Well, this is the day!! Less then 5 hours from now I will wake up, pack up, get in the car, get to the airport and go!! My flight leaves today (March 1) at 8 am!!
At this point, I'm not sure how to feel. I've said all my goodbyes and gotten over the nervousness. I'm excited, but it hasn't quite hit yet that I'm actually going to Germany. Right now I'm just looking forward to traveling all day tomorrow. International travel is probably my favorite thing in the world! This will be my fourth international trip in five years, so I feel prepared for this one to be more on my own. Special thanks to everyone who has lead the past international trips I have gone on, each of you played a part in helping me prepare for this trip :).
What God has taught me so far:
In the past three weeks I have spent a lot of time praying and reading Gods word. God has shown me a couple verses that have become my life verses for this trip. These verses are:
Mark 10:29-30
“'Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life."
1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
About two days ago I was feeling really sad about leaving my family. I am very close to my parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I had run into Mark 10:29-30 several times in the weeks before that and God reminded me of these verses as I felt sad. He reminded me that I am going to Germany for Him and for the Gospel. He reminded me that even though I am leaving my family, friends and home, and even though I am worried about finding friends in Germany, He would help me find friends, even family, there. He also reminded me that things may not always be easy, I could deal with persecution and spiritual warfare.
As I thought more about Germany, I thought about my role in Gods plan in Germany. I thought and prayed about how He would use me. At this time, God reminded me of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. He reminded me that, like Paul, in order to truly reach people in Germany, I would have to become like them. I mulled over what this would mean. How do I reach people if they want to party, and I don't? What is German culture like? What about the international student's cultures? How do I reach people who have come from all over the world to this one place? How do I breach the language barrier? Though I have ideas for the answers to these questions, I definitely don't have all the answers. I believe this will be a process that God will lead me through. And I believe and pray that I will grow greatly through learning how to become "German" or become whatever the culture is of the person I am talking to.
It is late now, so I will go to bed. In my next post I will talk about how I have already started to see these verses become real in this trip.
One last thing before I go to bed:
Prayer requests:
-Pray for safety as we travel all day tomorrow. We will be traveling from 8 am to 3 am PST.
-Pray for my ears. I usually have a lot of ear pain while flying, I am praying to not have any this time around.
-Pray for me as I adjust to Germany and begin building relationships.
Praises:
-Praise God for a safe, fast, and pain free flight from Arcata to San Francisco!
-Praise God for a great family to stay the night with in the Bay Area!
-Praise God for my friends and family who were supportive, and caring, and loving in my last couple of weeks with them!
At this point, I'm not sure how to feel. I've said all my goodbyes and gotten over the nervousness. I'm excited, but it hasn't quite hit yet that I'm actually going to Germany. Right now I'm just looking forward to traveling all day tomorrow. International travel is probably my favorite thing in the world! This will be my fourth international trip in five years, so I feel prepared for this one to be more on my own. Special thanks to everyone who has lead the past international trips I have gone on, each of you played a part in helping me prepare for this trip :).
What God has taught me so far:
In the past three weeks I have spent a lot of time praying and reading Gods word. God has shown me a couple verses that have become my life verses for this trip. These verses are:
Mark 10:29-30
“'Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life."
1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
About two days ago I was feeling really sad about leaving my family. I am very close to my parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I had run into Mark 10:29-30 several times in the weeks before that and God reminded me of these verses as I felt sad. He reminded me that I am going to Germany for Him and for the Gospel. He reminded me that even though I am leaving my family, friends and home, and even though I am worried about finding friends in Germany, He would help me find friends, even family, there. He also reminded me that things may not always be easy, I could deal with persecution and spiritual warfare.
As I thought more about Germany, I thought about my role in Gods plan in Germany. I thought and prayed about how He would use me. At this time, God reminded me of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. He reminded me that, like Paul, in order to truly reach people in Germany, I would have to become like them. I mulled over what this would mean. How do I reach people if they want to party, and I don't? What is German culture like? What about the international student's cultures? How do I reach people who have come from all over the world to this one place? How do I breach the language barrier? Though I have ideas for the answers to these questions, I definitely don't have all the answers. I believe this will be a process that God will lead me through. And I believe and pray that I will grow greatly through learning how to become "German" or become whatever the culture is of the person I am talking to.
It is late now, so I will go to bed. In my next post I will talk about how I have already started to see these verses become real in this trip.
One last thing before I go to bed:
Prayer requests:
-Pray for safety as we travel all day tomorrow. We will be traveling from 8 am to 3 am PST.
-Pray for my ears. I usually have a lot of ear pain while flying, I am praying to not have any this time around.
-Pray for me as I adjust to Germany and begin building relationships.
Praises:
-Praise God for a safe, fast, and pain free flight from Arcata to San Francisco!
-Praise God for a great family to stay the night with in the Bay Area!
-Praise God for my friends and family who were supportive, and caring, and loving in my last couple of weeks with them!
You are on a great adventure! I can't wait to hear how God is going to use you, and how He already is using you!
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