Clemson People Are AWESOME!! / Clemson Leute sind ausgeziechnet!!

Ok, so we've been here now for 3 months, and we've met some really great people. Well, we'd been here only for about 2 weeks when we decided to go hiking on a mountain here in Reutlingen. Danny and I both wore Clemson hats, and I think Danny was also wearing a Clemson t-shirt. When we finally hiked to the top, we were looking out on the beautiful landscape when someone shouted, "Go Tigers!!" Of course, we were like "no way," but sure enough, someone in Germany recognized the Clemson logo. We started talking, and we've become pretty good friends over the last few months.

Then, last week, we were at the Weihnactsmarkt in Esslingen. Of course, Danny wore his brightly colored orange Clemson hat. Again, someone shouted, "GO TIGERS!!" This time we were really taken aback. Ok, so it's a fluke when you meet one person who has heard of Clemson, but now we've met two families!!! Crazy!! The second group of people that we met actually live in Anderson. One is a professor at AU, and had graduated from Clemson in 1968. It really is a small world.

German:

Ok, wir sind heir jetzt seit 3 Monate, und wir haben wirklich nette leute kennen gelernt. Als wir 2 Wochen hier waren, sind wir auf der Achalm gewandert. Danny und ich haben Clemson Hüte getragen, und Danny hat auch ein Clemson T-shirt getragen. Als wir auf der Spitze waren, und uns die schöne Landschaft angeschaut haben, hat jemand "Go Tigers!!" geruft. Natürlich haben wir uns gedacht, dass darf doch nicht war sein. Wir haben uns unterhaltet, und seit dem haben wir uns öfters mal wieder gesehen.

Letzte Woche haben wir den Weihnachtsmarkt in Esslingling besucht. Danny hat seine helle orange Clemson Mütze getragen. Noch mal ruft jemand, "Go Tigers!!" Dieses mal waren wir wirklich erstaunt. Diese Leute wohne in Anderson, und ein Mann arbeitet bei Anderson Universität als Professor. Er hat von Clemson in 1968 graduiert. Es ist eine kleine Welt!!

My Dad

The other day, I was in a really dark place. I turned on my I tunes and just started singing, praying, and listening. I heard nothing; no words of encouragement; no peace. My husband arrived home a few minutes later, and I vented my frustration to him, but still no peace. Later that night, after we'd gone to bed, this song just filled my heart, suddenly, yet quietly.

Your laughter it echoes like a joyous thunder
Your whisper it warms me like a summer breeze
Your anger is fiercer than the sun in its splendour
You’re close and yet full of mystery
Ever since the day that I saw Your face
Try as I may, I cannot look away, I cannot look away…

Captivated by You
I am captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon the beauty of Your face

Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my gaze
I become more like You and my heart is changed
Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my view
Transform me into the likeness of You

This is what I ask, for all my days
That I may, never look away, never look away…
No other could ever be as beautiful
No other could ever steal my heart away
I just can’t look away…

Lyrics by Vicky Beeching

The crazy thing is that it wasn't me singing this to the Father. It was the Father singing this to me!! It was the thing I didn't know I needed; to hear from my one and only Father how He feels about me. I felt so happy, yet so unworthy at the same time. Now when I am here in the apartment alone, I can sing this song, and just feel my Dad's warm arms around me. I can sing it knowing that I feel the same exact way about Him.

Jesus, let every aspect of my life worship you; to be worthy of being called Your daughter; to make you, and only you, proud of me.

This verse has really been on my mind, and I also want to share it with you:

Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:21-24

It's a reminder that no matter where we are, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth; with our entire lives; all that we have. I want to be the type of worshiper my Dad seeks; proclaiming Him in every aspect of my life. I want to be someone who makes Him smile and laugh.

*German translation to follow. Ich bin in eile jetzt. Ich müss eine Deutsche Bibel kaufen, so ich kann genau übersetzen. Tschüß.

My Goal

My goal for all upcoming posts is to write them in German and English, so everyone can easily understand them. We'll see how that goes. lol!!

Ich habe ein Ziel für die Zukunft. Ich möchte gern alle "Blogs" auf Englisch und Deutsch schreiben. Wenn jemand einen Fehler findet, bitte sagen Sie. Ich muss mehr Deutsch lernen, und ich denke das ist eine gute Übung. Was denken Sie?

New Job!!

So most likely, my job will start in March. I know that's a long time away, but we need to prepare for it. I have looked through the text book, and it's pretty intensive. That will be an awesome challenge for me!!

Job Possibility

Whoo hooo! I may have a job!! The manager of the language institute that I go to came to me today and asked if I'd be interested in teaching medical terminology to students learning English. This is a wonderful opportunity to use the knowledge that I have to teach others, which is what I've always wanted to do. So please pray that everything will work out according to His plan. If all goes well, I'll start in the beginning of the year.

Kinda Funny

I've learned to rely on Danny a lot here in Germany. He speaks fluent German with no difficulty. Yesterday, we went to the town of Esslingen with an American friend (who speaks NO German). There were so many people!! We all kept getting a little separated. I saw Ryan, our American friend, looking at some items, and I walked over to him. Danny was wearing his brightly colored orange Clemson stocking cap, so I knew I'd find him pretty easily. As Ryan is looking at things on this vendors table, he says to me, "Ask him how much this is." Without thinking, I ask the man how much the trinket cost, and then I translate the price into English. I had to translate the entire transaction. It was so cool!! We found Danny a minute later, and just as quickly we lost him again. So we went through the same thing a few more times. It was really interesting to see someone relying on me to translate, because I've been relying on Danny so much.

I am so happy that I can now understand and speak so much. Danny and I speak to each other for several hours per day in German. It's great to see that it's all paying off!!

Unconditional

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres".

I've been reminded a lot lately of the the importance of love and the command we have to love one another without condition...the way that Christ loves us (in that while we were still sinners, He died for us). While Jesus was in Jerusalem, the Pharisees and Sadducees were trying to prove that Christ was not who He claimed to be. They asked Him in Matthew 22:36, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" To this Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt 22:37-40). Nowhere in that command does Jesus say to love your neighbor only if they are nice to you and do everything you want them to do. That wouldn't be much of a commandment or sacrifice. Rather, He says to love your neighbor, who may be your greatest enemy, as yourself. God knows that we are a self-centered people. I think that why He wants us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. With that same attitude we are to love our enemies, with a love that is sacrificial, true and pure.

Recently as situation has arisen that has reminded me of this. We were put on this earth to love wholeheartedly, and not to judge. I think that the only way to get someone to see the err of their ways is to love them unconditionally no matter what their sin is. Is their sin greater than my sin? NO!! We are all sinners saved only by grace. Someone's sin of adultery is no greater than my sin of cursing the salesperson who takes too long to check me out. So why do we act like the person who has committed such a sin openly is unclean? We are ALL unclean...only made clean through the blood of Christ. Just because our sin is more private doesn't make it less of a sin. This goes back to my previous blog about wearing a mask so people will think we have it all together. We can act like there is no sin in our lives and condemn others of their open sin. Or we can choose to show the kindness and love of the Father to His children and realize that we all struggle with sin. Rather than cutting each other down, maybe we can help each other out and hold each other accountable in love.

The choice is ours.

Women

I've been reading a book series by Francine Rivers called, "The Mark of the Lion," and that is what has inspired this blog.

I think women feel that in everything they do, they must be perfect and look perfect while doing it. I've never understood this, but I am guilty of falling into the trap. I find myself admiring women who can cook, keep the house clean, and keep up with their families all while looking like a million bucks. In their own hearts, however, they are dying. They feel like they are drowning, and they are tired of keeping the façade going. We paint our faces and hide our hearts. We want people to think we have it all together, when in actuality, we want to rip our hair out.

As I was reading the books by Francine Rivers, I found my heart was turning to what the ideal woman is in God's eyes. She is one who prays fervently, constantly. She is a servant in all that she does. She is utterly devoted to her family and friends, and equally, she loves her enemies as Christ loves them. She is one who sees beauty in all things even though she may be scared and disfigured physically. She doesn't hide behind a ton of makeup, but rather, she reveals her true self so that she can grow in Christ and in love. She strives for a different kind of perfection...perfection in Christ, and not in the eyes of men or women.

My personal experience with women has been that they can be very vicious to one another. We feel like we must be in constant competition with one another, and this is not right. We feel like we must be dressed to kill, in the best name brands and with the perfect makeup. But all of this is vanity. What is the heart of the woman? Why do we try so hard to hide it?

The point I'm trying to make, quite unsuccessfully, I think is that it's time for women to take off the "makeup," and let the real person come out. I cannot stand phonies, even though I can be guilty of it as well. Why can't we just be the people God created us to be? He didn't make us robots, so that we would all be the same. He made us individual and different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Rather than dwell on our weaknesses, I pray that we cherish our strengths. What we are weak in, another may be strong, so why don't we work together more?

Just a though. What are your opinions?

Lovis Marie

 

Lovis Marie

We have a new addition to the family. Danny's cousin, Michael, and his wife, Manuela had their first child about a week ago. We had the opportunity to see her on Saturday, and she is the most beautiful little baby girl I've ever seen. It's amazing how little babies are. I'll post a picture in just a second.

Happy Turkey Day

Today is Thanksgiving, so I thought I would write about some things that we're thankful for, especially since my last blog was kind of a downer. (Sorry about that)!

1. I am thankful that I have such a wonderful God, and that He forgives me when I don't deserve it. Faith by grace, not works!!

2. I am thankful that I have a husband who constantly encourages me and builds me up rather than tearing me down.

3. I am thankful that my relationship with my mom and step dad is so good now. I love them so much!!

4. I am thankful that I have two awesome pastors, Mark and Jeff, who teach Danny and I so much, and encourage us in our faith.

5. I am thankful for friends like Tiffany, who send reminders of home when I feel homesick. (Just when I needed it, thanks)!!

6. I am thankful for my brothers and their significant others.

7. I am thankful for Greyson, b/c he blows me kisses and high fives me on the computer.

8. I am thankful that a computer program like Skype was created, so we can still feel close to family and friends even though we are thousands of miles away.

9. I am thankful that we have this opportunity in Germany, and that I can get to know Danny's family here.

There are so many other things we are thankful for, but these are the ones that are the dearest at this time in our lives. We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!

I've Got the Blues

This has been a really tough week for me so far. Maybe it's because Thanksgiving is this week or something, but I just feel really conflicted. I am so happy to be here in Germany, but I feel like I am missing out on so many things in America. I miss my family and my friends so much. I miss singing at church on Sundays. I miss working. I miss being able to have conversations with people and it not hurt my brain. I miss having get-togethers on Friday and Saturday nights. I miss eating Mexican food after church on Sundays. We've been here for 2 months, and I feel like it's already been 6. I am so tired of listening in on conversations, and by the time I think of what to contribute to the conversation, we're no longer talking about it. I've always been a perfectionist, and it's so hard for me to feel dumb or stupid. But it seems like that's how I feel the majority of the time.

I am trying to keep looking on the bright side, but this week, my emotions have just over taken me. Sorry for such a depressing blog. I'll write soon when I am in a better mood.

Various Ramblings

I haven't written in a while, so I thought I'd just write to tell you what we've been doing, in general.

Last week, I started my intensive Deutsch course. This course is 5 days per week for 3 hours per day. On top of that, I have about 2 hours of homework per night. It has really been amazing!! I can now understand almost everything. Especially when we go up to Hessen to see Danny's family, I can understand. They don't speak with a strong dialect like people do here in Reutlingen.

Last weekend, we went to visit Danny's grandmother. She lives about 2.5 hours north from here. We had so much fun even though the weather was not so nice. One evening we got together with Danny's cousins Andi and Martin and their significant others. We had cake and coffee at Omi's house and then we just sat and talked for a while. Later, we went into Frankfurt. I think this is a fairly large city in Germany, almost as big as Atlanta. It seems like there's a lot to do there. We shopped there, and then we went to Darmstadt for dinner. We ate at a Mexican restaurant, which is really funny if you think about it. Mexico is nowhere near here, and trust me, it's not like the Mexican food in America. It's really good, but it is not nearly as spicy or as authentic, I think. Just different.

This week, we've been enjoying all the snow. Every evening and night, it has snowed. This is very interesting considering we live in South Carolina in the US. I have absolutely no clue how to drive in the snow. But with traction control and winter tires, I've done ok so far. The car and I are still in one piece. Always a good thing.

Today I got a call from Michael, one of Danny's cousins. His wife just had her baby last night. We are looking forward to going back to Omi's this weekend, so we can visit with them and see the baby. It's such and exciting time, because three of Danny's cousins' wives are pregnant (well, now one has had their baby). All of them are due this month or next. We are happy to be here this year to see it all unfold.

Anyway, that's about all that's been going on. We continue to meet more people and pray for opportunities to make friends and just get out there, I guess. Thanks for all of you who read this and keep us in your prayers. We really appreciate it. We love you all so much!!

Beth

Neuschwanstein November 1-3

Hallo!!

This past weekend was a holiday weekend for Danny. November 1st is All Saints Day, and people actually don't have to work!! Amazing!! So we decided to go to Baveria...close to Austria in Southeast Germany. We stayed in this nice little hotel...very quaint and cute. (There was no phone or television...not a bad thing, really). Anyway, we started our trip on Thursday. On the way to Neuschwanstein, we stopped in Ulm (Albert Einstein was born here) for lunch and to climb 700+ steps to the top of the tallest church in the world. For lunch, I had "kirbis suppe," which is pumpkin soup. Sound gross? Well, it is freakin AMAZING!!! Take my word for it, not Danny's. At about 7pm or so we arrived in Neuschwanstein. They had the castles all lit up there. It was very pretty, and the mountains were so gorgeous. I took a lot of pictures, but they don't do justice to the beautiful sights we saw.

On Friday, we toured Neuschwanstein castle. It has a sad history really. King Ludwig II set into motion the construction of the castle. He lived in a fantasy world, so he constructed this castle to suit his fantasy of God-like royalty. It took close to 20 years to build, and unfortunately, King Ludwig II died mysteriously after only living there for half a year. (Wie shade!) The castle was not even finished on the inside. I took lots of pictures of the outside, but of course, we couldn't take pictures of the inside. It was so elaborate. The king's bed, for instance, took about 14 wood workers 4 years to carve. It was so detailed. I've never seen anything like it. It was like the Biltmore House times 10.

On Saturday, we decided to take our new to us bicycles around the lake at the base of the Alps near the castle. It was such a beautiful day...probably my favorite day. Danny and I laughed and played. We felt so good. We rode for several hours, up the mountain and down. I really didn't like the uphill so much. My heart was beating so fast. When we started to flatten out, Danny asked me if I like this kind of mountain biking better. I said, "Yes, and I also like to go downhill." Flat or downhill...that's the mountain biking for me. When we were going downhill, we were going so fast. I can't even describe the rush. It was awesome!! It made me wish, however, that we'd brought our helmets. (Don't worry. We were trying to be cautious. Mark and Mirjam are bringing our helmets when they come here in December).

Anyway, after our bike excursion, we decided to drive down the German Alpine Road. This is where we got some of our best pictures of the mountains. By the time dusk came around, the mountains were just magnificent to look at. I told Danny that you see this stuff on the Discovery Channel or in books, but to actually see it for yourself makes you realize how small you are and how big God is.

So hopefully, if you all look at the pictures, you'll really really want to come to Germany to visit us. That's the true motivation for taking all the photos!!

There is a link to the photos on the left side of the page. Check them out, and leave a comment or two.

Schönen Tag und Jesus segne euch!!
(Have a great day, and may Jesus bless you)!!

 
Even Lilly gets cold when it snows. She loves to get under the covers!!

It Feels Like We're Kids Again

We were so fortunate the past two weeks to find bicycles for both of us for a really good deal. Bicycles here a super expensive, like 1000€ for a good one. If you aren't aware of the terribly weak dollar right now, that's a little over $1400. (We still get paid in dollars). I found a website for a place that sells used ones for 70-80€, and then you can sell them back to the guy to get some of your money back when you leave Germany. This place was such a hole in the wall, but he had some really nice used bikes. He sold us Danny's bike for 80€ and I got mine for 63€. Mine has a great basket on the back and a loud bell, so I won't run anyone over.

So on Saturday, we spent the day riding around on our bikes. We went into the Stadtmitte of Reutlingen to find the salon that where I am going to attempt to get my first haircut since we've been here. I am really nervous about getting my hair cut. But I know if I can't speak about exactly what I want, I have tons of photos of the hair cut, so we should be ok, I think.

This coming week is going to be a short one for Danny. Thursday is All Saints Day, so he doesn't have to work. He also took off for Friday, and we are going to spend the weekend in Swabia. We are going to Neuschwanstein. This is a magnificent castle; the one that Walt Disney based the Cinderella castle on. I think we'll take our bikes and ride around some of the mountains in the Swabian Alps. Anyway, that's what we're up to. We'd love to hear about what is going on back home, so feel free to email us or leave a comment.

Die Brüdergemeinde

On Sunday, we went to a church in the town of Krontal. This is about 1 hour away from where we live. I have a friend from high school who went to seminary near the area, and he told us about the place. He said that they are very missions oriented and very friendly. He was so right!! We just happened to go to the church on Missions Sunday. There were displays from all of the missionaries they support, and most of them, I think have come from the church. One of the missionaries works in Brazil and is married to a Brazilian woman. He speaks German, Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French. WOW!!

When we arrived at the church, we were a little late. One thing about German churches is that they start promptly at 10 am. The church bell rings and service begins. Even though we were late, we were ushered to the second row, which was a little intimidating with the HUGE projection screen right in front of us. They began to sing some worship tunes. They actually had drums, guitars, a bass, piano (as opposed to the organ), and several singers. It was refreshing. The first song they sang was an American song, but translated into German. So I quietly sang the song with the words I knew. The next few songs were German worship tunes, so I read the words and tried to keep up. The words were so encouraging, so God focused instead of "me" focused. So I'm thinking this is good. Then, they did a presentation of several of the missionaries, and one of the missionaries to Africa gave the message for the day. I was surprised at how much I understood.

When the service ended, people kind of hung around to look at the missionary displays. There were little bistro tables set up with some juice and mineral water. People gathered around them and fellowshipped with each other. I was so happy that people didn't just leave right after service. There is a connection between these people. In the meantime, we met Jarrit Andersen. What a gift from God!! We began talking with him, and he invited us to his home for lunch. Jarrit is a 20 year old student who is the drummer for the church. So we decided to join him and his family for lunch. We met Elka and Klaus, his parents, and many other people who came to lunch there. We ended up spending the entire afternoon at their house talking about God, life, German culture, work, and everything under the sun. The love of Jesus was just so evident in these people.

They invited us to attend the evening service (Gottesdienst). Klaus, himself, had really pushed for about 2 years to have an evening service that was more contemporary and upbeat. They have this service once per month. The service was amazing. People stood up and talked about what God had done in their lives. One lady, who works in one of the orphanages that the church runs, stood up and said that 2 of the children in the orphanage had gotten saved!! This just blessed my socks off.

Afterwards, there was fellowship, food, and drinks. We met so many people, many of whom spoke very good English. It was just such a blessing to be around people with the same heart for missions and outreach, and the same heart for Christ. We haven't seen this here in Germany at all. We got numbers and email addresses from people we met, and hopefully we can build lasting friendships with many of these people while we are here. It's a beautiful thing to have uplifting people in your life. You don't realize how important it is until all of them are thousands of miles away!!

So I feel that a prayer has been answered, and my heart is full.

Add France to "Places I've Been"

This past Saturday, we woke up and decided we would drive to France for lunch. There is a cute little city about 1.5 hours away called Strassbourg that is right across the border. So we went there, and we had so much fun. There was this huge cathedral in the city that was the big tourist attraction, I guess. It was the most ornate thing I've ever seen. The churches here in Germany are beautiful, but the architecture was totally different there in France. I'll put some pictures up from that trip. Go to picasaweb.google.com/mrsehl

By the way, we are going to Greece in November, I think. I am so excited about that. I think it's amazing to see things that were here even when Jesus was walking on earth...things that have that much history. It's really cool.

Just a Thought....

Today I truly realized why, in the Book of Acts, God sent down the tongues of fire on the people, and they spoke with other tongues. In Acts 2, the Word was being brought forth, and people from all over the world were gathered together in one place. They didn't speak each others' languages, so how on earth were they going to be able to understand the Word being delivered? As soon as the tongues of fire fell, everyone was able to hear the Word spoken in their own language. I surely wish that would happen now. I want so much to be able to share the Word with people here, but HOW? I am learning the language, and I can speak and understand a lot more now that I could a month ago. But they don't teach you in language class, things related to sharing the Gospel. So I am praying that God would send down His wonderful tongues of fire, so they can hear His Word. And if He doesn't, that He Himself will speak to the hearts of the people here, and that they will develop such a hunger to know and understand who He is.

 
 
 

1 month down; 11 to go

Well, we've been here a whole month!! It doesn't seem like it's been that long. We haven't found a church yet, but we are going this Sunday to a church that one of my long time friends recommended. I think they have head phones you can wear to hear the service in English. That would be awesome. I'm at the point in my German language skills where I can understand what people are saying, but I have to physically translate it in my head into English. The hope is to one day not have to think about it at all. It can be really draining when everyone is speaking German at one time. Your brain cannot physically keep up with all of the conversations. Here in Reutlingen, we are in Schwabish country, which basically means the dialect is so difficult to understand. Even Danny has some trouble with it sometimes.

Our apartment here is really nice. We have a nice sized living room and dinning room. We have one spare bedroom, so if anyone wants to visit, there's a free room open for ya. Our kitchen is kind of interesting. It's probably smaller than my closet at home. It's basically like a cubby. Needless to say, I am constantly telling Danny to get out of the kitchen.

So, we are still trying to find our place here. The culture is all about clubbing and partying. That makes for a large mission field, but actually making friends is hard. The people Danny works with are really nice, but they don't really do anything after work. I think if we can find a church, it will be easier to make friends and find some ministry opportunities. There is a couple next door that we've met. They are from Hungary. We're getting to know them, and waiting for the door to open to talk to them more about Jesus. So pray for the door to open, and for Jesus to do His work.

We love you and miss you all so much. If anyone has a Skype account, let me know. We can talk. I am ps27gurl on Skype and AIM.

Tschüs!!

 

Pictures

Hey everyone. I have uploaded a bunch of pictures online. Just go to http://picasaweb.google.com/mrsehl and you can see what we've been up to.

We're here. We're safe. We're good.

We've been here now for three weeks. It takes a long time to get things done here, thus the reason this is my first blog since we've been here. We've had some great times here exploring different cities and meeting new people, but nothing can compare to the friendships we have at home. I have a picture of us with our best friends, Kenny and Tiffany, above the tv, and sometimes it makes me sad. We miss everyone so much. My mom and I talked yesterday through Skye. We both bought webcams before I moved. It was so nice to see hers and Johnny's faces. It's amazing how close you can feel even though you are thousands of miles apart.

We haven't found a church yet. The free churches aren't the easiest to find. It isn't like America where there's a church on every corner. It's not so popular or acceptable to be a sold out Christian here. We did pass a building last night that made me happy. I guess it was a youth building for a church. (There was no sign). But they had "Jesus Freak" posters all in the windows. I think we may try to go there if we can figure out when it meets.

Anyway, all in all, we are having a great time. We just miss everyone, so send us pictures, email us, write us, or whatever. We appreciate and love you!! Pictures will follow. Right now, Danny's dad, Bruce, is here, so we are going to go to Stuttgart and explore some things.

More to come...

Almost Time to Go

It's September 1; exactly 15 days until we leave. It has started to become real now that we'll be gone for a year. The hardest thing for me is leaving our church for the year. I've been singing my whole life. For me, it's my way to God. Worship means everything to me. I've gotten to a place, too, where I am really comfortable singing with Pastor Jeff. I think I've learned how to read him, and he's learned to read me and know what I'm doing. Maybe that's become a comfort zone for me, and that's why I have to go now. I don't know. I just know is kinda sucks. But I take comfort in the fact that I know we are doing what God wants us to do. It really is an opportunity of a lifetime to live in another country for a year. I guess I wish all of my "family" could come with us!!

My First Trip to Europe

Well, most people know that Danny and I were in Germany a few weeks ago on a preliminary visit before we move there for a year. We checked out our apartment, which is really cute. We got to visit with Danny's family who live about 2 hours from where we will live. The whole experience was really interesting for me, because I had never been to Europe before this trip. Everything was so picturesque. People seemed to take pride everything they did. We went to several cities and visit some interesting castles. But I think my favorite part of the entire trip was walking around the Odenwald where Danny's family lives. This place is more out in the country, and is just beautiful. You could look out the window and see flowers, trees, and mountains. It was just so refreshing. It made me wonder how someone could NOT believe in God. There was just a majestic quality that made me feel like God's arms were around me. It was a special time. I guess for me, I see God through nature a lot. You look at a plant such as a tree, and you automatically see its purpose...to provide shade or fruit. How much more is God's purpose for us? Anyway, this is just something to ponder. That's all for now.