Work Days and Sightseeing, Birthday Parties and Fireworks - The Great Exchange Final Update

Wednesday of this week the team took a day off of evangelism and the majority went to work at the CVJM to help in the continued construction of our missions loft.  After work, Klaus and Trudi and their two daughters Johanna and Julia (with her husband Boris and two precious children) helped to host a dinner and fellowship for the team.  Klaus and Trudi have been absolutely 100% supportive of our work here in Germany and have never missed a chance to host team members, assist in work days, prepare meals or barbeque's and allow us to take part in camps and church services.  We are so thankful for the entire family. 

 

Saturday was our final day together so we went to Dilsberg for the morning for shopping, pictures and cake and coffee at the café there.  We've taken every team that has ever visited us to Dilsberg as it's my favorite little walled city.  The shop keeper even opened up an hour and a half early for us so we could shop before heading to Schwetzingen palace and gardens that afternoon. 

Alan and I have never visited Schwetzingen palace before and although the tour was incredibly boring the gardens were gorgeous and HUGE!  My mom and dad would love them.  So much attention to detail for one prince electorate and his wife.  Afterward the team was able to do some shopping in Schwetzingen and have something to eat before returning to their apartments to rest. 

At nine o'clock that evening the team came over for Charlie's first birthday party.  Charlie is the son of Joni and Matthew, Jon and Diane's oldest daughter and her family.  It was great they were able to come with Charlie and we didn't want to miss the opportunity to have a little cake and ice cream to celebrate his first birthday and allow him to play in his smash cake.  He especially liked the balloon animals and presents.  A German world cup Jersey was amongst his favorites!

After cake we went to Heidelberg to watch the castle illumination and fireworks.  It was a nice display and we didn't get caught in too much traffic leaving which was good.  The team departed this morning around 5:30 and we just got word they made it back to Georgia safely.  All in all it was a wonderful, blessed and rich week.  Thank you to all who prayed for us. 

Evangelism Days - The Great Exchange

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this week the team from the Great Exchange in Georgia spent the early morning at prayer breakfasts at the Capelle (Monday) and Hosanna Gemeinde's (Thursday and Friday).  We all felt very moved by Gods presence in these meetings.  After they were concluded, we went to the Universitätsplatz where we setup our information tables and did surveys from roughly 10am until 4pm each day.  We prayed really hard that the forecasted rain would hold off on and for the most part it did.  Tuesday we left early because the rain made things miserable but we had great weather Monday, Thursday and Friday. 

The team brought several hundred copies of the book, "More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell.  By the end of the week we had given them all out so please pray the books will yield great fruit amongst the students that read them.  On Monday we completed 72 surveys and only 9 said they believed Jesus to be the son of God and that because of the grace He pours out they will go to Heaven. Not because they were good people but only because of Christ. On Thursday, 58 surveys were completed and we talked to only five believers.  We don't know yet the counts for Friday (although we do know more surveys were completed than on any other day) but when we have the percentages we'll report them here.  Overall it was a blessed week with over 300 conversations with students about Christ.  Please pray the Holy Spirit will continue to work in each life.

Thursday night we attended the Campus Crusade church service at the Hosanna gemeinde.  The sermon that night was excellent and we were able to share with the students about the Great Exchange and encourage them to come and take part the next day.  On Friday we had over a dozen students and church members from our partner churches and Campus come and do surveys with us and we were very happy about that.

Here are some pictures of our church services on Sunday, prayer breakfasts through the week and discussions with students. 

Great Exchange Day 3 - Hosanna and the CVJM church services

Today we enjoyed two church services.  The first was in Heidelberg at a church called Hosanna and the second was in the evening at our church, the CVJM.  Both churches are partnering with us for the Great Exchange and both sets of pastors and their wives were able to come to the welcome barbeque at our home on Friday night which was nice.  Jon did the preaching at both services.  He had a German translator at Hosanna who did quite well and Sarah Lee (our former Venture student who fell in love and married a German and now lives in Münster) translated for us in the evening.  Sarah Lee has been visiting her husbands family who live in the same town as we do for the past week and it was great to have her both at the barbeque and at the church service.  She will come and do surveys with us through the week and she is experienced too - having participated in the Great Exchange while she was attending UGA and Watkinsville First Baptist.

Jon's preaching spoke on II Corinthians chapter 5 where Paul talks about the gospel being the exchange God offers each person.  He exchanges our sinful selves with the righteousness of Jesus making it possible for us to be saved.  We all know we aren't good people but the number one answer to "If God were to ask you why he should let you into heaven, what would you say?" in these surveys we will be doing this week is: "because I try to be a good person."  At least this is what we've found at all the Universities where the Great Exchange has been hosted in the states and also in the surveys Alan and I have done here with our teams in Heidelberg.  Jesus took our sin, the wages of which were death, and he died on the cross so that we could live - not just after death in Heaven but also experience real life here on earth.  That's the gospel.  Jon shared his testimony of coming to Christ, investigating his claims and recognizing He was the only way we can come to have a relationship with God.  Despite what this relativistic world tries to tell you, there is no other way.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the message and we had good turnouts at both churches. 

Here are some pictures from the day:

 

Right now it is raining.  It is supposed to rain all week.  Please pray it will not rain during the hours of 9am CEST and 4pm CEST which is when we'll be surveying students in the University square.

The Great Exchange team has arrived and is doing well!

Well I promised to keep you updated on the teams comings and goings so here's the latest...

The team arrived yesterday on time without issue.  The flight was fine although not very many slept (except Charlie for a thankful Joni and Matthew!).  When they arrived at the airport Alan was there to meet them and they headed to Budget car rental to pick up the two vans they had rented for the week.  Unfortunately the line was enormous so they didn't actually pick up the cars until nearly 10:30 (two hours after they met up with Alan).  Major bummer - especially with folks so tired!  Still, they made it back here for breakfast and we enjoyed a fairly a-typical German breakfast/brunch with boiled eggs, meats, cheeses, fabulous German breads, pretzels, rolls and fruit.  The team then went to their apartments where they settled in and rested until around 5:30 when they returned to ours for a welcome barbeque.  We were thrilled with the turnout of pastors and their wives, other missionaries to this area, church members, students and friends.  Here are some pictures of our time together...

Today we met early to go on a boat cruise along the Neckar river from Neckarsteinach to Heidelberg.  Once there we walked along the Hauptstrasse until we reached the Funicular railway.  We took the railway up the mountain to the castle where we had a picnic outside the castle.  The weather was colder and rainy today but everyone still managed to have a good time.  After seeing the castle and taking loads of pictures the team returned to Neckarsteinach by boat and we ate wiener schnitzel and pommes frites at a bistro overlooking the Neckar.  A good time was had by all.  Tomorrow our leader Jon preaches at Hosanna gemeinde in Heidelberg at 10:30 in the morning and then again at the CVJM in Meckesheim at 5:00pm.  In-between the team will come to our house for taco soup and bratwurst and have a training meeting for the Great Exchange which starts bright and early Monday morning!  Here are some pictures from our boat cruise today:

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for the team and us!

The Great Exchange Heidelberg

Two weeks from tomorrow a team of 10 from the United States will descend on the University of Heidelberg campus to do the first Great Exchange in Europe.  To find out more about the Great Exchange please go here: www.thegreatexchange.org. 

If you would like to see pictures and read reports on the team while they are here, please follow our blog. 

If you would like to pray with us for the Great Exchange please pray for the following:

• The team arrives July 4th and leaves July 13th - pray for travel mercies
• Pray for involvement from Christian students at the University of Heidelberg.  Many are struggling with over-commitments, exams and the end of a tough year.  Pray they will make time to be a part of this program.
• Pray for the members of the CVJM and Hosanna Gemeinde as well as other churches in this area that they would engage with the program, the team and the students that show interest in more follow up.
• Pray for the ten adults and one baby that God would prepare their hearts for the conversations they will have and help them to be flexible, encouraging, hard working, loving and Christ-like to all they meet.
• Pray for all logistics for the team (airport pick ups and drop offs, accommodations, budget, work day, sightseeing, etc.)
• Pray for safety for all involved
• Pray for each evangelism day, ministering at churches and at Connect (the Campus Crusade for Christ meeting)
• Pray for every encounter and every discussion
• Pray for every book given out (More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell) that the students would read them and they would bear fruit
• Pray for professors to engage with the team
• Pray for revival at the University
• Pray for revival inside each of us
• Pray for Alan and I as missionaries here in Germany that the Holy Spirit would fill us with power and His presence every minute of every day.
• Pray for Chloe while the team is here that she would not struggle with the heavy schedule.
• Pray for follow up - pray the students would engage with a local church service and come to a better understanding of who Christ is and a better knowledge of His love for them.

34 days sober today...

I am 34 days sober today.  No not from alcohol but from something far worse in my opinion - SUGAR!  :)) I honestly believe sugar is not only something terrible for our bodies but it also generates so many unhealthy cravings, urges, uncontrollable it seems desires for carbohydrates mainly (which in turn make you crave more sugar!)  It's a never-ending, crazy cycle that I decided to attempt to stop by eliminating all sugars (except fruit - fresh and dried), all grains (including pastas, cereals, rice, etc.) and all alcohol.  I don't eat potatoes or bananas but I do eat meats, dairy, nuts, fruit and veggies and I drink only water and hot tea.  I've lost 13 pounds so far but the far greater change is in my mental/emotional outlook.  Do I miss chocolate and German bread?  Yes, sometimes but I hope that at least until I reach my goal weight (or close to it) that I can sustain this eating plan as much for my emotional health and not feeling controlled by cravings as for my physical health.  Thinking like an alcoholic really does help!

Before it was about counting calories or fat grams or just ensuring I ate only carbs in the morning.  It was about how much did I exercise and was it enough to counter that ice cream?  It was about why my husband and little sister can eat absolutely ANYTHING and still stay skinny.  My life revolved around food - mainly how to avoid it but then I felt deprived and the whole "why not me" thought process would start and I'd blow it.  Then I'd fast.  I started fasting twice a week eating only breakfast and then when that didn't keep the weight off I fasted the entire day.  I even fasted 3 days twice.  Yeah, still a no go.  They say as you get older your metabolism slows down and it's harder to lose weight.  This is fact.  At least for me. 

It wasn't until I started treating sugar (which is found is nearly everything) like alcohol and treating myself like an alcoholic did I begin to feel a shift. 

I'm only 34 days in.  My initial goal was 77 days but secretly I hope I can keep at this until I reach my goal weight.  Alan asked what that was and I said, "what I weighed in college".  This made him lol.  Maybe it's a little crazy to try to get back to that point but that's the one time in my life that I felt skinny and it would be nice to feel it again.  Even for a day! :)

Ten weeks in a nutshell...

In my last blog post I gave a bunch of updates and shared what would be going on with us for the next 2 months.  Here's what actually happened as well as what's coming up...

Language School - My language school continues for another month and a half.  It is very difficult for me and each time I go I am more convinced than the time before that I will have to re-take this class.  On the plus side we have each been given 20 minutes to do a presentation in German for the class and the topic can be about anything so I have decided to talk about my "work" here in Germany. In particular I will speak about the spiritual background surveys we do at the University, why we do them, what the results have been across the students we've talked to, how it all compares to students surveyed at UGA and what God has taken me through to get me to Germany and to this work.  I hope to really take some time to talk about the questions that we believe every worldview has to answer and how Christianity tries to answer them.  My difficulty is I want to speak about all of this in 20 minutes or less and in German! :) Please pray for this presentation on June the 20th and for my fellow students and teacher (who is a committed Muslim) that the Holy Spirit would really speak to them through what I say.

CVJM construction - Alan's work at the CVJM and on the missions loft continues through the summer.  It's slow going without much help from others in the church (the pastor helps when He can) but Alan still feels blessed going there and hopeful for what God will do with the space.

Teams and new team members - Our site visits are still planned for July and Nicole Demers, our Edge coordinator from last summer is currently raising funds to join us by summer of 2015 full-time.  She is a recent (as in last week) graduate of the University of Delaware.

Plans for the Great Exchange continue with 10 plus a baby arriving July 4th.  This week I hope to nail down accommodation options.  Alan and I had a great meeting with a church in downtown Heidelberg about partnering with us for this event and also with the leaders for Campus Crusade for Christ.  Two weeks ago I attended my first CCFC church service they offer students on Thursday nights and last Sunday I went to the kick-off for the Hochschultage which is a big evangelistic outreach that lasts a week with 24/7 prayer, evangelism, prayer breakfasts each day, big programs at night and afternoon Neckarwiese activities as well.  They even have a Café on the Hauptstrasse.  I helped bake cakes and brownies for the café and hope to attend their night program tomorrow.  What a great, on-fire group of students! 

MOPS - MOPS finished officially for me yesterday although I hope to stay in touch with friends made from the group over the summer. 

Chloe - Is now three and had a great turnout for her prince/princess birthday party here last Saturday.  It was exhausting for us trying to get it orchestrated but it was a lot of fun in the end.  She had 8 little boys and girls that attended, a swingset that her daddy built her from scratch and a new princess bicycle.  She also had a princess cake made by mommy that was quite the adventure to pull off.  I was up only until around 3:30 in the morning finishing it but it turned out ok. 

Chloe's nana from Chester, England also came in for the week to spend time with her over her birthday.  Chloe and Margaret have so much fun together and it was a real relief having Margaret here during the week of the party so we could get everything prepared.

Thank you to all who prayed for a spot for Chloe in the Evangelische Kindergarten in Kleingemund below us.  Chloe was granted a spot for the 1st of October and it's only a short walk from our house.  Not only is this convenient but we pray it will open opportunities for us to get to know our neighbors who have children in Chloe's class and help her to make lots of new German friends that live nearby. 

Jesus Abend with SAM and the Refugee Camp - This Friday Alan will make dinner for around 17 people at the Jesus Abend.  Pray that goes well! :)  Other than that he continues to enjoy the fellowship, German practice and community there.

Conferences and TC's - The InTent conference in Altensteig went really well and we enjoyed being there again to help serve missionary leaders from around Europe with Pioneers.  A few weeks later we were made team coordinators for Pioneers in Heidelberg which doesn't mean a whole lot right now but will have more significance once our team grows.

At the end of April we drove to Hungary stopping two nights in Salzburg to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary.  Salzburg and attending the sound of music tour was so much fun.  We had a wonderful meal out (with Chloe) and drove to Hungary the next day.  The conference was really good and we were glad we attended.  Note to anyone ever wanting to visit Hungary by car - make sure you get a toll pass vignette before entering the country that allows you to drive in Hungary legally.  We were not told about this and there are no signs, toll booths or anything at all saying you need it so we were hit with a 132Euro fine about a month later in the mail as a result.  We were NOT pleased.  Grrrrrr - find another way to make your money Hungary!

Holland with mom and dad - what a fantastic week it was visiting Keukenhof, Amsterdam and the Holland countryside with mom and dad.  Chloe absolutely loved being with my parents and we all loved the gorgeous flowers and beautiful country.  We even rented bikes and my mom and dad, Alan, Chloe and I biked all over Edam together.  So fun!

MOVED! - Literally the day we came back from Hungary we started moving.  Our official move we altered one week to May the 10th and we were a bit fearful we would have no help as a result but God really came through for us giving us 10+ volunteers that day to move all our stuff down 5 flights of stairs and into our new home.  We love the new place, the garden, winter garden (conservatory) that is now Chloe's playroom, fireplace, etc.  It is also soooo much closer to everything!  What a blessing!
So there's your update for the last - ugh TEN weeks!  This is the longest I've gone without writing a blog post and to those that follow faithfully, sorry about that.  Still, it has been an exhausting few months and we have a bit of a breather before going to England on June the 15th for Alan's nieces wedding.  We're only gone a week and then we return for my presentation at school, a BBQ with the Campus Crusade for Christ leaders and our team from the states to kick off the Great Exchange and our site visits.  After that we've been granted two months of home assignment in the states where we hope to catch up with all our supporters and church as well as have a debrief week for the last 3.5 years here at a missions center in Atlanta. 

Thank you for standing with us and for praying.  If you want to take part in 30 days of prayer leading up to the Great Exchange team's arrival we would welcome you joining us.  Pray for open hearts, for logistics, good communication, lots of helpers, team unity, discernment and wisdom for us all.