Parties and Summits

This past week was our encouragement week, when our bosses from the states come to us in Berlin and check in on us, see how we're doing and encourage us. It's good to get an outsider's perspective on how we're doing as a team and as a ministry.

I went to my language partner's birthday party on Friday and discovered quite a few things about her and about German parties in general. First of all, I didn't feel nearly cool enough to be there. It was her 21st, which of course isn't as big a deal in Europe as it is in the states, yet there were tons of people crammed into her apartment and all of them were, well, just cool. German parties also tend to start real late and therefore go into the early hours of the morning and for a while I was concerned about looking like the lame American Christian if I was the first to leave, but thankfully I had enough endurance to not be the first to leave, meaning I was out the door at 1:30 am - still was one of the first to go. But it was really fun and very enlightening to the world these students live in. So often all we see is their life on campus, but this kind of thing sheds light on things that they enjoy and look forward to. It's a much more real picture than the one you see in the mensa.

On Sat. I had a really opportunity to sit in on a Berlin Summit meeting, which is when a lot of the most important Campus staff in Germany and Europe hang out and talk about the vision and needs of Berlin. Sweet. These people are so smart, experienced and encouraging that it just makes me really excited to be here in Berlin being a part of something so much bigger than myself. Not to mention they are just really great people.

20 years

Being in ministry, I think it's really easy to get caught up so much in tasks, that we miss out on what's going on around us. Lately, I've felt like there's just so much to do and I want to spend all my time getting things done. I know that's not healthy, however, I do want to spend more time relaxing and enjoying this amazing city and its surroundings. A week ago we went to the Eastside Gallery in Berlin which is a long stretch of the wall that was left standing. In the 90's they had a bunch of artists from all over the world come and paint on their own little section of the wall. Over time the paint has chipped and it was covered in graffiti. So last spring, they had the artists come back and repaint their section. So now it's a really cool display of different expressions about what the wall represents. It's especially cool that this year is the 20th anniversary of the wall coming down and the city is having all sorts of events to celebrate and remember. I'm really glad I get to experience this special anniversary. Above is a picture of me beside one painted section of the wall.

campus!

As I realize that we're already in the middle of the second week of classes, I'm amazed at how quickly time is going by. We've spent much of our time campus meeting new students and passing out flyers that have our website and the date of our first city-wide student meeting called "Fire-Abend", which we had last year as well. Normally, it will have worship and a speaker and some hang-out time afterwards. This first meeting however, will be more of an information night, introducing students to Campus für Christus, what we believe, our vision, who we are and what we do. Unbelievably, it is tomorrow already! Please pray many students will come!

I've discovered many things through passing our flyers. First of all, it's not just a task; it's an art. You need to be really dynamic, constantly walking in small circles and confidently offering people your flyer. Making eye contact and giving them a smile is also key. Every time I walk by somebody else passing out flyers and they're holding their place, meekly stretching out only a part of the arm to offer the flyer as they stare at the ground, I'm really put off. If they aren't excited by what they're "selling" or have any desire to be friendly to me, why should I care and take their flyer? Thankfully, what we're "selling" (rather, offering) should be so exciting, that it shouldn't take too much to conjure up in me. However, not every moment is perfect like when you're standing in the cold and rain or when a student tells you that there are no Christians here and that you're wasting your time. Someone even came right up to Amanda and told her God was dead. She was just handing out flyers! But these are the moments that remind us of why we're here.

Also, it's really cool to be at the same university for a second year in row. I often randomly run into students I know on campus and it's so nice to see smiling faces who are actually happy to see me! It's kind of like being a new sophomore who just realizes how awesome it is to not be a freshman.

And the more I learn German, the more I realize how ridiculous English is. Sure, there are a lot of tricky things about German and it certainly has its own quirks, but English is so bizarre and it baffles me how it has made it's way to be such an international language. I'm still struggling with German, but I believe I'm improving. I even did a survey all in German on Mon. It was a bit sad, but I did it!

Overall, I'm wonderfully encouraged by what's been happening here the past week and a half. It's certainly hard, sometimes frustrating and often awkward, but wow, it is SO worth it.

Semester Anfang

After four weeks of planning, praying and language tutoring, classes are finally starting this week. It's both exciting and scary to get back out there on campus. I'll be working at the TU again this year, which is great because I'll really be able to continue the relationships I already have with students. I'll be there with Amanda and Stu and we'll really be focusing on meeting many students, sharing the gospel, discipleship/Bible studies and sending students to conferences and summer projects. Please pray for strength, energy and boldness as we really get into ministry mode this week and that God will guide us to the right people to talk to. Thanks!

Visa Adventures

Here's a little story for you all:

At approximately 8:20 this morning I walk onto the grounds of the visa office a little nervous, but quiet pleased to have know that I had an appointment to get my visa (memories of being there at 6:00 am in the dark and freezing cold waiting in a long line of foreigners for multiple days still haunt me) and that my appointment was not until 9:00 am. How German am I being so early? Anyway, I quickly realized I didn't exactly know where to go. I knew my waiting room number and my call number, but was unsure of the entrance. Seeing a small flock of people at a farther entrance, I attempt the first and ask the official looking lady where waiting room 20 was (every conversation mentioned is in my poor German, btw). She told me to ask another lady behind a desk inside. I ask her and (to my dismay) she tells me to go to that farther entrance. There I find this small flock of people crowding the door in no organized fashion while a German official is literally standing in the doorway holding people back. Mustering all the gusto I had, I managed to push people aside enough to make my way to the man, tell him I have an appointment and show him my letter of proof (although it wasn't perfect proof, because the date and time of my appointment had been changed through email). He muttered something, then let me in. I was quite relieved. I then found what I thought was the right waiting room. However, I soon realized the numbers that were being called in this room weren't anything like mine and I started to panic, wondering what I should do. I go to the info desks and pull a number just to talk with one of them. Finally I'm able to tell a women behind a counter that I had an appointment, but my number wasn't called. She asks me when my appointment was and I told her 9. She looks at the time and chastises me saying it is after 9. Frustrated, I said I know, I've been waiting, but my number hasn't been called. She looks me up in the system, writes down the correct room number for me, says something I didn't understand, but that should do it quickly! So I race upstairs and don't bother to go to the waiting room, but I just went straight to the correct room. Thankfully, there were two super nice ladies there who helped me anyway. However, they became a bit suspicious about my occupation. But they sent me out to wait while they worked on it. 20 minutes later, when they called me back in, everything was all set and they were just about to stick the visa in my passport! I was quite happy at that point. They gave me a little card to go pay for it downstairs in these paying machines. So of course I end up with a broken machine. Not only that, but I pushed the card in too far before I realized it was broken, and I wasn't able to get it back out. Terribly frustrated and feeling so embarrassed to have to tell my nice ladies I lost my card in the machine. So I head back upstairs and tell them what happened. One lady told me it wasn't broken (what am I supposed to say to that, umm... yes it is!). The other said no problem and quickly printed me out a new one. Again, SO thankful. So then, after actually paying for the visa, going back upstairs, getting the visa and all my papers back and was sent off with a friendly "tschussi!", I was home free with my visa.

The end.

Back in the B

It's SO great to be back! I love coming back to a place/language that's at least somewhat familiar. Last year was pretty overwhelming with everything being so brand new. As I've been ordering food and going shopping all the German in my head has been flooding back to me, which is quite a relief. Moving into my new apartment (I'm sharing an apartment with Katie in Kreuzberg) has been a little chaotic, but we're slowly settling in and getting everything we need. Of course the first night we didn't have lights (German's take EVERYTHING when they move, including lights, toilet seats and the kitchen), but now we have some floor lights and are no longer living in the dark. Next steps involve installing the kitchen, setting up the living room and getting internet. Overall, things are going very smoothly so thank you for your prayers!

STINT Briefing

August has been a crazy month for me with a friend's wedding in Syracuse, STINT briefing in Colorado and a team reunion in Michigan all the while trying to finish up my support raising! Praise God though, I am at 92% of what I need. However, I still need to be at 100% before I get on that plane for Germany on Sept. 13th. Please pray it will all come in on time!

I think I say this a lot, but of all the Crusade conferences I've been to, STINT briefing is my favorite. There's something just so exciting and encouraging about being with 250+ people who are going all over the world to reach college students for Christ. We get prepared and trained for what we're about to face this year as well as hear funny and encouraging stories from STINT teams in the past. The above picture is of all the STINTer's heading out to somewhere in western Europe. If you're interested in hearing about more prayer requests for Europe, you can go to PrayEurope.com and there's great info there. Another special thing I got to experience at this briefing was having dinner with Steve Douglas, the president of Campus Crusade for Christ. Very cool!

Sept. 13th is coming quickly and I'm super excited to be heading back to Berlin. My next post will most likely be after I get there. Bis dann!