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.

Here's a quick walk-through of the flat I'll be moving into. The sound is off just a tad, but you get the idea at least. I'll post another when I'm all settled. :)

(If you're reading this on Facebook, click here.)

Well, several of my out of town, out of state, out of country friends have asked me about the Commissioning Service last Sunday, December 7, so I decided to upload some video from it so they can feel a part of it in a small way at least. These are just a few clips of the evening. It was such a special time for me and really served as both an encouragement and a confirmation in my calling. I'm overwhelmed by the love and support that I've received during this new "leg of my journey" with the Lord.

Video #1:
I asked my friend, Mark Burkholder, to participate by praying at the beginning of the service. I was so excited that he was willing to be a part of the evening because, as my counselor at Day Seven, he has played such a significant part in my journey of healing over the past 5 years. After that is the short testimony that I was asked to give....more about that before the second video...

Video #2
After I gave my testimony and sang a song, I sat down, and as soon as I did, I felt...well,...unfinished. Like there were things that I wanted to say, but didn't for whatever reason. I was really bothered by this. There was so much more on my heart that I had planned to communicate and just simply forgot to say it. Ugh! I hate when that happens, and I couldn't do anything about it. But then my dear friend, Jenifer Kurtz, got up to sing, and as she began to share what the Lord had given her share and sing the songs the Lord had given her to sing, her words and her songs spoke the very thoughts I meant to communicate. I couldn't believe it...actually, I could believe it, because that's just like the Lord to cover all the bases. I'm so thankful He looks after me like that, because I need that kind of help more than I care to admit. :)

Video #3
Steve Wilt, director of FIM, gave a wonderful message that I'm so glad I have recorded! I've tried to include some clips of his main points. The rest of the video is pretty self explanatory, I think. the elders of the church and the missions committee came forward to lay hands on me and pray for me. It was a very affirming moment for me.

If you're interested (for those of you not connected to me on Facebook), here's a link to some pictures of the evening: Photos of Commissioning Service

I made it to Germany! I'm dealing with a bit of jet-lag, but I'm here, and I have to say it feels a bit surreal. :)

Thanks so much for praying! My flights/connections were all smooth...although for some reason, carrying a guitar AND a laptop made me look suspicious and so I got to be "randomly" selected in both Philadelphia and Frankfurt for a more thorough check of my belongings. Oh well. The really cool thing that happened was that (long story short) I ended up shipping my extra bags through Lufthansa Cargo which cost me 1/3 of what I was planning on spending for extra baggage! That was a huge provision from the Lord! They'll arrive on Monday.

This weekend we're just resting and visiting with friends, and next week I guess we'll begin the process of finding an apartment for me. It looks like that will have to be the very first thing I do because in order to have a cell phone contract or register for a visa, I need to have an address. There are a few options to look into, and I've been advised to really take my time with deciding on the right place for me because it's a pain to move again.

I'll definitely keep you posted! Thanks again for praying for me and supporting me in this transition and ministry! It means so much to know you all stand behind me in this!

This week, amid all the boxes and piles of "stuff" that I have to sort through and pack, I find myself overwhelmed--not just by all the details I need to attend to on my list of lists--but by the incredible grace of God in my life. A year ago, I looked at the task of raising support to go to Germany and thought, "How in the world?!?!". Now I'm standing here looking back saying, "Oh." It is the Lord Who not only calls us and guides us, but also constantly confirms that calling and provides for our very basic needs. He is the One Who makes good on His promises every time, and He has certainly done that for me. If you haven't been to my website recently or haven't noticed, the "Support thermometer" to the right is now completely maxed!! That means that, as promised, the Lord has provided completely for my needs to go to Germany!! I still find myself scratching my head sometimes wondering how in the world I got here, or how it could be possible that He would choose me for this ministry in the first place, but He has. So I stand in His grace. There is no other explanation.

Certainly grace is something I'm going to need a lot of in the coming weeks. I'm leaving for Germany 9 days from today, and I have an incredible amount of preparations to do before I go. I did get a new video camera recently, so perhaps I can find the time to post a couple videos of the process. :) Thanks for all your prayers for me during this transition!

Also, don't forget that this Sunday evening is my Commissioning Service at my church. It will be held at 6:30pm, Sunday, December 7, 2008 at Calvary Monument Bible Church in Paradise, PA. Everyone is invited, so if you're free and would like to attend, please do! It will be one of the last times I get to connect with people before heading off to Germany, so I'd love to see you there!

Well, after meeting with the guys from FIM this week and debriefing about my time of support raising, I got the green light to go ahead and purchase my ticket to Germany. I called the travel agent on the drive home. So, it's official--my departure date is set for Thursday, December 11, 2008!! Even though I still need about 9% of my monthly support (approx. $350/mo.), I bought my ticket on faith that the remaining balance will be pledged by the time I leave. I can't believe the time for me to leave has finally arrived!! It's been nearly two years since I began this process of moving forward in what I believe to be God's call on my life, and it's so exciting for me to be in this place now of seeing it all come together.

Another important date to remember is Sunday, December 7, 2008. For one, it's Pearl Harbor Day...and for two, it's the date for my Commissioning service at my church, Calvary Monument Bible Church. If you're in the area, and interested in attending that, I would love to see you. There will be a reception after the service which will give me an opportunity to connect with people one last time before taking off. Just click on that event in my calendar to right for more details.

There is an aspect of being in full-time ministry that is very difficult for me to swallow sometimes. Being in full-time ministry is a lot about "giving"...your time and energy, your gifts and abilities, etc. However, being called to full-time ministry is also a lot about "receiving" and that's the part that gets me sometimes. I stumble over it because I don't always know how to do it gracefully. It's one thing to give and not expect receive anything in return, but it's an entirely different thing for me to receive and not be expected to give something in return. MAN, that's hard!! I am learning though, and certainly raising support to go to Germany has helped with that learning curve.

This weekend I was given a wonderful gift that I will cherish for a long time to come. On Sunday, I was invited to give a concert at Bethany Grace Fellowship Church in East Earl, PA, and because it was one of the last opportunities I would have to give such a concert before I leave for Germany, we decided to make this my "farewell concert". Tina Lapp joined me for half of it and I can't tell you how wonderful it was for me to sing with her again. She and I sang together for about 6 years after I graduated from college in 1998, and I have to tell you, I have missed those days. But what I have found to be true whenever Tina and I sing together is that even though we haven't sang for years, it's as though we can just pick right back up where we left off...it was like that all week during rehearsals and it was like that during the concert itself. I love it! The years of singing with Tina, the recordings, the traveling (and audio logs!) and the friendship are all precious, precious gifts that I will hold near and dear to my heart as I move into this next leg of my journey.