Singing and Hitchhiking and other legit activities.

On week 4 and still going strong. So far the topics have been Hearing God’s  voice (week 1), the unconditional love of God (week 2) where we had the BEST speaker ever, Dan Boumann… this guy spent 9 weeks in prison in Iran because he’s THAT legit. Some of the stories he told were just plain crazy and amazing, and you could tell how much he loved God and how real God was through his stories. This past week (week 3) we had this guy whose name I can’t spell, but it’s pronounced Eggbird. Yes, egg+bird.  He spoke about the character and nature of God.  And this week we have his wife who is talking about intimacy with God. Good stuff.

Nothing drastic or life-changing has happened yet but I figured I should update you anyways on what I’ve been doing here in Germany. We have weekends free, so this past weekend and the weekend before that, some friends and I took a train to Dresden, Germany. The first weekend was great- we shopped (even though we’re all poor YWAMers) and I spent most of my day in Starbucks, where I spent about an equivalent of $7 on a caramel Frappuccino… (don’t you dare judge me. It was worth it) and used the free wifi to upload pictures to Facebook. Feel free to stalk me by the way… it’s what they are there for. J

This past weekend was a little different though. I went to Dresden expecting to spend the day for my own entertainment, like the weekend before. But after finding a KFC (and freaking out because I was actually eating chicken… CHICKEN!! How I’ve missed you) Mary, my lovely travel buddy, and I met up with a precious German lad from our DTS who brought his guitar. We went to the middle of the city and he started playing and singing his little heart out, while tons of lost, unsaved Germans walked by.

Something about watching him praise God amidst so much ungodliness stirred something in my heart. Then I remembered my conversation with my parents on Skype, where they said they wanted to hear me sing again. So I did. It was only one song, but I sang with Patric the song “Mighty to Save”, which was completely appropriate. “Savior, he can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save. Forever author of salvation. He rose and conquered the grave! Shine your light and let the whole world see, we’re singing for the glory of the Risen King!” When I was singing those words, I started praying for all the people walking by. Europe is such a lost continent, and I feel so helpless and frustrated sometimes because I’m unable to speak their language and tell them about God. But since that song was all I had to offer, I was going to sing it (even though it’s very much out of my comfort zone to sing in front of people I don’t know). Although I went to Dresden for a day to myself, by a simple change of plans trying to bless others, I was the one that was blessed. Funny how God works that way.

So anyways, I left Dresden about 4 o clock with 4 other people because, as mentioned before, we are poor YWAMers and don’t want to spend unnecessary money on meals when we get free meals at the castle. So it was 2 boys, 2 girls, and me. We took the train just fine from Dresden to Lobau, where we were supposed to catch a bus back to Herrnhut. But of course, the next bus wasn’t supposed to come for another 2 hours, which meant we would miss dinner, the whole reason we left in the first place. Naturally, we decided to hitchhike back to Herrnhut, about 8 miles-ish away. We made a precious little sign and set out walking in the general direction of home. An hour later (sigh) we were getting cold and it was getting dark. So we prayed. Immediately a tiny little red car stopped for us. God is good. He just wants me to put a little faith in Him. That’s all. So 4 of us piled in the backseat and 1 in the front while the driver rocked out to “I’ve Got The Power”, complete with subs and all.  We made it back just in time for din din. All in all, my first hitchhike experience was a success. Go God.

I’m hoping to share many more stories like this with you in the near future! I’m in Herrnhut one more week, and then on Sunday my DTS is heading to Hamburg for 2 weeks (although 4 others and I are leaving this Saturday to do a drama in the church we are staying at). I’m not sure if I will be guaranteed Internet access, but I’ll get on and update you all as often as possible.

If you would be so kind as to pray for me that would be splendid. Pray for my DTS and I as we head to Hamburg, where I think we will be focusing on human trafficking. Pray for doors to be opened for us so we can spread the good news to as many people as possible. Pray for our ministry to be effective and that people would have open ears and open hearts to what we have to say. Also, pray that God gives me sure guidance as to where I should go on outreach this December. (I’ll update you as to where that country is later this week, when I know for sure where I’m going). Thank you all for reading and for your continued prayers. It means more than you know. I miss you all and can’t wait for the day that I will be reunited with all of your precious faces. Give my family hugs for me. Love, Me.

Muslim Ministry and Hearing God's Voice

I just had the most amazing experience. Have you ever been in Germany, talked to a  Muslim, and spoke Spanish all at the same time? Well that’s exactly what I just did. We had our first local outreach to Zittau, where we went to a refugee camp full of single men that all seemed to be creepily obsessed with my eyes.  Besides that, it was such a great experience that I will never forget.  He and I talked about the differences between  Muslim and Christianity, and really got into a heated discussion (all in Spanish, remember!) Sra. B would be so proud J  I told him pretty much everything I knew, and everything God told me to tell him. It ended with me asking him to just read the Bible and seeing how his life changes radically… and he AGREED! That doesn’t mean that he will give his life to Christ, but it’s a start. And that made me so happy. In the middle of our discussion when it seemed he wasn’t listening to me anymore, I just stopped and prayed “God, you can move mountains. You can melt a heart of stone. Please let him open his ears and listen to this information that I am telling him and let him accept it, God.” God was definitely listening to that prayer. So my first outreach was, in my eyes, a huge success.

 It’s amazing to me how God can speak to us and let us know what to say, who to talk to, when to speak, and when to listen. This week our topic of learning has been hearing the voice of God. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I have been listening to the lies of others and the Enemy and myself for so long, that I was drowning out God’s voice, not giving Him a chance to speak truth to me. And now that I’ve FINALLY let Him speak, He sure has been speaking some crazy stuff to me.  The main theme so far for me has been MASTERPIECE. I am God’s masterpiece, and every time I say I’m not beautiful, it’s like I slap God in the face.  It will be a constant struggle for me, but what God says is true, and I can’t pick and choose what truths I want to believe.  This YWAM experience has been absolutely amazing so far, and it hasn’t even been a full week yet. God is already doing radical things in my life, changing me in ways I didn’t think was possible.  And I can’t wait to see the person I will become in these next 6 months. I'm so giddy it's insane. I'll keep the updates coming! Love you all :)


 

Destination: Deutschland

I made it! Finally. That was the longest 20 hours of my life. My travel partner Mary and I faced a few bumps along the way but we were blessed by these bumps... We met many people who helped us along the way, each of whom got the name "Angel". So here's how our day went: 10 hour flight from LAX to Düsseldorf, and then got on another plane, one hour to Berlin. The first drama of the trip hit us when we were surprised by the fact that the train station wasn't in the airport like we were told. We had to take a bus,  and since we are two dumb Americans we didn't know when to get off.. *Enter Angel #1*. A fine young German lad who actually just got back from Cali visiting his girlfriend. So basically he fell in love with us, took us to the train station, told us when to get off, EVERYTHING. Stinkin' ANGEL!! Thanks to lovely Angel #1, we continued on to "Central Station" and after buying a 48 euro train ticket (which we found out was a rip-off), we were comletely defeated, tired, lost, confused... the list goes on. As we were walking to sit down, I said out loud "God please give us someone to talk to." We plopped down on the lovely train station floor and *Enter Angel #2, 3, and 4* This guy randomly walked by and tickled the bottom of my shoe. I thought it was weird at first but then Mary told me to go talk to them and see if they spoke English and could help. They spoke perfect English, helped us through everything, told us where to go... ANGELS! We said farewell to them and while waiting for our train to come, Mary and I started feeling overwhelmed again. She prayed, out loud, holding my hands in a public train station with people all around, and asked God for guidance and peace. Not only did I immediately feel a weight lift off my shoulders, but also Angels #3 and 4 randomly came up to us and said "Let's go on this train here, just ride with us and you'll end up in the same spot." PRAISE GOD. When it was our time to get off, once again (surprise) we were confused where our platform was. These precious lambs missed their train to help us find our platform. At this point it was October 2 (we left Cali Oct 1) and we were running on no food, no sleep, and no energy. The train we were on was going to Lobau, where someone from our base was supposed to pick us up, but without a phone, we had no way to contact the YWAM base. Once again, Mary and I started praying hard that somehow we could find a phone and get ahold of the castle or that there would be a safe place to sleep at the train station. Yes, we were THAT desperate for sleep. But when we stepped off the train, our DTS leader was there to greet us. That was the best sight I had seen in a very long time. She took us by DTS van back to the castle and when I first saw it I could hardly believe it. It was so beautiful, and this is my HOME for the next month! I'll put a picture of it up on the next blog.
We also got our "schedule"... sorta. As of now, we are in Herrnhut at the castle for a month. Then Germany for 3 weeks. By then we should have our visa so we are heading to Switzerland for 5 weeks. After that is outreach for 8-9 weeks, then we come back and travel Europe more for 6-7 weeks. Yay. Well, I really can't wait to see how God is going to completely change my life. BRING IT ON!!