Normal
Sometimes it is hard to think about all the things that God is doing. This can happen for several reasons. The reasons probably stem from this root- selfishness. Being too busy- selfish. Inward focus- potentially selfish. Distractions- self inflicted selfishness. But wait, is all selfishness self inflicted? Hmmmmmm. I am sick and therefore very prone to the selfishness persuasion. Each time I cough or twinge of ear pain I think, “Why? Why am I not feeling better already? Me me me me me! God, don’t you want me to get better? I mean, I have missed out on two days of language learning. Gosh.”... Read more
Coincidences?
Liebe Supporters, It has already been a month and a half here in Berlin, and I am learning a ton! Here is an update of everything that has been going on this past month…it’s a lot again. New Roommate My roommate Robby and I just got a new mitbewohner (roommate) named Pascal who is from Berlin. He is a new believer who is hungry for Truth and more relationship with God. We have gotten to encourage and guide him a bit despite the language barrier, and he has been inspiring us with his eager and child-like faith. I have been vicariously experiencing a bit of renewed excitement and energy... Read more
Doing lots of Learning
So I haven’t posted for a few weeks and a lot is happening here in Budapest. I am starting to fill my schedule, which makes me happy because I feel that I am contributing more and building more relationships, but I also feel like I am having to start choosing where I should invest my time. There are so many opportunities and things to do around the city and so many people to meet. I am also back in language school now, which although it only meets for 3.5 hours a day, is a lot of work and often exhausting. I am super happy to be there though because my vocabulary is growing and I am... Read moreParables
#1 A man went up to a farmer and said to him, “Farmer, I see that the seeds you have planted in your field have produced many good plants. May I plant my seeds here as well?” The farmer said to him, “I am sorry, but there is not enough space in my field for both of us to plant our seeds. However, there are few farmers in this area, and the land is vast. Why not choose another field and plant your seeds there?” The man said to him “I do not know if my seeds will grow there. Perhaps the soil is bad, or there are many vines and birds. But I know your soil is good. Please let me plant there.” The... Read more
Enduring Evil
"And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." -2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ESV) After several weeks of hearing and facing evil, this verse was exactly what I needed to read this morning. The past few weeks at Cafe Neustart, I have heard prostituted women talk crudely about God and the Bible; heard them... Read moreLearning to Crawl
There are a couple of reasons I have titled this post “learning to crawl.” The first reason being… I have realized that here, I am a like a child. I am basically dependent on Anya (the best translator in the world who is patient and so gracious to me with all my questions), I can’t order my own food at a restaurant, I basically only know how to get from my apartment to the office and vice versa. You get the picture? Learning is going slow, it is like learning to crawl, then walk, then talk! (Ugh!) But the second reason is that being here, I need to learn how to slow down. Not because... Read more
Starting to feel like Fall
The last couple of weeks have been a bit crazy, but really wonderful and I feel like I am finally starting to build some ideas and context for what ministry will look like here in Hungary. My team spent five days a couple weeks ago at a conference in Bled, Solvenia. The area was so beautiful and relaxing, but the best part of being there was meeting other people who live and serve all over Europe and hearing about their ministries. The conference was structured around a lot of discussion and although I felt like I didn’t have a lot to contribute yet, it was good to listen to the stories of... Read more
A Freshman Again
Friday will mark being in Berlin for three weeks. During this time I have been introduced to so many new things and experiences. At first I thought living in a new city and taking the train system would be scary, but maps and wonderful team members have made it much better. Before heading to Berlin, I expected the first couple of weeks to feel like a vacation because I was in a foreign land. However, this has not been the case. I have been trying to decide what it feels like and I finally came to the conclusion that it feels like freshman year of college all over again. I had a great freshman... Read more