EBS

We had our English Bible Study last night, which takes place the 1st and 3rd friday of each month. We always sing for a bit, then have a short lesson, and then sing a little more if we have the time. Last night we had the time and I loved it!

We were singing the song Magnificent which is cut into 4 parts (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) and as I sang my part concentrating on keeping my words right and the meaning, I looked up to listen. It was in that moment, the moment I stopped trying, that I realized that no matter how insignificant one person may feel, when we are all together we become a mighty force. I was thinking about how each person, sitting in no particular order, sings a different part. And I don't know about everyone else, but I don't have an amazing singing voice so I wasn't belting it out. Most people were doing their best to follow along with the song. But hearing them. Hearing them all. Each person with their quiet singing voice, came together to make 4 distinct choruses which were absolutely beautiful.

It made me realize, not only here, but when I was in the states, that no matter what I am doing, as a Christian everything counts. Everything. Each part of that, when pared with others, is God. That is God moving and working. It is an intricate system developed by the creator. How amazing is that? How awesome is it to be a part of that. Now I've heard tons of lessons over 1 Cor. 12, but it struck me again and new last night so I thought I would share that thought.

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Quote: Coincidence is Gods way of remaining anonymous. ~Albert Einstein

Pictures!!!

Alright so here are some of the pictures I have been promising!

From top to bottom: A lovely bench in the cemetery up the road!

The next two are random views of the city from tram number 4.

The pumpkin we carved on Halloween!

And last but not least, the group of us that played cards and carved a pumpkin!

Tomorrow Alex has another competition so there will be more pictures to come of him!

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Quote: As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. ~Henry David Thoreau

Oh Snickers

Snickers gets the title of the blog today because, as Larry and Pam's dog, she is going through a very confusing time of transition. She is at their house Tuesday through Sunday and our house, Sunday through Tuesday. All that said, it being Thursday, she is sitting at the door barking to be let in at the current moment. I believe there is a picture of the two of us somewhere on a previous post.

A recap of this week:

Monday I was at the market downtown. Not just the usual market, but the HUGE market that comes the first monday of each month. It was a rainy cold day here so the tram was a little more crowded than usual, as public transportation is the main form of transportation for people. I ventured downtown to see the market that Barbara had told Tiffany and I about the week before when we met with her. I was not prepared for what was waiting! I would compare it to a craft fair in the states with much more gifted and talented crafts! People had pottery, wooden crafts, table clothes, the list could go on. I was in awe walking around through the crowded downtown. I must have looked especially German on Monday because no sooner did I step off of the bus were people constantly trying to talk to me. I guess I have perfected my, "Ich Verstehe kein Duetsch" well enough that people do not believe me when I tell them I don't speak German. Anyways, I spent about an hour and half meandering through the streets looking at everyones trade and trying to compare the differences between them.

Monday night we hosted out first English Movie Night! We watched The Emporor's Club which always generates good discussions. There were only 6 people total, which was a little disappointing, but it went very well. We had a great discussion about morality and character. Our plan is to meet the first Monday of each month and show a movie followed by discussion of issues brought up in the movie. Next month, in honor of the Christmas season, we are watching Its A Wonderful Life hosted by Roy and Tiffany. Hopefully we will get more people to show up!

Tuesday was still rainy and cold. I spent most of the day attempting my German homework. The sentence structures are killing me! That afternoon, two of the young adults from the church came over for supper that Tiffany and I had prepared. It was the 5 of us, (Karen included). It was a great time of fellowship and just getting to know one another! That night was topped off with tuesday night Bible study over the book of Corinthians. Since I cannot understand the lesson, I try to read the scripture they are talking about and journal about it. Its not the same as Bible class, but I can occasionally pick up on something and try to figure out what the lesson is about in context.

Wednesday was German day! German pretty much dominates the day! I have another attempt at my German homework in the morning and run an errands that need to be done, and then at 12:30 Tiffany and I set off across town. We get back around 4:10ish for our meeting with our supervisors at 4:30. We took the Myers Briggs as a team, it is interesting to see how oddly accurate the test came out for all of us.

Today I spent the morning working at the church helping to put in a flower garden edge. This afternoon is the older couple that Roy and I read with. Today I met with them alone, Roy wasn't able to make it, so the three of us chatted and had coffee. I asked them about their weekend, and they had visited a small village near Siffon and hiked to the oldest Jewish synagog still left in Eastern Germany. From there I asked about their lives during the DDR time. The husband had mentioned that he was a police officer at one point before he retired, so I wasn't sure exactly where the conversation was about to go, but he told me he started in 1990 immediately after the wall came down. It was very interesting to hear their stories from when they were growing up and all the Jewish people leaving. Hopefully we will be able to talk about that more later!

And alas, here I am. Tonight I am having a quiet evening along. Sorry that is a really long post. I will post some pictures tomorrow night or Saturday. Now I am done.

Quote: People only see what they are prepared to see. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

The Older We Get

I know it has been a while since I have posted on here, sorry about that. It has been kinda busy around here this weekend.

Last week was filled with packing clothes for Bulgaria, readers and German lessons! Friday I attempted to go coat shopping with Tiffany and Ceili. I failed, but I did get an idea of what I am looking for. Larry said he would take us back so he could put in his two-cents on the coats since we really have no idea what we are looking for....

Saturday was fall cleaning day! We spent the morning cleaning up around the house. Pulling weeds, raking, and cutting the summer garden back. It was nice to spend some time in the cool brisk air. Saturday evening we had a card night and played some skip-bo and uno. We also carved a pumkin! That was fun! Germans don't really celebrate halloween like we do in the states, but they had pumkins out so we went for it! Everyone seemed to enjoy it! Hopefully I will have some pictures for you in a few days!

Sunday, we had church and then Karen and I relaxed for a bit that afternoon. The evening held sport which went well. There is a lot going on this week.

Monday we are hosting our first English Movie night. Please pray for the these as we are hoping to make them a good outreach tool! There is just a lot going on this week lol.

So now to whats on my mind. I have come to the conclusion that the older we get, or at least the older I get, the more I appreciate life and the beauty that encompasses it. I honestly dont think I would have appreciated some of the things that I do now, 5 years ago. And I am sure in 5 more years I will scratch my head and wonder how I didn't appreciate being here as much as I do.

For example. The hills. I love the hills. I find my eyes constantly roaming the landscape for a glimpse of what is on the other side. Be it an old building, a family on a walk, or a green field. That could be the human desire for more, or the adventurous side that just wonders what else is out there. But I like to think that God places that wonder in us. That wonder that makes us want to keep looking. To look for Him in the everyday things.

I say all this because today after church when karen, Ceili and I were taking the Omis (grandmas) home, and it was just the 3 of us, we topped a hill, and I found my self glued to the little piece of countryside I could see. I was completely lost in the conversation, my eyes fixated on the beautiful patch of trees and farm land that lay miles away upon the crest of a hill. It wasn't until I heard Karen and Ceilis laughter did I realize that I had completely zoned out. I was in my own little world, my own little search for God.

The funny thing is, even on the trams, I find myself always searching the horizon to see what is out there. Where is it that I could possibly see some sort of beauty that could come close to God. If I can see so much beauty in what God has done here on earth, I can not even begin to fathom what heaven will be like....

Quote: You find God the moment you realize that you don't need to seek God. ~Unknown

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Great Weekend!

This past weekend was absolutely amazing. I would have to say my favorite thus far. Friday I wondered around and took pictures and rode the tram for fun. That night Larry, Pam, Karen, and Sven all made it back from the retreat safely. Janine stopped by. It was just a great day.

Saturday was busy, we started with ladies breakfast and then had Alex's, competition and after that Janine's concert. The breakfest was great, there is a pic above Mario, Pam and Tiff cleaning up. Alex's competition was A-Mazing! There was a nice sized group of us from the church their to cheer which always makes things better! And then Janine's concert was a blast! I heard some songs I haven't heard in a long time and Janine was absolutely amazing. When she said she was in a band I half-heartedly laughed not really knowing what to expect, but they were good! Almost all of the songs were in english too, which is always a plus!

Sunday started with church. After church we had a pot-luck. There weren't a lot of people there, but that kinda made it nice because it wasnt crazy! Alex brought his mom, so it was nice to get to meet her and have her meet everyone. Sunday afternoon, Roy, Tiff, Ceili (pronounced Kay-lee), Yan, and myself all went to Leipzig together for worship. Worship was great, it was all of us, Marc and Karen, and Pam and Larry. After that, Marc took Roy, Tiff, Ceili and I back to the train station.

From the time Marc dropped us off was an adventure in and of itself. In summary: we ordered Pizza Hut and had to take it to go; the train was waaaay to crowded so hopped off and caught the next one, we played cards the entire way back, we got to see Chemnitz downtown at night which was lovely, and I learned that the bus driver hears a "beep" every-time you push the "stop" button....

All said, it was a great weekend! I am looking forward to what this week will hold! Wednesday we are packing more clothes for Bulgaria, Thursday Tiff and I are meeting Barbra in the morning and Friday, Tiff, Ceili, and I are all going coat shopping together!

So above are some pictures of everything. I dont have the pictures from Janines concert uploaded yet, but hopefully I got some decent ones! Oh yea, and Olesnitz is at the top. We went back a week or so ago and put in some insulation in the floor before they pour concrete on it.

Parting Quote: Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. ~ Will Durant

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Whirlwind

This week has been out there! Karen, Larry, Pam and Sven are at a Bible Seminar and have been gone all week, which means it has been Roy, Tiffany and I all week!

Things have been great, Monday I still wasn't feeling very well so I spent the morning in bed and ventured out to get a puzzle monday afternoon. I also started listening to New Moon on audio book again. Monday night Alex came over with Tiffany and we all watched Twilight together. Tuesday I went downtown to find a charger for my camera so I can take pictures on Saturday. I spent some time at the church pulling some weeds and then came back and got ready for Bible class Tuesday night. Wednesday Marion came over for coffee. It was great getting to chat with her. I look forward to getting to know her better. Tiffany came down after a bit and we all had a good time together! That afternoon Tiff and I had a german lesson. it went very well! I am feeling much better about my german now. I can understand some more, and I can figure out more, but I am still not very confident in my pronunciations. Wednesday night Alex came over for supper and Roy, Tiff and I all had supper together and played games. That was a good time! I enjoy getting to hang out together.

Today I went downtown to print some family pictures because I realized I did not have pictures of a lot of my family! I had 2 readers this afternoon and we hit some pretty deep topics both times. Hopefully next week we can talk more about what we hit on this week.

Saturday is going to be busy, we have the ladies breakfast Saturday morning, and then Alex has a gymnastic competition that afternoon (which I am SUPER excited to see!!!!) and then Janine has a concert that night (which I am also SUPER excited to hear!). So its going to be a busy weekend!

Snickers and I have bonded this week, it has been great! Hints the pictures at the beginning! Anyways, I think thats all.

Quote: Sometimes He calms the storm. Other times, He calms the child.

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Its snowing.... and I have a cold

This week the weather has gotten ridiculously cold! It has been chilly all week, but today it has snowed literally ALL DAY!!!! We all know how much i looooove the cold! But seriously, I do like the snow, not the biggest fan of the cold but thats just part of the deal!

Yesterday I had another German lesson. It went much better this week than last week! However, me being me, left my notebook on the tram when I switched over and had no idea until I got the house for lessons! No worries though, that just meant I didn't have a test!!!

After German, Karen, Alex and Jessi came and picked me up and went to Dresden to visit Steffi! We saw Steffis apartment then went downtown and visited Starbucks! I met a group of exchange students from a university, one guy was from South Carolina and one of the girls was from Texas! We talked about the crazy cold weather! After that we went to check out movies, to no avail there were no English movies, so we set out for another movie theater across town! We also stopped to see a replica of the Hundert Wasser house... just take that for what its worth. Anyways, it was fun finding it! It was in a really cool part of town and it was just getting dark so there were lights everywhere! I will try and get some pictures from karen and put them up later!

After that we made our way to Elba park and saw a movie! It was a German movie and I understood more than I thought I would. I have watched movies with english dub overs before, but this was the first English movie with German dub overs. It was much better than I expected! After the movie we were all pretty tired so we dropped Steffi off and headed back to Chemnitz! We had a nice chat all the way back, I got the question game going, and everyone knows how much I love to ask questions!

Today I met with the older couple I am reading with! Well, I am reading with the husband, and roy with the wife, but since Tiffanys parents are in town I met with both today. We just chatted, I asked them about their families and herd some stories about their lives. It was really cool! The husband was telling me about how he used to speak English as a boy with the Americans when they lived with him, and then later with the Russians. He said the Americans would always play with him and teach him words, but the Russians would never play with him, they were always very serious. Anyways, I invited them to English Bible Study tomorrow night. I dont know they will come or not, but we will see!

Larry has been really sick today, he doesnt get sick often, its been over 15 years since he has been this sick, but he is sick!! So not good! There is just nasty-ness going around! I am getting a head cold, no fun! Tomorrow I am heading back to Olesnitz to help put insulation in the new floor! I will try and get some pictures up!

That is all for now!

Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Quote: Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all measures. ~Corita Kent

Sunny Days Have Come Again

The Vienna students made it in this weekend! We had 14 people total, 10 students and the sponsors with their 2 children. We packed over 150 (i dont remember the final count) bags of clothes to take the Bulgaria for the winter.

Our baseball party was rained out, sad day I know, never the less we played volleyball! We had a good turn out! I was a bit sad that none of the random people I had met and given invites to came, but so goes life! We still had some new people come!

I also met another American here, Steffi actually met here somewhere. Hopefully we will get to hang out with her some more! I am making some more friends here which helps. Not that I dont love the people I already know here lol, but I am meeting more people and getting to know them better!

We went to a worship service in Leipzig last night- that was an amazing experience! We missed the sermon due to some directional issues, but made it in time for communion and some singing!

It is truly a blessing to have the opportunity to see a new church form! The transitions that are going on, watching the native members take on leadership at the church here and witnessing a new church sprouting up truly leaves me in awe of God and how He moves in us and through us.

Alas this has been a long post so I shall end it. Have a great week! Be good and do good!

Sarah B

Quote: The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands. ~Robert Persig

Rough Day

Hey folks!

Life here is going good! This weekend is going to be crazy busy! The Vienna students get in this afternoon, I need to go get some goodies for them in just a little bit! We have a baseball party tomorrow and then Sunday a pot luck!

Lets back track a little. I went to Dresden to visit Janine on Wednesday. It was a great day, I rode the train all by myself successfully! I did get a bit of motion sickness though, granted I was riding backwards the entire way which im sure had a lot to do with it! She showed me around the university in Dresden and then we stopped at an odd looking church and went inside, that was fun! We went downtown to starbucks and the mall. Good times! Then we went to KFC for lunch, that was exciting! I got hot wings (there are not a lot of hot things here) and they were great! Then we went to a science museum! That was amazing! It was like the omniplex for adults! Lots of hands on stuff! There were english translations on most everything too so it made it even better! Then we went for coffee, to Janines apartment and then to the Dresden english Bible study and back on the train!

I got back to Chemnitz just fine on the train, but got off one stop to soon for my train stop. Luckily (keep in mind it was around 10:45) it was somewhere in town I recognized! I walked up to the next bus stop and saw one was coming in about 5 minutes so I waited and made it home by 11 just fine!

Thursday was a rough day. I was still frustrated with myself from the night before and not looking forward to starting German lessons. Tiffany and I went over to Steffens house and started our lesson. Long story short, I freaked out just a bit. All was okay, and I calmed down, but it was a frustrating day. Last night we had the ladies Bible Study which is in english and that helped! We had a great turn out, we talking about being thankful and how to be thankful. It was a very good lesson!

Today is prep for the Vienna students. Like I said, busy weekend ahead. English Bible Study tonight (Hey look at that, 3 this week!) and set up for the morning. In the morning we are sorting clothes for Bulgaria and then tomorrow afternoon we are having the Baseball party! Tomorrow night we are having a few friends over and playing card games with the girls we will have staying with us. Sunday we have a pot luck and then taking the group back to the train station.

Anyways, alls well that goes well. One foot in front of the other. Its odd, I find myself standing at a bus stop and listening to the wind rustle the leaves as they roll past. Admiring the cobble stone streets that people have walked on for years, hundreds of years.

Europe has a majestic err about it. I dont really know how to explain it. Sometimes it doesn't even seem like Im not in the states, and then other times, one is utterly aware of the insignificance of one human life. At the same time, one can't help but imagine all of the influences each of the insignificant lives have had. The same insignificant people that have sauntered across the same stones.

Unlimited possibilities....

Quote: Success is permanent, and failure isn't fatal. ~ Mike Ditka

Almost a Month

Its hard to believe I have been here almost a month already! It certainly doesn't feel like it!

Well lets see, I was supposed to start German on Monday, however Friday I got an email (all in german mind you) that said my class had been canceled because there weren't enough people signed up. I am completely and utterly unmotivated to learn German.... kinda of bad when Im living in a country and cant understand what is being said. All that said, I start lessons with a gentleman from church on Thursday with Tiffany. He is a language instructor and is crazy smart lol. I hope I get it.... I just feel dumb when I am trying to learn, not like I just graduated from college. This will be a humbling experience....

Monday I ventured down to the train station and back- Friday the Vienna group comes and we are supposed to go meet them and bring them back to the church. But we have never taken the bus there and back. It went much easier and smoother than I expected :D. On a side note, while I was at the train station Monday I ate lunch at Burger King. Great place by the way, I tell you all this to say, they were very confused when I ordered a burger with just meat and nothing else. I really only wanted a burger and drink, no fries, but that was going to be to complicated so I paid the extra 50 cents to get deal with fries that I didnt touch... but it was extremely interesting as the manager and lady taking my order proceeded to point to each item that usually comes on a burger and ask me if i wanted it. The answer was always no...

Also, while I was in the train station monday, i meandered into the bookstore. I was casually looking at some newspapers, they had a few in English (much to expensive to buy or I would have!) when I noticed an older lady looking at the English section of books. Taking my cue I wondered over casually standing next to her, and asked her, "Hello, do you speak English?" She turned to me and greeted me with a friendly smile, and then responded, "I learned in University" and went back to looking at books. I then said, "Its so nice to hear someone else speak english, it is so rare to find." She then proceeded to walk away. Fail.

Tomorrow I am going to Dresden to visit Janine. That will be fun! I am riding the train by myself for the first time though, I am a bit nervous, not going to lie. But I am sure it will all be just fine! Not sure exactly what she has planned, I know Starbucks is in there somewhere!!!

Anyways, that is all for now! Here are some pictures I have taken of things around: We worked putting in a new floor in Olesnitz last week, the oldest tower in Saxony, Karl Marx's head, and a church downtown :)

Quote: We should not say that one man's hour is worth another man's hour, but rather that one man during an hour is worth just as much as another man during an hour. Time is everything, man is nothing: he is at most time's carcass. ~Karl Marx