Bye United States!

Just got a plane ticket! Tomorrow at 1:50pm I will be heading to Germany... I can't believe this is actually here! And I have an apartment...with some furniture! Actually, there are so many great things happening today that I can't even slow my mind down enough to type them. So, I will finish packing and squaring away details and write some more later. It will probably be from the other side of the Atlantic ;) Please pray for the rest of the BFA new staff who are also raising support and looking to get to BFA within the next few weeks.

By the way, I don't know who that excited woman is, but my camera is packed and that's pretty similar to how my face has looked all day.

Wowsers Bowser!

If the events of a week could be predicted by how the preceding Sunday goes, I would say that this week will be great. The past two weeks have followed the suit of their respective Sundays. Two weeks ago was the fun part of the roller coaster. Last week was the part of the ride after a fun drop when you hit the bottom and it turns into a dark tunnel at the same time, leaving your brain rattling in your skull. I say it's time to come back up and into the light.

It's only 1:30pm, but already today I've had face-to-face conversations with ALL of the people who were unreachable last week who are involved in the getting-me-to-Germany process. Three people handed me checks at church! I saw an old friend from high school who is doing missions in Sudan! I got to hear the stories from the Uganda Mission Team! And there is still a lot of day left! Still another church service, dinner with friends, a motorcycle ride, and some planned quality one-on-one talk time.

Today is good. And last night I learned that I really like the game Rock Band. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better because hopefully there will be plane tickets involved :)

I'm so excited I need to bake something...and watch some more Scrubs and Lost in German. Dr. Cox talks way too fast for me to understand his tirades on Scrubs, and if I didn't know the story of Lost in English, I would probably be...lost. But German TV is definitely a more fun way to study than just reading the dictionary.

And, I found some new quality German music to add to my collection, Massiv. He uses the word ghetto a lot. I like it. And, if anyone is interested, Kandern has a city website.

A Break in Stride

Sometimes a girl just needs to go on a date. And today was that day. As EXCITED as I am about going to Germany, today I needed a little break from thinking...! Dinner and a movie were deemed necessary. So, me and my bottle of orange juice (a.k.a. Mr. Minute Maid...Mr. Dole wasn't available) went to see The Dark Knight. Good movie; a bit long. But Christian Bale (one of my top 5 actors) all buffed up, talking in his deep voice, taking punches like they're fluffy clouds attacking, riding a motorcycle, stitching his own wounds...poor Mr. Minute Maid didn't stand a chance. He's just too little and sweet. My man Christian, however, certainly has come a long way since Newsies.

It was nice to not think for 3 hours. I'm not a dinner and movie kinda girl, but that was good.


By the way, this is my new favorite picker-upper. When I need a chuckle, this is where I turn. It is full of great lines like "toughness and victory will be yours. Master the two-finger jab and you will defeat anyone."

Watch out, boys, I've been practicing. I also now know how to defend myself from an uzi. This treausred piece of literature is going to Germany with me; so if you will be in Germany as well, I highly recommend coming over and studying LIGHTNING JU-JITSU. You never know when someone wearing a sport jacket with a bazooka slung around his back might put you in a full-nelson.

Hey Everyone, I got Skype today. I haven't used it yet though; so, if you have it as well and would like to show me the ropes my contact name is SarahHaymond

God made me laugh

The past few days have been ones of fighting for me. Fighting being sick. Fighting friends. Fighting frustration. Fighting the urge to just lay on the floor and feel pathetic.

In college, I used to sit in my dresser when I was sad...apparently...because Ashley, my former roomie, has mutiple pictures of me sitting in that drawer and calls them "sad sarah." Haha, I'm silly. If I still had a dresser big enough I would be tempted to sit in it.

So after I fought myself earlier to go running (more like bounce-walking), I came in exhausted and opened the Bible to 1 Corinthians. And God made me laugh.

"24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

So I will continue to fight. I don't like it- it's hard and lonely. But I will fight to run in such a way that I may obtain an imperishable crown, being disciplined and preaching to others along the way. I will put on my fighting gear and continually train myself in the Word everyday.

Bloomington

Yes, last week was pretty sugar and spice, and yesterday was a great way to wrap up the week. I went to Bloomington for Leslie & Eric's wedding. I love Christ-centered weddings; I cry everytime...not ugly cry...just eyes welled up. Leslie is one of my good friends from high school who is an absolute rock. Every ounce of her being exudes Christ- even when she's grumpy she loves. Everytime I spend time with her, I leave encouraged. And I couldn't be happier that Eric married her, because he is an incredible man of God. So yay! for solid foundations in marriage! I remember about a year ago talking with her about her wanting to be married and maybe on the mission field and deciding that singleness would not stop her from following God. And how awesome to see that she obeyed Him by going into her ministry, and He's blessed her with Eric to minister with. I love it!

Then after the wedding, I went to Church of the Good Shepherd carnival thing. I don't know what it's called :) And I got to meet Jake & Amanda's son Peter! Absolutely precious. I visited the church once this past winter. So I remembered a few faces and names but not a whole lot of details about anyone. It was interesting what people remembered of me from both there and at the wedding (because I'd also met a few of those people that same weekend I visited Good Shepherd).

The bridesmaids knew me as "Faceplant Girl who is a lady." The two stories they remembered about me were that I busted my face and that a married man once asked me out and my response was "no thanks, I'm a lady."

Lane remembered me as the girl who likes motorcycles and thought I was going to hit him when I jokingly balled a fist.

Abram remembered me as a rock climbing instructor.

Kara remembered me as the girl Jake was trying to marry off. Which, by the way, I guess he's put on hold since the whole Germany thing.

I don't consider any of those to be major things in my life...but apparently the most memorable.

And final fun thing of the week, I got to step out of my 5-speed truck in my skirt and heels and trudge through the mud to go help someone with a stalled car. There is just such a nice balance between it all. Some of the guys in my mechanic class last semester gave me a little crap the first night of class when I showed up in my Civic looking girly and afraid to get dirty. The next week when I looked the same but drove my truck and let oil run down my arms and got scratched up by the engine block, they didn't pick on me anymore.

So, all in all, a great week. I hope this stomach virus I have now isn't indicative of how the next week will be.

Clarity of Conscience

This is the conviction stick I've been beaten with over the last few days:

"As for myself, I do not care if I am judged by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I know of no wrong I have done, but this does not make me right before the Lord. The Lord is the One who judges." 1 Cor 4.3-4

I wish I had this clarity of conscience. I cannot even fathom in my depraved mind right now being able to say "I know of no wrong I have done." I want that though! It would be so freeing. So, the first step toward that for me is reconciling some relationships. In the past few weeks, I've tried to contact a few people with whom I have strained relationships. I don't know if they are "fixable" or not, but I have to humbly try.

To balance those out though, I've spent a lot of time cementing some solid friendships before I leave. Starbucks time with Jenna, Jenn, Micah, Dana, Amanda, Molly, Marie, Carly, Matthew & Caitlyn. Wow, for not being a coffee drinker, I sure have spent a lot of time at Starbucks this week. I don't like that "hanging out" time seems to revolve around food or beverage; I much prefer walks, bike rides....anything active really. Walks with Nate and Alissa. Motorcycle time with Brian. Driving lesson with Amanda (now she could steal a Viper if she needed to). More food with Kelly, Emily, and Korie. And some quality phone time with my new BFA friends- which has also been great building foundations for those friendships.

My sister and I gave our parents a family portrait session for their 30th anniversary. So, we did that this week too. The kids were so cute. Here are a couple pre-shoot photos:

1. Baron with his slick hair

2. Anna waving her hand so fast that it blurred!

3. Ben the Roly Poly

4. Allie: Are you really taking another picture?

A Week of Blessings

I can already tell that this is going to be a week of blessing, encouragement, sugar and spice and everything nice. Ok, maybe not that romantic, but I think it will be a great one! It started with CFC yesterday morning. I had a table about Germany set up in the hall again and got to meet some great people who are excited about my going to BFA. Then the party went well last night! My mom wins all kinds of awards for cooking and decorating. I would rather pull teeth from a small child than plan a party. So, she took care of it, and it was wonderful. My favorite foods and my favorite people. The pledges from yesterday at CFC and the party have put me somewhere around 75% of my needed support! And hopefully people sent stuff to Janz last week and will continue this week that will get me to 100! Oh, I'm just so excited to see God bring it and make me feel like a fool for stressing.

I talked to Michelle Young today, who serves at BFA as the Maugenhard dorm mom, and she gave me some tips on packing: "You will probably have a furnished apartment, and whatever else you need we can come up with. So don't take anything except clothes, books, medicine, and rain gear." AMAZING! She is a hero of mine, and I can't wait to hang out with that whole family. When I first told her that I'd be coming to BFA, she informed me that I will be spending Thanksgiving and any other "family times" with them in the dorm, and that those Maugenhard boys are going to end up being my 30 little brothers.

Yes, this week will be good. Last week was tough. Even my friend Nate told me that my blog seemed like it was full of frustrated undertones. (Is that how you said it, Nate? I hope I'm not misinterpreting your interpretation of my honesty). This week I will work on happier honesty :)

Please pray that I will be able to connect with the CFC finance team this week and get a motion going to help support me. And for God to move in the hearts of individuals to give the last bit needed. Because, again, how stinkin cool would it be to be at 100% by early next week?!?! (After the last support update saying 46%) OH I really want to go. My heart hurts in a good way :) Janz Team has a policy of letting missionaries head to the field once they have 80% of their support raised, but CFC requires 100% before boarding the plane. I'm glad that they require that because I would probably get to Germany, get into the groove of life chillin at the Eis Cafe and decide that I could make 80% work just so I wouldn't have to keep at that type of ministry. So, it's going to stink when I want to buy that plane ticket at 80%, but it will be good once I'm there with 100%.

FUNNY THINGS: For anyone that was at my party, I feel the need to explain that when I get embarrassed (say by a room full of people singing to me) I can't breathe very well. And that is why it took me about 10 tries to blow out my 23 candles.

Also, today I got carded at the library. The "circulation supervisor," as her name tag boasted, came up to the nice lady who was scanning my items and said, "I don't think that's the same person. Look how chubby her face is here." Haha. Then she asked for my ID in case I was trying to steal the chubby girls' access to the free public library and keep the Panic at the Disco CD I was borrowing. Good thing I know I'm not of an unhealthy weight. People are funny.

The Master Party Planner, Mom