If you read this...I haven't forgotten about you...

I just haven't had much time to pull a post together in the past few months. I thought I would post today, because I'm in a bit of a reflective mood. In about 2 1/2 weeks, I leave Germany. It's hard to even think that, much less type it. And yet, I think about the fact that 2 years ago, this month, was the first time I ever even considered serving overseas. God can do such amazing things, when we give Him the space to do it. For me, it took 3 emails from 3 professors that I respected and listened to on 3 consecutive days, in order to get my tail end to listen to His voice. That was for a big move...but I've been thinking about it. In each day, how often do I stop to listen to His voice about the little things? Not as much as I should, I know...

But, sometimes, I'll have those moments when I hear God's voice and see Him or a quality of Him so clearly that I can't deny it and all I can do is praise Him for showing me. It's happened a lot since I've been in Germany. So often, it happens while I'm walking from place to place (which happens everyday, since I don't have a car). For example, back in the winter, I was watching a father and son walking together through some snow. The father was leading the way, and as his little boy followed, the little boy would step in the fathers prints. It was interesting to see, and at first, I thought the little boy was doing it just to follow his daddy, because it was cool. But then I realized, as the father reminded him to step in the footprints - the father was paving the way, so that the little boy could walk through with his feet dry. As long as the boy stayed in the father's footprints, he was fine, though I'm sure occasionally he got a little snow in his shoes - but not as much as the father who was doing most of the work.

Watching this, God showed me how I should do the same thing. I should try as hard as possible to stay in His footprints, to follow His leading. This is especially ringing true as I look for a job. I'm at a point in my humanness, where I just want A job - I don't care where or what - I just want to know that I will have some work. But, I need to remember that my Father cares enough for me that He will provide, and He knows where He wants me to work - what He has planned for me to do. I don't need to worry about food or clothes, as Jesus said in the book of Matthew, for my Father knows I need those things. What I have to remember is to put my trust in Him and wait on Him. I still have to put in applications and contact schools, but the worrying, the stress, the fear of the job search don't need to be on my radar. It's in His hands and He's big enough to handle all that comes my way.

This is just one of many examples where God has revealed himself to me through an average, ordinary experience. I'm going to try to post more as I have time. In the meantime, for any of you that read this - I'd love to know, Where has God shown Himself to you through a normal daily chore or something that was just a normal part of life?

Love you all! aj

Home Again!

Hi Friends and Family,

This blog is being written from a little town outside of Raleigh, NC - yes, I am back home! Well, technically, I'm a Meggie's home - which is really adorable. My flights were pretty unremarkable, other than none of them being on time to leave or arrive - but never having to worry about not making the next flight. Great thing about 3-5 hour layovers!

It's nice to be back home and to not have to wear a jacket. I left Germany bundled tightly and crunching through snow. I arrived in NC in a light sweater with a huge smile on my face because it was warm!

Meggie and I went to Chili's last night, where I promptly got some sweet tea! And Joey (Meggie's fiance), had made a gallon of tea for their house, knowing that I would want some. He's a sweetie!

Today begins the craziness of my Christmas vacation - but I'm excited to see everyone and spend time with my friends and family. And of course, I'm excited for all the joy of Meggie's wedding and getting to buzz around and help with any last minute things.

I need to catch up on blogging about some lessons God has been teaching me, but that's not going to happen today - my brain is still mush from only having 8 hours of sleep total in the last 60 hours. I'd love prayers for a quick time with jet lag and getting back into a good schedule.

Love you all.

AJ

General Update on Life

Hi Family and Friends! Sorry that I've not done a great job of updating lately. It seems that I always find ways to keep myself busy and fully engaged in life here - and while I think of you all often, it's not always easy to sit down and write about what's going on in life here. Plus so much of it can't even be explained - it has to be experienced to be fully understood. Since I'm typing this before I head off to school, I'll just hit some of the highlights of December so far. I'm also trying to figure out how to post videos, because I have some pretty awesome ones of my kiddos that I'd love to share.

* Weekend Trip to Rothenburg - Last weekend, I went to Rothenburg with some of the other teachers at RIA. This is a medieval town, and is just absolutely magical. We went on the Night Watchman's Tour, walked the wall of the city (much of which still exists and is functional) and ate Schneeballen (SnowBalls) - a regional specialty. We also went to a little restaurant in a kellar (cellar) with an English speaking waiter who was quite colourful to say the least! It was so awesome to get to walk around the Christmas market and just enjoy the smells and the beauty of this small town.

* Sickness - I've been fighting some pretty good infections, including some pretty tough ear infections and I'm hoping that I totally get rid of all of them before I go back home in a week. Other members on staff are now fighting some of the same infections - so we would definitely covet your prayers for health for all of us here at RIA. We know that a big part of it is working with little kids, or as we lovingly refer to them, germ machines. We try to make sure to take care of ourselves, including having Vitamin C packets in our staff room to add into cups of water. I just get my Vitamin C from the massive amounts of oranges I eat.

* Christmas Program - The long awaited Christmas Program happens tomorrow. I definitely would covet your prayers for this. We are presenting a few songs, discussing the ways different cultures celebrate Christmas, and then presenting the Nativity. I'm super excited, and really do hope that the glory goes to Christ! I am praying that the Nativity touches the heart of at least one person and helps them to see (or see again) the real meaning for Christmas. The kids are doing such a great job - I'm so proud of them.

*Planning for going home - I leave in 7 days. It's hard to believe that I'll be on my way back home for Meggie's wedding so soon. I hadn't planned to come home for Christmas this year, but I'm so excited to be able to celebrate this amazing and exciting time with Meggie and all of my friends/family.

Well - it's time to head to school. I'll be trudging through our Winter Wonderland. We have about 2-3 inches of snow here and I'm so excited!

Love you all!

AJ

Happy Thanksgiving.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all are able to be surrounded by the ones you love and who love you - and together, celebrate in thankfulness, all the blessings that you have.

I will be celebrating Thanksgiving a little late - on Saturday, but I'm excited for the opportunity to fellowship with teachers and other friends from Germany/Switzerland. Last year was great fun - crowding lots of people into my director's apartment. I know this year will be just as fun.

Lately, as I've been thinking a little about Thanksgiving, and the fact that I won't be at home again this year, God has really been pouring some thoughts into my heart. He's been teaching me that regardless of blood lines or country of origin, we are all family in Christ. There is a new dimension to the relationships I have with people here when I look at them as more than just friends, but as sisters and brothers. Because my mind is so temporary focused (knowing that I'm only here for a time), I have noticed that I enter into friendships with the time limit in mind. Yet God is showing me that I shouldn't do that. He wants me to enter into relationships with eternity in mind - showing His love to each person I meet and pouring into them fully, rather than with a short time limit in mind. I'm interested to see where this new perspective takes my relationships.

And because Thanksgiving isn't complete without thinking of things I'm thankful for, I thought I'd list just a few (I tried to stay away from the overly used ones):
- Living in a country where I'm able to freely express my religious views
- Being so young, and yet able to live independently in another country
- The smiles of my students
- The bad days that help me to see how strong I am and help me to become even stronger (as well as help me to rely on the strength of God to get me through)
- Support of people I love and that love me, even when I make choices that they don't necessarily agree with
- The fact that I'm loved unconditionally by God and able to share that love with others, hopefully impacting their lives in positive ways

Those are just a few of the many things that I'm thankful for. Again, I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. I love and miss you all!

AJ

Happy Birthday Mom! and Thoughts on the Election

Before I go any farther I have to wish a Happy Birthday to my Mom. I must admit that it's so weird and rather hard to know that this is the second birthday that has passed of hers where we aren't even in the same continent. I heard from her and it was good, but I can't wait till I can celebrate it with her again!

Now, for thoughts on the election. This is only the third Presidential election that I really remember. It is the second election that I've been eligible to vote in. And yes, I have voted in both that I've been eligible for. Now, I'm not going to say who I voted for (though in Europe, they aren't afraid to ask you) and I'm not going to say who I think others should vote for. But, I will say, that until I lived in Europe during an election year, I don't think I ever realized how big of an impact an election in the US would have on other countries. It's scary, but I think some Europeans are more well informed and knowledgeable about the stances of our candidates than some Americans. While I'm not in the US, I still see much news, and hear of so many of the issues here. But, I also have the ability to hear about how things that are voted on in the US, and policies of the US, affect our neighbours throughout the world.

This has especially come in light of a new definition of neighbour that I've been exploring with my Life Group. One definition of neighbour (as in Love your neighbour as yourself) is anyone who is impacted by your actions. In a lot of ways people are impacted by our actions that we would never think of or realize. The clothes we wear, the places we shop, the furniture we buy - all of it impacts other people, many of whom don't live in the US, and many times, don't even live in North America. Neighbour stretches much farther than the people we see everyday.

How does that relate to the election? So often, when hearing people talk about how they are voting (or the fact that they aren't voting), I hear them mention their opinions, or political party. God has really been pressing on my heart that we shouldn't just be worried about what is being said by our candidates or parties. We all need to be on our knees seeking His face before we vote. Now, that's easy for me to say, as I've already voted and mailed in my choices (though I did put it into practice before I cast my ballot). But, for any of you who read this before you vote tomorrow, please take the time to pray and ask God to help lead you to His choices for our country and your state and local governments. The impact of our choices, done prayerfully or hastily, will be mighty, and we may not even realize it until it's too late.

I am praying God's will over all of us and over the USA. May the US return to Him and seek His face with all of her heart. May we truly be a country who can say, "God blessed us - and we bless Him"!

Peace to you all,

AJ

A New Part of My Journey.

Hi friends and family! I hope you are all doing well. I realized that I hadn't really shared here about a new step in my journey, and decided now was a good time to do so. This will be pretty quick, but I just want to let you all in on this new part of my life here. I'll do a general update soon.

As many of you know, since moving to Germany, I have become involved in the Anglican Church of Basel. This is an amazing church with wonderful people - and I have so felt the love of God through the expressions of His people in this church, both inward reaching and in outreach. Last year, I began to become involved with some of the activities of the church, like Life Group (Bible Study) and leading intercessions during service. This year, I really felt God leading me to get more involved, and as I prayed, I knew He was leading me toward teaching Children's Ministry. So, I talked to some of the leaders and was told that there was a need for a Senior Pathfinders leader. These are the kids that are between 11-13 years old. I was quite excited. I helped for a few weeks with this group, and enjoyed it, but felt like it wasn't exactly what God was leading me to.

About a week later the CM leader approached me about an idea God had placed on his heart. He wanted to split the 13-18 boys and girls into two separate classes, that would meet twice a month, with one Sunday being the All-Age Service and another being a service Sunday for the youth to help with ministries of the church. He asked me to consider it, and I knew immediately that this was what God was leading me toward. I asked him about my age, knowing that some people would think I was too young to deal with this age group. He said as he had been praying, I was the name that kept coming to him and he thought I would be a good fit. So far, that same sentiment has been echoed by the whole church, with people cheering me on for being willing to serve the youth, even though I'm still young.

I have had 2 Sundays with "my girls" so far. And both Sundays have been wonderful. God has definitely shown His presence on both Sundays in strong ways. The girls all seem excited for this new adventure we're going on together - and I really believe that we will all grow together through our discussions, learning about the Bible and most importantly, learning about God - who He is and the love He has for us. As I prepare each week to present God's love to them, God reminds me afresh of His love for me. His truth flows through me more and more as I work to help teach those same truths to these girls. It's an amazing thing that as I am serving, God is transforming me into who He wants me to be. Yet again, it just proves the amazing love of the God we serve.

I would love it if anyone is willing to pray for this group of girls. I so want to present the love of God to them in real ways - ways that they can feel and see evident in their lives. I know for sure that at least one has not accepted Christ as her Saviour, because she is not sure if she believes in God. This is such an amazing opportunity to share God's love with her (and all the girls) and the reality of how that can work out in her life. Please pray that I can present the love of God in a clear way each and every week that I'm with them. Also, please pray that God prepares their hearts to receive the truth of His love.

Thank you all for your prayers. And for those of you who are Sunday School teachers or youth leaders, know that I pray for you as well. This is such an amazing ministry in the church, and I don't think that we pray for our children's leaders nearly enough. I know that I was blessed with some pretty awesome Sunday School teachers who presented the Gospel to me in ways that I understood. And I really hope that when these girls are adults and look back that they see more than just me teaching, but see the love of God through me. :)

Love you all!
AJ

The Celebration of my birth...

Today has been an amazing day. Today I have been reminded of God's love through so many different people in so many different ways, that I don't even know how to begin to express my joy!

I'm going to try to use pictures to explain my day, because words will fail me.

I woke up this morning, and went to breakfast with one of my roommates (Mallory) and the person I teach with (Cam). We went to a little place named Cafe Fritz, and they always have amazing breakfasts. It was great fun, and once we all had our brotchen and coffee, we headed on to school.

Today was the school's Fall Festival. I honestly can not think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than being surrounded by the children whom I love so much! I was in charge of face painting and I loved being with each child and talking to them as I created new "faces". So many of them wished me a happy birthday as we talked, it just blessed me.



After the Fall Festival, I came home, had time to relax and catch up on emails, of which I had about 30 - wishing me happy birthday from all over the globe! How amazing is it to have friends on several continents, who stop and think of me today.

About 7 tonight, however, came the big celebration. All I knew was that I was encouraged to dress up if I wanted and that I would be blindfolded. My roommates were in charge and I was willing to go along with it. As far as I was aware, it was going to be just a small roommate night at a restaurant somewhere around our town.



When we finally made it to the parking place, my roommates kept me blindfolded and walked me out of the parking garage between them. All I can do is trust them as we go up stairs and cross streets. At one point, a couple of German men yelled out "Achtung, Achtung..." which means Watch out, or careful. Aubrey told me later that that had also said something about watching out for a tree! When we finally stopped, they let me take my blindfold off and I walked into a restaurant that I'd never been to. But the best part by far, was that almost my entire school staff was there. They had planned this amazing surprise party for me. I wanted to cry for feeling so blessed. I was overwhelmed by the thought and work poured into this celebration of my life. I only hope I can bless the lives of all those who came as much as they blessed me.




Thank you to all of my friends and family for all your support and love over the years. Thank you for the birthday wishes, the cards, the emails, the messages on Facebook and the phone calls. You have truly made 23 an amazing birthday! It's hard to imagine that a birthday so far from so many of you could be this much fun, but it has been beyond fun and beyond anything I ever dreamed of or imagined my birthday could be!

Love you all,

AJ