Where do I begin… these past couple weeks have been such a whirlwind! From the end of support raising, to packing and getting on a plane, to living in Germany- there are so many stories I could tell. (I preface with this because even as I’m typing this I have no idea what I want to write about, so excuse me if I ramble and process a bit.)
So to those who didn’t know, there was a chance I wasn’t going to have my support by my departure date, I still had a long way to go with a very little bit of time; but as always, God provided. It was amazing to see the way God brought people around the cause. Honestly though, I was really struggling emotionally towards the end. It was hard to continue saying that I knew God was calling me to this work, but then not having the support to prove it. Most conversations where I told people how much was left to raise they would normally say, “Oh that’s a lot! What happens if you don’t raise all that you need?” To which I tried to stay positive and say that I trusted God would provide in time, which half of me believed but the other half of me was starting to get really worried and frustrated. However, seeing that I’m in Berlin now, you can assume all turned out well. I literally got the last of my support the morning that I left. Also I was so focused on the last of my support I feel like I didn’t get to adequately say goodbye to people which is really hard. The last week of being at home was a complete blur.
But now I’m in Germany! My brain still doesn’t believe it and just yesterday as I was walking back to my flat from the U-bahn I had a moment where everything felt so normal. I forgot I was in a different country. That was an odd moment! Also, it feels like I’ve already been here a month and it has only been 12 days. Between orientation, moving to different flats, and language school starting, there has just been so much going on and it feels like I haven’t stopped moving since I stepped off the plane. In all honesty, the first week was really difficult. It was hard not having familiar faces around that I always talk to about what I’m thinking or what’s going on. I missed the sense of comfort and familiarity. On top of that we didn’t have internet where we were staying for orientation so I couldn’t communicate with people back home, which made the transition feel twice as hard. I didn’t feel like I was myself at all and it was difficult to stay positive and upbeat. I’m sure this was all just part of culture shock because there was a lot of new in a little amount of time.
Since then, things have been getting better. . On Monday I started language school; it was an interesting first day. My teacher moved really fast and it I felt like I was the furthest behind in the class. Although it’s a basic German class, , it seemed like I was supposed to come in with prior knowledge based on the rate at which the teacher was going over the material and based on how everyone else in the class already seemed to know some German. I’m not use to being someone who struggles in class so this was yet another new experience for me. I left class Monday feeling very discouraged.
Yet it’s Wednesday evening and I’m singing a different song. I’m really excited about everything now; things seem to be going really well! Today in class I felt like I had a better grasp on the material, which was really nice. I’m learning to laugh at myself more as I make mistakes and muddle though. I’m also starting to develop a nice schedule and rhythm. I’m making friends and living life. My two teammates (who I’m currently living with) and I have had a successful grocery store trip (a bigger accomplishment than you would think since everything is in German on packages and stores don’t carry the same items as US stores). We have gone running, and had a good night of bonding by making Nutella hot cocoa and experimenting making dinners. We’ve explored the city and tonight we are going to a social that our language school is hosting. I can confidently say now that I am excited for what is ahead. I look forward to how God is going to use me in Berlin. Thank you everyone for your continued support and prayers. Your prayers are felt and they really do make a difference.
With much love,
Diedre