On the trip back from Hamburg we had the pleasure of seeing our friend Emily from college. That morning we emailed her hoping to see her during the four hours we had between trains. Within minutes she replied saying she was free and would love to give us a tour of Berlin! We were able to see most of the major sites and even got our passports stamped at Checkpoint Charlie where the wall used to be. It was a great day after a long week in Hamburg and we had a lot of fun with Emily.

Click here or on the image above and try to find all the doubles!

The leaders let us know and there was a ton of cheering and excitement.  We all then grabbed our stuff and took the short walk across the street, into the side door of a Philippine Catholic church.  News was so fresh for the church that there was the choir still practicing as we walked into our sleeping quarters.

Our living quarters for the next week resembled a refugee camp of sorts.  It was one giant room with a hard tile floor.  Harsh white light from the florescent bulbs gave a bleak atmosphere.  Piled tables and chairs loosely separated the men’s section from the women’s.  There was quickly a “no changing outside the bathrooms” rule put into place.

The bathrooms were the most difficult part of living there for most people.  There was a small room with two toilets and two sinks.  We all knew we were not going to be taking a shower that week.  The guys had it easy as there were less of us, and for the most part we cared less.  Women on the other hand had a hard time coping, there were people getting up in the middle of the night, just so they could have time washing their hair in the sink.

Over the week this place became home though.  There was a great sense of community that was developed as we all lived in such close quarters.  We were lined up sleeping bag next to sleeping bag, but I learned how to have my alone time even when around so many people.  Each night stories came back from all over the city of art and God’s work.  When I would walk down the stairs I would see unfamiliar faces and friends brought back from other groups of students.

The church basement was not perfect, but it was unique and had personality.  Community was grown, we all made sacrifices and people were meeting people where they were at.

The reason there has not been a post for over a week is because the school went to Hamburg.  We went to Hamburg for a Human Trafficking conference run by an organization called Not For Sale.  The conference was filled with art from our school that students have been working on for the last month.  The organization from our school called Pick a Pocket also was represented there.

It was a busy and intense weekend where we all lived on four euro a day for food.  When we were first told we were doing this I thought it was either impossible or we would just eat really lame food the whole time.  I was completely wrong.  Not only did we eat well, the group I was a part of had extra funds by the end.  It was a lessen in frugality I will try not to forget.

The speakers themselves ranged from people working in the red light district in Hamburg to missionaries that have spent time in prison in Iran.  They all had powerful messages, talking about loving and ministering not only to those in captivity to the ones holding them captive.

It was also very eye opening to at what level slavery still exists in the world.  Their slogan was “In every country, in every city, on every street”  which I thought was a big exaggeration at first.  As the weekend went on and I started looking at some online resources my eyes were opened to how extensive the problem is throughout the world.

The weekend was effective for impassioning our students from our school as well as reaching out to the city.  People here at the school have a renewed interest in changing how we live to fight modern slavery.  From simply changing what we buy, to taking an active role in the fight.  It is exciting to be around such passion, but also disheartening that such a business exists.

It is a cramped and eventless town.  Sundays, almost everything is closed. The only place open is the Turkish restaurant which is a gathering place for YWAMers. The nature and surrounding hills are bright with color and beauty, but remind us of our distance from any form of modern conveniences.

In reality life is as exciting as you are willing to make it here.  Being a part of YWAM serves as a constant reminder that entertainment is as enjoyable as you make it.  There is no shortage of fun or excitement throughout the week.  Last week there was a costume/dance/murder mystery fundraiser.  Christer came close to winning the costume contest as Batman, while I just creeped people out with my Koolaid costume.  Christi had a pitch perfect Maria from The Sound of Music.

I have been surprised by how busy we can get here.  In a town where there is virtually nothing to do, we spend a lot of time doing things.  People are always starting soccer games, discussion dinners, and board games.  In fact there is usually more to do than any single person has time for.

Personally I have found myself reading much more.  I have not been what you would typically consider a heavy reader.  In Herrnhut I have been consistently reading a book a week on average.  Living here has rekindled my love for reading.  Each person has been forced out of their typical avenues of fun.

Not having typical entertainment avenues has reminded me and many people here that fun is based on creativity and personality.  Going outside your comfort zone and seeking new forms of entertainment is what is required.  It is not as easy as sitting back and letting the fun come to you.

Being surrounded by the natural and historical beauty of Herrnhut has been a blessing during this season.  The unforeseen blessing was an amazing community and being brought out of my comfort zone.  Through this everyone here has and are seeing growth, even in something as simple as entertainment.

Kim Pickard was once one of the crowd in her high school youth group, concerned about what most american teenagers were concerned about.  “I was a shy girl that wanted to please my parents and be liked by people.”

Now Kim has become and done many things.  She has traveled the world, sold franchises, and is a strong member of her church. The most important being a mother who is passing down her faith to her two sons.

Kim attempted a college degree but realized her skills were not leading her toward further education.  This has not stopped her from a fulfilled life with important careers.

She held many positions over the years, each building on the each other.  One of her latest jobs was Franchise Director at Dream Dinners.  Recently she has returned to one of her passions and become a pre school teacher.

Through all the career changes she has modeled a devout relationship with Christ.  She said the over arching mission in her life is, “to seek first the kingdom of God I believe He has given me a gift of service and hospitality– so as a wife, mom and citizen I try to serve when I can.”

Throughout her son’s high school years she never hesitated to open her home to their friends.  This modeled an intentional focus on relationships, and hospitality, for her kids.

She did not simply model morality and a sense of religiosity to her son’s, but actively sought a living, breathing relationship with Christ.  Frequent quiet times with the Lord and seeking God’s direction through all circumstances were just some of the life styles that spoke louder than any preacher could.  It was her commitment to a daily relationship with Christ that made the difference.

Most important is her and her husband’s commitment to pray for their sons each day.  Nothing they have done can compare to the impact prayer has had on their sons’ lives.  Praying on their childrens’ behalf has been a blessing throughout both of her sons’ lives.  Because of their faithfulness in prayer, God has pursued relentlessly calling both sons to a deeper relationship with Him.

Family is one of Kim’s highest priorities and passions.  She said the most joyful time of her life was, “Giving birth to you(Andrew) and Austin–Anytime I am with my family.”  Not only does she draw joy from her calling towards family but she is able to willingly sacrifice her own desires for family and friends.

The passion for family and children does not come without its risks though.  Kim said, “I think the past nine months probably has been one of the hardest time in my life– because of the changes I see happening with Lois and Lysle(her in-laws), the role change of having an empty nest and the recent job lay off with Dream Dinners.”

Kim’s ability to see the good in each person and situation has been a constant inspiration for not only her family.  She has played an important role in whatever circle she finds herself in by living what she says.  Kim’s response to this difficult time has been, “But with all of this I have seen God’s miraculous power and  I truly trust and believe that God is working his plan.”

The pain and the trials come with a reward though.  To Kim, her greatest accomplishments are, “Being a mother of two amazing sons.”  In walking daily with the Lord and committed prayer, she has been able to speak into her family’s life more boldly than anything else.

Kim’s faith and commitment to God and family has not gone unnoticed.  Family and friends know her as a wise and devout woman of God.  If others were to follow such an example we would live in a better world.

Before I came to Germany I had just ended Camp.  This means my sock population was almost extinct.  Camp has a way of destroying socks which I still do not fully comprehend.  To say the least i was in need of new socks.

I went to TJ Max to pick up some quality cheap socks.  In my ignorance I bought almost all one type of sock.  I had never tried these socks on before, and knew virtually nothing about them.

A few days into my journeys I realized these socks had a nasty habit of scrunching down.  That terrible thing some socks do, where the heel part scrunches half way down your foot.  This feature was universal to all of my socks now.

This sock scrunching problem has become part of my routine here in Herrnhut.  It slows me down as I have to stop often to unscrunch my socks.  I was stopping so frequent to unscrunch I have stopped caring.  This is even worse because walking for too long with a scrunched sock is very uncomfortable.

This is not where the pain ends.  Two days ago I was in our tent, and had left my socks scrunched in my shoe.  I decided to unscrunch them, so I put one had on the ground and started unscrunching with the other hand.  This is when the person next to me stepped out of the way on someone else.  He stepped on my pinky finger and twisted his foot, grinding my finger into the cement.  I yelled and pulled my finger back to see the finger nail was hanging there by a bit of skin.  I cleaned the wound and bandaged it, but my lesson was clear, never fully commit to one type of sock until you know that sock is fully satisfying.

“The Happy Weekend Ticket” This train pass is what Matthew and I were after. Our plan Saturday was to get on a train to Berlin. “The Happy Weekend Ticket” is a one price ticket for up to five people to anywhere in Germany. It was a great deal. It was also a rumor we heard from someone. There was no guaranty that this elusive ticket existed. Matthew and I stood at the kiosk, navigating the menus which were half in english, half in german. A kind german man stood over our shoulder trying to help. In doing so he only made things more difficult, as he spoke no english, and we spoke no german. There is is!
Under the original german name we found it and we were off to Berlin. A friend of mine from China now lives in Berlin and it was his birthday weekend. A good excuse to see the city of Berlin and an old friend.
When we arrived we saw balloons, street stages, and large crowds. Something that is not too uncommon in a large city. Sascha informed us this weekend was the 20th celebration of German reunification. This city wide celebration was the backdrop to our entire journey through the city.
At one point I saw a building, large and curved, I turned to Sascha and said, “That building looks like a Playstation #3!” which I thought was awesome. As we walked past it though and reached the other side, we were presented with the entrance to the Sony Center. It was a giant complex of offices, shops, and a three level Sony store. This leads me to believe, either Sony built a building that looks like the playstation, or they built a the playstation that looks like a building. The mystery still plagues me.
Berlin is not a tall city though, buildings are short but numerous. The city spreads out for a long distance. Art and statues cover everything. We took a sobering walk through the Jewish memorial from WWII. Walked through many courtyards of churches and universities which had hundreds of years of history.
Most important we ate good food and had good conversation. I was the second friend from China to visit Sascha, and thus am now his second best friend from China. A title I will gladly take. We made it home safe the next day and came with the news: “The Happy Weekend Ticket” exists and provides and affordable path to anywhere in Germany.

There was only the yellow light on the road from the few street lamps overhead.  One hundred YWAM students and staff huddled in groups finding what shelter they could from the rain.  It was 3:00 am and our busses had not arrived yet.  They are 15 minutes late, and 15 minutes of rain starts to seep through peoples bags and pillows.  I wonder what the commuters think of what they are seeing.  Despite the gloomy scene, there is excitement in the air.

We were going to Switzerland!  It was the 50th anniversary celebration of YWAM.  The celebration was being held at the very first YWAM base ever purchased and the founders, Loren and Darlene Cunningham, were hosting it.

Our task at hand, was to survive the 15-hour bus ride.  The night was dark out, and the ride was a mix of sleep, stiff necks, and thinking, “how am I going to ever get to sleep.” followed by the thought, “did I just wake up?”

We finally made it across the border into Switzerland, and as if someone threw a giant switch to turn on beauty, the rolling hills opened up and we were surrounded by a new land.  The colors of the sun bouncing off the green hills mixed with the deep blue sky was breath taking.  Switzerland is known for its natural beauty for a reason!

The celebration was a filled with talks of YWAM’s past and how far they had come. It was also about the future and plans of YWAM. They have programs aimed at helping huge portions of the world at many different levels.  The vision was inspiring to say the least.

But our legs were stiff!  We had been sitting for 15 hours on a bus, then two days of lectures and meetings.  We needed to move!  We had some time to explore Lausanne.  My task for the day was to take a picture of the alps across the lake.  This was no easy task, as they were sacked with clouds.  Anytime they did not have clouds around them, there was a building in the way.  On our way out, I had admitted defeat.  My desire to see the French Alps would not come to fruition. Just then the bus rounded a corner and we got the best view of the Alps, Lake Geneva, and the surrounding area possible.  My picture above does little to show what the view was like being there.  The trip was a full success with great teaching and a beautiful country.

Everyone who knows me at a basic level knows I have a hard time being clean.  I try, I really try (sometimes) but no matter what, food ends up everywhere and random junk around my room.  Here at YWAM Herrnhut, they value cleanliness.  Not only do they value cleanliness, the enforce it!

They have a rule, that was just revealed a few days ago.  If one person’s bunk is a mess, the entire room of people have to do weekend work duty.  No one wants to do weekend work duty, it messes up people’s plans, and is inconvenient.  It is a very motivating tool to get us to be clean.  Most methods fail on me.  This one works

This of course is a struggle for me.  So far I have kept decently clean though, and I have been particularly proud of this area.  Until last night.  I was sitting at my computer, minding my own business.  I was a bit tired, almost falling asleep.  That was when one of the DTS leaders tapped me on the shoulder asking for me to meet with him in the hall.

I walked out into the hall and Taylor and Caleb (two leaders) were standing there not smiling or showing much emotion.  They told me they checked our room and everything was in order, but because of my bed, we had weekend work duty.  I did not take this information well, because I was quite proud of the level of cleanliness my area portrayed.

I asked for a detailed reason for why my bed had not passed.  They simply told me it was not good enough.  As I argued with them they asked if I wanted two weekends of work duty.  I was, attempting to be as respectful as I could, while defending what I thought was a decent job.

That is when Taylor broke out laughing.  The moment of release.  The whole thing was a practical joke, they had just picked the perfect person to pull it on.  I was so relieved I was not getting in trouble I laughed it off.  But MAN, my blood was going.  I was super awake at this point.