Some of this and that from the Latvian airport

Hello from Latvia!
The GlobeTREK team is now en route to Russia from Germany.  I am looking forward to this next part of the journey, with good memories of my time in Germany.  Here are a couple highlights:

* Volunteering at a pregnancy center where we sorted newborn clothes

*  Worshipping in a German church on Sunday morning, where I also played the piano for the singing during the service.  It is amazing to be able to worship with different cultures and language groups, united with a common song of praise to God!

*  Taking a boat down the Rhine river and admiring the beautiful German scenery

*  Learning important beverage tips... such as the danger of tea.  Oh, you didn't know that tea was dangerous?  Then you mustn't have heard of the poor Indian man.  He drowned one night in his "tea pee."  :)

*  Learning about some of Germany's history and culture.  On Saturday we had a 'tourist day', and visited Heidelberg.  From the castle there I could see a panorama of the city.  While we did not pay for a tour of the castle, a tour guide came by at an opportune moment and so I eaves-dropped a little and found out why all the churches faced one way, except for one church that faced perpendicular.  Apparently, all churches face the rising sun, with the steeple toward the setting sun.  However, in the late 1600s, a major flood destroyed much of Heidelberg.  After the flood, the Catholics built the Church of the Holy Ghost, which faces toward Rome.  This was a call for the people to return to the true, Catholic Church.  They did not want the people's rebelliousness to bring more judgment on the town!

*  Lastly, we attended the English church in the evening, which reaches out to the US military families from the large military base in Ramstein.  A young man sang a special song before the message, which really spoke to my heart.  I have the link below for you to listen as well.  For me, it summarized my desire to see Christ exalted around the world.  I also thought it was neat that the song voices Prairie Bible Institute's motto:  To Know Christ and Make Him Known.  May this be true in your life and mine!

LIFT UP THE CROSS by the Crist family          http://youtube/98AlLSDK3XM

Hello from Germany!

Hello from Germany!
Our trip started out with the reminder that while man may plan his steps, it is the Lord who directs our paths.  Andrew and Deb had booked a flight for noon on Tuesday, but despite various confirmations from the airlines, they found out the night before that they didn't actually have a seat on board.  So they ended up flying out at 4:30 in the morning instead!  The rest of us left at 3 in the afternoon for our 7:30pm flight.  I flew out much encouraged by the support shown for the GlobeTREK team by the students at Prairie as well as the community at the Prairie Tabernacle.

The flight included a couple of firsts for me:
first flight outside of the Americas
first 9-hour flight
first 8 hour time-zone change

Today these verses stood out to me as I did my devotions:
"But we have these treasures in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us...  Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit...  Now The Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of The Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of The Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from The Lord, who is the Spirit."  2 Corinthians 4:7; 3:4-6, 17-18

These verses stood out to me as an encouragement in the face of all the things I don't know and can't control or understand.  The last couple verses are also so powerful and meaningful to me in light of where I am at in this GlobeTREK adventure.  I go, beholding God's glory in a variety of ways and contexts, and anticipating how we will use this to transform me more into the image of my Savior.  Already I have been blessed by meeting with the missionaries here in Germany and worshipping on Wednesday night with the American community at the army base here.  As for tomorrow, I look forward to helping out at a crisis pregnancy center here and handing out tracts in a neighborhood.  And now... time for bed.  I don't feel too done in by the time change yet, but let's not push it! :)

GlobeTREK before GlobeTREK officially starts

Wow... It's almost THAT TIME!

Tomorrow I fly to Alberta where I will be taking a week-long class.
Then in 12 days I board the plane for Germany, the first part of my GlobeTREK journey!

Wow!

This summer has sped by so fast. 

I am so grateful for the time of rest and preparation that I could enjoy.

And now I am nervous and excited to start this adventure. 

Some prayer items:
Prayer for peace and stamina and courage
Prayer that I will be present in the moment and not get bogged down in secondary things or things that don't really matter in the long run
Prayer for unity as a GlobeTREK team

Thanksgiving for the visas that I have been able to get for my travels
Thanksgiving for time with family and friends over this summer
Thanksgiving to God that His way is perfect and He will perfect that which concerns me! (Psalms 18 and 138)

Again, a big thank you to everyone who is sharing in this adventure with me.  I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I look forward to keeping in touch as things get going!

A 'faucet-nating' update

So for some random updates...
I know that updates can sometimes be unexciting, but hopefully you will find these ones 'faucet-nating' (fascinating). 
Bonjour mes chers amis!  As alluded to, preparation for GlobeTREK includes many 'faucets' (facets).
1) French faucet

 For one, I am learning French. This was on recommendation from a woman at the Jubilee Health Centre that I am communicating with. And, after spending a week in Quebec, I am more than excited to learn this beautiful language. My knowledge of Spanish helps with comprehension... pronunciation is another story! But I have taken out some resources from the library—including an audio disc!--and so here goes.

2) "The Basics" Faucet

Another prep-area is my personal walk with God. I know that this coming year will be very challenging on physical, emotional and spiritual levels. I am reading a book from Open Doors called “Standing Strong Through the Storm” by Paul Estabrooks and Jim Cunningham. This book looks at persecution, the results of persecution, and what that means for the persecuted as well as those living in 'free societies.' It provides biblical keys for Christians to enable them to stand strong and be victorious no matter what storms they face.  

So, "let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23)!

3) The public washroom faucet

 

And here come the airport washroom faucets! As far as I know, my plane ticket to my 6 month destination, South Africa, has been booked now. Hurrah! I can't believe how quickly the travels are approaching!

In regards to all these preparations, I have several prayer requests and praises:

• I have been experiencing some difficulty in applying for visas, but it looks like that could be clearing up (thanksgiving!).  However, continued prayer that these logistics will work out is still appreciated.
• Prayer for spiritual growth and maturity.
• Thanksgiving for the support of my family in this venture. 

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21

of bike-a-thons and busbies

So many things have happened!
The bike-a-thon, which took place ten days ago already, was a success!  Over three hundred people participated and raised around $73,000--praise God! 
Since then, I have also spent a week in Quebec with my family.  I have a new appreciation for the French Canadians and their culture, though the Quebec mosquitoes bite as vigorously as the Ontario ones!  Besides some random trivia (my brother informed me that we passed 223 vehicles between exits 26 and 13 on Highway 30 in Quebec), I also learned that the busby--those tall fur helmets which seem to have become a British signature piece--originally came from France.  The French general Napoleon, a short man himself, had his soldiers sport these towering head-pieces to render them taller and more formidable.  When they defeated Napoleon, the British brought the fashion back to their home country. 
I find it interesting how cultures interact and shape each other.  I also find it interesting how people maintain their distinct cultural identity even as they copy and borrow from other cultures.  While some things may seem rather strange, different cultures can have a lot to offer each other.  For example, when I watched the change of the guard at the Citadelle in Quebec City, my mind kept trying to make me laugh by pretending that the busbies were wigs.  However, when I thought about it, the busbies actually have some good strong points:  In the heat of battle, the height of the hats gives some confusion about where the soldier's head is if you are aiming for it.  Also, the 'misplaced' chin strap is positioned to protect the soldier's face from sabre lashes.  The fact that you cannot see the soldier's eyes is another good tactic.  So perhaps respect is more in order than ridicule!

 

Sunny days

This past Saturday I experienced my first sun over-exposure of this year. Since I am busy with odd jobs, an online course, and GlobeTREK preparation, my summer schedule is pretty flexible and so I took the afternoon to bike to Port Stanley with my sister and two brothers. It is about a 30 km bike ride round-trip, and the sun shone cheerfully on us. It shone a bit too cheerfully, perhaps... and perhaps I met it with a bit too much enthusiasm after my first experience of a frigid Alberta winter. Whatever the reason, I burned royally and my shoulders are still tender. But I don't regret it—I am so blessed by the time I can spend with my siblings!

Not to mention, that bike ride was vital preparation for this coming Saturday (at least, that was the excuse we gave my parents to let us enjoy an afternoon of biking to the beach!). On June 7, my family is taking part in a bike-a-thon hosted by Word and Deed Canada (wordanddeed.org). This bike-a-thon spans 52 beautiful kilometers of bike trail along the Niagara Parkway and raises money for one of Word and Deed's projects in KwaMhlanga, South Africa: the Nakakele AIDS clinic. In an area where HIV/AIDS infection rate rises above 50%, the clinic has around 20 beds, and seeks to treat AIDS patients, alleviate their symptoms, and share God's Word with them. Associated with the clinic, an eight-person home-based hospice care team also makes around 520 home visits each month, caring for around 350 patients, hosting Bible studies, referring patients to the clinic, and educating the community about HIV/AIDS.

This will be my fourth year participating in the bike-a-thon (if I remember correctly), and this year I am especially excited about it since I will be close to the AIDS clinic during my time in South Africa. Maybe when I have a day off I can visit and see the kingdom work they are doing in South Africa as well! In the meantime, I hope for good weather and a good turnout on Saturday!