Pray-cation

Last Saturday my boss told me to take Monday and Tuesday off since we’d had overtime the previous week in Berlin.  Though the mental to-do list was screaming out to me, my body which was starting to fight something, thanked him.  It was timely as so many matters of prayer were surfacing all at once; and the cold, rainy weather was not beckoning me to get out in the least.  Okay, I could give two days, and so I did.

But then it so happened that the Lord was asking/granting me more time as all 5 of my meetings from Wednesday to Friday were canceled, all for different reasons; and a lot of the remaining week’s workload depended on them.   Mensch!  (Aw, man!)  It could be nice if it hadn’t called for mostly cold rain every day and if I’d had more to do; but sometimes it takes these types of situations to get us in a place where we have to deal.  Deal with the inner issues that we’re tempted to ignore and are otherwise too busy to really examine and bring to the Lord.  The things that if left unaddressed burden us and hinder us and get in the way of our relationship both with God and with others.  The things that I would've gladly escaped through work or busy-ness, but wasn't afforded that option this time!

The Message version of the book of James tells us to "[consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don't try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (ch. 1, vs 2-4) That’s been this week for me. 

Now that I’m (trusting I'm) on the other side of it, I truly am thankful that the Lord loves us enough to let us get uncomfortable or even miserable if that’s what it takes to bring Him those places that need changing, but are unchangeable without His help.  

I’m also thankful that He’s a God who trains us so that we grow and get strong and are able to face the challenges that are ahead.   What a good Father we have who sticks with us in our times of need and helps us in every situation.   

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.     ~ James 1:12 (Message)

Berlin and Back

 Another week come and gone.  It started off with me being venturous, wanting to try the third church on my list before I headed to the airport that afternoon.  In theory, it was an easy train ride; in reality, 

my getting there early was seemingly futile as I searched and searched for the place with no success.  

After asking a couple of people for help, I finally arrived late, but thankful to have made it!  Then that evening, I made it from the airport in two buses only to be dropped off at a bus stop with no hotel in sight.  Another wandering, yet again a thankful heart after finally finding it!

Remnants of the Berlin Wall

Then came Monday.  You may or may not know that just hearing the word conference drains me of energy, so I had a long week ahead.  We spent the morning setting up and then exploring Berlin a bit before the events formally began that evening.  The week had its ups and downs, but the ups were all being together as a team and getting to fellowship together.  We also made a lot of connections at our booth with pastors who are eager to train their people to share the Good News; so the time was valuable.

First day of the conference

Taking advantage of this opportunity to physically be in the same location, our team spent all of Thursday having productive meetings before we shared a meal together and departed Friday.

Fruitful time of discussion and prayer

While I truly enjoyed the camaraderie and love of the 12 men I spent the week with, it was timely to have a women's event to attend this morning where the speaker is from my home state and attended the same university where I got my grad degree!  The lady on one side of me has family in my hometown, and the lady on the other side greeted me in the elevator last week at the church I was visiting!  Needless to say, I felt well-connected.  And so here we are at the end of another week with  much to be thankful for.

What a Week!

Lots of drama and putting out fires.  I started the week talking with my cell phone provider to clear up a lot of unexpected, incorrect charges on my bill.  Then I had to call my credit card company which kept being denied by a certain merchant who lists this company as a valid payment option only to be told I need to contact the merchant directly; so I had to fill out an online form.  And that’s just my personal life.  Work has been much of the same.  We’ve had so many unexpected issues to tackle that we’ve had to put most of our to do list on hold…never good news for someone in a task-oriented position.  Sigh…

But such is life.  And God tells us “ In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14)  Besides there is so much to be thankful for each day especially when we have a God who can turn a mess into something beautiful and a sorrow into something to rejoice over.  That, too, has been the case on a couple of occasions of this stressful week where I, along with others, watched the Lord take a sticky crisis and not only resolve the matter, but in a way where others were blessed; and we all get to see God’s power, might, and love at work in a way in which we otherwise wouldn’t have.

And there have also been several blessings this week like a lovely walk on one of a few gorgeous days of sunshine.  I also got to meet a non-native speaker to study the Bible together yesterday, which makes me so, so happy to blend ESL and Scripture with the beginning of a new friendship—all of which bless my heart.  And last night, I was invited to attend a ladies’ group where we talked about birth order and how it affects how we develop including our personalities and relationships.  It was quite fascinating… and quite humbling as I stumbled through my high German which was never advanced in the first place, but very rusty!  Motivation to üben, üben, üben!  TGIF!

Looking on the Sunny Side

For the past 10 days since my arrival, I’ve been disturbed at my inability to properly greet people.  I don’t remember having this problem in Germany or France.  Must be a Swiss thing.

And quite honestly, it’s not the type of situation I’ve ever thought to analyze, but there’s a window of opportunity as you approach someone on the street to exchange greetings.  I know it works here because about 1 in 10 times this past week, I got a “Grüezi”--that’s Hello--from a stranger.  And I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what I did differently than all the other times of feeling shafted. 

But today was the day.  Not only did I have 100% success rate of 8 out of 8—yes, I did count—but I also deduced what it must be.  Today, being the beautiful day that it was, I wore sunglasses.  So, my theory is it’s the eye contact!  And more precisely, the timing of it.  I still don’t know at which point the Swiss eyes need to meet the one they're greeting, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the same as an American!  I think it’s much earlier.

Anyhow, it’s such a nice feeling to get a jovial greeting back even though I’m fairly certain that I was the initiator every time; but that’s progress, right?  At least it’s supposed to be sunny the next two days.  That gives me time to practice, and maybe I can catch on to this timing thing so that I’ll be able to get in some warm greetings for the not-so-sunny days!  😎

Kindness

Perhaps it’s because of the recent weeks of studying the book of Ruth, but I’ve been very aware of God’s kindness toward me through the kindness of others.  I suppose that kindness is always appreciated at some level; but as a foreigner, the depth of gratitude reaches much deeper.  

The two back-to-back international flights from Fiji to get here could’ve been much more stressful, but I had a flight buddy on both who helped me with my bags and with some of the issues that came up.  Since my arrival, those I work with in EE—some who are new faces--have looked out for me and been very gracious with the language barrier.

Then there’s the family who is renting me their flat.  Kindness doesn’t even seem to capture the generosity and really love that I have received from them.  They constantly think of things that will help me feel welcome and comfortable and have gone out of their way to take care of me.  They’ve had me for a couple of meals and given me all kinds of extras for the flat.  The most recent is the table/chairs they put outside for me to sit in the sun and the scooter they offered me to get to the train/bus more quickly.  Not quite sure if I’m ready for that, ha, but those are examples of their kind hearts being put into action.  

Thankful for a spot in the sun!

Like Ruth, I feel so humbled and thankful for the favor and kindness being shown to me by those who have no reason to help me.  And they not only reflect God’s nature of kindness, but are the channel through whom I get to taste and see this kindness.  I’m thankful we have a kind God who extends His kindness through others.  I hope to be a channel of His kindness as well.

Vocab Word of the Day...

I learned a new German word today: Nebel.  It means fog.  The couple who is renting me a place to live has been so kind to me and offered to take me to a church this morning about 20 minutes from where we live.  It was about 48 degrees and heavy fog as we left.  After the service was over, the fog was still there.  They asked if I’d like to go up to the mountains and get above the fog and clouds.  Yes, please!  Had I known there would be an hour hike involved in my afternoon, I wouldn’t have worn white pants and 3-inch boots!   But I have no regrets as it was so beautifully breath-taking as we had our lunch outside looking at the Alps, and I absolutely love hiking.  And by this time, the weather had warmed up to the 70’s, which made it a bit warm, but again no complaining from me.  

View from the top of the tower of Lake Zurich

At one point, I was telling them how it is so amazing how changing your position/location can provide such a different perspective!  I think about how things in life can sometimes be cloudy, and it’s hard to get our bearings straight and know how to think and pray at times...at least for me.  But maybe what we need is to get out of the spot we’re in so that we can gain a different view.  And then, of course, there’s God’s perspective.  While we don’t necessarily have to climb a hill or mountain to have that, it does take intentionality to get away from the “fog” of life and also to choose His ways which are higher than our ways. 

He promises in a psalm, which just happens to be on a picture in my room, (translated) "I will show you the way you should go; I will lead/guide you with my eyes." I hear that the fog, though sometimes fleeing, will most likely stick around till February!  I won't be here that whole time, but still, that’s plenty of time to practice this concept.  Hopefully I’ll get some more get-aways in the future.

A Few Takeaways From Fiji

My first night in Fiji was a bit surreal as I walked to the cottage where I’m staying under the starlit sky.  What am I doing here?  In Fiji for the third time in 3 years?!  Among these amazing leaders from all over the world? Who two different speakers praised their positions and influence for such important, eternal matters.  It’s extremely humbling and such an honor, not just to be in their presence and a part of their team, but to glean knowledge and wisdom with them and from them.

The night we arrived, we were served a delicious Fijian meal as we met some of the board members for EE in Fiji.  They had some of the youth put on a phenomenal drama that acted out the history of Christianity in Fiji.

Delicious Fijian Food!

A skit the Fijian youth performed

Each weekday was filled with lots and lots of meetings and discussions in how to equip the national leaders better, work as a team, and review different policies.

My favorite session was when we looked at Exodus 18 to learn about leadership, priorities, focus, and delegation.  The first nugget I’ll share was very practical: basically, the later in the day (when we have less mental energy remaining), our decision-making abilities decline; so, better to make decisions before 4 PM.  (That finding was from scientific research, not the passage).

Second, first and foremost, we’re the Lord’s servant. This speaks to me because my very role is one of a servant.  I serve a person, a team, and an organization.  I also serve those who are sending me.  While that’s so true, I must remember that above anyone else, I serve the Lord.  It’s all too easy to get caught up in our responsibilities and get our priorities off kilter.  May we keep Him at the highest place in our hearts.

Saturday was a free day where I rested, walking the beach and marina in the morning and relaxing at the center in the afternoon.  Sunday, I was asked to share my testimony at a local Anglican church where Bishop G. is a convert from a different religion.  E. from Russia gave a strong sermon, using personal examples to exhort us to take every opportunity we have to share the Gospel with those who God puts in our lives.  I think we always need this push.

With E, Bishop G, and an Aussie after the service

Many people left Thursday bright and early, giving me all of Thursday to pack and get to visit a Fijian-Indian couple I met last year at a clinic we held.  Their kindness is humbling as they don't have electricity or much at all, but they had me over for a meal and showered me with gifts.  We were all so grateful to see each other despite the short time I had in Fiji.  As I left, the Fijians predicted it won't be the last time they see me.  With this unplanned track record, I'm starting to wonder myself! 

Quick visit/meal before my plane left!