spectators

With two of my FAVORITE girls!

Gettin ready to hop

FOOD!

Cara practicing Dog Whisperer

Dancing away from the students to not embarrass their daughters

Aww, we're gonna miss Hawkins and Joni at Maug!

The giant dance party

Boys and Fire...

Guzik showing his skills

My dance circle :)

So intimidating in their braids

Ready to rap

Winding down


And then we celebrated Timmy's birthday back at the dorm...
"You think these knives will work?"

Ready to get their RA

About 45 seconds later. Double whip cream pied in the face
Tradition is just one from your roommate...guess Timmy got special treatment for being staff
I told the guys I'm glad that my birthday falls in the summer. Their reaction?
"Don't worry. We celebrate half birthdays"

More tradition: carrying him to the trough

Drop him and RUN before he can hug/tackle you!!
I thought I was safe as the photographer (and female), but then someone had to yell "GET SARAH!"