tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336277512011-07-08T08:08:18.054+02:00A chronicle of my attempt (with the Lord's help!) to live out the command given by Jesus in Mark 16:15...."Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Destination : Bremen, Germany.Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.comBlogger991100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-85322715366400686952009-09-04T15:05:00.003+02:002009-09-04T15:36:03.129+02:00

I think I've finally just accepted that I can't keep up with the blog. For all those who have been following my life and work in Bremen through this site, thank you for checking in, especially when I haven't been good about updating regularly. Your comments and prayers have meant so much to me! I know that God hears and answers the prayers that you offer.The short version of my current situation:

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-39820467925429987032009-06-14T20:50:00.003+02:002009-06-14T21:21:07.087+02:00

Twenty-seven years ago today, my mom endured 12 hours of agony. And she did it for me.Thanks, Mom, for bringing me into the world. Thanks for being my mom and for putting up with me for the past 27 years! I know I've caused you more than a few moments of grief over the years. Thanks for all the times you've gone without something yourself so that we kids could have it instead. Thanks for teaching

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-10633473833726075162009-06-11T12:45:00.001+02:002009-06-11T12:46:40.162+02:00

Well, now that it’s been 6 months since I last wrote, it’s probably about time to update.There’s been a lot going on over the past few months. Elsa and I are still meeting with Kai and Rainer once a week for an English Bible study, which has been going very well. They both seem to be interested in what we’re reading together in the Gospel of Mark and have been asking lots of great – but sometimes

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-24556253896387926102008-12-04T23:57:00.004+01:002008-12-05T01:02:29.725+01:00

Is it really December already?!I arrived safely in Bremen on Tuesday after a wonderful visit to Chemnitz. Next time I'll write more about the trip, but for tonight I'm going to keep this (hopefully) short. I'm fighting the beginnings of a sinus infection and hope to get to bed early tonight.Okay, the news first...*drum roll please*...My residency permit was renewed yesterday! Yay! Now I am legal

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-2697697955111390452008-11-27T06:18:00.002+01:002008-11-27T06:51:18.288+01:00

First of all, I pray that all of you in the U.S. have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. God is good, and He has blessed us richly, even when it's tempting to think about the financial crisis, higher food and energy costs, and whatever aches and pains we might happen to have today and to wonder what we have to be thankful for. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it....

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-66320948534688787092008-11-20T21:31:00.002+01:002008-11-21T01:03:11.802+01:00

Well, I've missed my goal of weekly updates. I guess, though, that two and a half weeks is better than eight. We're making progress.Today would have been Jim's 66th birthday. Even though it's not his first birthday since his death, my mood has been rather pensive today, and I know I'm not the only one who would say that. It's still hard to believe he's been gone for over a year. Please pray for

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-47212817407003562008-11-02T23:59:00.003+01:002008-11-03T00:43:35.617+01:00

I need to head to bed so I can get up early to work at Elsa's, so I'll try to post a fuller update tomorrow, but for now I wanted to share some REALLY good news.Jürgen, who has been reading through the Bible for most of this year and who has been studying with Rüdiger over the past couple months, has decided to take on the Lord in baptism. His wife, Simone, was baptized at the end of December

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-53965528128746657592008-10-20T23:56:00.007+02:002008-10-21T01:34:14.795+02:00

Today marks 2 years since I arrived in Bremen.I look back and know that a LOT has happened over these past 24 months....Living with Ingrid for 5 weeks. Finding an apartment and getting settled. Culture shock. My first Christmas ever away from family. Advertising for English Bible studies. 3 months of German class 12 hours a week. More culture shock. Working on Jim's library. Remodeling an old bar

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-31839067496140283422008-08-21T23:27:00.002+02:002008-08-21T23:42:19.438+02:00

I know this is becoming the refrain of my posts lately, but I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last posted.The past couple weeks have been really full. Between working on Jim's library; helping Elsa with remodeling projects; preparing and teaching the children's class; continuing English Bible studies; starting a "game afternoon" for the teenagers; working with Michaela and Ingrid to

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-14372984711372405052008-07-25T23:58:00.002+02:002008-09-01T00:59:09.190+02:00

So, I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in the work on Jim's library.Jim had developed a numbering system for his library, and each book received a 5-digit number, with the first 2 digits representing a broad subject heading. Over 4,000 books are fully cataloged and in Jim's database; another 3,000 or so have been assigned the first 2 digits. Since last summer I've been working to

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-12034991351714981312008-07-11T21:57:00.001+02:002008-07-12T02:01:32.283+02:00

No more promises from me about when I'll post the next time. :)So, finally, here's what's been happening in my life of late (Warning! This is a bit long.):ETM ended the last weekend in May. Sergej, Liesel, and I went to Chemnitz for the "northern" regional meeting and arrived Friday afternoon and had some time to have ice cream and do some sightseeing with 4 of the 5 ETMers from Chemnitz, as well

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-46688119410475005882008-07-01T00:08:00.005+02:002008-07-01T00:40:02.297+02:00

It's 12:08 AM, which means it's officially July here. And I just realized I didn't post a single update during the entire month of June.I probably should go to bed because tomorrow (er, today) is going to be pretty busy, but I really wanted to let all of you know that I'm still here. My life has slowed down considerably in relation to what it was like in May, so now I'm trying to get back on

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-78267399873619577252008-05-29T21:08:00.008+02:002008-05-29T23:26:03.523+02:00

The word that best describes my life right now is the same as it was last week and the week before: busy.Three mornings last week I met with the Harding students to talk about German culture and life in Bremen and then discussed the first studies (from Ecclesiastes) they will work through with people. Then on Friday and Saturday evenings we had "get-to-know-you" parties so that the people who had

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-5959620604414825052008-05-21T23:17:00.002+02:002008-05-21T23:56:26.454+02:00

This is going to be quick because I'm tired. :)We had a great time last week at the ladies' retreat in Neckarzimmern. I believe there were 61 of us from all over Germany and Switzerland. Everyone seemed to really get into the theme for the week ("Your will be done"), and all of the speakers and Bible class teachers did an excellent job preparing for and presenting their individual topics.Each

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-27885586880118674772008-05-11T21:48:00.008+02:002008-05-12T02:05:43.056+02:00

So, I thought it was about time for me to let everyone know what I've been up to lately.Once again, things have been busy.A group of us is leaving tomorrow morning for the ladies' retreat in Neckarzimmern. I've mentioned before that the women in Bremen are in charge of planning this year's retreat, so we've been running around this week trying to get last minute details worked out and making sure

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-60610987650861466692008-04-30T23:46:00.004+02:002008-05-01T01:01:23.127+02:00

Yes, I know that title sounds a bit scary. It sometimes scares me, too.I thought I'd share with you a few thoughts I've been mulling over lately:1) Many of the people who have called about the English studies have asked what "kind" of Christians the students are or which church their university is associated with. I've explained to a few people that the church of Christ/Gemeinde Christi is

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-17517274896696376012008-04-28T23:50:00.000+02:002008-04-29T00:51:49.579+02:00

Now that I've spent about four days trying to get this post finished, here it is. :)Life continues to be busy.Elsa left last Thursday for the U.S. On Friday she's speaking at the Pepperdine University lectureship on planting churches in Europe. If you happen to be going to the lectureship, please sit in on her presentation. She's gained a lot of wisdom throughout 35 years of mission work, and she

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-77598770160470535912008-04-13T23:21:00.003+02:002008-04-14T00:04:37.073+02:00

I guess I should have said, "Part II coming the day after tomorrow." :)So, the week in Gemünden went well. I went for a hike one afternoon with my roommate, Barbara, and I managed to get her and several others addicted to the card game "SET". I learned how to play about 10 years ago, and because it's not really the kind of game that appeals to everyone, I usually play by myself. The deck in

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-36506132849929837242008-04-11T20:41:00.004+02:002008-04-11T22:14:29.364+02:00

Now that I'm much more awake....I first want to thank the ladies from Mothers of Missionaries (MOMs) for the nice card they sent me. The card arrived sometime last week while I was gone, so it was a welcome surprise waiting for me when I got back. Thank you for thinking of me and for praying for me and for the work in Bremen.It's hard to believe it's already been five days since we got back from

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-17287942212293786652008-04-10T21:55:00.003+02:002008-04-10T22:04:53.574+02:00

I'm way too tired to do a full post tonight, but I wanted to go ahead and let you all know that we made it back from Gemünden on Sunday evening. We had a great week, and tomorrow (I PROMISE!) I'll post more about it.I think I got behind on sleep last week, and I'm still not caught up. Last night I got almost 10 hours of sleep and still fell asleep on the streetcar on the way to Elsa's this

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-51568678020008938602008-03-29T23:47:00.003+01:002008-03-30T07:03:51.749+02:00

I seem to say this in every blog post, but it's been yet another busy week here.I babysat 2.5-year old Johannes two mornings this week. It's been a long time since I last played in the dirt, but that's what we did for almost two hours one day, first at the playground and then in the sandbox in the backyard. Johannes had fun, and since his sister was at preschool, there were no sibling spats for

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-68850411346828444262008-03-19T12:06:00.003+01:002008-03-19T12:58:51.981+01:00

On Monday, two men probably in their late-20s were in front of me in the check-out line in the grocery store. As the cashier finished helping the person in front of them, one of her co-workers came over to ask for help with something. While the cashier was distracted, one of the men told the other to take the 6-pack of beer they were going to buy and set it on the table by the window where other

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-39913440136893235422008-03-07T13:12:00.005+01:002008-03-07T19:10:58.246+01:00

Yet another busy week is coming to a close.And it's looking like I'm going to be able to say that every week until about the end of June. I think it's just the time of year with the most things going on at the same time.I've worked at Elsa's four days this week. The work is moving along slowly but surely, and I continue to enjoy the time spent with Elsa. She is a fountain of wisdom, both from a

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-88695914060857319602008-02-29T23:57:00.005+01:002008-03-01T12:43:59.025+01:00

So, once again, I didn't get a post finished "tomorrow" as I'd hoped. Oh well.Things have stayed busy lately. I spent some time last week visiting Kirsten, who recently had surgery and is now recovering at home, and helped her with some cleaning. Last Tuesday evening I met with Ingrid and Michaela for our biweekly Bible study together. At our previous meeting we started a study of the book of

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-48389840660836162242008-02-19T23:59:00.002+01:002008-02-20T00:45:59.090+01:00

I hope to post a longer update tomorrow, but for now I thought I'd share a humorous cultural experience.To preface this story, you have to understand that some grocery stores here require that customers weigh their own produce before getting to the register. You put the fruits or veggies on the electronic scale, push a button that corresponds to whatever it is you are weighing, and the machine

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-85025312511097873902008-02-09T23:57:00.000+01:002008-02-10T02:32:32.000+01:00

Not a whole lot has happened this week.I worked at Elsa's four days and learned once again that I have to pace myself when working on the German books so my brain doesn't turn to mush and block out anything non-English. Plodding through the uncatalogued books and deciding which category in Jim's system they best fit is a tedious task that occupies most of the time I spend at Elsa's. I try to

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-6640837887765390902008-02-02T23:43:00.000+01:002008-02-03T08:59:23.945+01:00

Now that it's been over 2 months since my last update and I've broken my longest previous record for time between posts, I guess it's time to write a new blog entry.There are excuses I could give for not posting, but I'm trying to get away from making excuses for things I do and instead to accept them, learn something new, and move on. I apologize for worrying you all, and I really do appreciate

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-14237929801105137932007-11-24T14:15:00.000+01:002007-11-24T14:52:13.616+01:00

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and family. I know that I have much to be thankful for. Despite the frustrations I often feel in learning German and acclimating to life in Bremen, God has blessed me richly.The Abercrombies and I got back to Bremen on Wednesday night. We had a great time in Paris, despite the fact that the public transit workers were on strike. It

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-8176405400186788542007-11-19T16:15:00.000+01:002007-11-19T16:31:52.187+01:00

The past month has been rather busy.I've spent a lot of time helping Elsa organize Jim's books. We've cleaned out a lot of stuff, including old magazines and book catalogs. Let's just say Jim was not one for getting rid of things.So far I've been following Elsa's lead in this project, but it's looking like I'm going to be taking over. She's doing well dealing with Jim's death, but she's getting

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-43601113243409318532007-10-17T23:57:00.001+02:002007-10-18T01:17:08.647+02:00

This has been one busy week.Jim's funeral is on Friday, and everyone in the congregation is helping to get ready for it. After the fellowship meal at church on Sunday morning, Elsa shared her and Karin's ideas for the funeral with a large group of us, and then suggestions were made and jobs were assigned.The funeral will be at the church building at noon, and then we'll walk to the cemetery for a

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-69622176265192808282007-10-11T14:48:00.000+02:002007-10-11T15:49:24.987+02:00

It's very surreal that Jim is gone.Elsa and Karin were at church yesterday evening, and it was weird to see them there without Jim and without people asking how Jim was doing. People are still marveling over how quickly the cancer appeared and then ravaged Jim's body.But people are also remembering Jim - smiling at his love of chocolate and appreciating his 45-minute sermons. He had a quirky

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-62858542156529452022007-10-10T14:53:00.000+02:002007-10-10T15:46:26.778+02:00

Jim went to be with the Lord a little after 8:00 (2:00 U.S. eastern time) yesterday evening. Karin was able to come from Switzerland again on Sunday, so she was there at the hospital with Elsa.I don't know anything yet about arrangements except that Jim will be buried here in Bremen rather than in the U.S. The Springers had planned to "retire" here in Germany and so they had no plans to move back

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-35136639592444711572007-10-06T23:56:00.000+02:002007-10-07T00:58:02.254+02:00

Jim's condition continues to worsen. He's on an antibiotic for an infection and received morphine on Thursday night for the first time. From what I understand, that was the first pain medication Jim has taken so far. He's never been one to take medication voluntarily, so he asked to be taken off the morphine on Friday.His kidneys are starting to shut down as well, and he has refused dialysis. He

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-47575853438682135852007-10-05T15:07:00.000+02:002007-10-05T15:47:59.446+02:00

Yesterday morning Jim went to the hospital to have the port placed in his chest. The doctors decided, however, that he was too jaundiced to perform the procedure and were also concerned that his blood might not clot properly, greatly increasing the risks inherent in the operation anyway.Chemotherapy can't be administered without the port, so since Jim cannot get the port, chemo can't be started.

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-42105854010710608212007-10-03T23:58:00.000+02:002007-10-04T01:34:30.473+02:00

Today I spent most of the afternoon at Jim and Elsa's house sorting through the almost 200 well-wishing emails they've received in the past week or so. I had asked Elsa how I could help, and this was one task she hasn't had enough time to do. I copied and pasted the emails into a Word document and then Elsa printed it - all 20 pages - for Jim to read. If it wasn't already clear to me before, it

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-62190024654796366392007-10-02T13:38:00.000+02:002007-10-02T15:14:38.152+02:00

Here's the less-serious news first:The repairman finally came this afternoon to fix my dripping water heater. A few turns of a pair of pliers later and the dripping stopped. So far, so good.Mark's parents and sister have been in town for the past week, and yesterday I went with them to Bremerhaven. They had wanted to make the trip, but Karen couldn't go because she had German class, so they

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-76351062534272333472007-09-29T21:13:00.000+02:002007-09-29T21:54:22.151+02:00

Here's the latest information on Jim:The colonoscopy that was scheduled for Wednesday (after having already been rescheduled from Tuesday) finally happened on Thursday. Apparently during the procedure they found a "small, cancerous tumor" in his large intestine, and this cancer has metastasized to his liver, explaining the tumors they already found there. He was able to come home from the

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-71956001791629861132007-09-26T23:02:00.000+02:002007-09-26T23:19:14.501+02:00

After the emotional weightiness and dreariness of yesterday's post, I thought today I'd share something a bit lighter with you.I recently heard this joke, and while I think it's funny anyway, I enjoyed it more since I actually understood it in German:Two toothpicks were walking through the woods. Suddenly, one of them noticed a hedgehog walking by.One toothpick to the other: "I didn't know the

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-85830114033867508932007-09-25T15:33:00.000+02:002007-09-26T17:42:18.486+02:00

As I said in the previous post, a lot has happened over the past couple weeks:1) We had a gospel meeting on September 14th and 15th. Josef Achatz and his wife, Uschi, come twice a year to Bremen from Augsburg. Now that Josef is retired, he loves traveling to different places to preach. The invitations sent out declared that "some burning questions will be explained," and I'd agree the lessons

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1454882567120297062007-09-22T22:23:00.000+02:002007-09-26T23:28:21.112+02:00

I know, I know. It's been a while.Various people have sent me emails commenting on my deficit of new blog posts. Those emails have ranged in tone from "Just-wanted-to-see-how-things-are-going" to "Have-you-died?" to "Post-something-NOW." I'm not going to make excuses for not posting, but I am sorry for not keeping you all in the loop and for making you worry.And yes, I finally did get my laptop

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-37191009687587566762007-08-03T15:40:00.000+02:002007-08-03T15:39:11.305+02:00

Well, I've arrived safely in Bremen. The past two weeks were a whirlwind.I'll have to write more about it later, though, because my European laptop cable is at Mark and Karen's apartment, and they've been in Berlin this week for the Pan-European Lectureships. My laptop battery has died, so I'm at the public library using the internet. I'd forgotten how confusing German keyboards can be.I'll be

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-43168943400188695242007-07-18T03:53:00.000+02:002007-07-18T03:56:50.691+02:00

Well, it's 3:54 AM, Wednesday, Bremen time. I've been at the Abercrombies since Tuesday evening, and none of us have slept...because we have to leave at 4:00 to catch the streetcar to go to the airport so I can catch my 6 AM flight.So, in a few minutes my trip to the U.S. officially begins.See you soon!

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-56725068544304871452007-07-14T21:30:00.000+02:002007-07-15T01:18:31.435+02:00

As many of you know, I’ll be flying to the States next Wednesday for my sister’s wedding. I’ll be staying two weeks in order to get ready for the wedding and to spend some time visiting family and friends. So, for those who have asked, I will not be at the Pan-European Lectureships later this month. I had been looking forward to going, especially since the location has been changed to Berlin (

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-80582903490694409572007-07-14T20:41:00.000+02:002007-07-19T16:24:47.184+02:00

I'm sure there are those of you out there wondering why I haven't posted in two weeks. The honest answer is that it's been a rather trying time for me, both emotionally and spiritually.Before I go any further, I have to say that I debated about whether or not to blog about this. Finally I decided that I needed to, for a couple of reasons: 1) so that you can fully understand what is happening in

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-20756169899292496412007-06-28T22:06:00.000+02:002007-06-29T00:55:34.568+02:00

Now for something just a bit different....I've mentioned before how hard it is for me to sing in German. It was almost impossible for me simultaneously to concentrate on saying the words, singing the notes, and understanding the meaning, especially during the weeks right after I arrived.It's been nice to move slowly past the stage of trying to pronounce the words and into the stage of

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-28804960046601982182007-06-26T23:35:00.000+02:002007-07-05T23:38:16.534+02:00

I know I said I would post on Sunday, but it turned out to be a long and tiring day. The building planning committee is still meeting to make the final decisions for the remodeling project, and I babysat for the Renkens again Sunday so they could attend the meeting. The discussion lasted much longer than normal, and when Mimi and Rüdi came home, I was half-asleep on their couch. By the time Mimi

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-53574253487012261602007-06-23T23:02:00.000+02:002007-06-24T00:58:05.763+02:00

Well, since it's been almost a month now since I last posted, I thought it was about time I updated on what's going on here.I'll do a more in-depth update tomorrow, but I thought I'd at least post some pictures of the work on the church building. It's incredible to see the progress that's occurred over the past two and a half months.Here's some of the most recent work:The room in which we've been

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-13607446684732340252007-05-27T23:54:00.000+02:002007-06-01T22:44:02.465+02:00

There has been a lot of progress in the remodeling of the church building over the past week. The first floor still looks very much like a construction zone, but things are starting to slowly come together. Because we obviously cannot yet use this area and this is where the worship assemblies are supposed to be, we are instead meeting in the largest adult classroom for right now.Mark was able to

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-64965043792024508882007-05-26T13:45:00.000+02:002007-05-26T23:46:21.038+02:00

For the most part, the past two weeks have been a cooling salve for my wounds.If you haven't been able to tell from my recent postings, life here over the past month has been verging on chaotic at times as everyone prepared for the move to the new church building. I've tried to do my part to help with that, but I've also still had to worry about German class; Bible studies with Horst, Sylvia, and

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-86167488135444435762007-05-18T23:52:00.000+02:002007-05-19T00:13:35.840+02:00

Today's a big day for several people I know.Karen Abercrombie and my nephew, Daniel, both have birthdays today. Daniel turns 8, which I can't believe. That makes me feel old, especially since my nephews Aaron and Edward are even older than Daniel.I don't think Karen would want me to tell how old she is, so I won't.Today is also my friend Claire's wedding day. Claire, I wish you and Philip God's

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-63071530956643963562007-05-18T23:35:00.000+02:002007-05-19T00:12:24.105+02:00

Well, as of yesterday, the Gemeinde Christi in Bremen, Germany, officially has only one house. Thursday morning Rüdi handed the keys of the old building over to the new owner.I went to the new building yesterday to help with some things and saw this sign lying on a table in one of the classrooms. This is the sign that used to hang on the front of the old building, and one day soon it will hang on

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-49086916158411154982007-05-13T14:18:00.000+02:002007-05-13T15:13:26.473+02:00

To all mothers in Germany and in the U.S.: Happy Mothers' Day!Mothers' Day isn't such a big deal here in Germany. No one celebrates with flowers and special lunches. I'm not sure why you would have a day to honor mothers if you don't really do anything to honor them, but they didn't ask me.What's more interesting to me, though, is the fact that Fathers' Day is on Thursday here in Germany, and

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-89810914612690262962007-05-12T23:22:00.000+02:002007-05-13T00:41:26.721+02:00

The big day has finally arrived: moving day.We have to be out of the old church building by Tuesday, so today was designated as moving day for everything besides tables, chairs, songbooks, and anything else essential for services and Bible classes. Tomorrow morning will be our last time to meet for services in the old building, and then in the afternoon everyone with cars will help take the

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-92144827111118496842007-05-06T19:39:00.000+02:002007-05-06T20:46:26.566+02:00

Cornelia called me on Friday and invited me to a cookout. Interestingly, the cookout was at Cornelia's sister's house in Wildeshausen. Considering I had not met Cornelia's husband, let alone her sister, I thought it really said something about her trust of me for her to invite me to come along.I debated whether or not to accept the invitation, though, because today is the first Sunday of the

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-18072151560520935262007-05-01T21:05:00.000+02:002007-05-01T23:41:52.611+02:00

Today is Tag der Arbeit (Labor Day) in Germany. It's a federal holiday, so all the stores are closed and the streetcars and buses run less often. It seems like police, emergency personnel, and anyone working in the transportation industry are the only people who have to work today. The citizens of Bremen and many other German cities ring in the holiday by celebrating Tanz in den Mai ("dancing in

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-27804276500170418672007-05-01T20:26:00.000+02:002007-05-03T09:48:28.913+02:00

The past few weeks have been incredibly busy for me and for the congregation here. Here's a (hopefully) quick round-up of what's been happening:1) German classMy German class is still going strong. I'm in class over 11 hours each week and then have homework to do as well. The Referat (report) that I had to do recently went well enough. Despite the fact that I've done numerous class presentations

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-29210808280349355022007-04-23T20:37:00.001+02:002007-04-26T09:30:29.344+02:00

In the 16- and 1700s, eight windmills were built as part of Bremen’s inner fortification wall. The rest of the wall was demolished in 1802, but this mill was left and actually continued functioning until 1950. Since it stands between the main train station and the market area with the cathedral and medieval town hall, the mill is one of Bremen’s tourist attractions. It also happens to be

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-5074004687208721102007-04-13T23:36:00.000+02:002007-04-14T00:58:20.657+02:00

Now that Easter is over, life in Bremen is starting to get back to its normal routine.Here are a few of the happenings from this week:After having 2 and a half weeks off for "Easter vacation," my German class has reconvened. It was really good to see the other students again. We've started to form some friendships, and it was really interesting to hear what other people did over the break. We

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-73592238520561786172007-04-08T23:46:00.000+02:002007-04-23T20:48:27.729+02:00

In case you're wondering, that's a chocolate-covered marzipan bunny.Similar to the U.S. this time of year, for the past several weeks stores have been bringing out various seasonal goodies, most of which fall somewhere into the "chocolate" category. Chocolate Easter eggs here, though, aren't as innocent as those in the States. Many are filled with champagne, rum, or even vodka. You learn quickly

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-67185691316062019532007-04-07T23:15:00.000+02:002007-04-08T00:39:30.626+02:00

April continues to get even better.Monday I had an appointment at the Foreigners' Office. I had been dreading this meeting since I waited in line three hours more than a month ago to make the appointment. I first went to the Foreigner's Office three days after I arrived in Bremen to arrange the first appointment. When I went back in November for the appointment, the woman got very upset with me

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-7166759889649780772007-04-02T12:18:00.000+02:002007-04-02T13:18:54.328+02:00

Yesterday was a really good day.It was the first time in a few weeks that I actually looked forward to going to church and studying the Bible in and speaking in German. I understood most of Jim's sermon and didn't have problems communicating with people during the breaks. Then, in Bible class, I had my "Big Breakthrough."For the past several months I've been going to Jim's Bible class on Sundays

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-3495645377117073222007-04-02T12:17:00.001+02:002007-04-02T12:18:00.045+02:00

***Note: I really wanted to post something on this topic about 2 weeks ago. It's been a process of nailing down my thoughts and then deciding why they're there. I'm glad, however, that I haven't posted it until now because I've had a chance to step back a bit and look at it differently.***In the life of every person who relocates to a new culture, there comes a day when he or she unwittingly

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-23473862377293304052007-03-22T23:23:00.000+01:002007-03-22T23:54:22.153+01:00

For the past several months, Elsa has been trying to raise funds for the remodeling of the new church building. It's been estimated that we'll need $100,000 to finance the work, and as of earlier this week, over $88,000 had been contributed. Many prayers have gone up on behalf of this desperately-needed project, and all we can say is, "Thank you." To any of you who may have contributed, whether

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1960500572039325382007-03-22T12:46:00.000+01:002007-03-22T23:58:58.073+01:00

Well, now that about two weeks have gone by, I decided it was about time for me to post again. :-)The past week and a half or so have been really busy. Last week especially I felt like I was going, going, going from the time I got up in the morning until it was time to go to bed at night. I was either in German class, doing German homework, meeting with someone for a Bible study, going to church,

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-10188687653722119212007-03-08T23:59:00.000+01:002007-03-09T02:52:37.028+01:00

Today was a good day, though a bit hectic.This morning I went to Bremen's Universum with Cornelia, a woman who responded to the newspaper ad for English conversations. Today was only the second time I've met with her, and she's a bit hesitant about reading the Bible (which I'm seeing more and more among the people I've talked with), but she wants to work on her English, and she apparently doesn't

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-60212229594734831612007-03-05T23:59:00.000+01:002007-03-06T01:01:09.174+01:00

The other day I became acutely aware of the fact that the rest of the world keeps a close eye on the happenings in American politics.When I walked into German class Friday morning, two young women were already there. One, Nicaise, is from Cameroon and had joined the class the week before. The other was there for the first time, and I assumed that she was Muslim based on the fact that she was

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-19657092295080885162007-03-05T22:58:00.000+01:002007-03-05T23:03:34.714+01:00

Since coming to Bremen in October, I've learned a lot about German culture.I've eaten a lot of new foods; adjusted to not smiling at and greeting people I pass on the sidewalk; accepted the frenzy created whenever the Werder Bremen soccer team plays at home (and only a couple streets from my apartment, mind you); learned to expect banks and many stores to be closed for lunch between 12:00 and 1:

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-32560222437935592082007-02-24T22:18:00.000+01:002007-02-25T00:17:08.829+01:00

Well, I've survived my first week of German class. It turns out the class isn't as scary as I suspected it might be.I did have a rather unusual experience, though. In abbreviated form, it went pretty much like this:-Monday morning - Went to German class, Level 5. Teacher was a woman. Had expected a man.-Monday evening - Realized I was actually registered for Level 3.-Tuesday morning - Went to

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-69133297736116540492007-02-16T12:55:00.000+01:002007-02-16T12:54:49.863+01:00

Last Saturday we had a singing seminar at church. Ed Cantrell, an American who works with the congregation in Chemnitz, was kind enough to come share some of his extensive knowledge with us. (By the way, we didn't talk about the use of instruments in the assembly, which is a big issue right now in Germany. Ed thought that required a seminar of its own and so did not cover it here).A lot of the

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-64344670557848299742007-02-09T22:51:00.000+01:002007-02-09T22:50:57.616+01:00

Well, I feel like I've hardly been home for the past week, but there's been a lot of progress recently, both in my struggles to get acclimated and in my work here.Last week Jim, Elsa, and I wrote newspaper ads and created flyers advertising English Bible studies. We decided to have the people call Elsa since the German could be a problem for me, especially since it would be on the phone. Several

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1170370641047230112007-02-01T23:37:00.000+01:002007-02-07T01:38:26.556+01:00

I got a washing machine! Never in my life have I been so excited about the opportunity to wash clothes.It's used but it still runs great. I got it from an appliance store that came highly recommended by Elsa. The store apparently was opened by two brothers after one became upset at the dishonesty of the company where he was working. Elsa took me to the store last week, and one of the brothers

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1170105295758856652007-01-29T20:47:00.000+01:002007-01-29T23:43:37.953+01:00

1) My kitchen sink drips...and that's normal.After expressing concern over my malfunctioning faucet, I was informed that there was no need for alarm. The sink has its own water heater, and in order to relieve pressure that builds up while the hot water waits to be used, a valve opens enough to release a few drops of water. Brilliant.2) Food here is a lot different than food in the U.S.I eat lots

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1169777465091434702007-01-25T23:59:00.000+01:002007-01-26T03:56:10.183+01:00

Yes, I'm still here. And I think I'm only kidding myself with the title of this post.I feel like the past couple weeks have been chaotic. A lot's happened. And for some reason, I really haven't felt like writing. That sounds bad, I know, but that's how I've felt. The weird thing is that I don't know why I've felt like that. I'm not depressed or homesick or anything. I just haven't really felt

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1167904962526928672007-01-04T10:11:00.000+01:002007-01-21T21:40:44.390+01:00

Despite the fact that the Springers have been in Switzerland visiting their daughter and her family since Saturday, I've been busy this week.A few weeks ago, Sylvia, a woman who's been visiting the church for a couple years now, asked me about my reasons for being in Bremen. I guess I thought she already knew, so I was a little surprised she asked. When I explained that I was working with the

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1167621787985859852007-01-01T02:56:00.000+01:002007-01-02T19:03:06.020+01:00

Frohes Neues Jahr!As I write this, it's a little after 3:00 AM on January 1, 2007, in Bremen, so for most of you out there it's still 2006. So far, 2007 has been a good year. :-)I spent New Year's Eve at Stefanie's house with Ingrid and Stefanie's friends, Ute and Clara. Ute attends the congregation in Braunschweig and Clara lives in a Mennonite community in Ireland. The five of us ate dinner

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1167437035647174272006-12-29T23:53:00.000+01:002006-12-30T18:56:56.460+01:00

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was out, and even though it was a little cold, the wind wasn't really blowing. Bremen doesn't get many days like that in December! So, I decided to go for a walk, and I took my camera with me. Several of you have asked to see some pictures of my neighborhood and of the city, so here you go:The red building is my apartment building. The building in the center has

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1167356000910801762006-12-28T23:30:00.000+01:002006-12-29T15:01:34.790+01:00

My Christmas "tree," courtesy of Helga. :-)Well, Christmas is over, and I have to say that a big part of me is not all that sad to see it go.Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays. For me it's always been a wonderful time to spend with family, have a few much-needed days off of school or work, and enjoy lots of good seasonal cooking.This year, though, was obviously a lot different.

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1166920093692417282006-12-23T23:37:00.000+01:002006-12-24T21:44:10.933+01:00

I've said it before and I need to say it again: I have a wonderful family.My family sent me a package with a few Christmas gifts. When I called them yesterday to say that I had received it, they were very eager for me to open one of the gifts, so I did. What was inside made my day: 3 CDs of Christmas songs. My family has always been big on listening to Christmas music, both in the car and at home

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1166754806723436572006-12-21T23:43:00.000+01:002006-12-22T21:31:39.500+01:00

It's still hard for me to believe that Christmas is only a few days away.I think the fact that this is the first year I won't be with my family has a lot to do with it. I think a bigger part of it, though, stems from the constant busyness of the past few months. I've been so focused on finding a place to live; learning how to do "simple" tasks like grocery shopping and buying bus passes;

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1166316105555087612006-12-16T22:04:00.000+01:002006-12-17T14:27:53.656+01:00

Guess what? I now have internet access in my apartment! Whew. I finally asked Elsa to call the help line, and she was able to get someone to look into what was wrong. The person ultimately discovered that the internet division of the company did not even know I was a customer. He told her to talk to someone "on the second level in Kiel," and that person was then very helpful. Apparently, 1 in

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1165783413265321962006-12-10T20:45:00.000+01:002006-12-16T20:25:56.013+01:00

Hello again! I'm sure you've been thinking I've disappeared or something, but I'm still here, taking life one day at a time. :-)I have to admit the past week and a half or so since I last posted has been a difficult and frustrating time for me. I mentioned that I planned to stay in my apartment that night, and I did do that. It was really exciting to realize that I was "going home" to my

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1164616034549323452006-11-27T09:22:00.000+01:002006-12-05T03:45:30.933+01:00

Guess who now has electricity in her apartment? Yup, that would be me. Last Monday morning someone from the power company called me and asked me to meet him at my apartment so he could turn on the power. After he tweeked some things on the electric meter and flipped some switches in the circuit breaker box, I was overjoyed to see the lights above the bathroom sink and in the storage closet come

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1163895303729763442006-11-18T23:00:00.000+01:002006-11-22T17:46:23.946+01:00

Well, I now officially have my own apartment. Thursday morning I signed the Mietvertrag (the rental contract) and got the keys. It was kind of surreal. I can now say that I LIVE in Bremen. It's a nice feeling, though, because it's a great sense of accomplishment and a step forward.So, yesterday Ingrid and I went to the electric company to have the power turned on in the apartment. While

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1163640648011015202006-11-16T00:39:00.000+01:002006-11-17T13:19:24.653+01:00

Well, it's been a while, but I have great news: I have an apartment! I looked at it last Tuesday, and it has many of the things other apartments have lacked. While it's in the center of the city, it's on a side street that's not so busy, and it's within a short walk of three different streetcar lines. It has 2 and a half rooms (Germans count all rooms besides kitchens and bathrooms, so that's

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1162683011780130202006-11-04T23:22:00.000+01:002006-11-15T07:05:12.186+01:00

I know I've only been here for two weeks, but somehow it seems like I should have found an apartment by now.On Thursday evening Mark and Karen went with me to see an apartment on the street behind theirs, and it was really nice. It's the perfect size for me, and the rent and utilities fit into my budget. Someone even shovels the snow in the winter and cleans the basement. The only problem is that

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1161642663517384642006-10-23T22:37:00.000+02:002006-11-07T15:53:33.523+01:00

*** I need to say that I actually posted this on November 2nd, not October 23rd. I started writing the post on that day and wasn't able to finish, so I saved it to finish later. It now won't let me change the date. So, here's my correction. :-) ***Yes, I'm still alive. :-) I'm in Bremen, and I really meant to post before now, but things have been a bit crazy as I've been adjusting to living here

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1161207111118482062006-10-18T22:51:00.000+02:002006-10-24T16:26:28.193+02:00

Ok, so that's a lie. My bags aren't packed yet, and I'm not quite ready to go.It's hard to believe I can now say this, but here it is: I leave for Germany tomorrow. That just hasn't sunk in for me yet. Where exactly does time go?I feel like I've done nothing the past three days except run errands. Yesterday we had family pictures taken. This was the last time we could do that with just the five

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1160715928600091612006-10-13T06:09:00.000+02:002006-10-16T05:10:34.173+02:00

Pursuant to a decision I made before leaving Searcy, today began my "one more" week.I'm really having trouble understanding how it's come down to this. At the end of January last year, I made the decision to commit 2 years of my life to mission work in Germany. I guess it's always been something looming somewhere out there in the future but hasn't really been tangible. Well, in less than a week

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1160370364443167052006-10-09T05:11:00.000+02:002006-10-11T07:11:33.406+02:00

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." --Romans 1:20This has been a very full weekend. I'm trying to visit as many family members as possible before leaving next week, so yesterday we spent the day in eastern Kentucky at my mom's dad and

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1160111121801626612006-10-06T06:15:00.000+02:002006-10-07T00:29:51.190+02:00

Well, 2 weeks from right now I'll be on a plane from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. Wow, time goes by fast. The fact that I only have 2 more weeks means that I've been at my parents' house for 3 and a half weeks now, and it's hard for me to believe that that much time has passed. Where do the days go?As I mentioned before, I told my mom that I would volunteer at the library 2 days a week in order to

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1159568852855749242006-10-04T18:20:00.000+02:002006-10-04T18:34:55.786+02:00

No, that "s" on the end of "life" is not a typo. :-)Over the past couple of weeks my family has experienced a wide variety of emotions. The week before last, two women from church gave birth. One birth went smoothly while the other was 2 months early and brought some concerns, though everything seems to be going okay now. Then, my sister got engaged and Ms. Lillie, a close family friend, passed

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1159162888058205512006-09-25T07:03:00.000+02:002006-09-25T07:48:52.753+02:00

Yesterday morning at church made me think about a lot of things. I guess it started in Bible class when the teacher asked us a seemingly simple question: "What is the Bible?"The first person to contribute to the answer said that it's a history book. I added that while the Bible is a history book in some ways, it only records certain parts of history about certain people, and since the biblical

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1159025768605029522006-09-23T17:14:00.000+02:002006-09-25T05:40:37.686+02:00

Well, as of last night my sister and Matt are officially engaged. I have to say I'm happy for them. They're good for each other.It is weird, though, to think about my "baby" sister getting married. Somehow in my mind she should still be 14, and my maternal grandmother is the only person I've ever known who got married at age 14.Even though Amanda and Jacob are both adults, and I'm only 2 and 3

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1158774949945844812006-09-20T19:39:00.000+02:002006-09-22T10:11:28.360+02:00

About a week or so ago, I stumbled upon a blog by a U.S. naval officer named Daniel. He is struggling to maintain his faith while aboard a warship. Since I know several people who have been overseas for military service or who are related to those who have, and since I know what it's like to prepare to leave your family and friends, I posted a comment on his blog. He then linked to my blog, so I

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1158772474342494362006-09-20T18:33:00.000+02:002006-09-20T19:14:34.400+02:00

The past week has been very full. Saturday morning I went with my mom to a friend's house and saw a young woman I went to high school with. I haven't seen her since we graduated over 6 years ago, and apparently she never really knew I was even in her class. I, however, recognized her as soon as she walked in, though it took me a minute to place her. (Yes, I'm a bit weird in that and many other

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1158260223697491002006-09-14T20:22:00.000+02:002006-09-19T19:48:04.646+02:00

Well, I leave for Germany 5 weeks from today. That's very strange to me. After deciding more than a year and a half ago to go to Germany this fall, I still feel like I have several months to get ready. Somehow it should still be April, not mid-September.Last weekend was a good weekend. I had the chance to attend the ladies' retreat at College church on Saturday, which I thought was quite

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1157805719059483592006-09-09T14:16:00.000+02:002006-09-13T00:44:58.283+02:00

On Wednesday this week, my student workers hosted a going-away party in my honor. I was quite surprised at the amount of planning they put into the event. They brought food, decorated the library's breakroom, and went to great lengths to keep the details hidden from me. They even coronated me with a purple and pink Barbie tiara that twinkles at the push of a button and handed me a silver plastic

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1157433312241460682006-09-05T06:48:00.000+02:002006-09-06T20:45:50.636+02:00

Today began the inevitable parade of "lasts" of my time here in Searcy.At work this morning I greeted my student worker and asked her how her weekend had gone. I suddenly realized that I wouldn't be able to do that again. This was my last Monday, so there won't be more sleepy, early mornings to discuss the goings-on of the weekend.Sometime later in the day, after whimpering to several other

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33627751.post-1157173159301526812006-09-02T06:24:00.000+02:002006-09-25T07:51:38.306+02:00

Well, this is my first foray into the world of blogging. So far, so good, I guess.As the title of the blog mentions, I am preparing to move to Bremen, Germany, for a 2-year commitment to mission work. I'll be working with Jim and Elsa Springer, who have been missionaries there for over 30 years. Also there are Mark and Karen Abercrombie, a couple I have gotten to know while at Harding University.

Liciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193619975137057488noreply@blogger.com1