On the U-bahn

Typically one does not talk to one's neighbor on the u-bahn, unless the neighbor happens to be a friend.  But riding the long stretch home from language class the other day was an exception.

Attempting to speak German with a friend from class, I fumbled articles, searching for the right one.  

"Die?  Das?  Der?"

In front of me, a girl around my age turned around with an amused look on her face to find me, the source of the butchered German.  And so I smiled, laughed at myself, and asked her which one was correct.  Now I can't remember what the word or the article was, but I appreciated her help.  

As I continued to attempt speech, now lost as to which conjugation was correct, a woman next to me spoke.

"You're doing fine," she said, smiling in understanding.  Turns out she's not from Germany either, and she too is learning the language.

After that, the four of us began a conversation in the train.  A conversation so enjoyable that one of our new friends missed two or three stops while talking, and we exchanged contact information in the end!

How fun to find common ground, helpful people, and good conversation.

This week, our team discussed John 14-17.  There's some great stuff there.

One of the things I noticed: Jesus kept talking about how when we ask for things in his name, they'll happen (Luke 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24).  God will do them.  Whoah.

You know those things that you believe in the sense that you know they are true, but at the same time you don't believe, in the sense that you don't live like they're true?  This is one of those for me.

I know that Jesus is telling the truth.  That's what he does.  But if I really believed him when he says, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (Luke 14:14)... wouldn't I be asking him for things in his name all the time??

So now I've gotta figure out what I can ask in his name.  Somebody said that asking 'in his name' means asking 'according to his will.'  Which can seem daunting, until I'm reminded that he tells me what his will is in his Word.

As I was writing this post, I started copying down things that I found in the Bible that I could pray... and then I gave up, because that would be a lot of writing.  There's a lot in there that I could pray.  One wise woman called the Bible 'our prayer book.'

I can't get over it... If I pray stuff in his name, God will do it.  There's so much power there.  I'm really excited, because think of what will happen!  (I almost wrote, "what could happen" instead of "what will happen"... just goes to show that I'm still not fully believing.)  

He will do great things.

I don't say 'thank you' enough.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

I'm thankful for these good and perfect gifts, all of which I don't deserve:

Christ's righteousness.
A King who knows who I am.
The love of the King, despite that knowledge.
My sister.  I really miss her.
The encouragement and assurance of my father.

The friendship and guidance of my mother.

My church home, which really is a home:  teaching, loving, building up, and sending out.
People who give so generously so that students they may never meet can have the chance to hear about the saving work of the Lord.
Students in Berlin who are willing to have spiritual conversations.
The chance to tell them about Jesus.
Friends.  Great, great friends.
Christmas lights in the city.
Christmas in general.
Card games.  Particularly ten penny, but others, too.
A heated apartment.
Snow, which makes the cold worthwhile.
The bakery next door.
That flowers still bloom in winter.
Skype.
Somebody who knows what will happen tomorrow and next week and the rest of my life, and will work things for good.
And hope, because this is true:

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."  Heb. 1:3

Here Come Holidays!

Whoah.

Thanksgiving tomorrow.  Have I really lived in Berlin through September, October, and most of November?  In some ways it feels so normal, but I also continue discovering new things.

For example... Weihnachtsmarkt.  Which means "Christmas Market."  I'd heard so much about how great the Christmas markets in Germany were, but now I've finally experienced one.  And I agree!  In fact, at the market I met a couple from Canada who told me that they traveled all the way to Germany just for the Christmas markets.  (You know how occasionally things are built up so much that on one hand you get really excited about it, but on the other hand you're a little afraid that it won't live up to its purported greatness?  I was worried.  But it totally lived up.)

As soon as possible, I'll post pictures of this.  But for now, a description:

Little stands, draped in Christmas lights, full of goods for sale.  Some of these goods are handcrafted, and sometimes you can even watch the crafting process.  We saw a man cleaning silver jewelry, and another man sawing names out of wood.  Food stands also beckon visitors... things like hot chocolate on a stick, pork sandwiches, roasted nuts, and even soup.  A stage, where various talents are exhibited... juggling, singing, and the like.  And it was cooold... but worth it, because it feels like Christmas!

But, before Christmas comes Thanksgiving!  Though it's not a German holiday, our team will celebrate it, and on Friday we're hosting a Thanksgiving party.  We've invited a bunch of students, and I'm excited to get to share this American holiday with them.  One of the guys on our team is going to roast a puten-- turkey (well... probably more like three or four turkeys!), and the rest of the team will cook various other traditional and non-traditional foods.  I can't wait.

More on Thanksgiving to come...

Warning:  this post is incredibly jumbled.  My brain has felt sort of like a seven-lane highway recently, so I suppose what comes out of it is bound to reflect.  :0)

Have you ever heard of Ikea?  If you want to furnish a home/apartment/dorm/etc... you can literally find everything you need, including food.  It's gigantic, it's cheap, and it's generally cute.  Or at least standard.  Because of this, we spent lots of time there in the first several weeks after moving into our apartment.

One of the best things about Ikea is the cafeteria.  Yep, there's a cafeteria inside a home goods/furnishings store.  You'd really have to visit to get the full effect, but it's hilarious.  And what they're most known for are the Swedish meatballs.  You get, like, 97 meatballs, AND cranberry sauce, and fries.  And then you shop.  You can also buy frozen meatballs, if you want to make them at home.  Which you might want to do, because they're pretty tasty, and you do get sick of Ikea eventually.

The Bundestag, a government building.  People stand in long lines to get inside, and from the top of the building, you can see across the city...  It's so cool.  Sights like the Brandenburg Gate look small from up there.  Several weeks ago, our team climbed the dome and spent some time in prayer for the city and the students in Berlin.

I've heard the Tiergarten (which I think means something like "Animal Park") described as the Central Park of Berlin.  It's near the Bundestag, and it's a great place to go when you need some 'outdoors' in the city.  This precious couple-- gray hair, jackets matching, holding hands-- was walking around the park, and I couldn't help taking a picture.  That's the TV tower in the background.

Last Saturday, we attended a conference for Christian students, put on by Christian student groups in the city, ours (CfC) included.  What a neat day this was, as young people in Berlin gathered together to worship the Lord and learn about how to serve Him.  Near the end of the day, we spent some time in specific university groups, and tears came to my eyes as we joined students of Humboldt University in prayer.  What a blessing that He has brought these students to Himself, and that they are a light in this city!

What I've been learning from the Lord:

He is so good.

Sometimes I try to live on my own.  I don't rely on the Lord, and I think I can do it.  I think I can get by.  I want to laugh as I think about it, because that's so clearly false.

He knows that I can't get by on my own.  He knows that I think I'm so great but I'm really not... and He loves me anyway.  That's big love, you know?

Sprachschule

Sprachschule= language school.  I have begun!

Last week, two of my teammates and I arrived at the language school office, learned our classroom number and the first name of our instructor, and received a red handbook with SOS written on the front.  It's a grammar handbook.  Haven't sunk yet, but we'll see...

Some of the things I've learned so far:

Wo wohnst du? = Where do you live?

Buchstabieren, bitte. = Could you spell it, please?

Wie, bitte? = Pardon/What did you say?

Ours is such an international class.  Of the eight students, three of us are STINTers from the US, but the other five are from five different countries.

In the last class, we began to learn numbers.  This will be really helpful to master.  Currently, I most often encounter numbers auf deustch when I'm at a checkout counter... and though I try to quickly translate in my head, I almost always resort to glancing at the number on the cash register.  Sometimes the cashier will even point to it for me, understanding that I have no idea what I owe.  And though this works for now, I really want to hear and understand.

So, ich lerne deustch.

Fernsehturm

One of the major landmarks of Berlin:  The Fernsehturm.

It's a TV tower.  Built by the atheistic communist government, the tower was intended to show West Berlin that the communist government was thriving.  As it rises higher than a nearby church, it seems also to have been an attempt to mock the church.

BUT.

Jesus wins, every time.

Because when the sun shines on the tower, it makes the shape of a cross.

Yesterday afternoon, a teammate and I ventured around various parts of the city hanging flyers.  Berlin is over three times as big as the largest city I've lived in to date... and I love big cities, so I'm thrilled.  It's so interesting to me that I can get on any number of u-bahns (subways), and when I surface from the underground, I'm in yet another unexplored part of the city.
I haven't been nearly as faithful in bringing along my camera as I should be, and many times yesterday I found things that I would have taken a picture of but couldn't.  I may have to return to capture them on film.  Things like:
*  A street sign reading "Christstrasse"... which means, "Christ Street."
*  Red ivy climbing up a sky-blue building.
*  The "Carpe Diem Cafe."
*  A huge, iron-gated, red-brick building that could easily become the setting for a scary movie.
*  A jungle painted on the wall of an u-bahn station.

Life in the city = :0)

What I'm learning...

The chance to move to another country and talk about Jesus is absolutely amazing.  However, regardless of how much I want to be here and how great my time has been... there are still things I miss.  Recently I put my finger on one of the biggest of these:  I miss being known and loved by the people around me.  Though my team is great and I do feel loved, we haven't known each other very long... so they couldn't meet this need.  So I've currently been feeling sort of lonely, in a strange sense. 

BUT.  This weekend, our speaker told a story about a time when God revealed something to him.  The words from the Lord were, "I know, and I love you."  As I heard his story, I thought, "Oh, yeah, that's good."  But it wasn't until I was reflecting later that I realized:  This is exactly what, just a few days before, I'd said that I've been missing.  Being known and loved.

I felt the Lord's love for me this weekend in a way that I really needed.  How sweet it was to know that what I need, God does.  A favorite verse of mine:  "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."  Ps. 118:8.  I'm learning... however slowly... to take refuge in the Lord.

A look ahead:

School starts this week!!

We'll be getting out on campus to talk to students, handing out flyers about upcoming events, and this weekend we have a retreat for students!

Retreat:

We'll head out to a retreat center, where students can hear from a speaker, worship the Lord, and have good fellowship together to start the year off. 
I'll be helping with the worship... I think we'll sing a lot in English, but we're hoping to try to sing in German, too!

Observation:

*Fall is great.  This is not a Berlin-specific observation... I always love fall.  But, the season here doesn't disappoint!

*Plastic bags from the grocery store aren't always free... so, people often bring their own bags when shopping.  I've sometimes carried my groceries home in my purse, but yesterday I paid 6 (euro) cents for a bag, because I forgot to bring something big enough to tote things home!

Apartment= Check!

We're moved in!!!!

Here's the story of God doing great things:

When we arrived in Berlin, only half the team had apartments.  Hunting for the remaining two apartments needed had been in progress all summer, and continued into fall. 

A couple of weeks ago, the guys were able to move into their (awesome) apartment.  But as my two roommates and I waited for the last apartment-- which would be ours-- I began to think it was impossible.  And I began to think that God wasn't listening. 

This is false.  God listens.

Last Sunday, I opened up an e-mail to find our schedule for the week.  We had committed to praying hard that week for apartments, and we knew that people around the world were praying, too.  So, the schedule said that we'd be moving in on Friday.  Mind you, we had no offers at this point.  They had simply said in faith that Friday would be move-in day.

And then, on Wednesday... we got an offer on an (awesome) apartment.  Seriously. 

And... are you ready for this?  We moved in on Friday.

How awesome is God?

My team works with universities in Berlin, but other Campus Crusade for Christ ministries have a  presence in the city, too.  Today, we had the Berliner Treffen, which is a meeting where all of us come together.  Members of my team were able to share what's planned for the universities, and we heard from people involved in ministry to athletes and someone whose ministry is to businesspeople.  Sharing in prayer for these things was great, and I was encouraged by what the Lord is doing in each of these areas and the vision He's given.

So last night, I made a coffee cake for the meeting today.  I love to bake, and let me tell you:  this is a really fun experience in another country.  My roommate and I went to the grocery store to find what I needed, which was an adventure.  Check out these ingredients:

If you can't tell, they are: (back, from left to right) sour cream-- looks like yogurt containers; flour; brown sugar; white sugar; butter.  In front, the little vials have vanilla-- not the same, but similar enough; and the little packet of "Back-pulver" is baking powder.

After measurement conversions, temperature conversion, and subsitutions... the finished product, though not the same, was edible!  The middle was a little gooey, though... but that's nothing new for me-- I almost always under-bake...

Tomorrow afternoon, we get to spend some time on campus!  Classes start this month, so tomorrow we'll do some planning for that within our campus teams-- you can pray for us!

 "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

A good description of my Sunday, and it comes from my favorite psalm.  Yesterday was a beautiful day in Berlin!  Before I had even entered the sanctuary of the church I visited, I was surprised to see a familiar smiling face-- someone I'd met a couple of weeks ago.  After I found a seat, so many more people came up to say hello and introduce themselves... it's so valuable to be welcomed.  Worshipping the Lord was a blessing. 
After talking to a sweet new friend after church, I walked back... The sun was shining through the trees... the leaves were trying to decide if it's summer or fall... and I found a gorgeous pink and white building that would fit really well in Charleston, S.C.-- one of my favorite cities.
In the afternoon, I talked with my home church through Skype!  I was able to share about what's going on in Berlin, and it was so encouraging to watch a bit of the services and even see the congregation waving!  As I prepared to leave the States last month, one of the things that made me really sad was the fact that I'd be away from my church, and it's so cool to stay connected while I'm here.
After Skyping, I took a walk down the street, bought a bratwurst for dinner, and took some pictures in the evening light.  Good day.

I was encouraged by this verse recently:

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock."  Isaiah 26:3-4

Weather in Berlin:  This morning I could see my breath!

Apartment update:  Between several different members of the team, we've seen some good apartments this week... please pray that one of the landlords would choose our application out of the (potentially) many!

Team Role:  In addition to finding out what campus we'll be working on, we've also learned our roles on our STINT team.  I will be serving by fostering community and encouraging love and bonding among the team.  I'll also be helping with worship-- we will soon be preparing for worship at a fall retreat for students!

Alpha Course:  This is a great event, and I'm excited to be on the planning committee for it.  It's a multi-week course in which people can come, share in food and community, and then learn about and discuss the basics of Christianity.  We'll begin the course with a launch party the first week in November!

Observation: 
*Eggs aren't always refrigerated!  It's possible that this also happens in the States-- I've just never encountered it.  A teammate and I were looking at various jams and honey at the grocery store, and sitting near them, with no form of refrigeration, were cartons of eggs.  I like that.

Sooo... I'm going to be doing ministry at Humboldt University!  Here's a pic:

I already love this place, and I'm really looking forward to my time here.
 Some infomation about Humboldt:

    Historical:
    *Twenty-nine Nobel Prize winners, including Albert Einstein, have been associated with the university
    *Former students include Karl Marx and Otto von Bismark
    *Nazi book-burning (eliminating books of which the Nazis didn't approve) took place here-- a memorial consisting of empty bookshelves now commemorates the appalling event
    Current stats:
    *Over 30,000 students attend
    *Over 5,000 of these students are international
    *Last year, ministry here was fruitful, and we can't wait for this year!

On Wednesday, we took a train to another part of Germany for the conference.  Meeting other Campus Crusade university workers in Germany was great, and we were able to hear about different events for this year in which the students can take part.  Some of the meetings were held in English, and other parts in German-- people translated for those of us who don't really speak the language yet!

We're still praying for an apartment... but, I bought a bike!  It may take me a bit to feel totally comfortable riding it along the sidewalks (dodging people, and all...) but it was a good price, and it'll be a fun mode of transportation.

Observation:

*German bowling-- called kegeln-- is really fun.  Rather than knocking down as many pins as possible each time you throw, you bowl for your team, and collectively you have to knock down five pins five different times, four pins four different times, etc., and six pins four times, seven pins three times, etc... it's a challenge to knock down only that number!  We played one evening while we were at the conference-- I think it was a good ice breaker/bonding time between all of us.

Next post, I'm going to tell you about the university that I've been assigned to!!  I'm so excited!!!!  :0)

It's officially been a week since I arrived in Berlin, and I feel as though the 'getting used to life in Europe' process is going well so far.  :0)

Yesterday (Sunday), I visited a church that one of my teammates attended last year.  Worshipping in a Sunday morning service in Berlin was a neat experience.  Though the songs were mostly in English, German translation was available below the English words, and we also sang a little bit in Spanish and a little bit in  German... that was really cool.  I'll be visiting other churches in Berlin, too, until I decide where I should attend this year, and I'm looking forward to that.

Today, among other things, we explored mensas in the city to determine if they would be good places to meet and connect with students.  Later this week, we'll attend part of a conference held for the people working with Campus Crusade for Christ at the universities in Germany.

On another note-- here are just a couple of many neat things I've discovered about Berlin: 

*There are so many flower shops here!  Along the streets, in the subway stations... walking past them is so cheery.
*The chocolate is great.  :0)
*The transportation system isn't difficult to understand, and it's very helpful.

Many more observations to come!

"Ich lerne Deutsch"... Which means, I'm learning German.  :0)  Little by little, I'm trying to pick up phrases, and I'm finding it really fun!

Yesterday we visited another campus, and today we went to a third.  Today it was so neat to spend time prayer-walking around the campus, asking the Lord to work in the lives of the students and to work through us.

I've loved getting to meet some German students this week, too.  Also, our team is now complete-- our final member arrived today!

Arrived!

We're in Berlin!  We arrived Monday morning-- mid-morning, Berlin time. With tears in my eyes, my thought as the plane was pulling up to the gate was, "I'm here!"  After months of anticipation, I'm actually here.  I'm so thankful for the support of those who are sending me.
I'm grateful for the prayers for our travel-- thankfully things went smoothly, and friendly faces met us at the airport.
Today it was great to visit one of the campuses at which members of our team will be working.  We ate lunch in the cafeteria (here they're called mensas) and looked around a bit, and tomorrow we'll head to another university.
This morning I read Psalm 3:8, which says, "Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!"  I feel blessed that He has called all of His people to share the news of His incredible salvation.

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Josh. 1:9

What an awesome God.  He gives us commands… but they’re good ones.  Ones that I want to follow.  I want to get rid of my fear and discouragement, and I want to “Be strong and courageous.”  And how sweet is His promise—His presence, always.

In a little over two weeks, I’ll be flying to Berlin, Germany.  Working with Campus Crusade for Christ, I’m going to do campus ministry with a team of thirteen people.  We’re called STINTers, because we’re doing Short Term INTernational ministry.  I can’t wait to get started.  And I’m so thankful for the promise God’s given—that He will be with me in Berlin.  A year ago, I was hoping that God wouldn’t call me overseas.  But now, I feel totally blessed that He has.  I’m so excited to praise His name in Germany.

Here I’m going to share what’s going on with ministry and life in Berlin.  I’m new at blogging, so you’ll have to bear with me as I learn, but I’m grateful for your interest.  God’s a great God, and I’m praying that He does great things this year!

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On another note:  I’ve begun to pack, and I'd love suggestions!