P.S.

I generally don't have conspiracy theories...really, I'm not one of THOSE people....


I'm done now...check out the new site!!

Spies

For the record, it took me four tries to get that post up....I'm telling you, they've got spies!

NEW BLOG

It's official! I am moving my blog to a new site HERE

It's still under construction in some aspects, but you'll get the general idea! Check it out and let me know what you think!


P.S. I think blogspot has secret spies that keep people from switching blogs...the first time I tried to post this I was blocked somehow....we'll see how this attempt goes!

Life Since Mt. Unpleasant

Well, Sunday we will be conducting a trial run of our house church. I am pretty excited about that! Scott and Catie are sitting at the other end of the table from me. Scott is helping Catie write a blog of her own and it is very funny to watch from this angle! Seriously, I wish I had my camera! I am considering changing my blog to a different site because it looks waaaay cooler! If I do, I will post a link so that all of my loyal readers ;) can follow along with my incredibly exciting life! If you can't tell already, I really can't think of anything to write about...not too much inspiration on this end...mostly just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive...

Mt. Not-So-Pleasant

Wednesday night a couple of my friends and I decided that it would be a good idea to go climb Mt. Pleasant. No problem, we've done it before. However, this time when we got to the top of the mountain, Scott's car started leaking radiator fluid...that's very bad. Knowing that were going to have problems no matter what, we decided to go ahead and climb and deal with the car when we got back. We got back to the car at about 10:00pm and proceeded to add water to the radiator in order to increase our chances of survival...it ran straight back out the bottom. So we did the most logical thing...coasted down the mountain with the car in neutral and the ignition off. We finally reached a town where there was a 24 hour gas station and we were able to get cell phone reception. We called another one of our friends who was kind enough to come and pick us up. We didn't get back until about 3am...it was ridiculous. This weekend has been pretty sweet. I came down to North Carolina with the same friends that I was stuck on the mountain with. We have been attending Worshipfest and it has been an absolutely incredible experience! I can't wait to see how God is going to be working in the very near future! We are currently under a Tropical Storm Warning here, apparently tropical storm Gertrude (or whatever it's called) is heading straight for us...but we are praying that it will turn so we can go play on the water tomorrow. That's all for now! Peace out!

Routine

I am still trying to get a basic routine down for this whole blogging thing. Anyway, here's a little of what has been going on since I've been back.

The other night, some of my friends and I had an incredible time of prayer that was completely guided by the Spirit. It was an amazing time of fellowship. We began praying for my roommate's dad who was preaching in a church the next morning. It progressed from there to praying for eachother as well as other things that we were lead to pray about. It was incredible!

A friend and I are trying to get a house church going. That should be a very interesting experience and I am very much looking forward to see how God is going to use that.

I still need to come up with a new name for my blog...

So far I have survived about two weeks of school. Just 12 more to go and then Christmas break! One of my classes was switched to an online format, which makes me very happy, but there is a lot of work to be done still! I am working with the organization that I was with this summer in order to put together a manual for future interns to Germany. Hopefully I will be able to make a trip back to Augsburg very very soon! That's all I have for now. I hope that you haven't given up on reading this blog. Hopefully I will have more interesting things to talk about!

Lynchburg and an Update

It has been a while since I have done anything on here...everything is in English and it throws me off...Things have been really crazy, so to catch everyone up I will give you just a few topics...some more important than others, but in no particular order.

1. Germany rocked my face off. I can't wait to go back! There are some pretty exciting opportunities that will be coming up in the near future. I will write more on that as things become more solidified...

2. I am back in Lynchburg and preparing to start class on Tuesday...mixed emotions on that.

3. My best friend (Jeff Hill) was married yesterday...it was a long time coming, but they finally tied the knot. Congratulations you guys!

4. VA decided to pass a law allowing police to issue speeding tickets up to $1,050 (I think that was the amount). This makes me sad...not that I speed that fast...it's the prinicple.

5. On a related subject...#4 and todays drive back to school made me miss the Autobahn very, very much!

6. Seeing as how I am no longer in Germany (sniff sniff) I need to come up with a new title...so hopefully that will not be too difficult.

I will try to post at least one blog a week as the semester progresses. If anyone has any questions or anything just email me...I would write my email address here...but I dont know how smart that is...

Home Again

I finally made it home yesterday morning and pretty much spent the entire day in a semi-conscious state. I suppose I'll start from Monday when I left. I had so much stuff that Joe had to lend me an extra suitcase. Benny and Korny gave me a box of stuff (antz merchandise, German books and magazines, which are pretty cool, some candy, and a potato.). The flight over was pretty uneventful, other than the fact that we were late leaving, and then took forever to get across the ocean. I did get upgraded to business though...that made me happy. I arrived at Washington Dulles International at 11pm local time (5am in Germany). When I got to customs the line for the citizens was about 3 times longer than the one for foreigners. After spending about 45 minutes waiting in line, I finally got to customs. They searched my bag and decided that the potato was a threat to national security and so they took it....it's a potato. Some random farmer is probably going to read this and then tell me how horrible I am for bringing a foreign potato onto US soil...oh well. Anyway, after spending a little over and hour in customs I finally made it out of the airport...and then realized that I pretty much could have stayed there as I had to wake up at 4:00am the next morning to go back to Dulles to fly home. Now my bag is lost somewhere between DC and here, so for all of you in Germany your email addresses are in the lost bag...so after I get it I'll email you.

This summer was absolutely incredible! I was able to learn a lot and have some great experiences along the way. The ministry there in Augsburg is absolutely incredible and I look forward to sharing more about it with you all personally! Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support! God bless!

Last Day

It is currently 2am and I have officially begun my last full day in Germany....not gonna lie, I'm pretty sad about that. I got to hang out with the guys from the band one last time...I'm pretty sure they think I'm insane...but it was a lot of fun. Thanks guys for putting up with me all summer! Tomorrow I have to do some cleaning and packing and all of the fun last minute travel stuff...I'm hoping whoever is behind the counter at the airport will bump me up to business class...that would be sweet.

Quick Note

I forgot to mention earlier that we will be leaving in the morning to go on another studio tour until Wednesday. Joe, Benny and I will be leaving at 8am. Just so you can keep it in mind.

Umleitung (Detour)

I spent the weekend at the Paskas house, because Joe was out of town, which means I had a weekend of great Hungarian/German cuisine (courtesy of Mrs. Paska) and just plain fun. Friday night the Antz performed at the music store that I told you about. And, as usual, they did a great job! They received good scores on the song that they submitted to the judges. I have attached some pictures of the concert below. On Saturday, I watched Johnny, Benny, and Robin record some things for the Antz CD. And later on, I got my butt kicked in soccer by Mr. Paska. Last night, Marph, Korny, Benny, and I went to a German Kino /Keeno/ (cinema). I actually understood more than I thought...which still wasn't all that much, but still enough to know what was going on. Besides, I had my own personal translators (a.k.a. Benny and Korny) so they helped to fill in the blanks. I was like one of those people that always pesters you about what is going on or what just happened, or who is that guy and what is he doing....you know what I mean.

Today, I was driving Joe's truck up to the supermarket to turn in some bottles (you have to turn in glass and plastic bottles after you are done so they can be recycled), but as soon as I pulled out of the driveway, I had to stop because the Polizei (police) were blocking the road for a bicycle marathon. After waiting for about ten minutes for them to pass, I was finally able to complete my errand. After the supermarket I drove to the recycling station to drop off some cardboard and some plastic...only to get stuck behind the aforementioned bike marathon. I was finally able to make the turn that I needed to go to the recycling station....only to find the road blocked yet again for the finish line of the marathon...which also included a gigantic party/cook-out/concert that just so happened to be exactly where I needed to go. So, after driving around about 4 times to find an alternate route in, I gave up and came back to the Center. The moral of the story...I hate bikes....

Berlin Pictures

I decided it would probably be good to post some more pictures so you can see a very small part of what we did these last few days:

The main recording room of one of the biggest studios in Germany. They were a domestic rep. for Universal Studios until Universal sold the studio to private buyers.


......Benny drooling over the mixer at that studio......


....a really cool, really expensive board at another studio,this thing will pretty much do your laundry....


mesmorized


one of the studios had a dog...we want one


Berlin has 6 dunkin' donuts...these guys know the exact location of each one...



after donut #137....




Me, Benny, and Joe in front of a part of the Berlin wall...those bricks that run along the bottom follow the path of the original wall through the entire city, even inside buildings.

Back From Berlin

Tonight we returned from Berlin. We visited something like 10 or 11 studios over three days. Several things were accomplished over the last few days. 1) The studio here is right on track. 2) It really helped me to visualize what the complete studio will look like. 3) It was incredibly encouraging. 4) We were able to get a few ideas to apply here. Overall it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the studio and recording industry. Once the studio is up and running, the profit will be used to support the youth work here. There are many plans for the future here. The possibilities are endless. I know that's a bit of a cliché, but seriously it's amazing what can be done here. God has provided GO Ministries with an incredible location, facilities, and network. It's exciting to be a part of it.

In other news. The Antz will be one of three bands that were chosen to perform at Augsburg's biggest music stores 10th anniversary on Friday. It is great exposure for them. Keep them and the work here in your prayers.

Berlin or Bust

Tomorrow morning at 8:00am or 2:00am est or whatever time we're on now, Joe, Benny, and I leave for Berlin. We will be meeting with several studios on the way to, and in Berlin. This should be a good experience for me to learn more about the whole music industry, something I know pretty much nothing about...Benny actually just got here. He is staying the night because we are leaving so stinkin early tomorrow. So we are sitting here trying different translation websites...it's pretty interesting...anyway...I don't think I'll be able to post much of anything while I'm in Berlin...I know you will all miss me, but I'll be back on Wednesday...peace out.

DVD Night

I just got done with a DVD night with some of the guys. It was a Mr. Bean marathon. We also took turns trying to guess what flavor the different colored jelly beans were. This was enough to keep us occupied for about twenty minutes. Not joking. Those things are addictive. Tomorrow there is a cookout fellowship thing at the Arche, a church in Augsburg. It's 2am and I can hear the mouse scurrying around...one of these days...wann ich da drauf komm...

Feuerwehr

Even though my German is horrible most people are nice as I struggle through asking for whatever it is I need at the moment. Yesterday, the woman at the Fiat dealer actually had a conversation with me (I sound like a pathetic person with no friends...that may or may not be true...). Today I went to buy paint and I was actually pretty successful with my German there. There was only one instance of cherades (I have no idea how to spell that). It was cool. Of course after that I had to hit up the McDonalds (which is actually really good here...it's almost like real food). After picking up lunch for Joe and I, I began driving back to the Center. I came around the corner and there was a truck completely engulfed in flames. There were probably 20 fire fighters that arrived and I had a front row seat. Unfortunately this little escapade was blocking the only way I knew how to get back to the Center. So, while everyone else is turning around...I'm staying put...mostly because I don't want to mess with turning the truck around. After a little while I realize that the parking lot to my right might loop around to the other street. It did. And so I continued back without incident. I love driving in Germany.

Plans for Berlin are coming together. We'll be leaving on Monday and coming back Tuesday night...or Wednesday morning. Tomorrow...I'm painting the stairs. Picasso, prepare to meet your match...if...you were...still...alive....man I'm in a wierd mood.

Driving

I have been driving by myself for a little while now. Just short little trips to the döner stand or to the grocery five feet away from the döner stand. Today, however, I was a driving machine! I took bottles to the grocery to get a refund, took cardboard to the recycling center, went to Media Markt to buy ink cartridges for the printer, to IKEA to buy doors for some cupboards, to the Fiat dealer to get some parts for the truck, and of course to the döner stand for lunch. And I only thought I was going to die twice! I never really got lost either. I always knew where I was...it was just a matter of getting to where I wanted to go. Example: IKEA is easy to spot because they have a gigantic sign that is probably about 450ft tall and can be read from any direction. So I'm driving down this street towards the massive IKEA sign...the road starts curving, no problem...it'll curve back...I still have the sign in view but now its to the right...easy enough I just make a right turn and it will be back in front of me...I merge onto a highway with Mercedes' and BMW's driving, no flying passed me...the sign is now more at my six o'clock and now I'm going down an on ramp to the autobahn back towards the Center. So I just made a big loop and came back around and finally made it to IKEA...they were out of the doors. That happened several times...enough times in fact that I was actually able to designate parking lots in which to turn around in...that's actualy pretty important considering the truck I'm driving is about 14ft long. Anyway, it was fun. Since then I've been planning a trip to Berlin to go to some studios so we can get some ideas for ours...shhhh, don't tell them though.

Good News vs. Bad News

Good news: The sun is back...Bad news: It burnt me...Good news: at least I'll get a tan this way...Bad news: It's gonna be a farmers tan, and it's lop-sided because of how I was standing.

However, I had a great weekend. I hung out with the Antz most of the weekend which was fun as always. Friday night we had another party for Korny so that the band could be there. Saturday I hung out with Benny and Korny all day and then went with the Antz (minus Robin because he decided to go to Italy for vacation...bum...I kid) to a gig in Munich. This morning we did an outdoor event in Augsburg...hence the sunburn...This coming weekend will be pretty packed with concerts and church events. I'll keep you posted.

An Epiphany

I had two realizations today. 1) Epiphany might be my new favorite word. 2) We're building a studio. Ok, that might sound a little rediculous...I mean it's hard to miss an entire studio when you walk through the door every morning, but my epiphany (yeah definately my new favorite word) has to do with the fact of what you can do with a studio. I can go in there and "sing" at the top of my lungs and no one can here me! It's better than singing in the shower! The accoustics are a billion times better. Seriously though, I don't know how many of you have been to the homepage for GO Missions yet but you should check it out. People are already starting to call about the studio and recording possibilities...pretty exciting! Check out the website for more info...

Schitzophranic Weather

I don't understand the weather here. It's July and I have worn a jacket every day this month. Today it rained, then the sun would shine, then a storm, and back to the sun. A couple of weeks ago it hailed for about 15 minutes then the sun came out and there were blue skies. It's supposed to be in the mid 90s this weekend, just in time for an outdoor event we are doing on Sunday. Gotta love it! Joe and I just got back from Korny's birthday bash...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! As always, it was great to hang out with these guys. Tomorrow is Joe's birthday....actually my clock just turned to 12:00am so....HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!! Man, that's a lot of birthdays...actually it's only two...anyway, and last but not least, congratulations to Benny on getting a good grade on his exam and on finally getting it over with!!...I'm going to bed...

Pictures and an Update

.....I don't know.......



.......lights professionally engineered by Cameron Price......riiiiiight.....





........the engineer at work........focus....focus......



......This is how impressed we were with the last band......

I posted some pictures above of the event Friday/Saturday morning, as promised. Yesterday was a great day of relaxation and hanging out with Benny and Korny and their family. Mrs. Paska is an incredible cook! Thanks again! Other than that I have been working on a contact list for the studio, as well as general editing on the GO Missions webpage. Tomorrow is Korny's birthday so I think we're going to do something here at the studio for that. We finally got the real stairs today so we will be painting the staircase and installing the stairs sometime in the future. I also got a box from home the other day...it had my ipod in it and that makes me incredibly happy...you have no idea. That's pretty much it for now....

Ich habe Rücken

Yesterday was the big outdoor event in Munich. We left the Center at 9:00am and arrived back at 7:00am this morning. I was tempted to stay awake the extra hour just so I could say that I had been awake for a full 24 hours, but I quickly decided against it. All in all the event wasn't too bad. There were three bands, there were supposed to be four but one didn't show up until 1:30am and then decided that they didn't want to play. The first band was a sort of jazz type band...they were pretty good. The second band was a ska band. The were interesting, but after a while all of the songs start to sound the same. The last band was....I don't know what they were, but let me tell you, if you ever have the chance to go to a L'gojazz concert.....RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!! It was by far the most grotesque butchering of music I have ever witnessed. And then someone decided that it would be a good idea to set off one of the fire extinguishers during the last band's "performance". The entire crowd was immediately engulfed in a plume of white powder...it was kinda funny because the band was so bad anyway, but then the plume reached the sound booth and let me just tell you, fire extinguisher powder doesnt smell or taste so good. Lots of coughing and wheezing going on...and it burns your eyes. All of our equipment and cables that were under the stage were completely dusted. When we finally got back to the Center, I crashed until about 4:00pm...now my sense of time is so messed up.....I will be posting pictures at some point...but not now.

Bowling

Just got back from bowling with Benny and Korny. Apparently Americans are supposed to be better at bowling than Europeans. Let me assure you...I destroyed this assumption. It was sad...and Benny was even playing with his left hand! It's all good though. I had a lot of fun, as always, even though I did get my butt kicked about four times. Tomorrow is the event in Munich. We leave at 9:00am and probably won't get back until 3:00 or 4:00am Saturday morning...so because of that fact...I'm going to try to get a little sleep while I have the chance!

Kirche, Küche, and Kuchen=Much confusion

These three words led to about a 20 minute coaching session with Benny and Korny tonight. Church, kitchen, and cake is the translation in order. The problem is while these words are distinctly different in English, they are not in German. The all sound almost exactly alike. And to make matters worse, the slang term for Kirche sounds exactly like Küche...so you have to figure it out by context...i.e. someone probably wouldn't say "let's go bake a cake in the church." Something else I realized today is how complicated the English language is. I have never really thought about it before, but there are some pretty crazy rules and phrases. Anyway, more on languages at a later today...it's a little after 1:00am and tomorrow....I'm going bowling...

Super Mouse...more randomness

So it would seem that Fendos is not doing her job. Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen and hear the sound of rustling paper. I look over and there is a mouse on top of one of the pastry bags. It pauses for a moment then scuries across the counter and does a swan dive into a gap between the wall and the counter. Fendos had better pick up her game.

Today I tried to make lunch. However, my chicken cordon bleu quickly turned into chicken en flambe...ok not really...but it was black on the outside and raw on the inside...I think I was supposed to thaw it first...oops...praise the Lord for döners. For those of you that don't know what a döner is...it's this amazing sandwich type thing from Turkey. It's almost indescribable, but you haven't lived until you've tried a döner. I'm pretty sure it was in the running for the food in the desert, but mana won out...so it's the best we've got.

Some Thoughts

God absolutely amazes me. The more I realize the depth and the gravity of what He has done for me the more dumbfounded, grateful, driven, humbled, and silenced I become. I find even more astonishing the fact that He can use anyone...ANYONE...for His Glory. Think about it. I often catch myself thinking that there is no way that God can use me. I think about all of my shortcomings and flaws and because of those I think why would God ever want to use me. There are tons of stories in the Bible where God uses the most unlikely people to accomplish things for Him. Moses hated speaking in public (maybe as much as I do), Abraham lacked faith, but I think my favorite story is about Gideon. Talk about unlikely candidates. The story begins in Judges 6:11 "Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abieyrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites." I don't know if you can picture this like I can, but bare with me. The angel of the Lord came and sat down under a tree and watched as Gideon is threshing wheat in a wine press. I don't know much about wheat threshing, but I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be done in a wine press. Wine presses back in the day were about 6-8 feet deep and so Gideon figured it would be a good place to hide from the Midianites while he threshed the grain. Ok, so picture this from the angel's perspective from under the tree. Just a short distance away there's a hole in the ground and in regular intervals little puffs of wheat come flying up from the hole and then flop back down. Now, as you approach the hole and look down you see a man covered in dust and wheat because no wind can blow away the chaf like on the threshing floors. I hope you're following this because to me that is a really funny picture. Verse 12, "The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him 'The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior." The angel called him a "valiant warrior." Gideon...the wheat covered guy hiding in the wine press because he's afraid. The angel then goes on to tell Gideon that God wants him to defeat the Midianites...fast forward: The Lord uses Gideon and 300 men to defeat the entire Midianite army! There is a lot more in this story, but the part that is the coolest to me is the fact that the angel calls Gideon a valiant warrior even though he isn't acting like one. God sees through our actions, our doubts, our fears, our wretchedness, and He sees who He has created us to be! What an awesome thought. Again, this post might be a little random (this seems to be a recurring theme), but thats what I felt like I needed to share for now. Blessings.

Heidlbron

Waiting.....

....and waiting...

...and waiting...

The Polizei looking into a noise complaint...apparently the band was too loud...

but it all worked out in the end!

Just got back from Heidlbron with the Antz. It was a really good concert. I really enjoy hanging out with them. The day started out with rain, but fortunately the rain stopped by the time the Antz played. Oh...side note: you guys need to check out what Benny did at the Mute Math concert on Wednesday here...It's very interesting to talk to different people about various topics. I have noticed, however, that 90% of the time George Bush comes up within the first few minutes. I absolutely love Germany. I can't wait to move back here! This has been one of the most random blogs ever written so I'm gonna wrap things up. I'm going to try to put pictures up now, but I'm not really sure how they are going to end up. There is a good chance that I'll just leave them and come back and fix them tomorrow because I am really tired...

A Walk in the Park

Tonight was one of eight evenings during the summer that the Augsburg Botanical Gardens lights up the gardens. No, not lights up like sets on fire. Lights up like with lights...it's actually called an illumination evening if you want a direct translation. It was pretty cool. A very peaceful place. This may sound a little ridiculous, but walking around and seeing all of the different plants and stuff really leaves me in awe of the creativity of our Creator. Incredible. Tomorrow I travel with the Antz to another gig. It's quite a ways away so we will be leaving at 10:00am...so with that..I'm going to bed...

It's That Time

Yes, it's that time when I post yet another blog. I can't decide if blogs are really cool or really annoying...I'll let you know if I ever decide. I am currently waiting on my last load of laundry to finish after which I am going to bed for some much needed sleep. Today we wrapped up the laundry room except for the floors so that I can do laundry here. Big thanks to Joe and Bernd for making that happen! I worked on some stuff for the GO Ministries webpage. I would put up a link, but it isn't done yet and I learned my lesson on that one :). That period makes it look like the smiley face has a pimple, or mole, or something...sorry, I get distracted easily. Tomorrow will bring more work on the webpage, and I'm sure some construction of some kind.
On Sunday the Antz are letting me tag along with them to another gig which I am pretty excited about. I'm like a little roadie or an obsessive stalker fan or something. I prefer the bands very ameteur photographer. The Mute Math concert on Wed. night was probably the most energetic concerts I have ever seen. There was a ton of jumping and flailing and flipping over the piano and throwing drums, etc. It was crazy. Well, I think my laundry is almost done, so I'm gonna go take care of that...peace.

An Insider's Look at Augsburg

Just got back from hanging out in Augsburg with Benny and Korny. I met Korny down at the University where he has classes and got a tour of the campus. It was pretty sweet. Half of the campus was built in the '60s and the other half in '06 or so...you can definately tell the difference. Another interesting point...the cafeteria at the University here in Augsburg smells just like the cafeteria at Liberty...apparently cafeteria food trancends cultures. After that we went back to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station...aka HBF) to meet Benny for lunch. After waiting around for about 30 minutes Benny showed up...FINALLY! I'm just kiddin ya...After lunch we walked over to the Dom (aka gigantic cathedral) and looked around inside. There were tons of little shrines and I think we counted 8 confession box things. There was also a huge stone bowl of holy water in the center aisle. There were stairs on either side of the altar/stage that lead into the basement that contained the remains of a virgin martyr (not really sure what the story is on that one) and St. Ulrich, a bishop from the mid to late 900s....yes I said 900's... When we walked down the stairs there was a woman standing in front of the gate that guarded the tomb of Ulrich. She was praying to him. That was really sad to me. Knowing that she believed that he heard her and had the capacity to answer her prayers...it's heartbreaking. There is a sign next to his tomb that said he is often worshiped because of his defense of Augsburg in a time of war. We came back up the stairs and continued to look around the front of the cathedral. After about a minute or so a priest walked by...we didn't think anything of it, after all this is a cathedral...and then the mass started...oops, so we made our way to the back of the church and watched for a few minutes as they recited prayers in a droning chorus. They are so close...yet so far away. After the cathedral we walked down into the old city. Now keep in mind that when they say old city here in Europe, we're not talking 200 years old, or even 400 hundred years old...but several thousand years old. It was really cool. We then went to a cafe and hung out and talked for a few hours and that brings us up to the present where I am typing this blog. I'm really thankful to get to hang out with these guys on a semi-ragular basis. Thanks guys for letting me tag along with you!! Now I am incredibly tired and so...I will go to bed...oh, I did get to go to a Mutemath concert last night, which was AMAZING, but I'll write about that later....

The Events of the Day

Today was pretty chill. Some people came down from Frankfurt to discuss some of the details for an event that they are doing in September. I walked about 3-3.5 kilometers to a restaraunt that is closed on Mondays...so, I just walked the extra kilometer to the bus stop and went into Augsburg. Augsburg is such a stinkin cool city! I really can't describe it to you. The people are friendly (mostly), and it's nice to just sit outside a cafe and relax. Today I stumbled upon a concert being performed by a band (not a band like normal band, but a band like a brass band) from a high school. They weren't too bad, and all of the songs were American songs...anyway, after hanging around downtiown for a while I came back to the Center, took care of some stuff in the office, ate dinner, and now I'm going to bed.

München

The crew

Benny doing what he does...

One of the Bands...

It's official, putting pictures in an actual blog might be the most abnoxious undertaking ever attempted by man. In other news...Today was an outdoor event in Munich. It was a lot of fun. There was quite the variety in music styles...from solo singer, to Gospel band, to a girls band that sounds like four Stacie Oricos or however her name is spelled. It was a great day for an event like this. It was a bit warm at times, but overall it wasn't bad. On Wednesday I am going to a Mutemath concert with some of the guys, Benny and Korny as well as others who's pictures I don't have to put up yet...Next Sunday night is another Antz of Glory concert which I am very much looking forward to. Thats just about all I've got for now...and I think my dinner just exploded...

The Antz

Wow...I am tired! Ich bin müde für alle mein Deutcher freunde...you can correct my grammar later...I just got back from Munich with the Antz where I was witness to one of the most face rocking events of the century. I'm telling you, these are some incredibly talented individuals. I always enjoy my time hanging out with these guys and comparing the differences in systems of government, school systems, food, culture, music...you name it, we've probably compared it. Hopefully we will hang out a lot more in the near future....hint hint.

Per your requests I am going to be working on getting some pictures up of some of the key people around here so you guys know who I'm talking about. Thats all for now...it's 2:30am and I am going to sleep...

Huricane Heinrich

Today started out like your typical sunny German morning. Bernt and I were working cheerfully in the warehouse singing "Whistle While You Work" as we built the laundry room. Then, without warning, the heavens opened unleashing a torrent of wind and water. Good thing we were inside....and then the sound of the water rushing down the roof into the various drains that escort said water down the side of the house and to the earth where it can be absorbed, changed to a sound that was more like water that was rushing along the roof until it found a hole and then followed said hole through the ceiling of the warehouse and onto the shelves with all of the power tools and drill bits and various other manly construction materials (all of my english teachers are reading the previous sentence thinking about what a ridiculous run-on sentence it is...see I payed attention...:)...). Needless to say, this sudden development sent us scampering about to find buckets for the water and boxes to relocate all the equipment at the fastest rate possible. The end picture was about five buckets perched in various strategic locations along the shelves and Joe, Bernt, and I with our arms folded staring at the ceiling with a look of consternation. Having dealt swiftly and smoothly with the crisis, we went back to work with Joe smiling on his way to the kitchen and commenting on how exciting that was. It was indeed exciting.

Tomorrow I will travel with the band Antz of Glory to Munich where they are performing. I'm pretty excited about that. This weekend will be full of activity as Joe and I get ready for some visitors on Monday, as well as, run sound for another event on Sunday. So it looks to be a pretty fun weekend. Hopefully we will finish the laundry room tomorrow and get the washer and dryer hooked up. We did get running water in the kitchen yesterday which is pretty exciting. That's just one more step towards the completion of the Center. The end is in sight and everyone (especially Joe) is striving towards the finish line. I can't think of anything all that deep or profound to leave you with at the moment, so I'll just go ahead and sign off before I hurt myself...night.

COOKOUT!!!

Tonight was sweet! Joe and I had a cookout with Karl and his family. The food was INCREDIBLE and it was so much fun to hang out with everyone. At the beginning I was able to pick up on most of the conversation even though I didn't know how to respond in German most of the time, but as the night progressed my mind lapsed more and more and I wasn't able to follow everything. But it was fun nonetheless.

I grow increasingly in awe of how incredibly Great and Glorious God is. My finite mind cannot even begin to grasp the Infinitely Powerful Creator. I cannot fathom Him...all I can do is fall in worship and astonishment at His Glory. Then the fact that He saw fit to rescue me from darkness...to set me free...to loose my chains...to pardon me from all my transgressions...all that is left for me to do is to Glorify my God, my Redeemer in all that I say, in all that I do. I still fall short daily, but God in His goodness, and grace sustains me. What a God to serve!

McDonalds

As much as fast food establishments deny it, we all know that the food that we get has been thrown in a microwave at some point in its very short existence, usually right before we consume it. Today I re-heated a left over chicken sandwich from McDonalds. As I'm doing this I am thinking about the previous statement...Why is it at mcDonalds they can heat that sucker up and it's fine, but the second I do the same exact thing it becomes rocket science? I take the same steps that they do to make cold food hot. Place it in the microwave, set the timer and nuke it, but for some reason it comes out with one quarter section scorching hot, one section luke warm, one section the way you wanted it, and one section ice cold...ok, that's just my thought on that...My chicken sandwich did come out ok after some strategic placements...just in case you were wondering.

The event today went well. I am starting to get the hang of the whole sound thing. We went out to eat with the band afterwards and my brain almost melted trying to comprehend all of the German that was happening at that table. Thought at the event a woman asked me if she could borrow a pen and I understood every word...that was pretty exciting...of course "Ja" was my response...baby steps....baby steps.

The Days Events

Today began very relaxed. I gathered all of the bedding that was used this weekend so that we can wash them. Other thaqn that Joe and I worked in the office during the morning. We had to be at the school at 1:00pm to set up, so we left at 12:15 and planned on stopping at McDonalds for a quick lunch. As we pull into the parking lot across the street (we were pulling a trailer behind us as well bringing the total length to 14ft...a little tough to fit in a normal parking lot...) and I here a soft pop...so I stick my head out the window and hear a hissing sound. Once we stopped I got out and saw that one of the tires on the trailer had blown a hole in the side. I am sent to retrieve lunch and after several issues (i.e. the jack is too short) we finally got the tire back on at 12:59. We were at the school until a little after eight waiting for the band to finish their "dress rehersal." Wow...that's all I can say...We have to be back at eight tomorrow morning for the actual event (side note: it doesn't actually start until 10)...it should be interesting to say the least...

Last Laugh

Aparently, I wasn't ahead. Because the format of the pictures isn't really what it looked like originally...the captions are correct except the downtown intro caption and the hiking intro...those are a little mixed up, but now the format of the post makes it near impossible for me to edit...so I'm just leaving it...I think I am going to have to find a different solution for sharing photos...

Pictures...Finally!!!

Quick side note: I don't know how this works, but somehow on this keyboard when you push the shift key on the right hand side and your finger accidently slips and hits the up arrow in one simultaneous action with the already depressed shift key....it deletes everything you've written. That being said...I will now re-write my post.

I have finally gotten my camera to work so that I can get the pictures off of it and onto my blog and various other picture distribution venues (i.e. facebook). Seeing as how I have already been hear for quite some time, I have accumulated a great amount of pictures. So, I have decided to post the pictures in installments instead of in one gigantic post. "What does it matter? All of the pictures will end up posted at sometime anyway," you might say..."I don't know it just makes me feel better," is my response. So, without further adeu...the pictures.

Here is a shot from outsid the center. The landlord and his family live in the wing that is on the left and the center is located in the wing straight ahead that goes out to the right.

This is my apartment when I first arrived. It is 80 square meters.

We have now added walls, a living area, and the all-important mini-fridge.

Main control room for the studio.

Looking left into Studio 2.

And right into Studio 1.

Pictures of downtown Augsburg: Moritz Platz, Königs Platz, and Rathaus Platz.

The Rathaus is on the right...I still think RAThaus is a funny name...

Hiking through the many trails here.

Well that's all for now. I will do what I can to post more pictures in the future. Just some current news. The team left today and Joe and I bought a washer and dryer. The sink in the kitchen is installed except for water and we moved tons of stuff around in the warehouse. Tomorrow Joe and I will go set up for an event at a local school. The event isn't until Sunday, but we have to set everything up and then do sound checks and then a complete dress rehersal. That pretty much brings everything up to date. This post has taken me 2 hours to finish for various technical reasons...so I'm going to stop while I'm ahead...

The Breakdown

Just in case you are wondering, I titled this post the breakdown because we just met as a team and digested everything thats been going on this week, not because I or anyone else had an actual breakdown...moving on. I would like to ellaborate just a bit on the previous post. We met with many missionaries this week. Each one of them told us about how they had been praying for years that God would send more workers. One couple has been here for decades alone working in one of the most difficult areas on the planet. Today we met with a German church planter. When we told him that we wanted to come and work in the area he was so excited! He told us that for years he's been praying that God would provide more people to work and that now God has answered his prayer by sending us. Incredible. This week as been so humbling...to have people tell you that you are the answer to their prayers...especially a German national! Along with feeling humble, I also feel a great burden of responsiblity along with feeling great expectation. The team had such an amazing time of sharing and praying as the reality of what we are preparing for sets in. God is doing something here and I am excited to be a part of it. I look forward to meeting with all of you and explaining everything in much better detail. Thanks again for all of your prayers.

Last Meeting

We just got done with our last meeting of the week. It is so humbling and encouraging to have someone tell you that they have been praying for so long for God to send more workers to help with the ministry and then say that you are an answer to that prayer...wow. And that isn't just that meeting, but in others as well. It may not be easy, but it is definately encouraging to talk with these people and hear their vision. I think we are pretty decided on location now. Next year is going to be an intense time of preparation. Thank you all for your prayers! It has been good to hear from some of you so far this summer!

The Weekend

This weekend has probably been one of the most incredible weekends of my entire life. It was a great time of bonding with the team as well as a time of learning. We were able to see several ministries throughout Germany and get a good picture of what the future might hold for us. Please continue to pray for us, that there would be guidance and wisdom for all of us. Today we went to the Alps and toured the Eagles Nest (Hitlers Second HQ). It was really cool to see all of the history that is there. After Jay and I sprinted down the walking path (very steep and slick with about 8 million hair-pin turns) and the rest of the time took the elevator (sissys :) ) we drove back to Augsburg. It was good to just take a day and not have to think and constantly process like we have been doing the whole weekend. Tomorrow we start back with more meetings that will continue through the rest of the week until Friday when the team leaves. I am exhausted so I am gonna wrap this up. I think I have resolved the picture issue so hopefully pictures will be coming soon!

In Frankfurt

Turns out that the hostel that we are staying at in Frankfurt has free internet so I can post at least tonight. We met Jay and Jackie at the airport here and then spent some time doing a devotion and praying in a park by the river. Tonight is just a free night and tomorrow we will meet with some missionaries from the local area. After that we drive to Cologne where we will spend the rest of our time. So far it's been a really good time of fellowship with the team and I am looking forward to what God is going to do through this trip. That's all I have for now. I'm sure that the meetings will yield much more material.

Road Trip!!!

At the start of today Bernd and I began work on the temporary kitchen. The counter tops are up and the oven and stove are in and operational as is the coffee station (which is of great importantance). I believe I told most of you about the team that is coming here to survey Germany for field opportunities in Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne. Four of the six person team arrived today and we've finally gotten situated. I will be traveling with this team so that I can see if this is something that I possibly want to get involved with when I come back full-time. We leave bright and early tomorrow and make the 3.5 hour drive to Frankfurt where we will pickup the other two members of the team. We will be meeting with a missionary there in Frankfurt and staying the night there. The next day we will drive to Cologne and meet with several missionaries there over the next few days. We will return to the Center late Sunday night and meet with more missionaries until the team's departure on Thursday. We are also planning a little excursion to Berchtesgaden, the home of Hitler's Alpine retreat "The Eagles Nest." That should be very intersting. We are also beginning to plan several outreaches in the coming weeks. There will be a youth event called "Lighthouse" on the 23rd of June in a small town not too far from here. I will be travelling with the Antz of Glory on the 22nd to Munich for one of their gigs and I am very much looking forward to that. I have finally figured out how to get the comment thing to work on here so feel free to comment away! Still working on the whole picture situation, but hopefully that will be resolved in the very near future. My German is steadily improving...my right index finger is now fluent and is begining to teach the rest of my fingers. Seriously, I am getting better though, hopefully I will be able to do more than order food by the time I leave! Anyway, because I will be travelling for the next few days, my blogging may be more sproadic than it is already, but I will try to update everyone as best I can. I am running out of interesting ways to close up my blogging sessions...so...consider this one closed....peace.

Theoretical speed limits are wonderful things!

So I just realized today that I haven't posted anything in what seems like nearly a week! I have been pretty busy. I'll start with Saturday. Saturday was the typical day around the aptly named GO Center (because we are always on the go). Working on different construction projects, etc. Then we had to go and pick up some material for one of the projects and Joe handed me the key to the van. Keep in mind that this is a Fiat Transporter. This thing is huge. And it's a manual (I don't really have extensive experience with manuals) and it was starting to rain. The manual wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but very soon I learned how different drinving in Germany is from driving in the States. There are four major differences: 1) Traffic circles. I am convinced that these things were created as intruments of torture and confusion, as evidenced by all the angry faces of the drivers. 2) No right turn on red unless otherwise signed, apparently it's too dangerous, which I believe after seeing the way driving is done here. 3) If you are driving down any street anywhere no matter what the significance of the street you are on is, if a car is coming from a street or alley on the right, they have the right of way unless otherwise signed. This law will kill you if you are unaware of it. And if the law doesn't kill you the other driver will! 4) Everyone else drives like they are trying to kill you, so you have to drive like you are trying to kill everyone else. Apparently I am an aggressive driver (so I've been told) so this isn't as big of a deal to me, but sometimes Germans take aggressive driving to a whole new level. I finally made it to the autobahn where I discovered that people don't neccessarily always let you over. And you have to signal your exit much farther in advance because drivers traveling at 200mph+ need advanced warning so they don't obliterate you and/or themselves. Yesterday I hung out with a bunch of guys from the area. They have a band called Antz of Glory (www.antz-of-glory.com). It was cool to get to hang out with some people my age and learn about their culture and world-view. Thats all for now...I am tired and so I am going to bed.

History

Today brought more walls. We're nearly finished with the upstairs. Tomorrow we will be drilling lots of holes in the studio for the cables and such. Tonight we ate at an authentic Bavarian (Bavaria is the state where Augsburg is...i.e. Tennessee is the state where Memphis is...) restaraunt. First came the salad which consisted of greens, carrots and some sauer kraut hidden under the greens (I also stole some potato salad from Joe's plate). After having my tongue assaulted by the hidden sauer kraut, we got to the main course. Joe had ham hock (there's a cooler name but I can't remember it) with a Knödel (it's a potato ball) and I had goulosh. It was goooood! After stuffing ourselves, Joe took me up to a sort of pennacle where there was a tower that was used as a lookout post during times of war. Down below was the entire city of Augsburg. You could even see the two churches on either end of Königsplaz and the Rathaus. The city of Augsburg is 2020 years old! That's pretty insane. Roman soldiers walked on the same streets (ok not the exact same streets, but work with me here) that I walked on last week. The restaraunt that we ate in tonight has been there since the 1600's. That just blows my mind. Think about everything that has occured around that building! Anyway, all that food has made me sleepy so I'm gonna wrap this up and call it a night!

Midweek Update

Monday was Phingsten...so happy Phingsten! Phingsten is a German national holiday during which everyone gets the Holy Spirit and a day off. So, seeing as we already have the Holy Spirit, we put up more walls! The upper room is coming along, you can sorta see the whole picture of what it will look like eventually. Yesterday Joe and Salvatore (and Italian mason) knocked a hole in the kitchen wall to put yet another door in, bringing the kitchen door total to 4. This fourth door leads to an empty room that will need some fixing up, but eventually it will be the new conference room. Then the old conference room will become more office space. Today Salvatore is putting up some little covering things around some pipes (just for aesthetics) and as soon as Bernd gets here we will finsh off the walls upstairs. I think a little driving lesson is in the very near future which I'm sure will make for some great blogging material...Oh, and the rain finally stopped today!!

All Most God

I don't know how many of you know about the ministry called 722, but for those of you who don't, 722 is a college ministry based in Atlanta, Georgia at Northpoint Church. It is probably one of the more incredible college ministries I have seen. Anyway, I just started watching this series on 722's website called All Most God. It's a four part series (the second part is missing which makes me sad) talking about who God is and what He is about. I've only seen the first part so far and let me tell you...amazing. So often we get wrapped up in ourselves and our circumstances that we fail to see God for who He is. He is All Knowing, All Powerful, All Present, All Merciful, the list goes on and on. Most of you would agree with me when I say all those things about God, and you could probably add some attributes to that list yourself, but do we really believe that? When life get's tough do we really rely on Him? It's so easy when things are going well to say "Yes, absolutely without a doubt!" It is so simple in the comfort of our sanctuaries to proclaim the greatness of our God, just as we should, but why don't we live it? When you get fired from your job, do you trust Him to be All Supplying? When He closes a door to a seemingly great opportunity, do you trust Him to All Knowing? When nothing seems to go your way, do you trust Him to be All Sovereign (just a side note: Sovereign is defined by Websters dictionary as-superlative in quality; of the most exalted kind; of an unqualified nature; having undisputed ascendancy; possessed of supreme power; unlimited in extent.)? Why is it that we say that God can do anything, but when it comes down to it, no matter how big or small a situation is, bringing it before God is the last thing on our mind? I guess the main question should be: When things aren't going your way, when life is hard, faith is uncomfortable or even inconvenient, when you are persecuted and opressed; is He almost God, or All Most God?

Rain, Floods, and Walls

Yesterday Joe and I began building the walls for the room upstairs. The plan is to close in two bedrooms and allow for an expansion of the bathroom, the addition of a kitchen, and maintaining the living room space. We put the framing up yesterday and today we started to close in the first room. It has been interesting to say the least. I went to sleep last night in Germany and apparently woke up in th North Pole! It was 85 yesterday, today its 40...what the heck is up with that?? It's May for crying out loud!! Anyway, moving on. It started raining last night in the form of a pretty sweet thunderstorm and has been raining ever since. This topic brings me to my next story. I'm walking down the stairs in the main office and I hear trickling water. No big deal, it's pouring outside, of course I'm going to hear trickling water. Except this trickling sounds different than the other trickles. That's because this trickle is not because of the rain outside, it's coming from the pipe in the ceiling that leads to the shower. There's about an inch or two of water on the floor in front of the door to the studio. Thankfully no water got in the studio. I retrieved some buckets and the day was saved. That's all for now. More news from the front to come!

Meeting Fendos

Fendos is the landlord's (hausmeister) cat. This thing is psycho. No joke. First she lures you in with the whole adorable kitten thing and then she turns on you and tries to eat your face. I'm beginning to form a theory that cats, regardless of geographical location, are all on a mission to destroy mankind. With that said, I'm going to start praying that the large impromptu (?) German concert that has formed in the parking lot (via a car with an insane sound system) will go away!

A Six Hour Tour

I just returned from a very long, but incredibly exciting day exploring downtown Augsburg. It was almost like a survivorman or Amazing Race episode except without the running all over the place or freezing in the tundra. After being dropped off in front of the Hauptbahnhoff (main train station, aka Hbf.) I begin to meander down Hbf. Straße (the ß makes a ss sound) toward Königsplaz (kings place). All I now at this point is that I need to get from the middle city to Bärenwirt (a bus/tram stop) by six or I'll miss the last #27 bus to Täfertingen which is where the youth center is. Upon arriving at Königsplaz I begin doing a little exploring. There are two churches on either end of this approximately five block stretch. In the middle is the Rathausplaz, a decent sized square with a large fountain in the middle and some coffee and ice cream shops. This square is conveniently located in front of the Rathaus (the city hall, I think it's funny it's called the RAThaus...politicians...rat...maybe it's just me), hence Rathausplaz. The Rauthaus is flanked by one of the two churches. This one bears the name of a Saint, but the name escapes me at the moment. Below the Rathaus (literally underneath) is the Ratskeller which is a restaurant in the basement of the Rathaus. I didn't eat there today, however, I hear they have pretty decent food. After exploring that end of Königsplaz, I made my way towards the other church. Apparently there had just been a wedding. It was interesting...anyway, there was much meandering and exploring and picture taking, none of which was extremely eventful so I'll spare you the details. I stopped for lunch at an Italian cafe' where I got to practice more of my German. I actually did pretty well I think, not great, but not too bad. Continuing to stroll about the city I learned that here in Augsburg PDA knows no bounds...none. So, realizing that it is about time to head towards the station I realize I have no idea which tram will take me to Bärenwirt. No problem, I'll just read the little map thingy at the station. I arrive at the station in Königsplaz only to find that there is no listing for Bärenwirt. Trying not to panick I sit down on a bench to consider my options. #1) I can just get on the tram that seems to be going to the right place (based on the main display of the tram) or #2) I can ask the very kind and helpful looking (can you fell the sarcasm through text?) gentleman sitting to my right. I opt for option 2, after all what's the worst that could happen? After an interesting conversation consisting of very broken German on my part (it didn't help that I thought he was going to rip my face off in mere moments) and much confusion on his part, he tells me tram 4 (he actually turned out to be semi-congenial, in a very abrupt sort of way). Not completely convinced that he knew exactly what I was asking I decide tram 4 it is. I board tram 4 and after a few tense stops I arrive at Bärenwirt just in time to catch the five o'clock bus to Täfertingen. It's on this bus that I learn the meaning of shake rattle and roll. Other than getting off at the wrong stop in Täfertingen and walking a few blocks, the rest of the expedition was uneventful. That brings us up to the present where I'm drinking a cappucinno and snacking on a few little choclate cracker things. No idea what they are, but they are GOOD!!

Another Day

So, I am most definately being forced to learn German as I am surrounded by it every day. The computer that I am using to type this blog everything is in German. Even Joe speaks better German than he does English sometimes! It really is a lot of fun to learn. I helped Karl (the landlord) and Bernd put a satellite dish on the roof today and that was fun. They are speaking German to eachother and then in broken English to me and I in broken German to them, and there were plenty of gestures. It was more like a giant game of cherades. But, I am getting better little by little. Today was pretty exciting because we installed a new refridgerator (kühlschrank) with an automatic ice maker. That may not sound like much, but here in Europe your are lucky to get ice anywhere. So, at least the Americans are excited about the ice! Bernd is looking forward to trying crushed ice. Anyway, I feel like I'm writing letters home from camp or something. It's really wierd. As the week progresses we should make more headway in the warehouse (lager) begin putting together the rest of the Center. Matt and the gang will arrive next month and we will begin our survey trip. That will be a very good experience. That's all for now...more letters from camp to come.

The Evangelische Allianz

Yesterday was tons of fun! The day began for Joe and I at 4:00am. We drove 1 hour to the Olympic Park in Munich. We began to set up the equipment there in the ampitheater. More help arrived and so the set up went by very quickly. This even was sponsored by seven of the Munich area churches that form the Evagelische Allianz. They meet together like this once a year to worship and fellowship together. The event began at 10:30am. After a time of praise and worship, one of the local pastors preached a message and as it was all in German, I have no idea what he said. But, I'm sure it was good! Then everyone had broght a picnic lunch so we enjoyed a time of fellowship. Then beggining at 2:30pm six bands played for about 15-20 minutes a piece. Ranged from Gospel to Charismatic to Latin. It was exciting to see all these people worship. It's cool to think that although there were so many different languages being spoken (German, Spanish, and English) God can still understand them all. We returned to the Center in Augsburg at around 7:30 and were so wiped out that we left everything loaded up and agreed to call it a night. Today was very relaxed. I went with Bernd to look for several things for the Center. It is very exciting to see the vision that is here. I can't wait to see what God is going to do here in the very near future.

Deutschland!!!!

I officially hate the keyboard here. Everything is shuffled around. I am finally here and so pumped, but also very jet-lagged. I don´t have a lot of time to type because I will be leaving at 4am to travel to Munich (München) to set up for an all day outdoor event! Basically I just wanted to post something since it´s been a while and let everyone know that I made it here safely. Also, for those of you that are leaving comments etc. I can´t approve them yet mostly because everything besides what I´m typing is in German and I don´t know enough to figure it out yet, but rest assured that I will eventually get it down. It is a lot of fun using what little I know about the language though. It´s amazing to me how when you study a language and think you have a small grasp on it when you´re in the States, but when you arrive you realize that you are nowhere even close. Mostly because they talk a million miles an hour! "Langsam bitte!" (slower please!) is my best friend! That´s all I have for tonight. I´m going to wash travel off of me then I´m going to bed! Gute Nacht!!!

2 weeks

In two weeks I will be writing my first blog from another country. That's pretty crazy! The semester is finally winding down and there are only a few more hurdles left. Things with insurance companies annoy me. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that insurance companies are supposed to protect you from crazy drunk women hitting your car...not the other way around. Anyway, it has been an interesting week and I'm exhausted. I'm pretty pumped about church in the morning. Then I must begin the arduous task of cleaning the apartment and packing to leave the country. This is a short one, but I figure I gotta start somewhere...

wow

So I warned you that I'm not so good at this whole blogging thing, but that is going to change! I have a lot to talk about this time so fasten your seat belt! Speaking of seat belt, that brings me to the first event in my life. Friday night/Saturday morning I'm at my apartment getting ready for bed (For those of you who don't know, I live in a basement apartment. To access this apartment one must walk down two stairs to the door. On either side of the door are 1ft. thick retaining walls.). As I'm getting ready for bed I here BANG!! BANG!!!! So I go to investigate (keep in mind these sounds are nothing like gunshots...otherwise I probably would have grabbed some form of weapon before I just went investigating said odd noises). I open my door and I'm face with the grill of an SUV 1 1/2 feet away from my door. It's sitting almost completely over the stairwell. The driver side door opens so I yell up to make sure that everyone is ok. "No I'm not ok! Who the heck am I talking to??" Is the response I get. So I climb out of the stairwell and run around behind the SUV to check on the female driver (there were no other occupants). As I come around the back of the vehicle the driver is rounding the other corner holding her face from which much blood is pouring, freaking out and crying with much profanity. I immediatly proceed to call an ambulance, but my phone isn't working of course. Meanwhile the driver calls her boyfriend who arrives promptly. The police finally show up with a fire truck and so the investigation begins. It is at this point that I realize my car is 4ft. back from where I parked it. Yes, she smashed my car and then continued on to impact the house. So, she was drunk and got arrested and I'm driving a rental for an undetermined length of time.
Next. I am leaving for Germany in just two weeks. The prepartion for this trip has been amazing. I have learned tons this semester, academically and spiritually. I'm still trying to process it all. Finals week is hurtling towards me like a stinkin freight train and I can't wait for the semester to be over. I am so pumped about going to Germany in just two weeks. That's all I have for now. I will try to keep this up better.

First Post

Yes, I've finally given in to the blog. I'm not really sure how well I'll be able to keep this up, but hey it's worth a shot. God has been working in absolutely amazing ways this semester. I still can't figure out what has really been going on, but tonight has revolutionized my life. I was contemplating what had happened at the church service this evening. The message was on the Spirit of God (a topic that is often neglected or abused in most churches) and I can't entirely describe what happened. For once I was totally and completely focused on God and nothing else. I wasn't wondering what people would think, or what I looked like, or if I looked fake. All I cared about was God and what He had to tell me. Tonight I became free. Free from all of myself, free from the perceptions of others, free from others expectations, free from my desires, my plans...I AM FREE! I'm not really sure what's next, but I am so pumped to be serving my God. I can't wait to see what His plan is! It is certain to be a wild ride!