New Year...

One of the highlights of my time in Portland before the new year was hanging with my Leafy girls. Bekah was back from Prague, Annie was in town from Chicago, Jamie had a break from classes...but not from work. :-(, Kristin is getting ready to go overseas... it was a huge blessing to my heart... here we are enjoying a place that was new to me!


Then for new years....
I was on a plane all day. Heading to Florida to go through New Staff Training (NST) with Campus Crusade for Christ.

I have been here for a week now. The best thing is being with other like minded believers who understand this organization and who are also preparing to enter into a long term position working with CCC. It is a blessing. :-)

We are split into life groups and this is the great group that I get to facilitate. :-) We had a scavenger hunt to get to know Daytona... Steve.. the older gentleman in the middle was the local we found to take a photo with... he has been running his business in Daytona Beach for 40 years.

Oh... we girls... performed a song on the Daytona Beach Bandshell.... as per the rules of the game and then a man came to take our photo saying... "one more... I am a girls gone wild photographer." Sorry... we are not those kind of girls.

I have a roommate who is from New Hampshire... the lake area where the filmed What about Bob? She is great.

I have been able to re-connect with many of the STINTers that I had the privilege of knowing and investing in last year. So great to see them committing to full time service reaching out to University Students!

The weather has been nice... 80 degrees in January... I can't really complain. :-) It rained today though...

oh... here was the sun rise this morning...

This Season

Merry Christmas everyone!
Frohe Weihnachten!
Feliz Navidad!
Linksmu Kaledu !
Joyeux Noël!
Vrolijke Kerstmis!

I write in many languages because one thing I miss right now is many languages surrounding me. I am in Portland, Oregon, USA this Christmas and in a 1 week I travel to Florida to begin New Staff Training with Campus Crusade for Christ.

Last night (Christmas Eve) I was blessed to join my mother and the family of her former neighbors for games, good food and gifts. I was not expecting any gifts and was overwhelmed from my heart to receive some very thoughtful ones. My mom's former neighbors... Jim and Carrie have two delightful daughters and the youngest one prays regularly for me. THAT is humbling and beautiful!

My brothers arrive soon for us to do our family Christmas time. I have made a pumpkin pie and an apple pie... they smell delicious! :-)

I am thankful for all of you! Hey... if you never comment on here but you read it even semi-regularly... could you let me know? I am continually amazed at the number of people who read and never comment. :-) I don't think badly of you... promise. :-)

Who has control?

It seems that no matter where I go, what I read, who I meet... I run into something or someone who asks the question: "who has control?" And I keep going back to the things God has taught me this past year. He has control! And I want to never forget that when He has control... things are better; life is smoother... cause I do not stress or worry if I do not feel like I have to be in control.

You know? When we are so concerned about controlling a situation or a person... we can't see the bigger picture. Why not let God (who has the widest perspective and the biggest picture) be the one in control?

I talked with someone today... old enough to be my parent who said to me: "you seem to be a person who has given control to the Lord. You seem to be willing to do whatever He gives you to do. I want to do that... I think I am closer to doing that now than I was a few years ago." Wow. How many of us are in that space. I was glad I could tell this person that I am indeed in process. I know that I need to let God lead at all times and sometimes it is harder than others to live that out. But I was also thrilled to be able to give personal testimony of the peace I have when I let God be in control.

It was a good reminder to me.

the way I see it

So... I am back in the land of quick turnounds at restaurants, the customer is always right and stay in your car while I pump your gas. I like the customer service.... I miss the ability to sit for hours and talk at a restaurant.

On the way to Portland from Germany I sat between a Belgium man who told me we were going to have fun on the flight and a woman born in Namibia with French citizenship and 1/2 year residence in Corsica... The flight attendant liked the Belgium and I so much she arranged for 1st class glasses with champagne to be delivered to us. That was nice.

After 2 days in Ptown I went with my family to Whistler in BC Canada. It is gorgeous up here!

Things I can do without

Well. there are things that we choose to do without and things we are forced to do without. I chose to do without a car all year and a TV for that matter. Now I am forced to do without a cell phone...silly Germans... they are just too efficient... then on the other hand... cancelling my land line and my internet is going so smoothly.

So, I am in Germany until Wednesday. Staying with some wonderful people, living without a cell phone, realizing that I will not have my own place to live again for many months, saying some see you laters and some goodbyes... of course, it is really all "see you laters" in this family. :-)

And the weather here... it feels like spring... 7-15 degrees C. I hear Portland is at 2-3 degrees C... crazy. I am going to Christmas Markets here and not even wearing a jacket... something is wrong with this picture.