This past weekend was our annual church retreat. We spent it this year at Mansfeld Castle, a beautiful fortress overlooking the town where Martin Luther grew up. And we couldn't have picked a better time to go. For one, it was the weekend right before celebrating Reformation Day on Monday, so it seemed like the perfect time to be spending the weekend in the castle that could quite possibly have been the picture that Luther had in his mind as he wrote the lyrics, "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" (A mighty fortress is our God). The other reason for the perfect timing was the fact Autumn is at its peak right now and I couldn't stop staring at the color and beauty that surrounded that place. Autumn is definitely my favorite.

I know, I know! It's been forever since I've posted anything on my blog. To be honest, it's been forever since I've posted anything anywhere. I'm feeling myself pulling away from Facebook more and more every day and I don't mind that. Call me crazy, but I feel like I'm losing control over there. Bottom line: I just can't keep up with it all and I'm not afraid to admit it. :) Maybe I'm getting older, or maybe I'm just starting to feel more at home in a culture where people take long walks in the evening and stop for coffee and cake in the afternoon and wouldn't dream of driving their car a mile down the road when they can walk or ride a bike. I think I'm just becoming more and more OK with not being plugged in like a Christmas tree to every possible online socket in the hopes of reconnecting to my long lost buddy from pre-school. I just somehow don't need that anymore.

However, what I have sensed a need for again...a craving, if you will...is an outlet to be creative with words and a place to express my thoughts again. I used to blog quite a bit, and I loved the way the words and thoughts would flow together when I really got into it. But man! Even as I sit here and type these few lines, I realize how out of practice I am! So, I'm not going to set some sort of goal (i.e. one blog a day...week...month, etc.), I'm just going to put myself out there to at least try to jot some thoughts/happenings/stories down when I think about it. No pressure.

I'm also just having fun rearranging my website and playing with html code. I haven't got a clue about it, but I'm learning and I suppose my own site is as good a place as any to experiment. And maybe some of my posts can simply be to highlight certain areas of the site. Who knows. I also had the idea to invite you to email me if there's something you'd like to know about my world over here in Germany. I'd love to share that with you. My email can be found under the "Contact information" tab.

Ok, here's to starting...again...and to stoking the embers of creativity.

Traveling to Romania and Moldova this past December was a moving experience for me. To be honest, I wasn't prepared for the affect it would have on me. It still belongs to many of my thoughts and I can't wait for the next opportunity I have to return. Interested in going along? Let me know--December 2010 will be here before you know it! :)

The holidays are over and I'm getting ready to pour though over 2,000 pictures from our Romania/Moldova trip in December. I'm hoping to put together a little presentation in the next few days that I will also post here. Until then, here's a video that was taken in the orphanage that we visited in Moldova. I got to sing "Everybody Needs to Sing" during the children's program that we gave there. Afterward, we handed out stuffed animals, candy and Bible stories to these children, many of whom have been abandoned by parents who left the country looking for work.

Just wanted to touch base with you this week while I have Internet access and let you know how thankful I am for you. I haven’t had much access over the past month, so I missed my opportunity at last week to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but at least it’s not just one day of the year that I’m thankful. I know I’ve said this before, but when I stop and think about the reality that so many of you give of you time to pray faithfully for me and you give of your money so I can be here doing what I’m doing, I am truly overwhelmed and humbled. I stand with the Apostle Paul in saying, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ...” (Phil. 1:3-5a). Thank you so much!

Thank you all so much for your prayers for me this year as I’ve stumbled (and continue to stumble) through the process of learning German. Although I still have a long way to go with the language, I’m so thankful for the foundation I have as I transition out of the formal language learning stage and into more focused ministry...

About a month or so before I came to Germany, I took a trip out west to spend a few days with my friend, Amy Gustafson. Ah, good times. We sang together, worked on her wedding invitations (she is now Amy Oden), attended a concert by David Wilcox, and had a bunch of really good conversations about our lives and how much both of them were changing. Amy was a good one for me to talk to during that particular stage of my process in moving overseas, because she had already spent 4 years living in France and was very much aware of some of the challenges one faces in regards to learning a language, being a foreigner and the overall feeling of loneliness as such...AND she was not afraid to tell me like it was. She shared a song with me that she used to listen to over and over and over again when she was in France. It's by David Wilcox and called "Native Tongue".

Now I'm the one listening to it over and over again...

NATIVE TONGUE
by: David Wilcox (Into the Mystery)

Truer words were never spoken
You picked them up when you were young
Maybe woven in a story
That goes back to where you're from
Truer words were never spoken
And for an audience of one
But where you're healed is where you're broken
And God knows your native tongue

So build a bridge with what's behind you
The scattered pieces of your past
Build it out over the chasm
To the promised land at last
Start a bridge with what's behind you
And God picks up where you've begun
'Cause where you look is where Love finds you
And God knows your native tongue

Spoken words in Aramaic
Sounds I wouldn't understand
In a local ancient dialect
For the people of that land

No little words can hold a candle
To the splendor of the sun
That can explain this world of wonder
And shine the same on everyone
But little words can hold a candle
All your own when darkness comes
They're just the size for us to handle
And God knows your native tongue

It must be that time of year again in the States...you know what I'm talking about, don't you? It's the time when some cute little girl dressed in brown comes knocking at your door and hands you the boxes of cookies that you ordered from her months before. :) For all you people who know what I'm talking about, I have just two words for you: Thin Mints. Mmmmmmmm! My favorite.

Well, I may not be living in the states, but yesterday my door bell rang. It wasn't a cute little girl dressed in a girl scout uniform, but rather a tall German gentleman in a DHL uniform. He handed me a box, wished me a 'good day' and was on his way. Upon opening the package, I discovered to my surprise THREE boxes of the beloved and famous Girl Scout Cookies!! They were lovingly sent to me from the youth group at Colerain Baptist Church in Quarryville, PA along with a card letting me know that they're praying for me.

So, I just wanted to say THANK YOU, GUYS!!! You made me smile yesterday! I'm so grateful for you... and not just for the cookies, but for following along with me on this journey and for praying me through. You guys rock! :)

My intention was to post this yesterday, but wouldn't you know it, yesterday was the day that all things technological decided to war against me. Today, however, it appears that they have retreated a bit because I was finally able to upload this video that I recorded for my mom for Mother's Day.

I love you, Mom...I miss you.

My blog has been screaming for attention for the past several months and I keep ignoring it. However, I can no longer shut out it's demands to be updated or even just to be read, so I'm going to do a little renovating here over the next few days and try to get back on track with it. Now that I'm finished with school (for two weeks), I'm going to try to spend some time focusing on some of the finer details of life (like the upkeep of one's blog and the dust bunnies hopping around one's apartment). I really need to be better prepared for the next round of intense language study. I feel like so much got "put on the back burner" over the past few months and I want to have a better system in place for staying connected to those of you who are not on Facebook, and for keeping you up to speed on what's going on in my little world over here in Germany.

Speaking of school, I just want to say that I've so much enjoyed getting a taste for this language over the past four months. It has been at times both exciting and frustrating...but mostly exciting. I'm looking forward to the next level and to becoming more comfortable with it. It has been extremely difficult for me to be thrown back to the level of a 5 year old in my ability to communicate...and even then, there are times when a 5 year old would be able to express it better. As a communicator, and one who is used to expressing myself artistically through music and stories, this has probably been the second most challenging aspect of being here--the first being obviously the separation from my family. I long for the day when I can express my heart in German. At the moment, it's just a bunch of strange sounding words, and rules, and lists. But that doesn't mean I don't love the language, because I do. And every day my heart becomes more and more entwined with the people who speak it.

I'm aware of the fact that there is a literal ocean between me and the ones I love, but sometimes I forget. I'm the kind of person who, for the most part, is where she is. (Profound, I know). What I mean, is that whether I'm next door, down the street or on the other side of the planet, the place where I am at that moment is the place that has my attention. Especially now with the technology that is available, I can open up my computer, turn on my webcam have a face-to-face conversation with a friend who is thousands of miles away, or watch my niece and nephews open their Christmas gifts. Granted, it's not my preference for watching them open their gifts, but under the circumstances, I'll take that any day over not watching at all. So, basically what I'm saying is that I don't really think about the distance that much...except today.

Today I found out that my aunt died. We knew it was going to happen soon and we're so thankful that it was not a long and drawn out process. I'm glad she belongs to Jesus and is with Him now. I'm glad that she is finally experiencing peace. I'm glad that she will never have to have another invasive dialysis procedure, and I like knowing that she's probably dancing right now. But of course, I'm sad too. I'm sad for my dad, my uncle, and my other aunt who lost a sister. Their memories of her stretch far beyond mine, and I know they are grieving. I wish I could give my dad a hug today. Today I feel the distance.