I am moving...

:-) I move to my new flat on Monday... well... I begin Monday. Tuesday is a holiday so I won't move so that I do not offend my new German neighbors... so hopefully Monday I can recruit some helpers to move some items so that Tuesday I can arrange and organize and figure out what I am missing. I already know that my container will not arrive on time... I will be borrowing some important items in the meantime... towels are a good thing to have....

So, if you want my address:
Papierweg 8
79400 Kandern
Germany

if you want to send gifts, letters.. you know... or if you happen into town and want to surprise me. :-) I usually like surprises...

and soon I will have a land line... er for those who don't know what that is... it is a telephone line that is not mobile... :-)

murder mystery dinner party...

So, Saturday night I found myself taking on a character in a murder mystery dinner party. pictured here you will see all of the participants... I happened to be playing the woman whose husband was murdered... we all had a motive.. as it turned out. I had been having an affair with the guy behind me and did not want my husband to know, the girl beside me was engaged to the brother of the girl in blue on the couch but he was killed in a missile attack as a result of missiles my dead husband had sold to the terrorists. the girl in the middle back row was the estranged sister of the guy on the couch and they were about to make a merger with my now dead husband's company... anyway... loads of fun. loads of interesting twists and turns... if you ever get a chance to be part of a murder mystery dinner party... don't turn it down. :-)

Something silly I got from my friend's blog

A photo from the ruins with me in it... just so you know..... there is about a 20 foot drop right behind me... it was a bit thrilling and scary all at the same time.

So my friend put this thing on her blog that if you do a google search for "your name needs" as in Melissa Needs or Bekah Needs or Andy Needs... got it.. and then list the top ten things listed that follow... it is pretty humorous...


1. Melissa needs maintenance manuals
2. Melissa needs attention and will do things for attention
3. Melissa needs to board the blob ship that is hovering overhead
4. Melissa needs athletic promotions
5. Melissa needs someone near there who will work with her today
6. Melissa needs to plug the holes
7. Melissa needs to increase her votes from 25% to 50%
8. Melissa needs a shoulder to cry on
9. Melissa needs your help to understand tar
10. Melissa needs to toughen up.

hmmmm... very interesting. ... Now you try it. :-) what does google say you need?

Two firsts for me here

So, I just had to share... It rained today!!!!!!!!!! :-) Now it feels like Fall has arrived.

and

I had schnitzel this evening in a genuine German Straussi.. not sure if I spelled that right. But these places are open for only about 4 months of the year and will close by the end of this month.

Burgruine Rotteln

So today I had the opportunity to go to a town nearby to this place. :-) It was a lovely hike to and from the ruins with a stop at the beer garden in between.

Do you know how precious it is to me to get an email or blog comment from you?

So last night I was suddenly struck with how much I am already and how much I am going to miss my friends. It was a Thursday night. My norm would be to call some friends and see what is going on, or call and make something happen. Or I would find an open coffee house and do some reading. But instead I was feeling very alone in a small town.

There is a peace that pervades these feelings in my soul. I know that I am where God wants me to be. I know that the process of being part of the normalness of other's lives takes some time.

"Perfect submission all is at rest. I in my Saviour am happy and blessed"....words to the song that is currently playing on my I-Tunes. How good to be reminded.

I also had some time this morning to be with the women from the Bible Study that meets every other Friday. We met for breakfast this morning and then we went around and shared and prayed. It came to me, and I, with unwanted tears in my eyes said where I am at in the transitioning stage. The women there are all in various stages of this transitioning and it was encouraging to have them come alongside me and pray.

And the Lord blessed me with some comments and emails from some of you. Thank you for reminders that you think of me and miss me and are excited for me. :-)

Kandern from a Hill

Today we had one of the 2 days of prayer that the Agape office has each year. It was so good for my heart to pray for the ministries that Campus Crusade has in the world. It was a blessing to pray with these people I am working with.

After the day of prayer, I took a short hike up to a steep hill. :-) I about passed out...but it was so worth the trek.

I have luggage!

yes.. my luggage arrived Thursday night. It was a blessed sight.

Today I went to a women's Bible study. I am so grateful for this opportunity to get to know some of the women here and to be challenged to grow as well.


And... I had my first afternoon in the office. I am excited about this!

yep. just a quick update. :-) I should really get some photos up.

I have arrived...

So, you want the story? :-)

Keep in mind, I started with one hour of sleep under my belt.

I got to the Portland airport and after 1/2 hour in line I got up to the ticket counter. Guy-yes that is his name. Guy was the agent helping me. So, Guy helped me pay the money for 1 over weight bag. And then Guy informed me that in order to fly into Switzerland, I have to have a visa or a return ticket...of which I had neither.

After about 20 minutes of discussion over this point, Guy called the Swiss embassy and they told him I was fine to go as I was... no visa needed. Praise the Lord!!!

Then, because I had a one-way ticket, I was flagged for all the extra security screening you could possibly imagine. Do you find that when you have packed a bag the most carefully that then they have to take it all apart for screening? I do. :-) But the great thing... the screener doing the wanding on me, asked me why I was moving to Germany. When I told her, she got a big smile on her face and began to remind me that God is watching me, that He knows what I need-so it doesn't matter if I think I have forgotten something important, and that the Holy Spirit is reminding people to pray for me.

Wow... that was amazing. A huge blessing! God is good.

Then, I sat next to the granddaughter of the man who started Boyd's coffee. That was fun.

Then in Atlanta I made it to my flight just in time time to hear my section being called for boarding. Whew.... I sat next to a guy on that flight who was going to India for 3 months. He is a medical software programmer.

Okay, so I get to Paris... I am in the second to last row on the plane and I have 1/2 hour from landing to boarding my next flight... yeah... I missed the flight.

So, I am put on the next flight out, 3 hours later. no problem... and the airline gave me a voucher for a meal. I had a french bagette with mozarella and tomato and some tea. Lovely.

But, guess what? October 4th... was a nation worker strike day for the air traffic controllers. So my 1p.m. flight was pushed back to 3p.m. ... and then at 1:30 p.m. they boarded us and we left at 2p.m. I slept most of that 1 hour flight.

I arrived in Basel, Switzerland.... no baggage. Poor air france staff... they had a lot of irate people to deal with. The guy taking my info, said that he had 200 people without luggage that day. So I was really nice to him and he gave me the nicest overnight bag I have ever seen. Someone later told me it is the kind they give to first class travelers. He told me he was giving it to me because I was so nice. hmmm... a kind answer turns away wrath.

So, that is the story. I got to the Holladays. I love them! and I got a shower, ate some amazing soup and was in bed by 5:30p.m. I slept until 6a.m. :-)

Leaving, on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again.

Seriously, my life is changing.

To all of you who are praying for me and who are supporting me financially. To all of you who have helped me pack and clean and lent me vehicles and done shopping for me and planned get togethers.

THANK YOU!!!!

If I have not been able to say goodbye yet... I hope to see you at Good Shepherd this weekend, or at my goodbye open house on Sunday. If you want to come to the airport... I fly Monday on Delta Airlines at 8:15a.m. So I will be at the airport between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. and I plan to go through security aroung 7am...ish.
:-)