So I'm laying here in bed, unable to fall asleep (thanks, coffee). I was thinking about what I want to do when I get home. I realized that, for the first time in a long time, I will have no job I have to get up for on Monday morning! Like...I will be totally, completely free of any committed schedule. I can go play. I can go relax by myself. I can go see people and spend as much time with them as I want.
Ahhhh!!!!!!
I'm listening to Misty Edward's "Always on My Mind" album right now. It's not helping me fall asleep. I can breaking out in throwing fist pumps up into the air (I'm laying on my back).
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Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
random Norway observations
brown cheese. ya either hate or ya love it. i'm in between.
Mother's Day is in February.
they don't celebrate Thanksgiving.
married couples wear their rings on their right hand. this led to a good week or so of total confusion as i would hear people talk about their husband or wife and i would see no wedding ring on their left hand. then i would see them cuddling up to a member of the opposite sex and think..."wow, Norwegians are friendly people..." then i figured out they wear their rings on their right hands. suddenly it all seems so clear...
when you enter a building, you push the door IN. you don't realize how different that is until you experience it. i never noticed how doors opened in the States. but now i find that half the time i think i'm locked out of a building because i go to pull the door open and it doesn't budge. this has led to many freak out sessions, thinking i'm forever locked out in the freezing Norwegian winter weather. just kidding.
toilets flush by pulling up on a knob on top of the toilet. this was the way it was in Estonia and Latvia, too.
contrary to other "cold-cultures", at stores in Norway the cashier usually hands you your change instead of putting it on a plate, like in Latvia.
cars actually stop for you at cross walks. this was true in Latvia, too. i am SO not used to that. well, i wasn't. now i am getting used to it. which could quite possibly endanger my life when i return to the States and go to cross the street, thinking the cars will automatically stop...
YWAM bases are notorious for bad coffee. i've determined this. that's not a Norwegian observation. that's just a YWAM observ...no, a YWAM fact.
Mother's Day is in February.
they don't celebrate Thanksgiving.
married couples wear their rings on their right hand. this led to a good week or so of total confusion as i would hear people talk about their husband or wife and i would see no wedding ring on their left hand. then i would see them cuddling up to a member of the opposite sex and think..."wow, Norwegians are friendly people..." then i figured out they wear their rings on their right hands. suddenly it all seems so clear...
when you enter a building, you push the door IN. you don't realize how different that is until you experience it. i never noticed how doors opened in the States. but now i find that half the time i think i'm locked out of a building because i go to pull the door open and it doesn't budge. this has led to many freak out sessions, thinking i'm forever locked out in the freezing Norwegian winter weather. just kidding.
toilets flush by pulling up on a knob on top of the toilet. this was the way it was in Estonia and Latvia, too.
contrary to other "cold-cultures", at stores in Norway the cashier usually hands you your change instead of putting it on a plate, like in Latvia.
cars actually stop for you at cross walks. this was true in Latvia, too. i am SO not used to that. well, i wasn't. now i am getting used to it. which could quite possibly endanger my life when i return to the States and go to cross the street, thinking the cars will automatically stop...
YWAM bases are notorious for bad coffee. i've determined this. that's not a Norwegian observation. that's just a YWAM observ...no, a YWAM fact.
1 week left
1 week from today, i will be on an airplane headed back to the U-S-of-A! um. yeah im excited. :)
i regret not updating this more while ive been in Norway! ive been keeping a written journal though. i havent talked to my parents in over 2 weeks i think...sorry parental unit, i will try to call you soon! i would call you right now but its 4:25am your time and, though i know you love me, i dont know that you would be enthusiastic to talk to me at that time of morning... ;)
my time in Norway was been fabulouso! it has been marked by a growing confidence in God's strength and not my own. our main areas of ministry have been playing in coffee shops and running youth group nights. those have been the main things.
there's a large part of me that wants to do youth ministry when i get home. sometimes i wonder, "do i really have a heart and passion for youth ministry or does it just sound fun?" i think that question was answered this past week when i got to lead a Bible study with Liz at a local public high school. i absolutely loved it. it energized me. they had studied spiritual gifts the week before (1 Cor 12) so we felt like we should follow it up with 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4 -- which is on the topic of love. i loved this group of students and the time we got with them. i didnt want it to end! it inspired and stoked me for when i get back to the fabulous islands (which...ah-hem, ah-hem, is 2 weeks from TODAY!).
there's also a large part of me that wants to pursue worship leading and whatever else goes along with that. i look back over my time in Norway and am floored to see what God has given me strength to do! yesterday morning we did a "concert" type thing at a Christian high school and Denise and i were supposed to both sing but her voice wasnt wanting to do it (the infamous cold that keeps going around our group - im staying strong - praise God i havent had it!). so i ended up being the one up there leading the singing. haha thats how its been most of the time - i go into a time of worship with a band and other people are supposed to lead and they either lose their voice that day. i guess God knows i work best on short notice, when i dont have time to worry about it beforehand. :) last night a small group of us went to a youth group for the evening and Kaley & i led worship (i love that girl!) - fog machine and bright lights included. haha - first time leading worship in that kind of setting.
what was really cool was it was probably the 1st time ive looked out over the people and saw them responding in worship. most of the time when ive led here, they show little emotion or response and i wonder, "ok God, what am i doing wrong here?" i have had to remind myself over and over that its not my responsibility to make sure everyone "gets on the train", as Will taught us during the "Heart of Worship" teaching week in Denver. some people will choose to stay behind at the station. and thats OK. its a problem when im the only one on the train and EVERYONE is left behind at the station - then i really need to seek God's direction and ask if there's a place where i got off track and need to change something.
another thing ive had to remind myself is that Norway is a generally cold-culture. the majority of people arent prone to showing emotion. one girl i talked to said Americans are so willing and wanting to show emotion and they cry all the time, like on talk shows. haha :) i have only led worship in Norway. it makes me excited to lead worship in the States, where the songs we do are more well known and people more often show their response in worship.
last night i messed up on "How He Loves" by cutting out the first part of the 2nd verse...oops. :) thankfully, Kaley is amazing and she followed and made it flow (i love leading worship with her). but afterwards i was tempted to believe that lie that i totally messed it up and failed and never wanted to lead again. but that lie kept getting shut out of my head by this - i am human. i will mess up. its ok. i will do my best and keep my eyes on Jesus and let Him do the rest.
i remember i went to a Hillsong United concert (i hate calling it that...lets call it worship time) once and Brooke Fraser (love her) was leading None But Jesus and she sang the wrong line. she totally kept going, because she's amazing. but it impacted me so much - i had always feared leading worship because i was afraid i would screw up. but when i saw her do that, i was like, "whoa...she just messed up...and she's Brooke Fraser...she's part of Hillsong...and she just messed up...she's human...she just messed up and it is totally OK" :) and besides that quick time of revelation that she messed up and it was completely fine, it didnt distract me from worship at all. i was reminded of that last night. and its OK. its going to happen. but God is faithful. He is the One doing the work, not me.
the fact that that lie that wanted to creep into my head last night got shut out is a beautiful testimony of God's work in my life. i use to be so prone to believing lies about myself. God has strengthened within me a growing confidence in who i am in Him and Him alone. i remember when i said bye to shane at the airport way back in September, he said this: "remember Whose you are and who you are in Him".
i am my Beloved's and He is mine...
i regret not updating this more while ive been in Norway! ive been keeping a written journal though. i havent talked to my parents in over 2 weeks i think...sorry parental unit, i will try to call you soon! i would call you right now but its 4:25am your time and, though i know you love me, i dont know that you would be enthusiastic to talk to me at that time of morning... ;)
my time in Norway was been fabulouso! it has been marked by a growing confidence in God's strength and not my own. our main areas of ministry have been playing in coffee shops and running youth group nights. those have been the main things.
there's a large part of me that wants to do youth ministry when i get home. sometimes i wonder, "do i really have a heart and passion for youth ministry or does it just sound fun?" i think that question was answered this past week when i got to lead a Bible study with Liz at a local public high school. i absolutely loved it. it energized me. they had studied spiritual gifts the week before (1 Cor 12) so we felt like we should follow it up with 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4 -- which is on the topic of love. i loved this group of students and the time we got with them. i didnt want it to end! it inspired and stoked me for when i get back to the fabulous islands (which...ah-hem, ah-hem, is 2 weeks from TODAY!).
there's also a large part of me that wants to pursue worship leading and whatever else goes along with that. i look back over my time in Norway and am floored to see what God has given me strength to do! yesterday morning we did a "concert" type thing at a Christian high school and Denise and i were supposed to both sing but her voice wasnt wanting to do it (the infamous cold that keeps going around our group - im staying strong - praise God i havent had it!). so i ended up being the one up there leading the singing. haha thats how its been most of the time - i go into a time of worship with a band and other people are supposed to lead and they either lose their voice that day. i guess God knows i work best on short notice, when i dont have time to worry about it beforehand. :) last night a small group of us went to a youth group for the evening and Kaley & i led worship (i love that girl!) - fog machine and bright lights included. haha - first time leading worship in that kind of setting.
what was really cool was it was probably the 1st time ive looked out over the people and saw them responding in worship. most of the time when ive led here, they show little emotion or response and i wonder, "ok God, what am i doing wrong here?" i have had to remind myself over and over that its not my responsibility to make sure everyone "gets on the train", as Will taught us during the "Heart of Worship" teaching week in Denver. some people will choose to stay behind at the station. and thats OK. its a problem when im the only one on the train and EVERYONE is left behind at the station - then i really need to seek God's direction and ask if there's a place where i got off track and need to change something.
another thing ive had to remind myself is that Norway is a generally cold-culture. the majority of people arent prone to showing emotion. one girl i talked to said Americans are so willing and wanting to show emotion and they cry all the time, like on talk shows. haha :) i have only led worship in Norway. it makes me excited to lead worship in the States, where the songs we do are more well known and people more often show their response in worship.
last night i messed up on "How He Loves" by cutting out the first part of the 2nd verse...oops. :) thankfully, Kaley is amazing and she followed and made it flow (i love leading worship with her). but afterwards i was tempted to believe that lie that i totally messed it up and failed and never wanted to lead again. but that lie kept getting shut out of my head by this - i am human. i will mess up. its ok. i will do my best and keep my eyes on Jesus and let Him do the rest.
i remember i went to a Hillsong United concert (i hate calling it that...lets call it worship time) once and Brooke Fraser (love her) was leading None But Jesus and she sang the wrong line. she totally kept going, because she's amazing. but it impacted me so much - i had always feared leading worship because i was afraid i would screw up. but when i saw her do that, i was like, "whoa...she just messed up...and she's Brooke Fraser...she's part of Hillsong...and she just messed up...she's human...she just messed up and it is totally OK" :) and besides that quick time of revelation that she messed up and it was completely fine, it didnt distract me from worship at all. i was reminded of that last night. and its OK. its going to happen. but God is faithful. He is the One doing the work, not me.
the fact that that lie that wanted to creep into my head last night got shut out is a beautiful testimony of God's work in my life. i use to be so prone to believing lies about myself. God has strengthened within me a growing confidence in who i am in Him and Him alone. i remember when i said bye to shane at the airport way back in September, he said this: "remember Whose you are and who you are in Him".
i am my Beloved's and He is mine...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Holum, Norway
We are in Holum, Norway for the weekend. We hung out with a youth group Friday night and tonight we did worship, testimonies, and dramas for them. Before the stuff tonight, we went to Kristiansan (??), an uber cool city by the sea!!! It was so cool!
Today we had peanut butter for the 1st time since coming on outreach!!! Praise God!! :) it was sooo good and tasted more like the natural PB. Mmm!! And we ate at Dolly Dimples, a pizza place, for lunch.
On the drive to Kristiansan, I listened to Jack Johnson's album, "To The Sea", and then Braddigan. :)
I did worship tonight with Jordan, Bob, Kate, Tim, and Angel.
I didn't have wifi in Latvia but I feel like I kept this better updated there than here...go figure.
Oh! Norwegians put pineapple in their tacos!!! Brilliant!!!!
It's Saturday night. I haven't showered since Tuesday...the house we're staying at doesn't have hot water. Killer... :P
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Today we had peanut butter for the 1st time since coming on outreach!!! Praise God!! :) it was sooo good and tasted more like the natural PB. Mmm!! And we ate at Dolly Dimples, a pizza place, for lunch.
On the drive to Kristiansan, I listened to Jack Johnson's album, "To The Sea", and then Braddigan. :)
I did worship tonight with Jordan, Bob, Kate, Tim, and Angel.
I didn't have wifi in Latvia but I feel like I kept this better updated there than here...go figure.
Oh! Norwegians put pineapple in their tacos!!! Brilliant!!!!
It's Saturday night. I haven't showered since Tuesday...the house we're staying at doesn't have hot water. Killer... :P
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Thursday, January 20, 2011
Comparing breakfasts
My toast...
A Norwegian's toast...
Sure, it looks good. But I pointed out to the maker of this toast that he needed something sweet to finish it off because nothing on this plate was sweet. He thought that was a good idea. I like to think I taught him something about toast...haha just kidding :)
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A Norwegian's toast...
Sure, it looks good. But I pointed out to the maker of this toast that he needed something sweet to finish it off because nothing on this plate was sweet. He thought that was a good idea. I like to think I taught him something about toast...haha just kidding :)
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Saturday, January 15, 2011
Bienvenido a Skien, Norway!
We are now in Norway for the remainder of outreach!! Found out today that we will actually be going to 3 cities (Skien first, then somewhere in south Norway, then back to Skien, then finishing in Oslo). Right now we're at the YWAM Skien base - it is sa-weeeet!!!! It's an old prison!
I loved our time in Latvia and miss our friends so much! That's the hard part of outreach - building relationships and then leaving. First Estonia, then Latvia, and in a few weeks...Norway.
I am stoked to be in Norway and for what God wants to do in and thru us here. It sounds like we will get to do a lot of cafe ministries and youth ministry. Stoked!!!!!
My birfday was yesterday! And I got to start this new year of life in Skien, Norway!! A few friends at the base here wanted to pray for me and get words for me from God. Hey, who am I to say no? ;) one said God had big plans for me. Another said they got a corny but powerful rhyme "jen can" - meaning God was saying I can do it.
Last night we headed up a youth group service and I was part of the worship team and led Where You Go I Go and did You Won't Relent with Bob. I sang. Loud. With a mic. On a stage.
Jen can. With God's strength, Jen can - she did, and she will do. All glory to God!
We weren't going to do You Won't Relent because we didn't get to practice it during sound check. But we had extra time left at the end and the youth pastor wanted us to do something. so we werent prepared. as we walked up, Bob whispered to me, "just sing your heart out!" so I did.
When I was up there, I kept asking God for His strength and peace. And He did not withhold either from me. I am amazed at the things "i" am doing on this outreach. I say "i" because it is not by my own means or strength - it is by God's grace that I am able to do anything!
Praise Him!
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I loved our time in Latvia and miss our friends so much! That's the hard part of outreach - building relationships and then leaving. First Estonia, then Latvia, and in a few weeks...Norway.
I am stoked to be in Norway and for what God wants to do in and thru us here. It sounds like we will get to do a lot of cafe ministries and youth ministry. Stoked!!!!!
My birfday was yesterday! And I got to start this new year of life in Skien, Norway!! A few friends at the base here wanted to pray for me and get words for me from God. Hey, who am I to say no? ;) one said God had big plans for me. Another said they got a corny but powerful rhyme "jen can" - meaning God was saying I can do it.
Last night we headed up a youth group service and I was part of the worship team and led Where You Go I Go and did You Won't Relent with Bob. I sang. Loud. With a mic. On a stage.
Jen can. With God's strength, Jen can - she did, and she will do. All glory to God!
We weren't going to do You Won't Relent because we didn't get to practice it during sound check. But we had extra time left at the end and the youth pastor wanted us to do something. so we werent prepared. as we walked up, Bob whispered to me, "just sing your heart out!" so I did.
When I was up there, I kept asking God for His strength and peace. And He did not withhold either from me. I am amazed at the things "i" am doing on this outreach. I say "i" because it is not by my own means or strength - it is by God's grace that I am able to do anything!
Praise Him!
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Thursday, January 13, 2011
Almost but not quite
Tonight for dinner we had big potato fries and meat balls. When you mix them together, it's almost like eating pica macchu!!!! Almost...yeah not quite though.
We have 4 meals a day in Norway! Breakfast, lunch, dinner @ 4:30pm and supper @ 8pm (which is just cereal).
Today we had mid-outreach debriefs so we all met individually with the leaders. It left us with much of the day off, which was great! We explored the local shopping/cafe scene. Um. Totally love getting to be here for the last 3 weeks of outreach!!!!
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We have 4 meals a day in Norway! Breakfast, lunch, dinner @ 4:30pm and supper @ 8pm (which is just cereal).
Today we had mid-outreach debriefs so we all met individually with the leaders. It left us with much of the day off, which was great! We explored the local shopping/cafe scene. Um. Totally love getting to be here for the last 3 weeks of outreach!!!!
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Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sounds replace smells
1/11/11 Most people associate things with smells. Smelling something specific brings back specific memories.
I don't get to have that. :) but, like many people, music/sounds bring back memories.
I'm laying on the couch right now (my bed in Latvia) and a couple nights I've listened to Spanish lessons on my iPod as I fell asleep. Tonight I saw a "Spanish Guitar" album at the top of my "Spanish" list so, curious, I clicked it and as soon as it started I knew exactly where I'd heard it before! It's a cd that has been in Shane's multi-disc CD/DVD player for like forever. It's one that you don't necessarily realize you're listening to because it's great background music. But it's one that almost always plays when people are over and we all make food together!! Mmmmm!! Smiling so big right now! Great memories of lots of great friends and great food!!
...wait, i think it might actually be one Sadie plays when we cook Cuban/Mexican type food...shoot, now I'm not positive...!
Either way, thank you, Spanish Guitar, for taking me to very happy places!!
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I don't get to have that. :) but, like many people, music/sounds bring back memories.
I'm laying on the couch right now (my bed in Latvia) and a couple nights I've listened to Spanish lessons on my iPod as I fell asleep. Tonight I saw a "Spanish Guitar" album at the top of my "Spanish" list so, curious, I clicked it and as soon as it started I knew exactly where I'd heard it before! It's a cd that has been in Shane's multi-disc CD/DVD player for like forever. It's one that you don't necessarily realize you're listening to because it's great background music. But it's one that almost always plays when people are over and we all make food together!! Mmmmm!! Smiling so big right now! Great memories of lots of great friends and great food!!
...wait, i think it might actually be one Sadie plays when we cook Cuban/Mexican type food...shoot, now I'm not positive...!
Either way, thank you, Spanish Guitar, for taking me to very happy places!!
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011
1:45am
we leave at 2am this morning - in about 15 minutes! i got in bed around 9pm, hoping to sleep a little. i never fell asleep. i finally got out of bed around 1am because i knew people were up downstairs and i was hungry. so i ate a 2nd dinner (chicken, rice, potatoes, and tea) and can now travel on a full, happy stomach. :) we are taking a bus to Riga (2-3 hr ride), then fly out of Riga to Oslo, Norway around 6am. from Oslo we take another 2-3 hr bus ride to Skien.
i think i couldnt sleep because everyone here has got me so excited about Norway! excited to experience it and see it! excited for what God wants to do with the last 1/2 of this outreach!
hopefully we will have wifi at the YWAM base in Skien!
i think i couldnt sleep because everyone here has got me so excited about Norway! excited to experience it and see it! excited for what God wants to do with the last 1/2 of this outreach!
hopefully we will have wifi at the YWAM base in Skien!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Randomness
I'm just recording random things on my phone as they happen/come to mind until I have wifi and can upload this...
Light switches are outside the rooms, next to the doorway - both in Estonia and Latvia.
In Latvia, you have to wear a type of reflector at night. You can get a ticket if you don't. I still feel like this is just a rumor though.
To flush a toilet, you pull up on a knob on top of the toilet. You also throw TP in the trash in Latvia.
Conversation between me, Kate, and Katrina:
Me (to Kate): "that would be like a forever blunder..."
Katrina (overhearing us): "since when did we start speaking pirate?"
Me: "...that's plunder..."
Waking up to Kaley falling thru the bunk in Estonia will forever bring me laughter. She literally fell thru from the top to the bottom. I look over and she's sitting on the bottom bunk and her head's sticking thru the top. This was like 2 weeks ago and I'm laughing so hard I'm crying as I write this...
On Jan 1, 2011 Estonia switched currency to the Euro. It was the Krown (I know I probably spelt that wrong).
My brain is so confused. Yes, more than normal. Trying to learn/speak Estonian in Estonia. Trying to learn/speak Latvian in Latvia. Meanwhile, trying to learn more/speak Spanish with Angel (he's on our team and his family's from Mexico - he's from WA). I sometimes get tongue tied just saying hi to people in Latvia because I want to say "Tere", which is Estonian, "Ciao", which is the easiest way in Latvian, "Hi" or "Hola". Yesterday I was praying (not out loud) and I started in Spanish! The other day, a little girl at the camp was sad and I couldn't speak Latvian so I started consoling her in Spanish...because obviously she must know any language but Spanish...(?? Sarcastic. I don't know how my mind works sometimes - haha). Next up, Norway. Let's throw one more language into the mix! :) I find that when I talk with Americans now, I speak slower and am constantly trying to think of simple, common words to use because I have gotten so used to speaking with people who's 1st (or even 2nd) language isn't English. It'll take a little while to break that when I get home. :)
In Latvia, it is very common for guy's names to end in "s". Like Edgars. Bobs. Tims. Maris. Dad- your name would be Chucks! Or probably your real name would be used (Charles) since it already ends in an "s". And girl's names often end in "a" or "e". Anda. Liga. Amanda. Esthere. Elizabite. Often times my name is translated to "Jenna" here.
On New Year's Eve night on the city streets of Tallinn, Estonia, I was talking to a guy from Sweden (I don't think he was drunk yet, but he had a beer in his hand). I'm talking about God's goodness and he puts his hand up to ask me to wait, leans closer to me and says, "I appreciate what you are saying, but I must say - you have a really good American accent!" ...to which i respond, "...thanks...I'm from America...". :) I think he was surprised by my great American accent because he had been talking with another guy with us from South Africa who definitely had a non-American accent. It made me laugh :)
1/10/10 1pm I just saw (Boone - here is the rest of it!!) the sun!!! (later) and tonight i saw the moon!!! just for a few seconds. but i saw it!! first time seeing the moon since starting outreach! before coming on outreach, we heard it was going to be dark for the majority of the day. since coming, i can clarify what its like. we usually have daylight from like 9:30am-4pm or something. but its almost always overcast. i never really saw the sun in Estonia - i saw it behind some clouds (see photo on facebook).
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Light switches are outside the rooms, next to the doorway - both in Estonia and Latvia.
In Latvia, you have to wear a type of reflector at night. You can get a ticket if you don't. I still feel like this is just a rumor though.
To flush a toilet, you pull up on a knob on top of the toilet. You also throw TP in the trash in Latvia.
Conversation between me, Kate, and Katrina:
Me (to Kate): "that would be like a forever blunder..."
Katrina (overhearing us): "since when did we start speaking pirate?"
Me: "...that's plunder..."
Waking up to Kaley falling thru the bunk in Estonia will forever bring me laughter. She literally fell thru from the top to the bottom. I look over and she's sitting on the bottom bunk and her head's sticking thru the top. This was like 2 weeks ago and I'm laughing so hard I'm crying as I write this...
On Jan 1, 2011 Estonia switched currency to the Euro. It was the Krown (I know I probably spelt that wrong).
My brain is so confused. Yes, more than normal. Trying to learn/speak Estonian in Estonia. Trying to learn/speak Latvian in Latvia. Meanwhile, trying to learn more/speak Spanish with Angel (he's on our team and his family's from Mexico - he's from WA). I sometimes get tongue tied just saying hi to people in Latvia because I want to say "Tere", which is Estonian, "Ciao", which is the easiest way in Latvian, "Hi" or "Hola". Yesterday I was praying (not out loud) and I started in Spanish! The other day, a little girl at the camp was sad and I couldn't speak Latvian so I started consoling her in Spanish...because obviously she must know any language but Spanish...(?? Sarcastic. I don't know how my mind works sometimes - haha). Next up, Norway. Let's throw one more language into the mix! :) I find that when I talk with Americans now, I speak slower and am constantly trying to think of simple, common words to use because I have gotten so used to speaking with people who's 1st (or even 2nd) language isn't English. It'll take a little while to break that when I get home. :)
In Latvia, it is very common for guy's names to end in "s". Like Edgars. Bobs. Tims. Maris. Dad- your name would be Chucks! Or probably your real name would be used (Charles) since it already ends in an "s". And girl's names often end in "a" or "e". Anda. Liga. Amanda. Esthere. Elizabite. Often times my name is translated to "Jenna" here.
On New Year's Eve night on the city streets of Tallinn, Estonia, I was talking to a guy from Sweden (I don't think he was drunk yet, but he had a beer in his hand). I'm talking about God's goodness and he puts his hand up to ask me to wait, leans closer to me and says, "I appreciate what you are saying, but I must say - you have a really good American accent!" ...to which i respond, "...thanks...I'm from America...". :) I think he was surprised by my great American accent because he had been talking with another guy with us from South Africa who definitely had a non-American accent. It made me laugh :)
1/10/10 1pm I just saw (Boone - here is the rest of it!!) the sun!!! (later) and tonight i saw the moon!!! just for a few seconds. but i saw it!! first time seeing the moon since starting outreach! before coming on outreach, we heard it was going to be dark for the majority of the day. since coming, i can clarify what its like. we usually have daylight from like 9:30am-4pm or something. but its almost always overcast. i never really saw the sun in Estonia - i saw it behind some clouds (see photo on facebook).
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Sunday, January 09, 2011
Let down
You know how sometimes you're really hungry and you go to the store and see something that seems like it'd be a really good tasty treat? Yeah. I was in that situation last night. Strawberry wafers. Def weren't as tasty as I had imagined.
But this juice was good!
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But this juice was good!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
post #200!
this is my 200th post on here! kinda cool.
we are watching Deadliest Catch - Behind The Scenes right now. its about the cameramen filming Deadliest Catch. just watching the greenhorns and seeing them get sea sick makes me nauseous. haha ugh thats a horrible feeling to be sea sick.
in other news, this morning i gave my testimony at the church! it was about 30-40 people. it was a lot smaller than they usually have because of the weather and also because of sickness. i was ok with it being smaller. :) i talked about the fingerprints of God and how i love taking time to look back over my life and see how He has led me from place to place, even in the bad times. i felt such peace leading up to it and during it! praise God! afterwords, i just thought about all that i have done over the past 4 months that i never thought i would be able to do - public speaking, leading worship, etc. how am i doing it? the only answer is God. it is by His strength and His grace that i am able to do it. i love relying on His strength in my weakness!!!!
tonight we will go to the local YWAM base and do a church service there. im stoked to go - i have quickly discovered that when you meet fellow YWAMers, there is an instant connection. friendships come naturally. its so encouraging and fills me.
oh! dude! so yesterday we went to Talsi to visit a safe house for children and their moms. i loved getting to play with the kids - as crazy as they were! it was so much fun! it tore me apart to not be able to really communicate with the moms. there was such sadness on some of their faces and i just wanted to talk with them so badly. afterwards, we were hanging out in the bus station and there was a woman there who saw our guitar and found out we were Christians and she was also a Christian. she was so excited that we were there and asked if we would sing worship. there was a man in the corner of the room and (in Latvian) she stands up in the middle of the room and shares her testimony with him! then she joined us in singing. she had to leave, and then the guy had to leave but he said he would be back. believe it or not, he came back and sat down! Elizabeth, one of our translators, continued talking with him and he ended up inviting Jesus into his life! it was amazing!!!!!!!!!! i am so stoked how God threw that opportunity into our lap!
that woman is inspiring and our team could learn a lot from her. to summarize in 1 word: INITIATIVE.
when we were flying to Estonia, i asked God what He wanted to teach us on outreach. the one and only thing that came to mind was 'CHOICE' in big, bold letters. it quickly became clear in Estonia what that meant. without bags for 10 days, attitudes sucked. over and over again, from different outside sources, we were reminded of how we have to choose the attitude we have in every situation. we choose how we react. we choose if we give God our all in every situation or if we just do enough to get by. choice.
i feel like the word for our time in Lativa is 'initiative". it is greatly lacking in all of us on our team. i am trying to allow God to build confidence in me to take initiative. i dont do very good at it. but im trying to grow in this area.
keep it real.
-jen
PS i apologize for wrong punctuation - still havent quite figured out all the keys on the Latvian keyboard. :)
we are watching Deadliest Catch - Behind The Scenes right now. its about the cameramen filming Deadliest Catch. just watching the greenhorns and seeing them get sea sick makes me nauseous. haha ugh thats a horrible feeling to be sea sick.
in other news, this morning i gave my testimony at the church! it was about 30-40 people. it was a lot smaller than they usually have because of the weather and also because of sickness. i was ok with it being smaller. :) i talked about the fingerprints of God and how i love taking time to look back over my life and see how He has led me from place to place, even in the bad times. i felt such peace leading up to it and during it! praise God! afterwords, i just thought about all that i have done over the past 4 months that i never thought i would be able to do - public speaking, leading worship, etc. how am i doing it? the only answer is God. it is by His strength and His grace that i am able to do it. i love relying on His strength in my weakness!!!!
tonight we will go to the local YWAM base and do a church service there. im stoked to go - i have quickly discovered that when you meet fellow YWAMers, there is an instant connection. friendships come naturally. its so encouraging and fills me.
oh! dude! so yesterday we went to Talsi to visit a safe house for children and their moms. i loved getting to play with the kids - as crazy as they were! it was so much fun! it tore me apart to not be able to really communicate with the moms. there was such sadness on some of their faces and i just wanted to talk with them so badly. afterwards, we were hanging out in the bus station and there was a woman there who saw our guitar and found out we were Christians and she was also a Christian. she was so excited that we were there and asked if we would sing worship. there was a man in the corner of the room and (in Latvian) she stands up in the middle of the room and shares her testimony with him! then she joined us in singing. she had to leave, and then the guy had to leave but he said he would be back. believe it or not, he came back and sat down! Elizabeth, one of our translators, continued talking with him and he ended up inviting Jesus into his life! it was amazing!!!!!!!!!! i am so stoked how God threw that opportunity into our lap!
that woman is inspiring and our team could learn a lot from her. to summarize in 1 word: INITIATIVE.
when we were flying to Estonia, i asked God what He wanted to teach us on outreach. the one and only thing that came to mind was 'CHOICE' in big, bold letters. it quickly became clear in Estonia what that meant. without bags for 10 days, attitudes sucked. over and over again, from different outside sources, we were reminded of how we have to choose the attitude we have in every situation. we choose how we react. we choose if we give God our all in every situation or if we just do enough to get by. choice.
i feel like the word for our time in Lativa is 'initiative". it is greatly lacking in all of us on our team. i am trying to allow God to build confidence in me to take initiative. i dont do very good at it. but im trying to grow in this area.
keep it real.
-jen
PS i apologize for wrong punctuation - still havent quite figured out all the keys on the Latvian keyboard. :)
Friday, January 07, 2011
1.7.10
yesterday we cancelled all plans and stayed home because so many in the house are sick with a horrible cold/cough/fever. it was sad. but it was OK because we had had 3 days full of doing a kids camp. tons of fun! just a little tiring. :)
today we hung out at an orphanage for those with special needs. they
were mainly in their 20s and older i think - hard to tell though. it was great! as soon as they started walking into the room,
their faces lit up and they trampled us with hugs!!!! they give the
best hugs, too!! so tight and they hold on forever!! we led a bunch
of songs with actions and did a couple kid skits and then we just had
hang out time - which mainly consisted of them hanging on us and
jumping into our arms (though most were too big to hold - they managed
to jump into our arms anyway!) and pulling on us to take their picture
(they were enthralled with the camera!!).
in the afternoon we did a program at a retirement home. that went
well too. it was sooo good to be out and doing things today after us
all being couped up inside yesterday!!
today Edgars drove us to the places we went. a lot of the roads were snow covered and we slid around the corners. as many of you can imagine, aunt jen needed to go into her happy place. so i pulled my beanie over my eyes and put Braddigan & Jack Johnson on my ipod and imagined myself in the Keys, in Fort Lauderdale @ the beach, and in the Dominican surfing. happy place.
herring for breakfast yesterday. that is the craziest thing ive gotten to eat so far on outreach. it was really good!
today we hung out at an orphanage for those with special needs. they
were mainly in their 20s and older i think - hard to tell though. it was great! as soon as they started walking into the room,
their faces lit up and they trampled us with hugs!!!! they give the
best hugs, too!! so tight and they hold on forever!! we led a bunch
of songs with actions and did a couple kid skits and then we just had
hang out time - which mainly consisted of them hanging on us and
jumping into our arms (though most were too big to hold - they managed
to jump into our arms anyway!) and pulling on us to take their picture
(they were enthralled with the camera!!).
in the afternoon we did a program at a retirement home. that went
well too. it was sooo good to be out and doing things today after us
all being couped up inside yesterday!!
today Edgars drove us to the places we went. a lot of the roads were snow covered and we slid around the corners. as many of you can imagine, aunt jen needed to go into her happy place. so i pulled my beanie over my eyes and put Braddigan & Jack Johnson on my ipod and imagined myself in the Keys, in Fort Lauderdale @ the beach, and in the Dominican surfing. happy place.
herring for breakfast yesterday. that is the craziest thing ive gotten to eat so far on outreach. it was really good!
Latvia warms my heart
1/5/10
I am enjoying the people here in Latvia! Granted, we have been living with a pastor and his familia and working with a kids camp put on by the church - so most of the people we have had contact with so far are probably Christians.
There are 2 older, well "rounded" Latvian women who make soup for lunch for everyone doing the camp. They make my heart smile!! When I saw them coming in this morning, I said "ciao! Lab briet!" (hi! Good morning! - pronounced "lawb-breet") and they repeated "lab briet" for me a couple times and I copied them - they are so cute! They help us pronounce the words correctly (err...more correctly, at least - haha).
They don't seem to know a lick of English (at least, they don't let on that they do). But they get a kick out of confusing us and seeing us fumble around in the kitchen. :) I went in this morning to make tea and I smiled and waved hello and timidly said, "Ciao", (side note: it's so intimidating at first to attempt speaking another language in the native country!! Even easy words like ciao!). The women started smiling and one of them starts going on and on in Latvian and waving her hands and getting all animated while talking to me (as if she was saying, "come on, English girl, don't you speak Latvian yet??). The other sat there, smiling sweetly and giggling every so often. I threw up my hands as if to say "I have no clue what you're saying!!" and the woman laughed and kept going on and on as if she was telling me, "look American girl, you're going to learn Latvian one way or the other because I'm not gonna try to learn English at my old age!!" (it was a very hilarious situation, she wasn't being mean - just to clarify). Finally I managed to say "tea!!" and pointed at my empty mug and she goes, "Ahh! Tea! Yes!!" as if to applaud me for saying a word correctly! Hahaha :) so then I got my tea and decided to try and impress them so I point to it and go, "paldies!!" (pronounced "pal-dee-es" - "thank you" in Latvian). You should've seen their faces light up!!! So I said it a few more times as I walked out of the kitchen, then said ciao and left. They are great!!! Later they told me (my friend translated to me) that the kitchen was my home too and to feel welcome to get whatever I wanted. Something like, "always feel at home, but never forget you're a guest". I'm not entirely sure what that means here yet - in America I could assume what it meant but you never know in other cultures since they have their own phrases and ways of saying things. I need to ask our translator. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I am enjoying the people here in Latvia! Granted, we have been living with a pastor and his familia and working with a kids camp put on by the church - so most of the people we have had contact with so far are probably Christians.
There are 2 older, well "rounded" Latvian women who make soup for lunch for everyone doing the camp. They make my heart smile!! When I saw them coming in this morning, I said "ciao! Lab briet!" (hi! Good morning! - pronounced "lawb-breet") and they repeated "lab briet" for me a couple times and I copied them - they are so cute! They help us pronounce the words correctly (err...more correctly, at least - haha).
They don't seem to know a lick of English (at least, they don't let on that they do). But they get a kick out of confusing us and seeing us fumble around in the kitchen. :) I went in this morning to make tea and I smiled and waved hello and timidly said, "Ciao", (side note: it's so intimidating at first to attempt speaking another language in the native country!! Even easy words like ciao!). The women started smiling and one of them starts going on and on in Latvian and waving her hands and getting all animated while talking to me (as if she was saying, "come on, English girl, don't you speak Latvian yet??). The other sat there, smiling sweetly and giggling every so often. I threw up my hands as if to say "I have no clue what you're saying!!" and the woman laughed and kept going on and on as if she was telling me, "look American girl, you're going to learn Latvian one way or the other because I'm not gonna try to learn English at my old age!!" (it was a very hilarious situation, she wasn't being mean - just to clarify). Finally I managed to say "tea!!" and pointed at my empty mug and she goes, "Ahh! Tea! Yes!!" as if to applaud me for saying a word correctly! Hahaha :) so then I got my tea and decided to try and impress them so I point to it and go, "paldies!!" (pronounced "pal-dee-es" - "thank you" in Latvian). You should've seen their faces light up!!! So I said it a few more times as I walked out of the kitchen, then said ciao and left. They are great!!! Later they told me (my friend translated to me) that the kitchen was my home too and to feel welcome to get whatever I wanted. Something like, "always feel at home, but never forget you're a guest". I'm not entirely sure what that means here yet - in America I could assume what it meant but you never know in other cultures since they have their own phrases and ways of saying things. I need to ask our translator. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, January 06, 2011
First moments in Latvia
1/2/11
Stacie Orrico song playing in Latvian food court.
Pay to use the toilets. I knew places in the world were like that, but this may be the first time I've gotten to experience it! Took TP from the counter where you pay. Jae paid for us. Best outreach leader EVER! :D
The bus driver wasn't jumping at the opportunity to help us load our bags. That's ok. We made him late, he was probably a little ticked. Oops. :)
Saw the first sunset there's been since we flew to Europe!! On the bus from Riga to ...? It wasn't huge, but I had my eyes closed and opened them just in time to see it (there was like a lake or something). Most of the sky was still cloudy but it broke open just enough to show a little bit of a sunset. "You are Faithful" by Kim Walker was playing on my iPod. God's intimate timing. :)
Stacie Orrico song playing in Latvian food court.
Pay to use the toilets. I knew places in the world were like that, but this may be the first time I've gotten to experience it! Took TP from the counter where you pay. Jae paid for us. Best outreach leader EVER! :D
The bus driver wasn't jumping at the opportunity to help us load our bags. That's ok. We made him late, he was probably a little ticked. Oops. :)
Saw the first sunset there's been since we flew to Europe!! On the bus from Riga to ...? It wasn't huge, but I had my eyes closed and opened them just in time to see it (there was like a lake or something). Most of the sky was still cloudy but it broke open just enough to show a little bit of a sunset. "You are Faithful" by Kim Walker was playing on my iPod. God's intimate timing. :)
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Reminder to self
Jesus spoke words of correction and direction to His disciples, but He also led by example (washing of their feet, as 1 instance).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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