airports

I am sitting in the Portland airport waiting for my flight to Washington Dulles which is the first leg of my trip back to Germany. I woke up this morning at 03:45 with a song in my heart about how great God is and how He is mighty and how He provides and how He holds my future. 

I have a couple hours in the Dulles airport before I board the flight to Frankfurt. Dulles is full of international people. I love it!  And almost every other corner holds a Rossetta Stone kiosk for the traveler to learn a new language.

I arrive in Frankfurt at 07:30. And I am grateful that airlines have chosen to reward all the miles I travel with access to a lounge with free food, comfortable chairs and free water! I will hang out there a couple hours then go find a friend who arrives around 09:30. We are on the same flight into Basel Switzerland departing Frankfurt around 12:50. And then I will be home in Kandern.

I get to see dear people and I am excited to drive my own car again. :-) little things make me happy.

It is a strange feeling when I am leaving Portland. It is so familiar and there are people in Portland who are home for me, but home itself..really feels like Kandern. And in the next month, I have to say goodbye to that home and those people. Sigh...

I am glad to be reminded over and over that God is in control. That God is!

the oregon coast.

Today is Friday, the 22nd of October, 2010. In 5 days I am boarding a plane back to Germany. As the reality of this is sinking in, I am praying to use the time remaining very intentionally.

Thus, I took a couple days and went to the Oregon Coast. I LOVE the Oregon Coast. there is something magnificent and wild about the way the rocks and sand and trees and mountains collide on the Oregon coast. 

 

A very nice lady stopped and asked if she could take my photo... since I was not getting it trying to do a self portrait... I need Jenn Abel training!

I am grateful for the time in the states. I will write more about that in my next Musings I am sure, and I am so excited to return to Europe. To my friends and loved ones there. 

Stay tuned for more info...

another gem from "Jesus Calling"

"Imagine the pain I feel when My children tie themselves up in anxious knots, ignoring my gift of Peace. I died a criminal's death to secure this blessing for you. Receive it gratefully; hide it in your heart. My Peace is an inner treasure, growing within you as you trust in Me. Therefore, circumstances cannot touch it."

I am daily going from anxious thoughts to remembering this truth.. that Christ Jesus is my rock and my strength, my Deliverer, my Shield and my Peace. Oh to live daily grounded in the Peace that passes all understanding...

life is not simple by human perspectives

I find it amusing how I live a complex life and yet I long for simplicity. Does that make sense?

For example:
 My living in Germany the past 5 years has made life for me in the states more complex. Have you tried getting a mobile phone contract when they can't verify your credit? Not possible. So I pay a monthly fee to use my mobile phone.

I have a visa allowing me to live and work in Germany that is good through the end of this year. I am applying for a visa to live and work in Italy. It would be more simple if I had lived in the USA the past 5 years instead of in Germany for this process. 

It takes 1 month to receive my Italian visa after applying in person in San Francisco. I need to be at meetings in Estonia the first 2 weeks of November. And if I apply for my visa now, they will have my passport and I will not be able to travel. So, I am praying a lot, seeking the Lord's direction in this seemingly complex situation.

I am raising support so that I can live and work in Italy. The move from a small town in Germany to a large city in Italy is not simple. It is complex on many levels. One of which is that it costs more to live and work in Rome, Italy than it did to live and work in Kandern, Germany. So I am seeking the Lord's direction for who will be part of my ministry team. He really does have it all planned out.

In moving to Rome, the complexity is that my belongings (bed, clothing, books, etc) are in Kandern along with my car... so I have need of a moving vehicle and saying goodbyes in Kandern. Kandern has been home to me for the past several years. So this is a hard move emotionally. I have made many hard moves and transitions in life... And it is amazing how God works it all out.

But really... all that complexity is simple in God's economy... He is the master of scheduling and finances. I have seen Him provide over the past 35 years of my life in so many ways.. I know that He will continue.

October, Oktober, Ottobre, Octubre 3

the 3rd day of October is significant to me for 3 reasons. 

1. It is the birthday of my adopted Dad Dr. Barry Gridley. The one who shows me how a father is supposed to love and care for a daughter. The one who prays for me daily. The one who is cancer free now! The one who loves to read great books. The one who cares deeply for others and gives wise counsel whether paid for it or not. I am so glad that he was born (   ) years ago. :-)

2. It is the day I flew to Germany 5 years ago when I began working with Campus Crusade for Christ (Agape Europe). I remember that day in 2005. God put that date on my heart months before and as the date came nearer I remember it was about 1.5 weeks away and I still needed just over 1,000 dollars/mo. in support. And wouldn't you know it?... over $1,000/mo. came in that first week and I got on the plane and went to Germany. I am so grateful for the ministry partners that God has given to me. They help me know that I am not alone in this ministry that God has called me to. 5 years ago, on this day, I moved to Europe and I have not regretted it for one second!

3. It is the day of German Unity From Wikipedia "The Day of German Unity (German: Tag der Deutschen Einheit) is the national day of Germany, celebrated on 3 October as a public holiday. It commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990."   And after living in Germany for 5 years, and getting to know the culture more, I am in somber observance of the separation and utter amazement at the reunification of Germany.