New BRP

Here's the story. At a prayer meeting, the Koreans informed us that they took 5 days and read the Bible. They woke up at 6am and went to bed at 10pm and only took breaks to use the bathroom and eat. They told us that it was very refreshing and it gave them new, clear vision from God. I was amazed, to say the least.

So, in response, my friend here decided to read the Bible in two weeks. It is actually taking here about 3, but it's pretty cool, especially because she's doing this all on her own time while we're busy. Whenever someone says, "Wow, you're reading it in 3 weeks?!" she replies, "Yeah...the Koreans bested me."

Let's not let the Koreans best us! Anyone with me? I want to take a week off in the next year and do it. Wanna take off work, school and all other plans?!!! Let me know.

God Loves!!!

Wow, there's always so much to tell about and never enough time to write. But I must start with saying that God is awesome! We have been studying the book of Ephesians while we're here and it's really good. I read Eph 5:1-2 Monday night in prep for Tuesday night's study and it just hit me: God loves me. I know this, but I finally realized it! It hit home. Ephesians (and much of God's Word) is so much about love. I am amazed He gave His perfect life for my imperfect one. This is truly love. This is the highest form of love! It is pure and perfect love that I can't receive from anyone else because we all have imperfect love. So, this caused me to 1) praise God for His incredible, awesome love and 2) realize that I can't live my life seeking out imperfect love, but that my life is best spent being in love with God and learning to love as He does.

The Texans who have been here for 3 weeks are going home tomorrow. They've been a lot of fun and it's sad to see them leave. They're from the Austin church that Chris Tomlin helped plant and so, naturally, they sing a lot of Chris Tomlin songs. One that seems to be a theme for the summer, and one we sing a lot, is called "God of this City." You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk. My favorite part is, "Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." It reminds me that God loves people here in this city and most don't have any access to knowing that. Almost every day I've questioned why I'm here. Is it worth it? And remembering that God is passionately pursuing people in this city with His amazing, perfect, incredible love makes it worth it for me to be here. And so I've been encouraged.

This morning was really cool. We heard from a couple who are believers and their stories. I'll tell you about the woman and how she and her family heard about Christ. First, her young nephew had a very high fever. Her sister-in-law was concerned about her son's fever and was afraid she was going to lose him. She was trying to lower his temperature by putting wet cloths on him and was working really hard to lower his fever, but it wasn't looking good. He was even staring at the light and saying things like, "Do you see all the people?" She left the room for one minute to change the water for the cloths, and when she came back, his fever was gone. Because it was so sudden, she asked him what had happened. He said, "Didn't you see the man? He touched me and said, 'You're not to come now. You are to stay.' " She said that she hadn't seen the man and asked what he looked like. He said that the man had pierced hands. So, she knew it was Jesus and her and her husband (he is the brother of the woman who told us this story) became believers in Christ because of their son's miracle!!!! Soon, the woman speaking became a believer while visiting them and within the next few years the rest of her family began to believe in Christ as their Savior. It was so awesome to hear of this story. I've heard that 80% of believers here became believers because they had a vision or dream of Jesus. Isn't that amazing? In this instance, God used a miracle to draw this family to Himself. I'm in awe.


One fun little thing that we got to do is go to the public bath. It was very relaxing and fun! They exfoliate your whole body and then wash your whole body and then your hair. It was very refreshing to do that on our day off and have some resting time while connecting with one another (only girls, of course). We thought it was funny because we had been learning about taking off the old self and putting on the new self in Ephesians 4. We felt like we were taking off the old self by becoming free from the dirty, grimy dead skin (from being in the city) and putting on the new self (lotion)! It seemed like an appropriate analogy to our study. Plus, it was fun and restful.

Wednesday night we leave to go 12 hours south of here and we'll get to visit the ruins of the Eph church! I'm really looking forward to going. Pray for us as we debrief and prepare to come back into America. Also, I am still considering my future and if I will come back. One thing that has really got me thinking is how God will guide me. I read an article and, in summary, it said that it's better to draw closer to the Guide than ask for guidance because in doing so, guidance from the Guide will happen. And so that's what I've been doing. I want to know God more and more so that His direction for my life will be clear. With that said, I've been praying a lot and my tentative plan is to come back a year from now to do this same work and learn a lot of language. I will stay in touch with some friends from here and, hopefully, they can teach me language (especially pronunciation). Keep me in your prayers - that I can know the Guide and that guidance will follow.

I look forward to seeing you all when I get back!

Futbol, Cliff Diving, Sweet Convos & Job Opportunities

Merhaba! (Hello!)

Wow, there is much to mention from the last time I've written. It has been extremely exciting being here during the Euro Cup (soccer/futbol for those who don't know)!! Disclaimer: Read this paragraph for the play by play of the Euro Cupor skip ahead to the Summary section if you don't care. The first game was disappointing because we lost. Then, we beat the Swiss which was exciting, but not mind blowing. Last Sunday we were playing the Czech and we were predicted to lose. It was 0-2 and was not looking good...but then in the last 15 min, we scored 3 goals! It was amazing and, consequently, it was difficult to sleep at night. Car horns were our lullaby to such a sweet win. Then, we watched the quarterfinals game against Croatia (again, we're the underdog) at our mid-project retreat in the middle of the town we were at. There was a projection onto a screen and a few hundred people. It was so intense and then Croatia scored in the last minute (or so) of the game. People immediately started to file out. Then, in stoppage time we scored and it went into 2 overtime and we won in penalty kicks!!! Summary: We're one of the last four teams in the Euro Cup by winning at the last minute for some sweet upsets.

Needless to say, the atmosphere here has been very positive. People are coming together because the national team is doing so well unexpectedly! It is a good conversation builder to have when talking with new friends and I hope this week I'll get to watch this game with two of my new friends who love futbol.

This past weekend we took our mid-project retreat. We went to a more secluded part of the city and we basically hung out at a hotel on the Black Sea. It was good for relaxation and rejuvenation. One highlight of the weekend (besides the game) was swimming over to a small rocky island where we climbed up the rocks so we could go cliff diving. I don't have pictures yet, but it was amazing. The jump was about 30 feet and it was scary but exhilarating once I got the nerve to jump. It was beautiful to be swimming amidst God's wonderful creation since we don't see so much of that here in the heart of the city. It also built trust between teammates to be able to climb the rocks and trust that we would clear the ones below as they did...even though it didn't seem totally realistic!

Besides a few cool events going on, the normal routine of life has been good too. We have been making a lot of friends on campuses, in parks and in cafes. One day recently was pretty hard. My friend and I were pretty exhausted at the start and unmotivated to initiate any conversations at all. So, we sat down to talk and pray in the park before we headed out. Before we could even pray for our hearts to be motivated a girl sat down nearby and kind of in front of us. So, we both say hi and ask if she knows any English. She said she does and we started talking from there. The conversation was wonderful and we discussed a lot of spiritual topics. One of the big hot topics here is whether or not college students should be able to wear headscarves on campuses (right now it's illegal to). She is a covered woman who goes to an American university so that she can wear her headscarf there! Now that's commitment. She also prays five times a day in the mosque (which is rare to find here amongst university students) and so while we had tea with her, she invited us into the mosque (The Blue Mosque!!) and she showed us around telling us about her religion and explaining what people were doing. So we went inside and put on scarves so we could pray with her. It was quite an experience! And all of it happened while my friend and I were weak. God sure does like to show Himself strong - and He loves it when we're humble. He definitely humbled us by showing us that it's not by our efforts that the church will by built here - but by His will alone.

Lastly, I have been considering teaching here in the future at an international school. I don't know which one or even if it will work out, but I'm starting to seek it out. I'm getting names of schools and even Wednesday I took the afternoon to visit one of them. It may be possible for me to start there at the end of January. I would appreciate your prayers in this matter, especially because it's so soon and because I wasn't thinking about living abroad for a few more years. Six months is a lot shorter than 3-4 years! Plus, I don't even know if this is the place where I should invest my time or not long term.

Oh, one more thing. I want to thank anyone who has been praying for us as a team and for me. I have grown a ton in prayer (my mentor is always praying and I'm learning a lot from her) and I want to keep growing. Please be praying for me to be fervent in prayer, depending on God in faith for everything.

Euro Futbol

Okay so it's really cool to be here during the Euro Cup while they're playing. It was most disappointing when they lost on Saturday...everyone left (we were at a bar) when Portugal scored the second goal. It emptied out quickly and everyone went home. I'm hoping tonight they will win and if so, I'm sure I won't sleep until the wee hours of the morning. Usually honking can keep me up since we're in the city and honking is just a normal form of communication. I really want them to win and go into the single elimination time so we can watch more games with our new friends!

Settling In

My time here has been very full. It's been exhausting getting acclimated to a new culture and I've learned a ton of things. Language learning has been slow, but many people speak English so it's okay. The biggest problem is not knowing numbers, so eventually I learned those so I could pay for meals and groceries. I do know how to say "Take care of yourself" and I usually get lots of hugs and kisses when I say it :-). They greet and say goodbye to people they know well with a kiss on each cheek and a big hug. They are a very affectionate people, including men and friends hold hands in public. However, with their close affection comes a lack of desire for personal space. We've found ourselves really close to people on the streets and in the trams or buses - we protect our purses well in those times!

I'm really starting to get to know the area well. I get can around the neighborhood with ease now and I can generally eat out without too many communication issues. There are vendors everywhere and we call streets by their most prominate vendor...like book street, wedding gown street, shoe street, fish street, etc. and 2 other big streets are busy street and boys street (they sell only manly stuff). We live in a nice neighborhood that's known to be safe, and it's also located by the sea as I mentioned before. I go down the the sea nearly everyday and it's beautiful. There are parks down there and huge rocks to walk on. You can see the European side and you can see some nearby islands. This Saturday we're going to one of the islands to go bike riding, enjoy the view and talk with some of our new friends! I'm really excited and I plan on taking pics.

In general, our day schdules goes like this: in the morning we usually have something with our group - time to learn language, worship, or receive training. Then, we go to campuses and make friends starting convos with them at cafes or in parks. In the evenings we have Bible study, time with God, time with new friends, and coffee houses. The days can be pretty packed but they're lots of fun too. I don't feel terribly busy, but at the end of the day I'm always exhausted (in a good way) from going so many places.

Fun Facts for Friends

I've been thinking about you guys and here are some things I think some of you would care about:

On the flight from Germany to this city, we had fika! It consisted of coffee and a wonderful German chocolate bar.

The country director is australian. The interns have a list of words that they need translating for...I want to see that list :-)

Futbol stuff is everywhere and I SO can't wait for the Euro Cup. It's going to be awesome here.

Church was international and very very charismatic (but not usually this charismatic I hear).

Whenever I try to think of the language in my mind, I usually first think of the French that I know.

Introduction to a New Place

I have been here since Wednesday evening! We arrived in the country on time as planned and went to a hotel for a few days. Each day so far has been briefing about what we'll be doing and cultural norms. So our normal routine will start Monday. Today we moved into the apartments (it is beautiful and spacious) and I am with the two year-long interns with another girl from my team. One of the interns will be discipling me this summer and I'm really excited about it. I was hoping she would be the one mentoring me because she and I talked a lot Thursday night going from dinner to ice cream and from ice cream to walking along the seaside. Oh and the sea is beautiful! Thursday we crossed it by ferry during our "scavenger hunt" of the city. Don't worry, they didn't let us out on our own without knowing the language for 6 hours, but they didn't give us a lot of help on the hunt either. That forced us to ask people if they knew English and then ask to find things such as the "bull statue." It was lots of fun and the people here are extremely friendly. Many times people would walk across the city with us to show us where the bookstore was or where the buses were.

Yesterday we were learning the language trying to get just a few phrases down pat and then go out and use them. It was hard enough trying to get the sounds right, but I also have a cold right now (I can't say I'm sick because "sick" is a bad word in their language! So I have to be very careful =) ). My cold isn't bad, but my throat is sore causing pain when I talk. It's probably due to jet lag, being in a city, and general adjustment to a new culture which has been draining to us all.

Our group has 4 women and 3 guys for students, two staff women, one male director and 5 interns. I've enjoyed getting to know each one of them and I have already learned a lot from conversations.

Well, we're off to dinner soon. The interns have something "special" for us tonight. They told us to bring cameras and jackets (meaning it's going to be awesome and by the sea).

If you want my address, send me an e-mail and I can find out what it is.

Briefing

My team is pretty cool, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them so far. One is a Texan, one is a Messianic Jew, some are from Northern Illinois and the rest of us are from Michigan. And while it was a small team to start, it’s actually smaller than that now. The two directors and their children are going to be moving this summer because the father is taking a job as the Cru National Director. This is a cool opportunity for them and so they’ve decided not to go, even as hard as that is for them since they love this country. However, around mid-trip, we will be receiving a group of about 10 (1 men’s small group and one women’s small group) from Texas who will be joining us. One of the directors (the father) and his oldest daughter will be coming with them and so we will get to see them a little. I was really looking forward to getting to know their family better and so I will just have to wait.

Yesterday we learned quite a bit from various people. There are two elderly couples that I’ve learned from who have either been there or to a similar culture. I love talking to those who can say, “I’ve done this for 24 years and this for 20 years…” They have so much life experience and both couples were great to listen to. Their stories are so rich and so full of God! I think I could listen to them all day long.

Today we do some more briefing and getting to know each other. Then we fly out around 4pm. I’ve started to realize what flying 8.5 hours is like. I’ve done it before and it is just boring. I can't watch movies, read or play games and I can’t sleep that long. I like to do laps around the plane, but that’s the greatest excitement I get unless people are awake to talk to. So, in those times of extreme boredom, pray that I will focus on God, pray and have positive thoughts. Thanks!

What's This?

Tonight I surprised myself. When talking to my mom and dad about leaving I got choked up for a second in both convos. Something hit me while talking to them. I'm leaving. For 7 weeks. Yes, I've known this, but the reality of it hit me. I've been away from each of them for longer than 7 weeks before and I've gone without seeing friends for longer than that too (sometimes nearly the whole gap in between Christmas and Easter!). But I have always managed quite well in these gaps. I guess I noticed two things that really hit me.

The first is that this trip is prep for long-term missions. The abstract idea of being a missionary is fine, but the realization of what it really feels like to leave home is far different. I know it's wearing on the emotions when departing for both missionary and those behind. I've just never experienced it before and I'm not experiencing it to the full extent right now, but the milder form of it did just hit.

The other part is that I'm going somewhere completely new. This is fine and dandy for 2 weeks, but 7 weeks is different. Maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of this than it is, but maybe it's best to be prepare for the worst. I thought back to when I moved away to college and the foreignness of this small town 45 minutes away weighed 10 times heavier than I imagined. I didn't know where the Meijer was, where to send mail or how to get to the dining hall to eat. I had no friends near me and I felt lonely. Now I'm going to a country where I don't speak the language, I'm not used to the food, there's no Meijer and I don't have a cell phone. Wow, I sound like I'm complaining, but I'm really not. I don't think I'll mind this new lifestyle for 7 weeks, but tonight it was shocked my mind to think about it becoming a reality in just a few short days. Better a shock now than once I arrive, right?

Jehovah Jireh - Gotta Love Him

I'd like to report on my project support that's come in. In a period of 8 days I went from 20% supported to 78%! How amazing is that?! On May 3 alone, I went from 20% to 40%. God sure is faithful and He wanted me to know that. I had initially entrusted all of my funds to Him and prayed over letters as I sent them. For a while, nothing came in. Once it did, it was slow moving...1% here, 2% there. I was getting a little worried and in response to my anxiety I would commit it to prayer. People would ask how I'm doing with support and I'd tell them I'm at 10% or 16%. Then they'd ask when I'm leaving and their responses tended to increase my anxiety.

I know that if God has called me somewhere, He will provide what I need. And I was trusting that He was calling me because I had been surrounding the application process in prayer and asking for others to pray for me as well. I trusted that I was moving where He wanted me to, but it was hard to actually believe that within 3 weeks I could go from 20% to 100%. Now it is clear that it can actually happen! 58% in about a week ain't bad. So obviously I still need about 22%...well...a little less because I received some cash in the mail from an anonymous supporter last night (with some encouraging words and Scripture too!). Praise God with me!

Prayer Request:
Yesterday I heard word that 2 of my teammates are considering not going because they don't have 50% yet. Pray for them to trust God and that God will provide.