Another week in Deutschland!

Seriously, the weeks are just flying by like crazy now.  After this week I will have been in Germany for a month now. So crazy. At times I still can’t believe I am here.

So this past week was quite an eventful one. New speakers, our mini outreach was announced as well as our big outreach options, I feel like God has given me a new promise and has opened my eyes to see even more of who he really is! We also went on another local outreach with our cameras and so many good laughs and conversations spent with the amazing people here!

There is so much to talk about I don’t know how to narrow it down and not write a novel.  Especially what God has been doing in my heart. Our speakers this week were two missionaries from Bangledash. Great guys! So blessed to learn from two men of God. The topic was intimacy with God and fearing God. It was a great week!

A few things I have learned and will definitely continue to press into!

-Sometimes my “athlete mentality” gets in the way. As an athlete we strive for excellence. We define our weakness and work to make them better. We are constantly working and striving for excellence! I am really good at striving and criticizing myself when I mess up. So when I get excited and hunger for God I try and work at it! I want more of him. I want to know more about him and who he is! So I try harder. And when I mess up and know I chose the wrong thing I beat myself up because I know I hurt God. But he says that there is no condemnation for those in Christ! That I am a new creation! He took the beating once and for all when he was beaten on the cross. He resurrected and because I have received him into my life I am resurrected with him! As much as I want to know more of God and love him more working for it isn’t what I should do. How I am growing in him is in his control and he is nothing, but good and perfect. Sounds so simple and so basic. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I am just now REALLY realizing this because I’ve heard it over and over AND OVER! But that is the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.

-Love isn’t based on emotions, but is a choice. We make to the choice to love and worship God. We don’t always feel like it. And we definitely don’t always feel like loving people around us, but he commands us to. So we make the choice to love our God with all our heart and soul and make the choice to love those around us out of honor and love for our God.

-You either operate out of fear of man or fear of God. One will lead to constant problems and a life enslaved by selfishness and imperfect beings. The other will lead to unending joy, peace and freedom being in relationship with God!

This week we started our core groups. Which are like smaller groups within our DTS where we read books of the bible, discuss and teach. I LOVE THIS! We can have a ton of speakers who tell us really awesome things, but if we aren’t confident in our own beliefs and back it up with God’s word we are failing. I am in a group with 9 other girls and the first book we went through is Mark and we are now getting into Acts. So pumped!

OUTREACH

So in DTS we have local outreach, which is what we do on the weekends. Go on the streets around the area talking to people and for the photo track taking photos of them. Then there is mini-outreach, which is a two week outreach where we go to a nearby surrounding area and serve. This prepares us for our big outreach, which is a three month period where we go to other countries and serve.

So this past weekend I went to Dresden to take photos and make connections. We are still working on street photography. Last weekend we practiced talking to people and getting their portraits. Last week was non-creeper like, this week was a bit more creeper like. Haha We tried to capture more candid shots of people on the street doing their thing. It is a lot harder than you think. It was a very tiring, challenging and frustrating. But nonetheless I enjoyed it! I met a couple of girls, got their info and hope to talk to them soon!

Friday, it was announced that our Mini outreach will be in Nuremburg Germany from Ocotber 6^th-20^th. We will be on the streets during the day and holding services at a church that will be hosting us. In most mini outreaches we split into smaller groups and go our separate ways for the two weeks, but we are all going as one group to Nuremburg. I am very excited to see what God has for us!

We were presented four different options for big outreach as well! They gave us some info on them and then we had 10 or so minutes to pray about it and ask God what he thought and then decide on our top three choices. I felt a strong peace about all of them and really am ok with wherever I am sent. I know God will use me wherever I am and will take care of me wherever I am. Details and even locations are sill subject to change, but it will be great! I can share that we will be going to all of these locations in smaller groups and we will be leaving the first week of December and will be gone for 10 weeks.

Other highlights of the week:

-My photo of Ede from last local outreach will be printed and put on the wall for the Inside out Project

-I bought a missionary backpack for our big outreach! It makes me feel official! Haha

-I also bought some amazing wool socks that will keep my feet warm when we are in lecture in our tent. It is so cold and it isn’t even really winter yet!

-Thanks for the package momma! Especially for the sour patch! =)

-I have started playing ultimate Frisbee every Friday and it is so much fun!

-I watched pride and prejudice for the first time ever.

-Hitchhiked in a limo. What?!

-My good friend Tarell graduated from her secondary school moved out of the flat and on to art school in Italy. Not a highlight that we miss her already!

-I ate three different things this week that reminded me of my grandma, my daddy and my grandpa! =D

I think that is all for this week guys! I miss everyone a ton! If you would please please pray as much as you remember for our outreaches. For clearer direction, for God to provide and protection. For the hearts of those we will encounter and for our hearts. DTS is flying by and outreach is getting so near!

Also, I officially paid all of my lecture phase! Thank God for his provision and for everyone who contributed to that! Because of extra costs here and there for living expenses, photo equipment etc. I may come up short for the outreach costs, but I am not sure how much outreach is because I don’t know exactly where I will be going for outreach. So prayers that God continues to provide would be much appreciated!

Take care!

Love, Allie!

 Getting my street photography skills on in Dresden! A lot harder than you think.

Joy! One of my beautiful friends/house mates! She is in the dance track!