Crazy Americans!!

Well..we have a bunch of people here from the southern states this week. I almost forgot how obnoxious Americans and Canadians can sometimes be. It's not that they are trying to be, but compared to the German and Austrian culture they come across as quite rude sometimes. :) Oh well..I guess I'm just getting used to reserved people. It has been fun though to talk to some people who speak my language fluently. I am feeling a lot better than when I had the flu, but I have now managed to get another cold. Last night I didn't sleep as well as I would have liked, but today I'm just taking it easy since it's my day off. I'm really looking forward to lunch here today. We are having chicken legs and mashed potatoes. Yum!! Tomorrow I am on devotion again, so I'll share with you what I'm going to share with them. This is word for word..I didn't take the time to change it for on here. Sorry. :)

I just want to share a few thoughts that God has been laying on my heart lately.
You are all here on vacation, trying to be refreshed and encouraged before you go back to work. You probably have some expectations about this week. You probably want to be encouraged spiritually as well as refreshed physically. I came here with basically those expectations as well. I wanted a break from my job, and my lifestyle at home. I’m a pastor’s daughter in a small town in rural Manitoba. It is a Christian community and almost everyone has heard the gospel for most of their lives. I worked in a Credit Union for 1 year and 8 months. They gave me a leave of absence to come here and I plan to go back to the same job. Over the past few years I fell into complacency. I lost my passion for God’s work. Being here has helped me to rebuild a structure of good habits. Prayer and devotion in the mornings, bible studies in the evenings, having to prepare devotions to share with guests, being encouraged to partake in physical activity. Having a far more physical job than the one I left back home. One of the things that has really encouraged me to have a good attitude is the prayer times in the morning with the kitchen and house staff. Making a decision to have a good attitude about the work during the day and praying for each other and the other staff as well has really made an impression on me. Since the first few weeks here, feeling closer to God than I have in several years, I’ve been struggling a bit with the thought of going home. It is going to be really hard to keep up the good habits that have been structured here for me. The program and people here are not going to be with me back home. How can I not fall into the same complacency? How can I be motivated to change my lifestyle at home? It’s going to take a huge concentrated effort on my part. Conscious decisions to spend meaningful time with God each day, and to have the attitude of doing everything to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says..So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
To have an attitude of being excited for all the opportunities God provides me with each day to build others up and show the love of Christ to others. To seek out relationships that will encourage me and allow me to encourage others.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says..And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other and all the more as we see the Day approaching.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading in Paul’s epistles lately. One verse that has always stood out to me is 1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.
Paul was joyful in the midst of persecution and let God use him in all circumstances. I’ve never thought of my life back home as hard, but that was the problem..the fact that there was no challenge should have been a challenge in itself. All of us have challenges and mine at home is to make a conscious effort to glorify God in all my actions and thoughts, to be excited to live each day for Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says…Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, be we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
A song that has really touched my heart is called "Mistaken for Jesus" by Warren Barfield.
The Chorus reads: Til everyone I talk to hears His voice, and everyone I touch feels the warmth of His hand, Til everyone I meet sees Jesus in me, this is all I want to be. I want to be mistaken for Jesus.
I worked at a summer camp 3 years ago for the whole summer. It was a lot like being here. My time was structured, we had bible studies and chapels to go to and we had to prepare devotionals for the kids. I remember going home at the end of summer and feeling very discouraged for a while, because after camp I went back to "life as usual". It is very easy to feel discouraged after a time like this, because we go through an emotional high, a spiritual high, and even a physical high while we’re here and it can be difficult to prepare ourselves to go back to our lives and be happy with our lives at home. For me it will be important to set goals for myself when I get home, to make sure that I keep my life on track, to make sure that I am spending time on my relationships with God and people. It will be difficult, but I’m convinced that it is worth it.
In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul says..I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Whether well fed or hungry, in plenty or in want. The secret is…I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Paul went through many trials and God gave him the grace and strength to persevere. God is still the same today. He wants people like Paul. God didn’t put Paul’s story in the Bible to make us think it’s impossible to be that great. God wanted us to be encouraged to follow in his example. Paul was just a man and apart from Christ he wasn’t anything special. We have the same God to give us the strength and opportunities to do great things. It isn’t easy. We can’t just sit around and wait for life to happen to us. We have to be an active part of life, making a conscious decision to live for Christ. Sometimes it won’t be fun physically or emotionally, but it is eternally rewarding. John 10:10 says..I came that they may have life and have it to the full.
And 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says..Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

So..that's my devo for tomorrow. You can all pray for me that I would be able to speak clearly and not be too nervous. Thanx. :)

Another Week Nearly Gone

Well..it's been another great week. But I am so wiped out. As you know, I didn't start out the week very strong. This weekend will hopefully be a good time to relax and recover before the next week. So..I haven't been hearing very much about home lately. I'm not exactly homesick, but it would be nice if some of you would keep in touch. :) Even if you only leave a quick comment for me. It would be much appreciated. Those of you who have blogs... please update them!! I check them almost everyday. :) I usually have a few hours in the afternoon to read and write emails and stuff. It would be great to hear from some of you guys! Email me or something. It's a lot more fun to open my email to find something more than just junk. :) So..off my soapbox now. It's really beautiful outside here again. Probably around +11 and sunny! I didn't go running today, but I will be going for a walk with Hilde very shortly. About running..I finally cut my time in half for the trail that I have been running. The first time I went it took about an hour and I didn't even make it all the way. Now I can run it in half and hour and all the way there and back. It's really fun! The walking path runs along the River and it is called the Talbach. It is a Trail that begins in Schladming and circuits up to Rohrmoos-Untertal and back down to Schladming. The second half of the trail is not passable in Winter because it is so steep and icy so I just do the walking path by the river to the Village of Untertal and back. I don't really know how far it is, but it's a pretty decent walk. Walking at a normal pace it would take about an hour and twenty minutes from Tauernhof and back. Beautiful though!! Anywhoo..I'm keeping Hilde waiting. ttfn

Epidemic...

I'm sitting here staring out the window at fireworks. Apparently they're a year long thing. :) It's actually kinda annoying to hear them at night when I'm trying to sleep. This flu I've got is an epidemic in Germany. It's terrible. I actually got a fairly mild strain of it. One of the guys here was laid out for 3 days with terrible stomach cramps and vomiting etc. I, luckily, didn't have much worse than nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath and incredible weakness and sore skin and muscles and joints. I've slept a lot the past few days, but I still have had a few dizzy spells and can't breathe properly sometimes. I went to church in a town called Aich this morning. Dani and Niffy are both in the choir of the Evangelical church here in town and they go to different churches to play every once in a while. Niffy plays the viola and it's amazing to hear! It's another new camp this week. More German people, but most of them have been here several times before. I will be working in the kitchen this week, it's good. The cleaning is fairly demanding physically and I am really tired. Next camp is a camp for Christian Pilots from all over the world. Should be fun! I get to share another devotional and I'm glad it will be in English. Anyway...hope you are all doing well where you are.

Well..it's been awhile. It has been a bit hectic lately. :) This past weekend we had a staff outing. Crazy people!! We hiked up Hochwurzen. I walked and the rest of the group used touring skis. It was an hour and a half straight up the ski slope. I have never been in such pain!! There was no relief, no flat areas, just up. Anyway..we finally got to the top and had supper in a hut. Great ribs and potatoes. I ate a lot and was still hungry! I thought I was in pretty good shape already, but the Austrians proved me wrong. We all thought that the ski hill was open for night skiing that night, so everyone else would ski down and I'd take the Gondola, but it turned out that the slopes were closed. Luckily a few people had headlamps. It was decided that I would get a piggy back ride down by Andy or Heli. They are the best skiiers here and the strongest. Of course I said "NO WAY!!" how embarrassing. I could just run down and be down 10 minutes later than the rest, but Hans Peter didn't want to have to worry about me. Just before we were going to leave, one of the other staff said that they didn't feel comfortable skiing in deep snow in the dark. So it was arranged that she and I would get a skidoo ride down to the bottom. Thank Goodness!! I never would have been able to live that one down. Besides, how scary would it be to be skiing in complete darkness and blowing snow downhill on someone's back?? Bet you wouldn't do it either! So that was our staff outing. Fun, but tiring. Tuesday was the World Cup Ski Race here in Schladming so I was able to watch Bodie Miller and Ted Ligety ski the Planai. We all got free tickets to the race since we are within the fenced off area. Cool!! It was THE ski race of the year. I have no idea what happened or who won. :) There were 42,000 people in Schladming that night. I got sick yesterday and couldn't even work today. I am sitting here feeling as sick as a dog. :s The flu is going around like an epidemic here. Luckily I have only been feeling feverish and weak and all my joints are sore. I've been having a hard time walking up or down stairs today. Prayer would be appreciated. :) That's all that's new for now. ttfn

Mistaken

Great song!

Mistaken by Warren Barfield

I shouldn't have to tell you who I am
Cause who I am should be speaking for itself
Cause if I am who I, I want to be
Then who you see won't even be me
Oh the more and more I disappear
The more and more He becomes clear

CHORUS:
Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be mistaken

Do they only see who we are
When who we are should be pointing them to Christ
Cause we are who He chose to use
To spread the news
Of the way the truth and the life
Oh I want all I am to die
So all He is can come alive

Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be
Oh I need to be mistaken
For You
Lord i wanna be mistaken
Mistaken

BRIDGE:
May He touch with my hands
See through my eyes
May He speak through my lips
Live through my life

I want Him to
I want Him to live

This is what the desire of every Christian's heart should be. One of the speakers here said it like this. "If you ask Jesus into your heart you don't have to live for Him, You DON'T have to live for Him. Just let Him live through you." How much better this life would be if we would give ourselves completely over to Christ. If we would remember that we ourselves are dead, but alive only in Christ. That any persecution we might receive is actually directed at Christ and we don't have to deal with it on our own, but Christ will strengthen us for it. It has been a great week here and it sounds like this group has really been encouraged and challenged in their faith. That's all for now.

Everyday Life..

Some everyday life pics..as promised. This is supper clean up. My night off. :)


Grace enjoying her work and brightening everyone's life. :)


Mario and Niffy (short for Jennifer) posing for the camera in the midst of cleaning the dining rooms.


Heidi, our housekeeper, helping out in the kitchen.


Elizabeth, our cute little Dutch speaker. (She's actually German, but she told me last night that she will never speak German again. She loves Dutch too much. :)

We tend to have a lot of fun in the kitchen. Lots of crazy people. Well..today is my day off and so far I have accomplished..nothing. I got up at a reasonable time (9:30) and then just puttered around. Played a bit of piano. I am slowly figuring out how to play with chords. :) We had a great lunch today. Cucumber Salad, Chili, and biscuits with fruited yogurt for dessert. I guess I played piano for longer than I thought! It's already almost 4:00. Oh well. Not much else to say. ttyl

Just for Sherry. :)

Quick Prayer Request..

Dad is flying to Haiti today. He's training pastors and leaders there. Pray for safety in travel and no complications. Also that he would find the right words as he will be speaking a lot of French. Thanx guys!

Continuing on the Same Servant Theme

More rain today. :( I think it did manage to give us some powder up on the mountains, but who knows how long that'll last with how warm it is. So..God brought us another fun group of people. The Dutch people. :) What a weird language. It makes my throat hurt just listening to it. They use a lot of throaty noises. I can't even try to pronounce some things. German is actually easier in comparison. I tried to introduce myself to the group in Dutch, but had to break down in the middle and just admit that I'm Canadian. :) So..I am still stuck on servanthood. Can't get away from it here. It's really good! It's also awesome that all of us kitchen/house girls can get together to pray every morning and get our minds and hearts straight for the day. It's great to be able to lift others up in prayer and just chat and make sure everyone is doing well. I am really enjoying the epistles lately and so the passage of scripture I have been thinking on today is Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.
Also Romans 6:13-14
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master because you are not under law, but under grace.

So, obviously I have been offering my body lately in service. And I have been feeling it too. :) Still it wouldn't be sacrificial if my mind and heart were not in the right place. Too often I find myself grumbling and complaining to myself and focusing on the bad instead of the good. I constantly have to remind myself of why I am here. To serve God..to further His kingdom. Yeah..so..I make food and clean toilets, big deal right? Still..everyone has to eat etc. If I am doing this with a good attitude and even only come in contact with the other kitchen girls I can still make their lives a little happier. I am so thankful to God that he has given me this opportunity and time to be drawn back closer to Him! I have a lot more time on my hands here in the afternoons and evenings. I keep being drawn back to His Word and other good books that are challenging me (though sometimes the only challenge is to stay awake. :) Anyway..not much else new here..I may post some pics or something tomorrow or the next day. Adios

Devos..

So..this morning I shared a devotion. Basically it feels like getting up in front of everyone in church. I shared a bit of a testimony. This camp has been a bit tough spiritually. Most of the students aren't Christians and so it's a little hard to know where to begin with them for devotionals and bible studies. Two nights ago Sigi shared a bible study. He pretended to be a Jewish man living just after Jesus died. He came in all dressed in Jewish clothes and told the story of Jesus Christ from a Jewish unbeliever's perspective. It was really good! This week has been fun. The Norwegian language is so cool, but it would be scary to try to learn it! It's a weird mix of languages. It often sounds french but with a few German sounding words mixed in with an almost oriental accent. Strange. It has been great to be able to speak English more often though. The flu has been going around here. It seems to be a fairly nasty strain too. Mixed with a bad cold. My roommate was sick and still isn't doing so great. I really am praying that I don't get sick again. Having one cold is bad enough. :) This week has also been filled with injuries. The Norwegians are crazy!! One guy tried a jump and caught an edge and ended flipping and landing on his back. They had to call in a helicopter. He fractured a vertebrae in his spine and had a lot of pain and couldn't move his legs. They kept him in the hospital for a couple of days, but apparently he can still walk and stuff on his own as long as he doesn't lift anything and rests a lot. He came back today. Another girl had a run in with a Polish skier and ripped his forehead open with her helmet and strained her knee. Eis, one of our ski instructors, snapped cartilige in his knee and tore a tendon. He had surgery yesterday and will be in the hospital till Sunday. I'm thinking that not having a ski pass or the ability to ski is a good thing. I really don't want to be injured. A lot of the injuries are ones that will never be completely ok again. Knees take years to heal properly and not to mention spines. Also a lot of sprained ankles. Crazy! I'll stick to running for now. :) I went running again on Tuesday and was able to keep myself going for almost a full hour. Running up and down stairs and pushing vacuum cleaners and mops must be helping. I have never had that kind of endurance before. I have been going to bed early. 9:30-10:00 usually. I got my hair cut yesterday. Rebecca, one of the kitchen girls and also a Canadian, cut it for me. She did a really good job! I think she's a keeper. I'm trying to convince her to move home with me. :) Anywhoo..that's all that's new right now. I'll try to take a few pics of everyday life here. ttyl

New Camp..New Language

We have a new group here. They're Norwegians. They spent 48 hours in 2 buses to come here. Crazy!! They got in at 3 am and boy were they ever loud. They decided to explore upstairs and just came into our room in the middle of the night. Weird. Apparently the whole privacy and modesty factor isn't as big a deal to them. It's really nice that I don't have to listen to German as much this week though. Only English. I have to do a devo on Thursday so I am excited that I don't have to have it translated. So far..other than the middle of the night thing..the group seems to be really fun and nice. Today I had half of the day off and spent most of the time just relaxing and reading. I am reading a book called "If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat" and I am also reading "Kingdom of the Cults". Really good!! It is great to be able to keep my English. I find myself dumbing down my English to be able to communicate and I lose half of my vocabulary. Last night before the Norwegians came, we had a small staff get together with about 10 people. We made sushi and had homemade personal size fruit pizzas (made by myself with two other girls). Such fun!! I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually like sushi. After that we hung out and goofed off for a while. I showed off my arm wrestling skills and Hilde showed off her wrestling skills and took down Grace a couple of times. Rebecca and Ilona and Nif showed off they're line dancing skills. Crazy people! Afterwards we went and watched Ice Age 2. Funny movie and we were all super tired so it was even more funny. Finally went to bed at 12:00 am. Anyway..here's a great encouraging passage of scripture I read today
Philippians 2:4-11
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And a song that just popped up on my playlist as I was typing...

The Face of Love by Sanctus Real
IÂ’ve seen your face on stained glass, in colored lights
In pictures of you looking to the sky
YouÂ’ve been portrayed a thousand different ways
But my heart can see you better than my eyes
‘Cause it’s love that paints the portrait of your life

The face of love
The face of love
You look more like love everyday

IÂ’ve read your words in the pages of your life
And IÂ’ve imagined what you were like
I may not know the shape of your face
But I can feel your heart changing mine
And your love still proves that youÂ’re alive

The face of love
The face of love
You look more like love everyday

You are the face that changed the whole world
No one too lost for you love
No one too low for you to serve
So give us the grace to change the world
No one too lost for me to love
No one too low for me to serve
Let us see... Let us be your face

I have really had servanthood and a humble attitude on my heart lately. It's kinda hard not be feel humbled when you clean up other people's messes all the time. :) But it is more than that, it's having joy in the midst of doing that. Smiling when people hand you cutlery covered in slime and ketchup. Laughing when someone accidently spills leftover food all over your hands. Funny story...One of the guys, who is a ski instructor here, decided to help put the cutlery into the trays for the dishwasher. The whole time he did it he was mumbling under his breath "Nasty!". I couldn't help laughing at him especially since he has a really fun accent. Australian. So many people here from different countries. Norway, Holland, Germany, Australia, Canada, Austria, US and I'm sure there are more. :) I've gotta hit the sack. Ciao!

Back Online..

So..the Internet wasn't working for awhile. Life has been business as usual here. We had a bit of a break this past weekend between camps. We have another group here which is more than half children from ages 5-18. Crazy!! It is loud! I had my day off yesterday and was able to go running with a girl who lives here in Schladming. She doesn't work at Tauernhof, but she did a few months back and I met her at a lecture. We ran up the Talbach trail. Yes..literally up. I am feeling my lower back and my thighs today! Definitely felt good to go running though. And it is so much fun to be able to run along a river and hear the water the whole time. We set a pretty slow pace and were able to run for a full half hour without stops. Quite a feat for me, I haven't actually done any decent running for a few months. I guess running up and down 5 flights of stairs in the house did help though ;). I am working in the kitchen for this camp and the next. I made chocolate chip cookies my first day. It was great to have a bit of junk food! Today I chopped chocolate for sweet Croissants (sorry mom..the pastry is bought) and I peeled carrots like I was in the Navy. :) Great fun!! Luckily we have latex gloves otherwise my hands would still be orange. We had chicken and potatoes for lunch. Yummy! The potatoes here seem to taste so much better! Sweeter or something. Better flavor, or maybe I am always just starving here. Yes..unfortunately I have lost weight...again. :( I'm trying to eat more, but there is so much bread and carbs that I just burn it off right away. I need to drink more milk and eat more cheese and meat. Speaking of food..my stomach is grumbling. I think I'm going up to the Bistro for a cup of Hot Chocolate and biscotti. Hope you are all doing well!!

Humbleness

So..being in a new country where you don't know the language, and starting a new job, and learning a lot of stuff all at once can be a very humbling experience. Many of you know that when I came here I was seniority at the Credit Union and most people would have to ask me questions. Now I'm in a position where I don't know where anything is and there is a language barrier. I'm just a crazy foreigner that doesn't know anything here. :) I figure that I might as well make the most of being the bottom rung. :) I admit that I have always had a bit of a pride issue. I hate being in awkward situations and feeling stupid. I hate to admit that I'm wrong and I usually try to make myself appear better than I am. Lately God has been breaking me down. I constantly feel a bit dumb here when I can't make myself understood. I always have to ask questions about where things are and where things go. I am learning a lot of things about the work here and I am learning how to operate an espresso machine. On the way here I had to ask a lot of questions that seemed dumb. Where do I get on the train? Can you help me with my bags? Where is a good hotel? Is this the right bus stop? How does this phone work? It's embarrassing to be so needy. But I guess it's natural to ask questions when you don't know something. So God has been breaking down my pride. It is impossible to live here without being humble. I clean toilets and showers for goodness sake!! It has really been good for me.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble
Daniel 4:37

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:4

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:8 The Ultimate Example of Humility!!

I'm thankful to God for another opportunity to be humble and experience new things. I have been pushed so far out of my comfort zone in so many ways already!! What a blessing. Here's a new challenge now..I have to give 4 devotionals out loud in front of 100 people who speak German. No, I am not going to learn them in German. I do need to have a translator though. Scary!! Anyway..keep praying for me. I'm sure God has a lot of lessons for me to learn yet.

My Living Quarters/Sty :)

Actually, as you can see, I have a very nice room. It is small though, and a sock on the floor could become overwhelming. :)


This is looking into the room from the door. My bed is on the right. What a neat freak. :) Mom, have you been able to find a place for all of my junk at home?


This is looking towards the door. Just outside our door on the right is the staff shower. Literally just a shower stall in the open with a glass door and a curtain. Could be awkward. :) On the right behind the wardrobe, which holds all of our clothes, is where our shoes and jackets are. On the left is the desk with shelves for all our cosmetic paraphernalia etc. Under the desk is our radiator, Above the Desk is our window. Basically a heating/cooling unit in one. ;) Straight ahead is the sink with a mirror and our lovely red backsplash. So fun!! My roommate's name is Christy, and she's a very nice girl. :) We both crash into bed at the end of a day and so I don't know her very well yet. It's good for me to have a limited space for my stuff. I have to keep it neat or else I get frustrated with it. I don't have much flat space to leave stuff on. Christy has given herself a concussion on the slanted ceiling and so I am extremely careful when I crawl into bed in the dark. Picture me crawling on the floor. :) Just bumping my head wouldn't be so bad, but there are nails poking through as well. Anywhoo..my apartment back home is going to feel like a mansion when I get back!!

Thought for the Day

I'm going to have to lead devotions for 4 different camps in the next few months and so I thought I should get some practice and start writing a few thoughts down.

Truth...God's Word is truth. Absolute truth. Infallible Truth.
The Bible is not something that we can pick and choose what we want to believe, or say that it is not applicable now. God doesn't change. This is a big subject, but all the passages that I have flipped through seem to be screaming "TRUTH" at me. I can't get away from it. :)

2 Timothy 2:14-15
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one appoved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of TRUTH.

Correctly handling God's word is of utmost importance. I almost cringe as I write this, because I know that at times I speak before I think or know things. We are responsible before God to represent him truthfully and use his Word to correctly teach others.

2 Timothy 3:14-17
Bus as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation throught faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking,correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We all too easily fall away from truth. We hear something that sounds "better" or "more interesting" or "exciting" and fail to make sure that it agrees with God's Word. Acts 17:11 says, "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." We need to be careful what we accept as truth. We are very easily deceived.

Galatians 3:1-5
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you! Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing - if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law or because you believe what you heard?

Paul is correcting the Galatians who were beginning to believe that they needed to fulfill the Jewish law in order to be saved. Paul reminds them of the truth that they received from the first. Jesus Christ was crucified. They received the Spirit by believing on Jesus Christ as Savior, not because they started fulfilling the Jewish law.
One of the most important things you have to know before reading the bible is "Read it the way God wrote it and not the way you see it through your own experience." When God used the Holy Spirit to guide the writers hands He had only one meaning in mind for each thing written. We are not to distort scripture so that it fits with our lives. Reading within context and understanding within that context is paramount. I feel like I'm writing a lecture..I'm just going to stop right now and yeah..forgive me for running on. I'm having a hard time writing in the English language and getting my thoughts clear.

God is So Good!!!

So..like every New Year's I spent some time reflecting on the past and praying for the future. Last night we had a lecture by Eis about giving up the garbage in our life and letting God be glorified through our weakness. Understanding German is getting easier and easier. After Eis spoke there was a sharing time. About 4-5 people shared what God has been doing in their lives this past year. I was able to sit next to a girl named Andrea and she shared a bit about her life with me after the service. What an amazing wonderful God we have. He gives us so many blessings. Andrea became a Christian 2 years ago and since then she gave up her life's work in physiotherapy and has been travelling where God wants her. She spent some time in Sweden at Holsby and some time here at Tauernhof and is currently working as a nanny in Schladming for a non-Christian family. She was a student here and God continually provided for her as she was unemployed and was unable to pay for schooling and missions on her own. She shared with me that people she didn't even really know, were giving her money. Now as a nanny, she has an amazing opportunity to reach out to the family she is working for. Also I was talking with another person about life and he shared that 2 years ago he was in Holland while going to Bible School and that New Year's Eve he got drunk and was put in prison. Now he is working here as staff and is engaged to a lovely Christian girl. God sure does know how to stretch a person and how to get their attention. He did that to me on my trip over here. First I was stuck in the Airport in Winnipeg for 4 hours longer than I should have been. This caused me to miss all of my connection flights. I had never travelled abroad before, never been on a jet, never been on a transit bus, never been on a train. After many hours of waiting in Airports I got to Salzburg, where I was supposed to board a train to Schladming. It was 7:30 in the evening and I had to wait for a bus to bring me to the hauptbahnhof. I didn't speak any German and I was hauling two suitcases and a backpack around weighing up to 110 lbs. God sent someone along to help me get my luggage on the bus and off the bus. Then I walked into the trainstation which was by this time deserted. It was 8:30 in the evening. I had no idea where to go or whether there were any trains still going to Schladming. I walked up and down too many flights of stairs to count. All of the Elevators were out of order. I think my arms literally stretched a foot. :) I finally wandered into an area with payphones and was able to call Eis and Maja. All the staff here had been expecting me in the early afternoon that day and Maja had been to the trainstation 3 times already. They were having a Christmas party and they told me to find a hotel room in Salzburg and come the next day. They didn't know the city well enough to tell me which hotel though. This brought me to the next problem. All through this time I was unable to call mom and dad since I didn't have a calling card. I was in Salzburg more than 8 hours later than expected. So..now to find a hotel. After walking up and down a few more staircases I found a ticket master's area. I was able to ask for help to find a hotel room. At first they weren't really interested in helping me, but I explained the situation to them (almost in tears) and they finally realized that I was desperate. They gave me the name and directions for a hotel a couple minutes walk away from the trainstation. All through this time I was praying like crazy and feeling a bit panicked. I wasn't going to spend the night in the trainstation!! So I took the directions and started walking down the street hauling my huge bags after me and walked for a long time before I realized that they had given me backwards directions. They gave them to me as if they were facing the opposite way. So I turned around and asked someone on the street for directions to Elizabeth Strasse which the hotel was on. I finally found it, but it was crazy. It felt like I was just walking aimlessly in a guessed direction and all of a sudden it appeared in front of me. So..I was at the door, but I couldn't get inside. The door was a foot and a half step up and it swung inward so I couldn't heft my suitcases and open the door at the same time. Luckily the Reception person heard me trying and came to help me. I got a room and took a shower and fell into bed. I slept for 3 hours before waking up, sick to my stomach from something I had eaten on the plane. I couldn't go back to sleep, since I was jet lagged. That was when I truly took some time to cry out to God. I was still feeling anxious about the rest of the trip the next day, and I was hungry, and I didn't have any idea what I was doing here anyway!! I just really wanted to go home! I read some of the Psalms. I can't remember which ones, but they were about being distressed and God defeating our enemies. I realized at that point that I had been trying to do it on my own and it obviously wasn't working. I thought back through the hours of travel and thought of all the people that God had put in my way to help me. I felt so needy and truly humbled by this. I told God that it was in his hands to get me safely to Tauernhof. After wrestling in prayer for a while, I finally felt at peace enough to go to sleep again. The next morning I got ready and went back to the train station. The same ticket master who helped me the night before had told me to come back to him in the morning and he would help me get a ticket and get me on the right train. Another angel in disguise!! :) I was sent to my platform and I ate the apples that the Reception person had given me at the hotel (it was too early for breakfast and he insisted on giving me something to eat). I wasn't too sure how to go about getting on the train. I finally walked to where some people were standing and asked some guy (totally a twin of Dan Macloskie) to help me with my baggage. He loaded it up for me and I sat down and waited for the train to start moving. This was my favorite part of the whole trip. I had a direct train and didn't have to switch anywhere, so I was able to just relax and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Wow!! was it gorgeous! All the while I was just praising God for getting me so far. I got to Schladming and asked another guy to help me get my baggage off the train (why aren't guys more gentlemanly at home?) Then I was at the trainstation and no one knew that I was there. I had to buy a phone card and use it to call Tauernhof for someone to come pick me up. My first day here is just a blur. I know I helped with cleaning, but I really can't remember much other than falling into bed that night. (craving a cheeseburger and fries) :) So God has brought me through and he is still showing me how powerless I am and how much help I truly need all the time. :) Pray for me as I continue to learn the language here and as I serve through cleaning and cooking. I want to be gracious and humble. What a hard lesson!

'For we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not in despair' 2 Corinthians 4:8

what's been going on lately??

Just a normal week at Tauernhof..:) So..basically there are 6 kitchen/house girls and we are split into two groups and alternate between cleaning and cooking. We do 2 camps and then switch. I am on the cleaning crew for this camp which started on Wednesday. I usually get up at around 7:00, but some mornings I am on breakfast duty..so I get up at around 5:45 instead. For cleaning I am responsible for 2 floors. My duties: Vacuum all the floor space on each floor, including the guest rooms. That is approximately 11 rooms. Clean all the showers and toilets. 8 Showers and 5 toilets. Mop all the floors which are not carpeted. I do this from 9:45-12:20. Yes it is a lot of work for that time period!! After I get all this done I help serve lunch and clear lunch and clean up after lunch which brings us to 2:30 or so. I get time off from 2:30 till 5:00 or so. Then I help prepare supper and clear supper and clean up after supper which brings us to 7:30 which is lecture time. We have some singing and then the lecture. Usually Hans Peter speaks, but sometimes Eis does. Almost all of the camps are German so of course the lecture is in German. ;) We are not required to be at lecture every night, but so far I am actually doing fairly well with understanding and so I've been going. Tonight the lecture starts at 8 and goes till 10 then we are going for a night hike up into the mountains to watch the fireworks. Awesome!! After doing that..we'll hike back and have some hot chocolate and go to bed around 2:00 am. I am actually still debating going since I have to help with brunch tomorrow at around 8:00. Soo..tomorrow I turn 20. No longer a teen. :( I can't get away with childishness anymore I guess. ;) Tuesday I have the day off. I wonder what I'll do?? Yesterday I went for a hike up into the mountains along the Talbach River. Beautiful!! A little slippery and treacherous since there was a drop off on one side of a very narrow path. The views of the mountains and the waterfall was worth it though. It took me and Hilde about one and a half hours to make it all the way around. I finally got myself some hiking boots and not for too bad a price either. On sale for €69.90. Today I have more time off since it is Sunday, but I have been up since 6:45 and already cleaned 3 toilets and 2 showers and mopped and vacuumed two floors. :) This is unusual for a Sunday. Usually the camps don't go over the weekend. This is the longest camp. It has been fun getting to know all the staff a bit. The girls are a lot of fun!! Even if they order me around in German sometimes ;) One of the other kitchen girls is Canadian too. Yesterday she was wearing a t-shirt which said "hug a Canadian today". Of course I hugged her. :) On Monday evenings I am signed up to work in the Bistro (coffee shop) in the mainhouse. I will be learning how to make capuccinos with an espresso machine. Fun!! The coffee here is really good! And the cheese..and the bread..and basically just all the food. (Mom..they don't make nearly as good spaghetti as you though, or apple pie for that matter :) All you people at work...I get to run up 5 flights of stairs at least a dozen times a day..if not more. A girl here has asked me to go running with her every once in a while so I am going to be in good shape when I get back. :) Anyway..that's my life for right now. Pretty much Awesome. :)

Pictures of My Home

Here's some Pics of my beautiful Schladming.



Overlooking Schladming toward the Dachstein.



The Mallards that live by the river path



A church (Lutheran I think, whatever, they're all German) :) This is the church I went to for Christmas Eve Service. The pastor spoke a good message about Jesus coming to earth as God in human form. And a story about Corrie Ten Boom and forgiveness. No, I did not need translation. I caught that much on my own. :)



The "River". Really clear water!!



And another church. Not sure which one it is. But it looks cool.
Enjoy :)

End of Story..

Towards supper time we made our way to the Rathaus and browsed through the Christmas Market. Everyone had different stalls of decorations and jewellry and hats and scarves etc. I found myself a nice ring to remember Vienna by. :)Everything was beautifully lit up with paper lanterns and thousands of minilights. The streets had chandeliers of minilights hung. Incredible! After browsing for a while we had supper at the Rathaus Restaurant. I had Wienerschnitzel and Parsleyed Potatoes with Salad. We spent at least 3 hours in there. They had live entertainment. An amazingly talented harpist. She played some incredible classical pieces flawlessly. After this we headed for the underground train and made our way back to the car and by 1:30 am we finally got home. What a fun day!! Here's a few more random pics..



There was so much detail on all the buildings...the iron work and just the construction and statues. Almost makes a person want to get into architecture. If only the old way of building hadn't died off so much. :(



Another closer picture of the same ironwork from inside.



A bunch of buildings were built right over the street so the traffic would go right through this little roomlike structure. In this particular one there was a violinist playing along to music. The acoustics were amazing!! It just kept swelling...Hope you all have a really great Christmas!!

and more..

That is the Rathaus (City Hall) in the background. They have a lot of horses and carriages all over the city for tourists.



We were just heading from the square to the famous Gothic Church when we saw this puppeteer playing. So fun!!



This is the famous Gothic Church



This is a small portion of the stone carving that is inside the church. I had a hard time getting any good pictures inside because it was so dark.



This is a statue in a Jewish section of town. A very old section!

More Pics of Vienna

This was inside a big church.



We laughed about what it'd be like if that huge gold ball would one day fall and bounce across the courtyard floor. :)



These are two identical buildings that hold major art museums or something. I think they were built by the same man who built the palace in the first pic. The two pillars in the first pic were designed after one pillar built in Rome.



I can't remember the significance of this statue, but there were lots of statues like this around. I think they were depicting war heroes.

A Day in Wien (Vienna)

I was invited to go on a day trip to Vienna with a family of one of the girls here. Nif (Jennifer) has been to Vienna 5 times before and so she prepared a fun tour for us. What a beautiful city!!



This is the first thing that we saw in the city. It's a palace of some sort.

Goodbye New Friends...:(

Well...today a bunch of staff left for Christmas holidays. One of them isn't coming back. :( Kinda sad to get to know someone and then have to say goodbye so soon. Aah well..such is life. Christmas holidays have officially started. I'm one of the only people staying here for Christmas, but the others that are staying have been very kind and gracious in trying to include me in their activities. Christmas Dinner on the 25th and possibly traveling to Vienna for a day. Should be fun. :) I spent most of the morning just lounging around. Reading and listening to music. Had lunch and helped clean the kitchen and then helped one of the girls pack up. By the way Heinrich and Irene...All the girls speak German and one speaks Dutch as she is from Holland. They all speak English as well, but they often talk amongst themselves in German. I don't mind though. It helps to hear it all the time and I often ask questions and can usually figure out what they are talking about. Kinda fun. ;) Anyway..after the girls left for Christmas Vacation I moved all of my stuff into my new room. I was living in the Chalet until Monika moved home (she's the girl who is not coming back). I will now be sharing a room with a girl named Christy from the US. I unpacked all my stuff and was able to put it all away. I don't have any good footwear for hiking yet. :( I guess I'll need to go shoe shopping. yeah, yeah, I know more shoes. It's hard when you work at a place like the Credit Union that only needs dress shoes. I thought that I would have too much stuff, but it seems reasonable now that I unpacked it all. Anyway..time for supper.

My Night in Salzburg

I have finally made some time to upload some pictures for your enjoyment. This is from my night in Salzburg at Hotel Adlerhof. It was actually a very nice room.






So...I went for a walk in little Schladming this afternoon. Beautiful little town!! It has a river running through it and mountains on all sides. You can take hiking trails right from town. The water running in the river is so clear and a blue/green color. What an awesome God we have!! Some of the work I've been doing?...We have been preparing for guests. Cleaning all the Chalet rooms and other rooms and dining rooms and the kitchen even down to scrubbing with a toothbrush between tiles. Good hard physical work. Some of the food I've been eating?...for breakfast-croissants filled with chocolate, dark bread with jelly or nutella or peanutbutter(not kraft), meat and swiss cheese, coffee (very good!!), cereal, yogurt and whatever else we can find. :) Lunch - Usually a larger meal, today it was pigs in blankets (really amazing pastry), salad, potato wedges, plum kuchen with whipped cream. Supper - So far it has always been a 'help yourself' meal. Basically scrounge or leftovers. I've become fond of toasted bread with swiss cheese and ham and a cup of tea.
What have I been doing in my off hours?...Reading my bible, emailing friends, updating my blog, going for walks, last night I watched a movie with the kitchen girls (Life of C.S. Lewis in Deutsch). I have been going to bed early. :) Anyway..that's all for now. I will eventually post some scenic pics.

Still No Pictures

Sorry.
I need an adapter for my laptop before I attempt to upload any pics. I will try to get some this weekend yet. Till then you´ll just have to imagine :) I am finally over the jet lag. Yippee. I woke up tired as usual this morning, not wide awake. I know I´m over jet lag when that happens. It´s how I feel every morning. :) Life is good here. We finished making beds for guests today and then cleaned the kitchen. Wow...what a job. We scrubbed everything down. The floor was fun. We sprayed water all over it and then stepped on towels and scooted around to dry it up. Great fun. The girls I work with are great, but some of them will be leaving soon. :( Anywhoos..gotta run for supper. adios.

First Day of Slave Labor!!

Just Kidding!! I am loving doing some physical labor!! I am really enjoying the change and I already am starting to feel at home!! The people here are very friendly. For now I am staying in a really nice room in the chalet. I will be moving to the house next week after Christmas break where I will be sharing a room with an all american girl. ;) I think that my body is almost over the jet lag. I am still having a hard time eating properly at the proper times. I went to bed at 7:30 last night and didn´t get up till 7:00 this morning. I am typing on a german keyboard and am having a hard time of it. So confusing. :) Well..I can honestly say that I love flying. So fun!! I like the smaller planes better though. My favorite part of the whole trip was the train! It was an hour and a half trip with gorgeous sites!! Where I am staying is just as beautiful. Look out the window and see mountains on all sides. Aaah..this is the life!! My first night in Europe I spent in a hotel room, since I didn`t make any of my connections and all the trains to Schladming were already gone. The hotel room was really nice, but also expensive for one night..one person. Oh well..I took some pictures of the room, but you`ll have to wait and see later. I´m too lazy to drag my laptop up to the eagle`s nest. (the lounge/computer room) You guys can pray for me that I will get another good night´s rest tonight and that my stomach will be back to normal soon. The food here is really great!! After eating airplane food though, just about anything would be good. I ate a meal on the long flight over and it made me sick that night. I´m just really glad I wasn´t sick on the plane or bus etc. Hope you are all doing well. I´ll post some more maybe tomorrow.

I'm Here!

Just barely..
let's just say that missed flight connections are no fun!! Stupid Air Canada! sorry, just a little frustrated. I am still severly jet lagged. I ended up staying in a hotel in Salzburg last night, nice, but I couldn't sleep when it was only 5:30 in the evening.
gotta get going now..I don't have my own computer set up yet.
catch ya all later

Opera Anyone??

So...Christmas music huh? It's getting old already. Actually just these cd's that are playing at the cred are getting annoying especially the opera cd. Those high notes just really make your shoulders tense. And the bell choir...wow it can drive you dingaling. Pun intended. Last day on till..Yesss! So far it seems to be slow, but then it's only 2 minutes after opening. I'm going out for lunch today with my girls. (Barbara Ann and Fran) No, I did not make them up to keep me from getting lonely. We are the top of the totem pole, so to speak here at work. The most experienced etc. We generally have a lot of fun when we work together. Then there's Trish, who I worked with yesterday. We call each other fruit and nut. :) So..we're a little crazy. It keeps life interesting. This week I have a whole lot of stuff to get done. I should make a list yet, I keep on forgetting things. I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Saturday, Heather and I are going to hang out..get my Christmas shopping done, get a makeover(actually just a haircut)maybe even play some mario. :)
Mom really wants me to help do some decorating yet, not that I'm a pro or anything, but Tim and Dad won't help. Anyway...hope you all have a good one!!

Entertainment Tonight...ET phone home...

Yes...very random title..just about as random as the comedian at our Christmas Banquet tonight! I wouldn't even be able to tell you what she said that was so funny. Mostly vague Menno jokes and lots of puns/running on into the next story. Oh well..we had our laughs..and the food was great. Actually the thing I found most amusing tonight was watching an unnamed person dump coffee all over themselves and the table. :) It was fun for a Christmas Banquet. Hey Justin..I know how you feel about the choir being off when the Piano came in. I watched the highschool jazz band today, and the one girl soloist was off for almost the whole song. Terrible!! I also couldn't help stifling laughter when the soundman gave us two major bouts of feedback. ouch! Oh...Winkler. Speaking of entertainment..come to the Cred. No..the MSR's are not learning how to juggle. We just got an LCD tv put up that will constantly be showing the news with HCU rates running across the screen. I think today it mostly just had political news on, but anyway. 3 more days of work! I was so tired today. I was almost falling asleep at my desk. I only have a few more gifts to buy for Christmas and then I am done. 2 more work parties to go to and 1 family gathering. :) hope you all are having a great Christmas season so far!! God Bless!!

Winding Down

Well...I'm really tired today. I know, weekends are supposed to be time to rest before another week of work, but no such luck for me. :) I ended up getting up at 6:30 yesterday morning in order to get ready for the quiz meet. We met at the church for 7:45 and left for Altona shortly after 8:00. We had to go and pick up Stephen from Plum Coulee, so we ended up taking that route to Altona instead. Now...neither Roger and Mary or I had any idea where the quiz meet was taking place, since I didn't get any of the emails...and they didn't bother to pay attention to the details, since they thought that I would know exactly what was going on. (Me always being so "in charge" and "organized" :) )
So...I called the Duecks from the church in the morning before they left for Briercrest to get directions. I asked Eric which church the quiz meet was at and I was SURE he said Altona Bergthaler Church. Then he gave me directions. "Turn onto rd 11 from the highway, going north for about 2 miles and you'll see it. Now you have to remember that we were coming into Altona from the Plum Coulee side and so...after giving Rog the directions...I figured he knew where we were going..so I followed him. (Me not being too keen on directions and all.) We went past Altona and Mary and I noticed something..we passed rd 9 and then eventually we passed rd 5..we were going the wrong way. We called Rog and I turned around and went back to rd 11. Unfortunately..we were on the wrong side of town. The directions Eric gave me, were given assuming we were coming in on the 201 highway. I only thought of this when we were in the middle of nowhere. The whole time we were driving, it was windy and blowing snow and at times I could hardly see anything. Finally we decided to go back to town and ask directions. ( Mary and I would have done this long ago, but...Men!! don't like to ask directions. Just joking around guys...) So we asked for directions to the Bergthaler Church, which we found, in town. Definitely..nobody there on a Saturday..definitely not a quiz meet happening there. This is when..I told Rog that we should try rd 11 on the 201. Of course, by this time we were all rather frustrated and also running very late!! We finally got out to rd 11. The sign said "Church Rd" and Bergfeld Church 2 miles. We knew we had the right one. ;) The road was really really bad!! Huge drifts of snow that I had to gun through. (Kinda Fun :) Eventually we got there and although we were late..it was still a great day! Lot's of quizzing and lots of talking. My voice was just about gone by the end of the day from asking so many questions. Our A team has a lot of work to do to get up to speed, but our C team actually conquerred. Good Job Guys!! I am really sad to leave quizzing this year. It has been fun having more kids! If anyone knows of someone willing to take my place while I'm gone, let Rog and Mary know. So that was my adventure. Good Times...gotta go eat some lunch now.

First Christmas Party!

I got through my first Christmas party. We had a potluck for our Bible Study group. Wow was that food good!! I ate two platefuls and three different desserts. It was a good thing I had lunch at 11:00 yesterday otherwise I wouldn't have been able to eat as much. We played some Catch Phrase afterward as a group. What a fun game!! I was a little slow on the uptake though. Must have been all the food or I was tired or a combination of the two. ;) Well..it finally feels like winter! Lots of snow out in the parking lot here! I wish I could take a few hours and go play ;)
It is going to be a busy day today!! It's month end and we are handing out calendars. yay for calendars! 7 more days of work. I'm looking forward to my night off tonight. Time to work on home stuff. :0
Anyway..I have some work to key...catch ya later

Time is Flying

Wow..only 3 more weeks till I'm gone. Scary..I have so much to do (and worry about) :) just kidding. I'm a little nervous about traveling on my own, and all that, but it'll work. I still need to do a whole bunch of stuff!! My last two weeks here will be nuts!! I have 3 work Christmas parties and one for Bible Study and I have to Christmas shop for family and friends yet!! crazy! Not enough time and so much to do. Only 10 more days of work. I am really looking forward to the break from work, but I know that there are definitely new challenges ahead. I've been thinking all day about making a list of things to do, but I feel so scattered! If you guys could pray for me, that I'll settle down and be able to get things done, and also to hand all worries over to God. Mom and Dad are still unsure of whether I'm going or not. At least that's what Dad has been saying ;) I'm going to miss them too, but this will be an awesome experience! Anyway...I'd better get to bed so I can get up at a decent hour and get things done tomorrow. g'night

Good Morning!

It's still dark outside. I shouldn't be up yet. :) Actually I slept fairly well last night and am looking forward to being a floater at work today. Floating means walking around and making sure everyone else is doing ok. I don't have to be on cash. So Montreal bombed yesterday. Learn how to catch a ball guys!! This is me...who's afraid of flying objects... talking. Oh well..It was a pretty boring game, and I was watching it with a bunch of loud people. :) No offense to them of course. It was fun..Good food..great to see old friends. I recently discovered that while waking up with music playing can greatly improve your mood in the morning, it also can badly affect your mood throughout the day. At least if it's the beatles you're listening to. Their music doesn't consist of much, and while it might be catchy at first it get's old really fast on the thousandth time through your head. :) I'm going to listen to some better music while I walk to work today. Anywhoos..gotta go get ready..I've actually gotta look good today. :(

It Feels Like Winter..

It's windy outside and gray. So far it has been a very interesting day! I got up at 9:30 after trying to figure out where my crazy dream came from. :) I think I got it figured. Anyway..Came upstairs and had every intention of making myself bacon and eggs for breakfast before going downstairs to start organizing and doing laundry. I ended up sitting in front of the TV and watching city line and then the Remembrance Day ceremonies. While Mom and I were watching, Dad answered the phone and you'll never guess who was on the other end!...Uncle Guy! He was sitting in the Walmart parking lot and wanted Mom and Dad to come and escort him to our place. :) He has never come out to visit us and I haven't seen him since I was like 12 or so. :) Wow! I never knew how much someone could miss the sound of a french accent. ;) What a crazy man! Mom had it written on the calendar to call him tomorrow and all of a sudden, out of the blue he shows up. Well..I still have laundry to do and stuff to sort out. Hope you all have a great day! By the way...I still haven't had that breakfast. :)

Mornings..

So...I've been getting up a lot earlier lately. 6:50 in the morning. You might ask why? Well...It feels better to get up and do my bible reading take a shower, have my starbucks coffee, and then WALK to work. :) It's about a 15-20 minute walk from my parents place and I get to listen to my favorite music on the way. ;) Great stuff. Before moving home, I didn't have coffee made for me in the morning. I didn't have leftovers to take for lunch. I didn't have a double bed that didn't sink in the middle. I didn't have time on my way to work to listen to music. I'm looking at all the positives, because I miss my apartment. :( Can't wait to have my own place again. I'm still staring at a stack of things to unpack and organize. Not right now of course. :)It was nice to have Ashleigh home this week. We even played some dutch blitz for old times sake and Heather beat the tar out of us. (what a stupid saying):s Anyway...it's supposed to be warm next week. The snow is all going to melt. not sure if I really like that yet. well. I have some stuff waiting to key...ttfn

I'm Done!!!

Moving home that is. :) Wow! what a job! I accumulated more stuff this past year than anyone should be allowed to have. I figure i'll live in a tent when I get back from Austria. I am NOT moving that stuff again!! Sorry Bruce and Heather. Whatever is in the basement is now your problem ;) Of course I'm just kidding, but from the feel of my back today...
So...lots of snow fell yesterday! I think I cleaned off my car about 10 times. At least I had all my big furniture moved on Saturday! I feel like going outside and having a snowball fight. It looks so nice and snowy out! I love winter! I walked to work today and it was perfect out. I can't wait to go sledding! I'm supposed to take Bruce and Heather sledding in January, but I guess they might have to come out to Austria for that. :) I would have a perfect hill right down the street!! Sorry guys..I can't pay for the flights though. I wonder how long it would take them to paddle across if they started now. Justin..can they use your canoe?? :)Anyways...enough silliness. Hope you all have a wonderful wintery day!!

It's the End of the World as We Know it....

And I feel annoyed...
I keep on getting these radio songs stuck in my head. "If I had a million dollars," "Is Everybody Going Crazy?" etc.
I haven't had a chance to listen to any decent music lately, so I keep on getting these other songs stuck in my head. The upstairs bathroom had country music going in it yesterday and even though I don't know the name of the song, it keeps running through my head. :( help!!! Anywhoos...I'm going to be packing up a bunch of stuff today and getting rid of all my big furniture. Luckily the new renter wants to take care of my couch and chair and table and chairs for me so I have a few less things to move. I packed up a bunch of books yesterday. Wow!!! I have too many! I'd better get going on finishing up work. ttfn

Hungry...

I didn't remember how hungry I usually am by 1:00. I did eat some breakfast, but obviously not enough to keep my stomach busy. Oh well...I'm going out for lunch with one of the girls today. Chicken Chef. I wonder what I should have? my usual? or maybe the taco salad? I guess we'll see. :) It's been pretty quiet here today, at least on the commercial side. I'm enjoying the feeling of being caught up for once. Last night we had quizzing and I think things are coming together pretty well. Tonight is Bible Classes on the book of Judges. I guess we'll see what Les has for us!

It has been a while again :(

Sorry! I truly tried to post yesterday, but blogger wouldn't let me in!! Life is going...One more week till I move home. I have a lot of work cut out for me this week! oh well, I have a day off tomorrow to start. I was the Junior Church leader this morning. Wow! what a bunch of hooligans. 16 kids is too much! Actually I think we are thinking seriously of splitting the 2-3's from the 4-5's and having two rooms going. It's too hard to keep the younger ones involved and everyone under control and happy. Oh well. kids are cute and fun anyway. I loved playing duck duck goose this morning. I probably got more exercise than I had all week! Football is on. Lately I've been watching a lot of sports. Hockey, Baseball, Football...
I'm trying to think of what I have been thinking about lately that might be worth posting. I've been listening to some Jennifer Knapp lately. Probably about the only female artist I enjoy listening to.

All the chisels I've dulled carving idols of stone
That have crumbled like sand 'neath the waves.
I've recklessly built all my dreams in the sand just to watch,
them all wash away.
Through another day, another trial, another chance to reconcile
To one who sees past all I see.
And reaching out my weary hand I pray that you'd understand
You're the only one who's faithful to me.
All the pennies I've wasted in my wishing well
I have thrown like stones to the sea.
I have cast my lots, dropped my guard, searched aimlessly for a faith
To be faithful to me.
Through another day, another trial, another chance to reconcile
To one who sees past all I see.
And reaching out my weary hand I pray that you'd understand
You're the only one who's faithful to me.
You're the only one who's faithful to me.

I love this song. It reminds me that of all the things I fill my life with, only God really matters and fulfills. Only God is faithful. I put too much of myself into things that don't last or even matter in the long run. It was snowing when I walked to church this morning. Just softly snowing. It was beautiful! I love the changing of seasons! What a reminder of how wonderful everything God has created is, how powerful and attentive to detail God is! The Franklin Graham crusade has been going on this weekend. Hopefully the numbers have been good. The ministry needs a lot of prayer. That the messages and music would be effective in sharing the gospel and touching people's hearts. I hope you all have a good weekend/week ahead!

Back to Routine

Still not sure if that's a good thing, bad thing or either one. :) It's cold and rainy outside again and I want it to stop!! You probably have guessed already that I only talk about the weather when I'm bored or not sure what else to write about. :) I'm also really hungry right now and am waiting for lunch. By the way, sorry I haven't been as regular with posting and everything. Training people really wipes you out! I hope I'll get back into writing more often again. I have a bit of a strange schedule this week. I work every day till thursday, then I get Friday off and work again on Saturday. Should be interesting. 2 more weeks till I move home. Apparently I'll be sleeping in the basement with a ping pong table as a room divider. Oh well, at least I get a nice bed. I really need to find another suitcase though, since I won't have a dresser to put my clothes in before I leave for Austria. Only 2 more months! Still don't really feel like it's real yet! Am I truly moving to a foreign country for more than half a year??! Thanx goes out to Bruce and Heather for storing my stuff for me!!

First Day of Winter??

Brrr!! It is really cold out there today! Snow on the ground and there was ice in my parking spot this morning! Ick!! It has come too early. 7th day of training today. Now it is just basically a test of staying awake and alert while watching to make sure they do everthing right. Just another couple of weeks and then I'll be moving back to my parent's place. Scary!! I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with all my stuff. If I ask some of you to store some...you know why. That sounds dumb, but anyways...
Last night I led quizzing. I know...what's new? I led quizzing by myself. 8 crazy...good kids. :) Had fun and they all did pretty well too! Quizzing is interesting this year. Lots of younger kids. I'm going to stop writing now, because I keep getting distracted and writing 2 word sentences. After this week it will be easier to write again. ttfn

Sorry Guys

I know it has been a little while, but the last few days have been exhausting! I am training my first new employee at work and the amount of talking and explaining and concentrating I have to do is incredible. I forgot how much stuff you have to learn when you first start a job like mine. There is so much little stuff that needs to be remembered that i just take forgranted now. Right down to the way you organize and write things down. :s Last night we had quiz practice. Good times! I love quizzing! It is so encouraging and exciting to see kids excited about memorizing God's Word!! I really need to take more time to memorize again. A couple of weeks ago we had people from Trans World Radio out for a visit and to share in church. One of the things they shared was..in China some Christians would take a week off of work so they could study God's Word before they had to pass their copy of the Bible onto the next person. I need to have that mindset...This might be the last day that I get to read God's revealed Word.
Tonight we had bible study. We are learning how to memorize and meditate on scripture. There are far to many "out there" thoughts about meditation. All it is in a Christian context is thinking and finding new truths about God's word. Trying to get all the truth you can out of the Bible. We went through 2 exercises to help us gain new truths and apply them to our lives. We paraphrased a verse in our own words and we also wrote down questions about verses. These questions were to make us think harder and perhaps even search the scripture more deeply for answers. It was really encouraging and relaxing to be with our group tonight and to share and pray together. I'm feeling pretty rested right now, but I still need to go and get a good night's rest for tomorrow. ;) Tomorrow and Friday we get to wear jeans!! Our boss was in a really good mood when he decided that! Anyway...good night

Patience is a Virtue...

This is the second time I've tried to post this. Apparently God thought I needed a little work in the patience department. I am rewriting this and we'll see how much I remember from what I was trying to write last night. :)
"This too shall pass" or so I keep on telling myself when I'm at work. We have a few new people and it is taking a while to get them "broken in". As fun as these new people are, it takes a lot of patience and a lot of ability to multitask. :) And I haven't even begun training someone yet!
A different topic...We had bible classes last night and Les is now teaching our class. Lots of fun! We just finished getting through the book of Deuteronomy and there are all sorts of "nuggets" in there! I love the way this course makes me have to think! We actually have two groups meeting in the church building. Dad is teaching the other class. We will be getting together to begin with some singing and inbetween we'll get together for coffee as well. It will be great to get to know some more people. I think if everyone came from the two groups, we would have 40+ people there.I don't have to start work till 12:00 today, but I should still go eat something for lunch. Otherwise I'll be starving by the time 3:30 break comes along.

Long Weekend

Yes!! It is the weekend and I get Monday off as well!! Quizzing went really well last night and we had a lot of fun! I really hope that the kids get as enthused about quizzing as I am! We have a bunch of new kids this year and hopefully it will go well. We might even have enough to have 3 teams this year! Wow! Big change from last year! I'm really excited about memorizing Acts. I really love the situation questions that pop up when we're quizzing on books like the gospels or Acts. Kinda fun to try and figure them out. Well, we have a special treat this weekend. David and Mindy Nelson are out to visit. David is the guy who got Dad hooked on BTCP training materials and who has been working in the Philipines with the same materials. Such a fun couple!! Anyway...I've gotta go and make some phone calls.

Back into Routine

Yesterday we started our small groups! It sounds like it will be a good year. I'm a little bit sorry that I will only be around for the first half of the book. Also...We will be starting up the quizzing again this week. Friday night is our "kickoff". I really hope that we get the kids interested. I really want to memorize Acts this year. I need to check out the materials website and see what we should order. It is going to be interesting this year. We need another couple to help lead, especially when I leave. I guess a prayer request would be that we as leaders would be good communicators and that we would find someone else to help. Anyway...gotta get back to work.

Could Someone Please Help Me Stop Yawning?!!

Yes, I am very tired today. It is dreary and cold outside and that always makes me feel tired. Yesterday we had a family member from out east just drop in. No, it wasn't Josh. :) shucks. actually it was my first cousin twice removed. Her name is Judy. We had so much fun trying to figure out exactly how we are related. :) We can't figure it out as fast as all you mennonites!! I think my great great grandfather is her grandfather and my mom's great grandfather. And my grandfather is her uncle or something like that. She is a character and we had fun looking at some pictures of her travels and just chatting. It is really nice to have a couple people from my Mom's side of the family still visit or call every once in a while. We are a lot more in touch with my Dad's side. Anyway...I have a bit of work to do now....

Please, Break My Heart

The title is one that you may or may not understand. I will explain it yet. Yesterday I found out that two very dear friends of mine lost their baby. The knowledge of them having to deal with such pain and loss had me in tears. This brought me around to thinking about something God has been impressing on my heart. Having a broken heart. Losing someone you love is always something that brings that pain. Some biblical background...
Adam and Eve - lost their son Abel
Abraham - offering up his son to God
Jacob - Losing his son Joseph and thinking he was dead
Job - Lost everything, I'm sure his Sons and Daughters were the worst part of that loss
David - Lost his first child born of Bathsheba, and his son Absalom
Mary the Mother of Jesus - Watching her son be crucified
God - gave His only Son for each and every one of us.

What pain must all of these people have felt?? What pain must God feel each time a person turns away from His gift?!! All these people who went through these things still gave glory to God through faith.

The other night I was praying and I asked God to soften my heart, to break my heart for each person I come in contact with. It is easy to feel pain and concern for those close to us who are hurting. It is easy for us to express concern and caring for those who are across the ocean. It is not easy for us to care for the people that we come in contact with either through work, or maybe even just random people you meet as you live each day. For me, it's the people that come in for a few seconds, to do business. It is easy to be completely impersonal and forget about them immediately. These people have problems and are hurting too. What does it take for us to care? I personally always try to guard my heart from pain. Knowing too many people too well, is a recipe for getting hurt. I pray that God will break down the barriers that I build up. That I would care more about the other person than about myself. That I would be willing to have my heart broken, to feel concern for each person I meet. That I would be willing to let God have the glory.

Dull...

I know, I know. When am I actually going to have a real post? Not right now. Yes I am very bored at work, but for me to actually keep a train of thought here, is impossible. Right now I have been counting the seconds till lunch time. only 1920 more to go!! I'll post more tomorrow

Oh What a Day!!

Yesterday, I was invited to go on a hike with some friends from camp. I thought "sure, a couple of hours hiking and maybe icecream after, no problem". It turned into a 10 hour marathon of fun and laughter!! We left my parents place around 1:00 in the afternoon and headed out to camp for some exercise. And oh, what a gorgeous day for hiking!! 20 degrees, the trees are starting to turn, the sun was out, Perfect!! After our hike, they decided to play some football. Since I haven't got over my fear of flying/falling objects, I opted for lazing in the sun instead. Afterward we went out for ice cream at Dairy Queen. Yum! Pecan Cluster Blizzard. Lots of laughs and then we decided to go and buy some food from Stuporstore, and make supper at someone's house. Perogies and bacon. Good stuff. lots more laughs and then we went to another person's house for some basketball and frisbee, where I again opted for the sidelines and my 4 doggy friends. Apparently every animal knows what a sucker I am. ;) We ended up gong inside and eating and laughing some more and finally got back to my parents place around 11:30. Anyway, It is another gorgeous day outside. Maybe I'll go rollerblading or something.

Just a Typical Day at Work

So...not much new going on in my life. Yesterday I firmly decided that chewing tobacco is an absolutely disgusting habit! It reeks, it bulges out your cheek, it makes it hard to talk properly and I'm sure that there are many other reasons beyond that. Besides serving that one person last night was a very slow and easy night. Today I'm on commercial. Yay!! love that! So, I got my passport in the mail a few days ago. It only took them 14 days to get it to me. Not bad! Also, Tauernhof got my application so it is now completely officially official. And...I got my leave of absence approved from work. Great!! Everything is falling into place so neatly! I'd better start working now. :)

Back to Work

So, my first day back at work after my extra long weekend and I got to work overtime. Yay!! Can you tell I'm being sarcastic? I am. No, it wasn't because I was rusty and couldn't balance. It was because it was so incredibly busy!! So much for a holiday to get rested up! I think I'm more tired now than before. I'm sitting here listening to my little bro record some harmonies for one of his songs. If I didn't know better, I would think that he just couldn't sing. :) It's funny 'cause we can't hear the music he's singing along with, so we just hear him singing something that sounds very off key. :) Anyway...I think I'm going to go home now and do some more Sudokus to make me really tired, and then I'm going to bed. g'night

The LifeLight Experience

Wow! What a great weekend!! So, apparently my parents (no pun intended) like Perkins because it's "predictable". We stopped there for lunch the other day in Winnipeg, and then on the way down to Sioux Falls, and also when we got to Sioux Falls. For those of you who know how indecisive I can be when looking at a menu, I am really tired of Chicken Quesadillas. :) When we stopped for lunch at Perkins we were seated right by a middle aged couple who were taking their very elderly mother out for lunch. So funny!! They kept on reading suggestions off the menu for her with tantalizing comments. The elderly woman was so spunky! She didn't know what she wanted, but she sure knew what she didn't want!! After a few such comments, Mom and I were trying to not obviously laugh at them. So when we got to Sioux Falls we camped at the KOA. Showers, a great playground, laundry facilities and not too many other things that would recommend them. Not my idea of real camping, but I'm not complaining too hard because it was cold and wet so it was good to have those things (minus the playground). LifeLight...Yeah, so it started out with a lot of rain (and I mean a lot!!) With close to 100,000 people walking all over the grounds and driving all over the fields where there was parking, it was soon a muddy mess! I wore flip flops on Friday and got a really great pedicure!!! Hardened mud..exfoliation..yah. :) We sat in the dining tent and watched people trying to walk up a little hill to get to the main stage and wiping out. People were walking around in mud from head to toe!! The showers and dryers were in demand at the KOA that night. The next day was much better!! It was still a little cold, but it was drying up. They had brought in wood chips and gravel and we had gone out and bought rubber boots (with hard toes for moshing!!jk). We managed to stay fairly warm and dry and the concerts were good! Sunday was definitely my favorite day for concerts though. Leeland ( a really great band with a 17 year old lead singer!! ) Sanctus Real, Kutless, and Newsboys...although not my favorite band, they always have a fun concert!! The sun also decided to come out on "Sun"day and dried everything out and kept us much warmer. So we came back safe and sound and even without a cold!!

The Gift of Love

The reason I was thinking about what I am going to share with you is because I had a song stuck in my head. I know that those songs are often not ones that we want stuck, but this time I was blessed with one of my favorites.

Arms of Love
I sing a simple song of love
To my Savior, to my Jesus
I'm grateful for the things You've done
My loving Savior, my precious Jesus
My heart is glad that you've called me your own
And there's no place I'd rather be
Than in Your arms of love
Than in Your arms of love
Holding me still, holding me near
In Your arms of love

We have been given a gift called love. There are many ways that people think about love, but I'm thinking in the simplest terms of the meaning. God gave His Son out of love for mankind. He wants us back.

1John 4:9-11 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might have life through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Since God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.

If God had not shown His love for us in this way, what reason would we have for showing kindness to others? We as Christians should literally be taking Christ's example when he was here on earth, and loving others like he did. Without asking, "what's in it for me?". If Christ had not come, what would our world be like? I know that for me, living in a Christian community, it's hard to imagine. In this way we can understand the verse:

1John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

So simple. But is it really? God has given us an opportunity to love. By becoming a Christian, going to church, going to youth, being baptized...all those things we do...in these things we are supposed to be making a conscious decision to live as Christ did, to LOVE as Christ did and does. Are we? What a scary, exciting, challenging thought!

Please realize that in writing this I am not trying to judge you. This is just my thoughts about my life made public, to challenge and hopefully encourage you!!

Another Day, Another Dollar (or a few more)

Ya, I'm working today. :( Actually I've been sitting here watching other people work. haha. I'm on commercial teller today and it's separate from the other tellers. I only have to key business deposits and there haven't been that many businesses coming in. I get to go for lunch pretty soon. Yippee. I couldn't find much to eat at home though. I have eggos and syrup and nachos and salsa and a yogurt. weird, I know. I only have to work 3 days next week! yay! I'm on vacation on thursday and friday and then we are going to sioux falls for life light fest. good times! I know I'm not writing with good grammar or phonetics, but I'm sure you all get the general idea. As one of my coworkers said this morning "Saturdays are when you are supposed to be home watching cartoons." :) I'm lazy...

Making it a Habit

Hey,
You might find that I don't really have much to say, but I'm trying to make this a habit. :) Eventually it might stick and I'll actually update this regularly. So I started reading some of "The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer". Wow!! A lot of it doesn't really sink in, but some of it I'm able to understand. What an amazing thinker!! And to be able to put it into words! Even though the average person may not be able to understand it right off. I'm finding it fascinating anyhow, and it's pulled me in enough that I might actually be able to keep reading it without getting sidetracked. Well..I've been thinking about all the things that I may need for Austria and trying to cut out all the unneccessary. It really is going to be hard to fit everything in two bags. What about all my shoes? just kidding. I'll live without my 2 dozen pairs somehow. 'k maybe I don't have quite that many. Only 18 pairs that I can think of excluding slippers. :) At least I have the reputation of girls packing a lot as an excuse. If Justin didn't need his 50 lbs of stuff, he could bring some of my stuff to Europe as well and just forward it to me when I got there. LOL It might look kinda strange for him to be bringing my heels with him though. :) (Justin: I give you permission to get me back.) Maybe I'd better go before I dig myself into a deeper hole.

There and Back Again (Beth's Tale)

Actually, I'm going to keep this relatively short, because I am really tired. :) It was a successful day in the city. I got my flights booked, my travel insurance bought, and all the browsing through stores I ever have wanted to do in my life, done. It really feels official that I am going now! I also feel more nervous than ever about the lack of travelling I've done, but what better way to get experience except through experiencing. :) It was a fun day with the parents, but exhausting nonetheless. Far too much "browsing and saving", not that I wanted to spend money. Oh well, at least most of the day was spent in one of my favorite places...shoe stores. Just one of my many weaknesses, but I was able to hold out and didn't buy a single pair. Every time I was tempted, I just told myself that I was saving money by not buying them. I saved a few hundred bucks today. haha. Dad was looking for some shoes, but he ended up saving money too! There's nothing out there that could possibly measure up to my Dad. :) just kidding. The styles are a little weird in Men's dress shoes right now though. A whole bunch of European styles that have long toes that make you look like one of Santa's elves!!! :) Well...things are quickly falling into place for my trip so...time to talk to the boss. :) gotta get to bed soon! my eyes are starting to close on me. Peace

I'm Going to AUSTRIA!!!

Yes, I've known about this for three weeks already, but I figured it was time to share it with everyone. I'm sure not that many people are actually checking this site for updates anymore, but I guess I might try writing on here again. I have been looking into possibly either going to school or working at a school for quite a while, but finally on a day when I was feeling "down in the dumps", I got an email from Capernwray Tauernhof in Austria saying that they would like me to come and help out for 6 months. So...I will be spending Christmas and my 20th birthday in the Alps!! :) I'm excited to see what God has to show me in another part of the world. I'm ready for a challenge and a change of scenery and to meet new people. Please pray for me that I will be completely willing and ready to be used by God.
God Bless