Life has been in full swing and Christmas is approaching quickly...as usual. Thanks to all who prayed for healing after my fall. I ended up in the ER due to severe headaches and numbness in my limbs...definately not fun! Things continued to go down hill and I was about to return to the ER for a second look and some sweet friends came over to pray and worship and they prayed for me and vwa la! All of the pain and numbing went away and I haven't seen it since :) Thank you Jesus!
Dresden is definately a special place to be for the holidays. The historic buildings are all covered in white lights, decorated Christmas trees and of course there is the annual Christmas Market. This year Dresden celebrated it's 552nd anniversary for the Christmas Market, the second oldest in all of Germany. You can eat all traditional German goodies such as curry wurst (I personally would NOT reccommend that one!), Bratwurst on a bun w/sourcrout, sweet cruncy nuts, chocolate covered everything and the traditional Christmas drink, Glouvine... a hot spiced alcoholic cider. You can find lots of sweet trinkets and gifts made here in Germany as well.
My German class is in full swing. We're on week three and I'm already noticing huge improvements in my listening and speaking skills. It's wonderful to be able to communicate more and more. Monday and Tuesday nights are dedicated to prayer and worship in the prayer room at my house. We typically worship for an hour and spend the second hour+ praying for the lost in our community. Last Monday was the first time non-English speakers showed up so it really stretched me to sing and pray in German! I feel like these times have already been really fruitful and that God is using it so speak to us and to change the atmostphere. The people that come are really thankful for a place to pray and people to pray with.
Fall quarter at the Bible School came to a close last Thursday and we're on break until February. We'll (the team of missionaries supporting the school) be spending this time seeing where God wants to take the school, brainstorming, organizing and creating more strutcture and putting together a vision for the near future. I am excited to be a part of the team. I'll personally be working on learning more German worship songs as worship is an important element to the Bible School.
The Friday Night Watch continues on Alaunstrasse (where I live). People of all ages gather in an apt for dinner, prayer and worship and then we go out on the street to talk and pray with people. There are amazing things happening every week.
I'll be spending Christmas with my house-mate, Elly and her family who live in the nearby village of Freiberg. Then two other American glas and I are going to head on over to Prag for a couple of days after the new year! Exciting!! :)
Merry Christmas!
Bless you dear ones :) XOXOXOXO
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A Rude Awakening
This morning I rose just in time for the morning prayer with my house-mates. I live in the attic. On the floor in my room is a door that openes to a set of stairs that takes you to the rest of the flat. Like every other morning I opened the door and set my foot down on the first step to head to the prayer meeting. It's all kind of a blur from there. All I remember is falling backwards and watching my bible fly through the air. I twisted and bumped and banged backwards down the stairs until my head hit the hard wood floor at the bottom, with my legs twisted up inbetween the stairs. I laid there for quite a while because I just wasn't sure if I could move or if I should move. After whipmering on the floor for a bit my roommate helped me get onto the couch and put ice on my poor leggins. I am bruised in every possible place...even my toes. And I have never seen such black ones before... wierd!
I was sitting on the couch trying to figure out what happened and noticed my bible lying open on the floor. Sanne, my sweet roomie, picked it up and on the page it was opened to I had previously underlined the scripture where God tells Moses, "My arm is not too short to save." Hmm... Could it have been just a bit longer to save me from that fall? ;) If he wanted to tell me something, did he have to get my attention that way? On the opposite page I had underlined Gods instructions to the Isrealites about sending the trumpeters first into battle.
Since arriving in Dresden I have been diligently asking God for direction in starting prayer and worship gatherings and helping to work towards 24/7 prayer. Last week God really started speaking to me about this. Or rather, I probably just started listening. This weekend I wrote it in stone that Monday and Tuesdays nights were going to be the Lord's and that I would invite people to come and pray and worship in our prayer room... no other agenda but to spend time with Jesus. And that I would show up and stay even if it's only Jesus and me. The past few days since have been so crazy. Satan definately has his radar out and caught sight of this idea to gather people together to spend time with Jesus and he was going to just put a stop to it. But Jesus is so much bigger than that. I have been battling many things as I prepare these times of worship, and the Word that opened up to me as a result of the rude awakening down the stairs this morning spoke directly to me. His arm is not too short to save us from the plans of the enemy who comes to steal our efforts to bring glory to Jesus. And the way we fight is with worship. That's battle. Through worship we cut into the enemies plans, break strongholds and tear down defenses.
It kind of stinks that I had to fall down a flight of stairs backwards to be reminded of this timely truth but hey, I guess it worked didn't it! :)
ps... I had the first Monday night prayer last night. It was Jesus and me. It was GREAT! Tonight there were three of us! Praise God. He is so good.
pss.... As William Booth of the Salvation Army wrote:
While women weep as they do now, I'll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, I'll fight; while there is a poor little lost girl upon the street, I'll fight; while there yet remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight - I'll fight to the very end!
I was sitting on the couch trying to figure out what happened and noticed my bible lying open on the floor. Sanne, my sweet roomie, picked it up and on the page it was opened to I had previously underlined the scripture where God tells Moses, "My arm is not too short to save." Hmm... Could it have been just a bit longer to save me from that fall? ;) If he wanted to tell me something, did he have to get my attention that way? On the opposite page I had underlined Gods instructions to the Isrealites about sending the trumpeters first into battle.
Since arriving in Dresden I have been diligently asking God for direction in starting prayer and worship gatherings and helping to work towards 24/7 prayer. Last week God really started speaking to me about this. Or rather, I probably just started listening. This weekend I wrote it in stone that Monday and Tuesdays nights were going to be the Lord's and that I would invite people to come and pray and worship in our prayer room... no other agenda but to spend time with Jesus. And that I would show up and stay even if it's only Jesus and me. The past few days since have been so crazy. Satan definately has his radar out and caught sight of this idea to gather people together to spend time with Jesus and he was going to just put a stop to it. But Jesus is so much bigger than that. I have been battling many things as I prepare these times of worship, and the Word that opened up to me as a result of the rude awakening down the stairs this morning spoke directly to me. His arm is not too short to save us from the plans of the enemy who comes to steal our efforts to bring glory to Jesus. And the way we fight is with worship. That's battle. Through worship we cut into the enemies plans, break strongholds and tear down defenses.
It kind of stinks that I had to fall down a flight of stairs backwards to be reminded of this timely truth but hey, I guess it worked didn't it! :)
ps... I had the first Monday night prayer last night. It was Jesus and me. It was GREAT! Tonight there were three of us! Praise God. He is so good.
pss.... As William Booth of the Salvation Army wrote:
While women weep as they do now, I'll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, I'll fight; while there is a poor little lost girl upon the street, I'll fight; while there yet remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight - I'll fight to the very end!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
At last!
Come to find out.. I am not a very faithful blogger....yet!
I'm writing this sitting here in my little attic room, listening to the sounds coming from the street below... the ongoing drum beat from the pub beneath, shouts and screams from the punks hanging out, the occasional firework.. ya know..pretty normal ;)
I'm staying warm inside the sleeping bag that I keep hidden under my covers. It has become permenant bed clothes for the winter. My tummy is full from the Thanksgiving meal I enjoyed tonight with some American friends. How nice to have a touch of home. Instead of turkey we had goose. Wouldn't recomend it! ;) Sweet potatoes, green bean caserol! Pumkin pie! Thank you, Lord!!
I'm all settled into my new home sweet home at Alaunstrasse 30 or also know as: A30. I live with two amazing people who love to speak English... wonderful for getting to know eachother...terrbile for my German! But I'd rather get to know eachother! Beneath us lives the family who owns the building. They are full of sweetness and have been so kind to me. Their daughter and I have become fast friends. She teaches me German and I teach her helpful words like Yummy and Okie Dokie! She's 3. :) Below them is the prayer room. Below the prayer room is a pub, The Purple Haze. Now how's that for a name! Two other sweet ladies live in the garden house as well. We all meet three mornings each week to pray together and we have 'community night' on Wednesday nights. It's such a blessing to be here. I couldn't be in a better place. Thank you Jesus.
I'm writing this sitting here in my little attic room, listening to the sounds coming from the street below... the ongoing drum beat from the pub beneath, shouts and screams from the punks hanging out, the occasional firework.. ya know..pretty normal ;)
I'm staying warm inside the sleeping bag that I keep hidden under my covers. It has become permenant bed clothes for the winter. My tummy is full from the Thanksgiving meal I enjoyed tonight with some American friends. How nice to have a touch of home. Instead of turkey we had goose. Wouldn't recomend it! ;) Sweet potatoes, green bean caserol! Pumkin pie! Thank you, Lord!!
I'm all settled into my new home sweet home at Alaunstrasse 30 or also know as: A30. I live with two amazing people who love to speak English... wonderful for getting to know eachother...terrbile for my German! But I'd rather get to know eachother! Beneath us lives the family who owns the building. They are full of sweetness and have been so kind to me. Their daughter and I have become fast friends. She teaches me German and I teach her helpful words like Yummy and Okie Dokie! She's 3. :) Below them is the prayer room. Below the prayer room is a pub, The Purple Haze. Now how's that for a name! Two other sweet ladies live in the garden house as well. We all meet three mornings each week to pray together and we have 'community night' on Wednesday nights. It's such a blessing to be here. I couldn't be in a better place. Thank you Jesus.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
welcome to dresden!
I'm finally on German soil! I believe I counted around 22 hours of travel time today. My sweet family dropped me off at SEATAC on Monday evening. It was so hard to say good-bye :( I LOVE YOU FAMILY!!!!! The trip started out with a bang when I got pulled over during the security check. I got the wand and my guitar got the royal treatment…something like it kept making these special sensors go off that detect bomb making materials. Hmmm…the last time I checked, I wasn't carrying any explosives :)
From Seattle to Copenhagen. From Copenhagen to Frankfurt. From Frankfurt to Dresden by train. All with appx. 160lbs of luggage and only two arms. Piece-O-Cake! Let me say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the people who helped me carry things that I know will never ever read this blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were lifesavers! My wonderful friends, Dierk and Stephan, were waiting at the Dresden Main train station to pick me up and it just so happened that I was waiting at a train station too….the wrong one! Unaware that there were two train stations in Dresden, I got off at the wrong one. Who knew! But they finally found me and got me all packed in and brought me safe and sound to the Mueller home (Dierk's parents) where I'll be staying for a couple of days until I can move into my new room.
Thank you for your prayers! I definitely felt protected and safe the whole time :) I'm so thrilled to be here and to started life here. The agenda for the week is to meet my new flatmates, meet with the ministry leaders I'll be working with, figure out a ministry schedule, find a bed and move in! I LOVE YOU!!!! HUG HUG HUG
*holly
From Seattle to Copenhagen. From Copenhagen to Frankfurt. From Frankfurt to Dresden by train. All with appx. 160lbs of luggage and only two arms. Piece-O-Cake! Let me say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the people who helped me carry things that I know will never ever read this blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were lifesavers! My wonderful friends, Dierk and Stephan, were waiting at the Dresden Main train station to pick me up and it just so happened that I was waiting at a train station too….the wrong one! Unaware that there were two train stations in Dresden, I got off at the wrong one. Who knew! But they finally found me and got me all packed in and brought me safe and sound to the Mueller home (Dierk's parents) where I'll be staying for a couple of days until I can move into my new room.
Thank you for your prayers! I definitely felt protected and safe the whole time :) I'm so thrilled to be here and to started life here. The agenda for the week is to meet my new flatmates, meet with the ministry leaders I'll be working with, figure out a ministry schedule, find a bed and move in! I LOVE YOU!!!! HUG HUG HUG
*holly
Monday, October 29, 2007
farewell
monday, Oct 29
It's 6:47 AM and I'm getting ready to elave on this journey to Germany. Five months ago when the whole idea of Germany found it's way into my heart I had no idea it would be this hard to leave. Saying good-bye to my dear family and precious friends has made me wonder if I'm really cut out for this mission stuff after all! :) ...but I know I must go and I'm trusting in God's perfect plan. I'm excited to go. The past few months have been the biggest faith building experience yet as God showed himself faithful again and again. My faith increases every day. All of my needs are met, from the small somewhat insignificant things to my rent and food being paid for for the entire year. I am amazed at what God has done adn how generoust the community around me is in prayers, love and support and how eager they are to see God's work being done in Germany. Thank you! Well guys...I guess I'm off to Deutschland!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless you sweet ones! holly
It's 6:47 AM and I'm getting ready to elave on this journey to Germany. Five months ago when the whole idea of Germany found it's way into my heart I had no idea it would be this hard to leave. Saying good-bye to my dear family and precious friends has made me wonder if I'm really cut out for this mission stuff after all! :) ...but I know I must go and I'm trusting in God's perfect plan. I'm excited to go. The past few months have been the biggest faith building experience yet as God showed himself faithful again and again. My faith increases every day. All of my needs are met, from the small somewhat insignificant things to my rent and food being paid for for the entire year. I am amazed at what God has done adn how generoust the community around me is in prayers, love and support and how eager they are to see God's work being done in Germany. Thank you! Well guys...I guess I'm off to Deutschland!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless you sweet ones! holly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
