it's almost time..

for thanksgiving!!

today at kids' club we made hand turkeys. we also tried playing lightning. you know, the basketball game? yeah, didn't work so much. but the kids really liked the turkeys! figured i might as well show them something we do at home for one of our special holidays. they wrote lots of cute things on them that they were thankful for. got a kick out of them asking me in german how to spell german words that i didn't understand. :) 

so, thanksgiving is this week! in the states, it's tomorrow. and here, it's on friday! for us anyway- the germans don't celebrate thanksgiving, and are actually quite intrigued by the whole idea! i was asked to explain the story behind it.. and i think i got it right.. but maybe a few legends got mixed in with the whole-and-nothing-but-the truth about it. pilgrims.. succotash.. indian corn.. plymouth rock.. sweet potatoes with miniature marshmallows [oh wait, maybe that's where i went wrong..]

SO friday is our big day. i will be peeling potatoes early in the morning, and later setting up the snack table, making sure everyone gets seated [there are 96 of us eating thanksgiving dinner together in the church coffeebar! if that isn't cozy, i don't know what is!!], singing with our choir [new addition to ccbc this semester, thanks to our girl Karen!], and in general helping to ensure that everyone makes their thanksgiving crafts and has a glorious time!

hannah and i have been having heaps of fun together of late, cooking and baking, practicing with our alto section, getting details figured out for thanksgiving, and making decorations and favors and other preparations for our ladies' christmas brunch next saturday [6th dec]! this week alone we've had one night of staff girls' dinner/cookie baking/crafting, a whole day of t-day prep, tomorrow more baking and planning, all day cooking friday, saturday spent with german friends in various fun places [christmas market anyone??], setting up and helping at the missions' fundraising bazaar [we made bags a few times this fall to sell], and so on and so forth!

among other notable items of late:

 it's been snowing a lot, and it's real cold outside! the first snow is always so b-e-a-u-tiful! the first ice is not necessarily quite so congenial.

i went to köln [cologne] last weekend with david guzik's prep for ministry class- went to the roman museum and the Dom [cathedral]. interesting, saw some cool stuff, it was really cold, but we had a good time. and had starbucks.

i got new shoes that don't leak! the very kind woman even gave me 10 euro off the sale price. wie lieb.

i am living in the wohnung again. it is very nice, very warm, and very unmoldy. sometimes lonesome, but then either i go visit the villa [about 20 steps from my front door], or the girls come over to hang out. it's nice.

there is a GINORMOUS christmas tree in the middle of the Halle! it seemed to me to be 20-some feet tall. it was being decorated with the help of an overhead crane. it's a beaut.

in fact, it seems as though well nigh everyone is christmas-decorating like mad! it's quite an enjoyable meander through the hillside streets above us. everything has taken on a very twinkly feel.

i go home in about 25 days!! i am really excited to see my family and be at home for a whole month!! hoping for a white christmas..

one of these days i'll quit being a bum and actually post some pictures. after i take them. after i charge my camera. until then, here's a little thanksgiving love!! xo. 

p.s. dear mom, please make the oreo/candy corn/malted milk ball turkeys. even without me. sigh. :)

Happy Happy Birthday!

Dearest Sweetest Bryce,

Happy Birthday #2!!!! You are such a great nephew and I miss you sooo much! I hope you and Andy had FUN on your birthday, and ate loads of cake and ice cream, and had fun with Maddie and Katie.

I will see you in just over one month, and I can't wait!

I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Auntie Ann.

hymns.

well, just for fun, i sang a little bit tonight after hitting the 'record' button on garageband.

just a couple clips of hymns, in a little bit different fashion.

to hear the outcome, please visit here.

speaker's week.

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength! 

They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

This week is an interesting change of pace during the semester. All classes are put on hold for the week so we can gather together three times daily to hear from a speaker [and ultimately, the Lord and His Word]! I'm really enjoying it this semester.. it's technically my fourth speaker's week, but i missed the whole second one [hospital] and most of the third one [sick]. So I am glad to be here! It's always a great time to simply seek the Lord. And even if we don't remember that He's going to speak to us... He does. I'm glad it's based upon His faithfulness, not ours. I had kind of forgotten about it, but every single semester this becomes a really special week, and a lot of people gain specific direction for their lives, just from being faithful to wait on the Lord.

The above verse has been one I've known for a loooong time. But lately, it's been a very encouraging promise! I can't run this race and do everything in my own strength; I fall flat on my face after 2 or 3 steps. But as we wait on the Lord, HE renews our strength. So the end result is running without growing weary, and walking without fainting! I need that renewed strength. 

Gayle Erwin is our speaker for the first half of the week. I got to read most of his book, "The Jesus Style," in the past few weeks, and I was amazed at the simplicity of the message. Jesus came to be a servant of all. And therein is our pattern for life and ministry. Last night Gayle summed it up like this: We need to see Jesus, and know Him personally. As we know Him, we are filled with His Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is [among other things] JOY! We are filled with joy because we know Him, and because we are SAVED! Such genuine joy abounds and overflows in the life of believers, so that our natural response is to be like Jesus: to go and serve others. And when we serve others [instead of putting ourselves first], we are blessed. So we see Jesus- we're filled with joy- we overflow into others' lives- and we are blessed. Then we see Jesus even more clearly, and the cycle continues.

It was so good, so refreshing to hear these simple reminders, especially concerning the joy we have as believers. Sure, we're human, we go through rough times, life isn't a piece of cake. BUT we have hope!! We can be the most joyful people on earth! Are we??

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalm 27:14

...In Your presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11

wien team!

annie. allison. meli. sharon. katha. scott. [ohne maarten]

the goodness of the Lord.

v2. Thus says the LORD: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness- Israel, when I went to give him rest.
v12b. Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all.
v14. I will satiate [fill to the full] the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.
v25. For I have satiated [fully satisfied] the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.

v26. After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.

Jeremiah 31.

look mom, it's me!

you needn't worry- i'm still alive!

kinder!

so we're back from vienna.. and now it's on to the next outreach opportunity!

a team of 6 of us from the Bible College will be heading 2 hours south tomorrow afternoon, to do children's ministry for a retreat with CC Heidelberg and another church from Sinnsheim.

please keep us in prayer as we go- there are 6 of us and about 60 kids, from ages 2-13! pray for creativity, energy, love, and patience. pray that our team will work well together, and that we can really connect with the kids and keep them involved during the 5 long sessions. and while you're asking, please request dry weather so we can head outside for some games too. :)

thanks! we're privileged to serve these churches, and look forward to a great weekend. may these kids truly see the love of Jesus in us!

But Jesus called them to Him and said, 

"Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 

Luke 18:16

<------ p.s.- vienna photos are up!

home we are.

hannah and i made apple pie.

it's supposed to snow on thursday.

i like seeing everyone again.

endurance.

hi all,
thanks for reading, and for praying. our week here has been an incredible blessing. we've talked with so many people, both believers and nonbelievers. for me personally [along with my friend sharon] it's been a week filled with musical opportunities! basically, we've been singing all day long, all week. we've led worship during devotions and prayer times all morning every morning; we've spent a few afternoons playing on the streets, and led worship during a few evening events. today we just had our Erntedankfest [Thanksgiving Feast] - it went so well! There were tons of people here- the whole place was packed. we had all sorts of good food, and sharon and i did some special music. we played some of our own songs.. then a few worship songs.. then played for at least an hour while people had dessert and fellowshiped. everyone really was into the music, even a whole bunch of nonchristians. so we kept playing and playing.. the group of nonbelievers even asked us to play a song again [and could only remember that it talked about salvation! :)]
oh, and the other night we recorded our first album. it's called Austrian a Cappella. we recorded it sitting around the kitchen table in a 6th story apartment in Vienna, and in two hours we had a 14-song album! it's totally raw vocals and harmonies [some songs even learned and sung on the fly], and you can hear the table squeaking, and hear us laugh at our mistakes, but it's worship. the girls were so grateful to have worship music- you really can't get any here. so now they have 14 new songs! tonight during our first "show" they recorded a few more. everyone is asking for copies of "the cd" and another cd.
so it's been really cool and encouraging, and sharon and i are definitely going to record when we get back home to siegen.
but we do ask for prayer- we've sung so many hours this week, and especially this weekend, that our voices our almost gone! please pray for endurance for us. it's really tiring to sing and play that much, even though it's super encouraging, and fun. tomorrow we're leading worship for CC Wien one more time, and then we leave in the afternoon.
thanks so much! blessings! keep praying for vienna- the Lord is doing a great work here!! :)
love.a