Fields and flying carpets

So, God is good. I would just like to put that out there. I went to the Young Adults meeting in the church last night and had a really awesome time. There are having a School of Ministry every last Sunday of the month there, so I joined the Prophetic class. It was so good. One girl got a really encouraging word for me. She said she saw me on a flying carpet flying high in the sky, having a good time. Then she said she felt it meant that I would fly over my problems, not put them lightly, but not be affected by them so much because I know that God is with me and helping me through them because He is the flying carpet. She said she saw me being unlike others who are down on the ground dealing with their problems, but I had something special with God. She said I stand out because of my smile and God's presence shining through me. How cool is that?! So that, needless to say, was very encouraging. I have had similar words like that in the past, so it's kind of crazy. One word I had before was when I was at Tahilla Monday in Calgary. Pastor Steve stopped the ending worship set to point me out and give me a word. He said that I was going to have such a great life. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time for how great it was going to be. He said that most people are on a tightrope going through life and have to be careful not to make a wrong step, but my life was like a big, wide open field that I could go running through and dancing in. He said again that I was going to have a great life. And I would have to say, so far he's right! I have had the best life I could imagine! I'm living the life I want, and God is there every step of the way blessing me beyond what I can imagine. He is so good to me! I love that with God, all things are possible, so I'm running through the field and excited for what is going to happen next. Well, this blog entry is a lot more cheerful than the last one, eh? God is so good.

Hey all who read this. I need your help. I've been feeling a little down lately, well, a LOT down. Let's just say my pillow case needs to be de-salted. If you could please pray for me. I'm feeling really lonely and homesick. It is really hard for me here in this Scandinavian culture. In my city I have no friends outside of Euroclass where I work. And that is really really hard for a sanguine extrovert like myself. I'm used to having many many friends and something to do anytime I want, and people to hang out with always. And now, I have no one it seems. I can't really have best friends amoungst the students, can't show favouritism or anything. And the other leaders have their lives or have to work here, so they can't leave the building. Or like we all deal with, we have no money to do the stuff we want. And that includes going to another town to see my good friends. I would do that all the time if I could. But I can't. So needless to say, the past 6 months of loneliness feel like they are culminating in this moment. So please pray. I have been to the young adults group here, but the people are so reserved and not very friendly or welcoming. Yes, they are civil and nice, but when it comes to inviting me out to just hang, or do whatever, well... there is just none of that. So please pray for a breakthrough for me. I can't do this alone. It's just not in my personality or nature. I NEED friends to keep me sane and keep me from not killing my students.
Thank you for all your understanding and prayer! God bless!

Today we went to Flensburg, Germany. Some of us went ice skating while some of the others went swimming. It was a lot of fun. We did all the things you ought when skating with a large group. We took loads of pictures for starters, and of many

different things. We slid on our bellies on the ice, we laid down with our heads together as pictured, we made long trains, and we drank hot chocolate. (I ordered two hot chocolates in english, but then he grabbed the hot dog buns, so fortunately I stopped him before he grilled them. I didn't think the buns were to replace biscotti.) After our two and a half hours of fun and sore ankles, we popped on over to the supermarket. Whenever you are in Germany, you must buy lots of candy and pop. At least that's how it's been. It's much cheaper there, so we always stock up. I try to be careful though, because if I stock up on candy, I also will stock up in pounds. Don't want that! Over all it was a fun day. On the way home however, we witnessed an accident. The car in front of us started swerving and then started rolling. It ended upside down in the shoulder. We stopped and only one guy was there. He crawled out the window and didn't have a scratch on him. It was a miracle! So we brought him in the bus and gave him a pepsi while we waited for the cops to show up. Poor guy, 19 and just got his liscense. Now he has a totalled car. But at least he has his life! Well, that's my news for today! Cheers!

Today was a good day again! It finally snowed. There's nothing worse than having a miserable snowless winter. If it's going to be this cold, there might as well be snow. We've just had heaps and heaps of rain, which is no fun to play in. So finally the rain turned to snow. So today, to celebrate, we went over to the Bible school where the lake is, which also has the perfect sledding hills. One has to be careful though, that you don't sled too far and slide into the lake. So we grabbed our extra large industrial garbage bags and were off. One guy, Toby, stuck his head through the bag with just a hole in the top so his arms were stuck inside. Then off he went, on his stomach, and he kept going and going and... (I have to pause because I still laugh hysterically at the mental picture) he slid right into the lake! Splash! And to make matters worse, because his arms were stuck inside the bag, he couldn't get out right away. Oh the poor guy, he was so cold, and I was so mean - I just couldn't stop laughing! But he was alright. Just some stinky wet shoes to wash after he went back to change and shower. I made him some hot chocolate and he was able to forgive me for laughing as hard as I did. Hehe. It was so funny! Tip for the day: don't go sledding by a lake that isn't completely frozen over yet!

Rolling laughter

So you know the feeling when you laugh so hard your stomach aches? I had that at least three times today. The first time was just after dinner time. We were hanging out in the dining room making fun. And really, when you really think about it, the things we did weren't that funny. One girl was laughing so hard she snotted out her nose. And that just didn't help the situation. Then one would laugh, and I would laugh at her, then we would laugh together... it was a mess really, but so much fun. Then, because Marie-Louise and I ate two pieces of white bread for dinner, we decided to go for a walk to town to burn it off and then fake-n-bake while we were there. Just as we decided to do that, the rain started. And it seemed torrential. But being the troopers that we are, we thought it would be fun to play in the rain and go for a walk anyways. So we borrowed people's rain jackets and pants, bundled up and went for it. The walk started with us laughing at ourselves so hard because we looked like a pair of fat, old sisters out for a stroll. After we finished laughing about that, we realized that it wasn't even raining! The whole hour long walk, it didn't rain one drop! Here we looked like the biggest dorks, to no avail. But I'm glad we borrowed the rain gear, because on the way home we stopped by the Bible School nearby where they have a big hill. And we did what any normal person would do who already felt like a dork (and looked the part too), we rolled down. We rolled into each other, we rolled so far apart, we couldn't see each other. We just kept on rolling. And of course, as we did that, the laughter rolled as well. Laughter really is a good medicine. I feel so good right now! If you haven't laughed really hard in a while, I suggest you dress like a dork and do something crazy with a good friend! Works like a charm.

Nature Walk

So right around the corner from my "house" (I use that term lightly as it is actually just a big dorm house/school building where EVERYTHING happens) we have a beautiful lake. I went there one day with a camera and was inspired. My only thoughts at the moment are why don't I take advantage of this beautiful lake more often? There are so many times when I'm here in my "house" bored out of my mind, and just a few short minutes away is a beautiful little oasis of peace and tranquility. But I guess I'm just not that type. Maybe in the summer when the weather is nicer and not so bone chilling. And when the sun shines giving the hope of a tan, then I shall frequent this "oasis of peace and tranquility" a little more often. But for now I will just write about it and wonder!

And when I was on my little jaunt to the lake with my Olympus Digital, I decided that it might be fun to go for a nice long walk to try to find some interesting pictures. So here are some that I came up with. Maybe you don't think they are particularily cool, but I quite enjoy them! One is of a random tunnel under a road in the middle of nowhere surrounded by pastures. And one is of the hedge in the middle of a road and houses. I guess, really, I have no real use for pictures such as these, so I might as well utilize them in my blog! Enjoy!

Prayer Week

So this week we are having a prayer week here at Euroclass. We are continuing in 24 hour prayer until Friday. The students take 2 hour shifts, and through the night they are lengthened to 3 hour shifts with one of leaders to supervise and motivate. So far it's been so great. The theme this year comes from John 10:10, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and life abundant." So we set up the classroom with two main themes. On one side you have the "desert" where there is dead trees and a jail, as well as pictures of depravity. Then on the other side you have the "oasis" complete with a cushioned sitting area like one from a gypsies tent in an oasis in the middle of the sahara. Here they can relax and fall in love with the Creator. There are also different areas of interest. There is a creative table with crayons and papers and paint to create what you feel at that time. As well, you can write a letter to God and put it in the "post box" which will later be burned and offered up to God. There you can also write down things that you want to get rid of in your life and then shred them and stick them in the toilet to be "flushed away." There is a punching bag, so you can sock it to the devil. The students can tape any frustrating thing in thier life to the bag, and then let it have it! We have flags of all the countries we are associated with around the room to pray for, as well as paper on the walls so people can write thier prayer requests down for others to pray for. We have a computer set up in the corner so worship music plays non stop the whole time. It's amazing how much worship music is out there. We have enough for 6 days straight, and that doesn't include my music! Over all it is a very cozy atmosphere, or as they would say, it's "hyggeligt." We are only in the second day, but I know there are breakthroughs happened in peoples lives, and this will be a week they will always remember. Although I have caught people sleeping in the pillow section. But, that is life I guess, you will always get the sleepers, no matter how hard you try.