Living History

MMM and I have been fortunate to make some new friends here in the SLC area and I'd like to tell you about some of them.
Our very first day here, we met an elderly couple. But in fact, we didn't realize how elderly they were until quite a bit later! The husband is going on 95 (and looks like he's 75) and his wife is going on 88!
We both have really enjoyed the chances we've had to interact with this couple who has been married for over 50 years! And it just makes me hope that my generation really appreciates the examples we have before us.
The husband, well, he's got quite the character! He is one feisty man! He served in the Greek Army during WWII. He has told me about some of the things he experienced during the war. It is so interesting for me to realize that he is one of a rapidly decreasing number of men who lived through the war. He personally saw one of the concentration camps and the absolute devastation it brought. It seriously brings tears to my eyes. It is such a different experience to read about the war in books than to sit in front of a man who lived it. He saw so much, he felt so much...
I don't want to take our relationship for granted. At the most, he has maybe 10 years left to live. I want to learn as much from him as I can. I don't want his life to be forgotten. And even more so, I don't want his experiences to be forgotten. I certainly am  not a professional writer, but I am considering asking him if I could write about his life. Would you pray for me to have wisdom in that? I feel as if I don't know what I'm getting myself into even thinking about doing it. But, I think it would be worth it. I want to do him justice, and I want to do something that he could show his grandkids and be proud of, but I don't know if I am capable. I just don't know.
This I do know. Whether or not I do this project, I am going to take every chance I can to meet with them both and learn from them what I can. Surely being married over 50 years gives you some wisdom, right? :D I am excited to become a regular part of their lives.

A Whole New Adventure

Before we left for Germany, MMM saw a position open up for his job at the base in Salt Lake City. We discussed it and saw SLC as a good place to move if God opened the door. So, he applied and we waited...and waited. MMM had one conversation with them before our trip and didn't feel like they were giving him very much hope, so we resigned ourselves that he wouldn't get the job. We were alright with that, as we both still loved the Windy City; but over all, we just wanted God's best for us.
All during our trip, we didn't think about or talk about SLC that much, and we just enjoyed ourselves. Then MMM arrived back earlier from Germany and continued to wait and didn't hear anything. Then I arrived back and the very next day he got a call for an interview that was set up for two weeks later. We both were surprised and thrilled by that outcome.
THEN! The very next day, he received another call. This time they said, scratch the interview, just come work here! Imagine our complete shock at that! When he called to let me know I was literally speechless. I absolutely couldn't believe that the wait was over. It was so very unexpected.
Anyway, so he accepted the job and arranged to have his first day be December 1st. That left us just six weeks to get ready to move half way across the country.
Of course, it was sad to tell all of our family and friends, but we were pleased to have so many of them show excitement for us! We both saw the ways that God was working to open the doors. I mean, even down to the timing, it was totally a God thing! And we were both excited to see what God had for us.
We got everything figured out with our house and belongings and made long drive over. It was definitely stressful. Things with our planned living arrangements were complicated. Our car was struggling. The road conditions weren't great. We had an extremely close call that could have killed us. And we both were exhausted. But in the end, we made it here alive and well. We had a place to live, and our car is still running. God truly provided for us in that first trip.
We have been working on getting to know people here and getting involved in a new church. And we are still excited to see what God has for us here! There are a lot of opportunities, and a lot of wonderful things to offer here. We are especially enjoying the beautiful weather. It really is a whole new adventure for us, and we hope to see God moving in big ways!

Germany!

This is pretty delayed, but you know what? I have been busy!

So earlier this year, I started bugging MMM about taking a trip to Germany to see all of my friends. He was reluctant but finally decided he was okay with it, so I started planning! If you know me at all, you should know that I thrive on plans and don't like doing things last minute! So I got our trip all planned out probably 2 months before we left.

We left a good friend at home with Thor while we headed down to Minneapolis to catch our flight. We decided to fly standby to Germany, but bought our return tickets. So far it's proved much harder to fly standby to the US than flying standby out of the US. Anyway. We made our international flight by the skin of our teeth, and were very fortunate to be able to sit next to each other! Neither of us slept so by the time we arrived we were truly exhausted!

We rented a car and started from the Frankfurt airport and drove up the Rhein. We stopped in a few small towns along the way to finding our hotel in Kaub am Rhein. Kaub really seemed like a ghost town! So many of the shops were closed by the afternoon, and we couldn't even find a legitimate grocery store! It was definitely interesting. One of the things I really thought was cool was how the city was built in layers. They had tiny staircases going from one level to the next. I honestly don't even know if cars could get to each layer.

I admit that we slept as soon as we got to our hotel. Jet lag isn't very fun! But we woke up ready to go the next day! And we drove to Remagen am Rhein where we stayed at a lovely hotel that had its own restaurant and had a worker who spoke English well enough to tell me what food was gluten free! The hotel was right on the Rhein river and had a ferry that took us to the slightly larger (read: tourist trap) town of Linz am Rhein where I looked for a grocery store with gluten free bread and other foods to no avail. (I was pretty discouraged about this at the time, but I did my best with what I had.)
We both really enjoyed Remagen and the scenery.

Day three we drove to Cologne. And let me just say this about driving. It is STRESSFUL! The Germany road signs are very different and the whole system is structured differently and at many points of the day we weren't even sure if we were heading the right direction, but miraculously we did make it to our hotel. We were both pretty tired still so we just stayed around the hotel. We did go for a walk and were caught in a downpour, which was....cold.

Day four we actually went into downtown Cologne and had our first stop at the El De Haus which was once a Gestapo headquarters. There was so much information there that we could have spent all day there. The basement was what interested me the most. It was used as a prison during the war.
Then we walked around the shopping district and even got to enjoy some live music!

There was a huge celebration at the cathedral of setting in a new bishop I think, so we had to wait awhile to get inside the church. It's size is truly amazing but it was so dark inside! Once we left we were in another downpour (yay us!) and decided just to go back to our hotel.
We went to a small nearby town and ate at a bar that had great atmosphere and not the best food.

The next day was my birthday! We went to the Hoffmanns house and relived my birthday from 5 years ago, except this time my friend made gluten free cake! Yay! It was so great to catch up with their family and to finally meet the newest member!

The next day we headed off with their gps to Bremen! It was a pretty good drive! We went to the old city and it was so quaint! Definitely one of my favorite places! And I got to see the Bremen Town Musicians statue!

Next we drove to the family I worked for and stayed one night there! It was so great to go back! The family situation has changed a lot so that was interesting. Before we left we ate lunch at the döner shop and talked to the guys! They remembered me from so long ago! That made me so happy.

We stopped in Hamburg briefly and I showed MMM St. Michealis church and we both agreed we liked it better than the cathedral in Cologne.

Our next stop was with my missionary friends! It was such a blessing to see them and catch up and hear the amazing things God is doing in their lives and in their ministry!  MMM really enjoyed chopping wood for their heater (I'm not kidding, he really enjoys it!) and eating fresh grapes from their vines!
We got to attend their church and it was very encouraging! I am so glad for the time we spent with them.

Then it was back to the Hoffmanns! While there we went out to eat and MMM was finally able to get the typical large beer! He was very happy. At the end I drove down to Frankfurt with MMM, dropped him off at the airport and then took a train back to the Hoffmanns for a week! And what a week it was! Full of late (very late) night chats with Em and much laughter and a few tears. It was just the refreshing time I needed and I am so glad it worked out!!!

In the end I took another train down to Frankfurt and flew home! A full 24 hrs of travel later, I finally made it back to the house and slept a loooong time!

That was our trip in a nutshell!

Airport Opportunites

It’s amazing how God works the smallest things to be an amazing blessing. I've been learning that through this 100 day challenged, although I haven't been blogging about it. :P

I recently had a trip planned to Salt Lake City and it was quite the adventure! I got to my local airport at 4am to try to get on the first flight. I always fly standby which means I have to wait until there is a flight with an empty seat. So, I got there at 4am for the 5am flight. It was oversold, as was the 7am, 9am, and 11am flights. As each flight passed, my spirits got lower, and the other people on the standby list gradually gave up. Finally I was the first on the list and the 1pm flight came and I got the very last seat on the plane!

I made it to Minneapolis and arrived in a B gate. I knew I missed all the early flights to Salt Lake City, so I went to the G gate (on the opposite side of the airport) for the 5pm flight. I didn’t get the flight. I then made the quick decision to fly to my sister’s for the night, even though it cost me even more. This meant that I had to walk to the C terminal (back to the opposite side of the airport) to get to that gate.

I was almost to my gate when I stopped at a coffee shop for a treat.  The barista and I started to chat about my day and the flights. Eventually, he asked me if I have any kids! Dependent on the situation, I have two answers: “No.” or “two in heaven.”  I chose the latter option. You could see the realization of what I meant crossing his face.

What was amazing is how my one answer spurred an hour long conversation about God, religion, philosophy, and the gifts that God gives us. It was such a blessing for me to have that conversation and see how God is using the small circumstances to make a difference in someone’s day. If I had gotten on any of the earlier flights to Minneapolis, I would not have been there in that place and time and had such a great talk. And God is using the trials in my past in order to bring Himself into my conversations.

I know God had me there to talk to this guy specifically because as soon as we stopped talking, they changed my C gate back to a G gate!! So I had the pleasure of walking the length of the airport twice in one day.

I am just so thankful that God is planning my steps and giving me opportunities to be a blessing to others.

100 Day Challenge – Day 3

Lately I have been struggling with the big “Why?” Why do godly people get hurt? Why do plans go awry? Why is there tension among the body of Christ? Why do we experience loss? Why does God give good things to people who don’t love Him and don’t want His gifts, but doesn’t give the same good things to people who do love Him and would cherish His gifts? It has been a struggle in which I’ve almost felt betrayed by God. The overwhelming question of “Why does God let bad things happen?”

In several conversations I’ve had lately I’ve been given little tidbits of wisdom, maybe even a couple of answers to my questions.  Why do godly people get hurt? Could it be that God is allowing this trial in their life to draw them closer to Himself. I think of Job and horrible turn his life took and yet in the midst of his desolation he was praising the Lord for the things he had already received.  And then there is the passage “All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose”. It doesn’t say all things are good, but that all things work together for good.  Maybe God is allowing this trouble and will give them a testimony from it.

Why do plans go awry? Well, maybe God’s plan is better!  I’m learning that God knows me better than I know myself and maybe He doesn’t give me everything I want because He knows that’s not really what I need. (For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future. – Jer. 29:11)

Why is there tension amongst the body of Christ? Maybe this is our God-given opportunity to learn and grow in unity by expressing humility.  Maybe this is our chance to take a step back and listen to one another and dive deep into what is causing the issue. I was fortunate to see this theory in action recently and man was it a blessing to see a disastrous situation turn into an edifying situation.

Why are gifts given where they aren’t wanted? Maybe it’s because God is going to use that gift to turn lives around. Maybe that gift is going to be such a huge blessing in that person’s life that they will never be the same. Maybe that gift is going to open new doors of opportunity. And really, maybe I just don’t need to know why that gift was given, because it’s not really any of my business.

Why do we experience loss? I don’t think there’s one good answer for any of these questions really, but the first thing that comes to mind for this is that in our suffering we can be a witness for Christ. In our pain we can be comfort to others walking our same path. So that we can learn not to rely on ourselves for our strength but to lean upon one who is greater. So we can stop with our busyness and thank God for the blessings we’ve received.

I’ve started a challenge. Air1 talked about doing a 100 day challenge and I decided to join them. Their only guideline was doing something purposefully every day for 100 days. I decided to keep a journal of gratefulness. I want to write at least one thing each day.  So I’m writing down things that I’m grateful for in that moment. Some are simple and even silly, but I believe the more I focus on having a thankful heart the happier I will be. How can my spirit not be encouraged when God is showing me His works in even the most minute way. I want to get away from asking God “why?” and get to a place of say “thanks for what I do have”.  I’m going to try to make Thursday the day I post about something I’ve been grateful for in the last week.  I welcome you to join me on this journey towards having a thankful heart.