Catch up time!

I feel like I start every blog post out like this, but I can’t help it.

So, WOW!

I never know where to start.  I meant to post a really awesome post about our mini outreach in Nuremberg, but obviously that didn’t happen. Haha. So as far as Nuremberg, it was intense. In all honesty, personally it was really rough. I felt as if I had to consciously tell myself to put one foot in front of the other every day. Our days consisted of worship and lecture on evangelism and then hitting the streets all afternoon evangelizing on the streets of Nuremberg. Evangelizing was a new thing for me. Going up to complete strangers on the streets and talking about God, especially when you don’t speak the same language can be really intimidating and really exhausting. At times I felt like I had nothing to give to the people on the streets of Nuremberg. I mean I was walking through the red light district interacting with prostitutes, praying with street musicians who live off of the coins people spare them on the streets and engaging in conversations with people who whole heartedly believe that God is non existent. This girl definitely didn’t experience this stuff in my small Texas town, but this girl also didn’t experience God in that small Texas town like she has the last couple of months. I’ve learned that a relationship with God isn’t about the emotions and always “feeling” him. I have learned that who God is has nothing to do with how I feel. That faith is choosing to believe who God is because of who he says he is apart from my emotions. That God is worthy of my worship simply because He is God, not because of what He does for me. So the days in Nuremberg where I didn’t feel like God was near and I didn’t feel like He was using me to change peoples lives I was able to gather a little more understanding what it meant to choose Him and to stand on his word rather than my own understanding or emotions. A relationship with Christ isn’t always easy. You have to persevere and be diligent. The release will come. The rejoicing will happen when you have faith in your diligence and perseverance!

We saw some rough things in Nuremberg and met some really broken people, but God is really amazing at bringing life and beauty out of what is broken and dead. We did a flash mob to proclaim the song Beautiful Things by Gungor over the city or Nuremberg. The power in words is so great! We proclaimed that God makes beautiful things out of us and he makes all things new. God used us when we least expected it, in small ways and big ways! We may have not have physically seen results of the way God used us in every situation and may not ever see them, but as a school we have complete faith that in our obedience and through our faith we were used to change eternity. Whether we planted seeds, watered seeds or witnessed beautiful fruit it was all in his name! And to add to that it was so evident that God is the one who changes hearts. By his presence alone are we effective.

My favorite day at Nuremberg was when we went to a refugee camp in a near by city. These are people who have insane stories of escaping with their families from their countries because they were persecuted for one reason or another. They are at these refugee camps awaiting interview appointments to gain citizenship in Germany. A group of us brought our music, drawing stuff, cameras and the presence of Jesus. We played games with the kids, sang and dance. People were literally chasing me down to take their photo or take photos of their children for their Facebook’s haha. It was so great to bring joy to them, even if it was for one afternoon. And I love how even though I am in an arts school, God always provides a basketball court where I am at. It was so ridiculously awesome playing basketball with guys from Iraan, Iraq, Bangledash and so many other countries. That is until I sprained my ankle. Haha Basketball in jeans and boots isn’t the best attire, but definitely worth it!

So I am back in the beautiful town of Herrnhut and back in the swing of lecture and the normal schedule. I really cannot believe that mini outreach was two weeks ago. We’ve had two great speakers and God continues to just change my perspective on who He is and who I am in him!

There is only 4 more weeks of lecture left in my DTS. It is going by so fast. I am definitely not ready to leave my flat mates and other friends that won’t be on the same outreach as me. Outreach teams and locations were announced during mini outreach. I will be going a little further east to Asia =) We will be heading out the first of December and be living out of our packs for 10 weeks. So surreal, the opportunity we have been given in outreach and the opportunities that I know I will have at the end of my DTS.

So crazy. So many times I have read posts, texts, letters etc. saying you are so blessed to have these opportunities and you are this and you are this, but you know friends it has nothing to do with me. We all have insane opportunities and such an adventure waiting for us when we choose Christ. All I did was choose to choose to be open to God. Please don’t look at me and think I am something special, but I pray that I am pointing you straight to Jesus! My perspective on what it is to live a life for God has been so blown to pieces and replaced with something much different! Sometimes when we think of a relationship of Christ. We mistake it for religion. For rules and boundaries that want to bind us up. We think of a God that has expectations and if we fail we will get a scolding finger in our face and quite frankly we think of a fun sucker. Haha But I have found quite the exact opposite! I am falling in love with a God that gives joy and freedom. That has new mercies every single day! One that wants to take you on a wild adventure if you just trust Him! No it isn’t easy all the time and no it doesn’t always feel good, but it SO WORTH IT! He is worth it! Not because of what he does for us or what he may give us, but simply because He is.

Thank you everyone for all the love and support! Your prayers and encouragement are appreciated beyond words. I love hearing from everyone! So feel free to contact me by email, facebook twitter etc. If anyone would like to support me financially please don’t hesitate to contact me! I don’t think we are supposed to think of this as a contest, but judging by mail and packages I get from my family and friends I am definitely winning the contest of “my family and friends really love me”! haha

Keep the faith friends!

In Nuremberg!

Waiting for the train headed to Nuremberg! I felt so cool with my pack! =) And my lovely friends. haha

A few of