congratulations!

deutschland!

i am here! it is going well! not too jet-lagged.. i stayed up all day yesterday after an early morning arrival.. it was a little rough but i made it through! slept pretty well besides a 4-hour awake time in the middle of the night.
that's about it for now! hoorah.

departure.

my time here is quickly coming to an end, and germany looms ever closer on the horizon! it is only 10.5 days until i leave my home and homeland for 5 months, and walk down this new [yet rather familiar] path. i am supremely excited to return to my dear-beloved siegen. the very first day i arrived in germany, in summer 2006, i knew that i'd love to return, not only to graduate [which was accomplished by His grace alone!], but also to serve on staff as an intern. i'm going to be a missionary! truly, as we delight ourselves in the Lord, He fulfills the desires of our hearts. it will be lovely to be reunited with the old friends, and build friendships with the new.

one week from today will be my last day at our dear old calvary chapel here. i'll miss it, truly. the Lord does indeed know what is best for His children, for there is no greater blessing than to be in fellowship with other believers. i'm not particularly close with any of them, but it is still an honor and a privilege to be a part of that Body, and to lead them in worship. i will especially miss playing worship with my younger brother. he is a phenomenal self-taught drummer, and in the past year has become one of the best cajon players i've heard [and i lean towards the fastidious end of the spectrum concerning drummers]. i'll also dearly miss my dad, who is my pastor, my boss, and my friend, to mention a few [in no particular order]. my mother, too, has become a dearer friend than ever in these months at home. what grace she's shown me! she is a wonderful woman of God, and we definitely sharpen each other as somewhat differing pieces of iron at times! :) my youngest brother- what a guy. i love him to pieces. his guitar skills blow mine to bits. [i shall also greatly miss my oldest brother, sis-in-law, and dear little nephew! i'm sad to miss even a day of his growth and Becoming of a Little Man]

in exactly three weeks i will turn twenty-two. it will be my first birthday spent away from the company of my family. but is it not true that when we seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, all these things shall be added unto us- by the one Good Father, who loves to give good gifts to His children? oh, He is good.

So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life." Matthew 10:29-30

For this reason, I also suffer these things [not that it's huge suffering, but it is a slight deprivation on behalf of the Lord's calling!]; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 2 Timothy 1:12

He is good.
here's to home! and here's to the future!

four weeks.

just four short little weeks until i stuff my suitcases to capacity, put on some warm socks, and walk through security, passport in hand, to a world of wonder and adventure: the minneapolis airport!
after a few inevitable delays, a stopover in detroit [Oh, Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!], i'll be well on my way 'cross the Great Atlantic Ocean.
a few minor details, which quite possibly may include some extraordinarily joyful "hello"s, a cup of coffee to keep the eyelids up, and a long stuffy wait at the baggage claim shall ensue [not in that particular order], ultimately followed by a wonderfully heartwarming ride back to my old home.
Eiserfelder Strasse 275.

and then the fun begins.



hooray!!!!!!!!!

california makes me sick.

literally. i haven't quite felt the same since i've returned.
this has happened the last 2 times i've been in california.
i think i'm allergic. to the 31st state.

à la maison

well, i've returned from california. i love my home.

the conference was good. all the speakers were right on, and the worship itself was fresh and skillfully played. the workshops were ok, although not as informative as i'd expected them to be. i hung out a lot with the kids from the School of Worship in costa mesa- they're definitely cool kids. it was super busy schedule-wise, so i got approximately 5-6 hours of sleep a night, and had stuff going on all day long. but, despite the lack of rest, it was nice that they chose to redeem the time.

i drank altogether too much coffee, and currently even the thought of it makes me slightly ill.

it was cool seeing friends on campus, and meeting new people. i met a few who are hoping to come to germany this spring, so that was pretty sweet. i am so excited for next semester, and so blessed to return! the Lord is so good, and so faithful. it was more like a family reunion when it came to seeing friends from earlier days in germany. many a fond memory were shared, and chelsea and i had sushi! mmm. so delicious.

i got to lead worship for robin's Ruth and Esther class. that was sweet, because when i was at school out there she had me come in each semester to do a particular song for the girls.. so it was like old times being back in her classroom with a guitar and my minimal skills! amen.

the Lord provided a ride to the airport friday.. after giving me the full opportunity to trust Him and walk by faith. but His grace was more than sufficient- for, along with the ride, i was blessed by having time to fellowship with a dear friend.

so, there were some great aspects of this past week. it was also a hard week, and i am quite glad that i don't live in southern california. so here i am at home in silly, chilly, hotdish-eating minnesota, and ever so glad to be here.

i love the sun in minnesota, especially during cold seasons. the sky is perfectly blue and the sun is so bright and warm that our ever-present stiff breeze/hurricane-force winds seem much less disheartening.

on sunday i go to california! it kind of snuck up on me. but i am very excited! it's so great, my church is sending me to the worship leaders' conference, plus i get to stay an extra day on each end to see some dear friends. it seems [at least to those of us in the midwest] that friends are spread far and wide.. and any chance to see them is treasured dearly. this will be my last trip to california for who knows how long. someday i'll return again.

I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among many people!
Psalm 38:15

www.isconsin

..is absolutely amazing! the loveliest week of my autumn was spent in wisconsin with dear friends.
i was introduced to milwaukee, jess' family, and spring rolls..
i was re-introduced to jess' sweet sister kadie, illy espresso, and sushi- ganz wunderschön!
and i was delightfully blessed with time spent with my dear friend, jessica reid.
plus we saw tahmi, walked to lake michigan -twice!- and drank a whole lot of coffee.

i am terrible about photographing events.. but here are the few i took!


Latte the Ragdoll Cat: we became fast friends.


Lake Michigan with Jess and Tahmi! [post-coffee at common grounds]


the Kenosha Castle Ruins, avec JessicaReid.


the Moon-Rise o'er Lake Michigan!


sweet home minnesota clouds.

lovely!

hoorah!

i'm going to wisconsin! next week!

imagination realized.

someday it'll become a reality in my storyland.