Glimpses of Glory

Picture the longest table your eyes have ever laid sight upon. A table that spans the length of 2 normal sized rooms. Take that picture and add 25 people, lots of food, lots of wine and a lot of laughter. Guess what? I was in that picture and it was awesome. I was at the center of the villa with the entire group sharing a meal together. The cook served 5 different courses, starting with breads smeared with olive creams and other strange, but oddly delightful flavors. There were locally made bottles of wine placed along the table every few feet and sparkling water at the same intervals. The second course was a ravioli served with freshly grated parmesan. The third course came along in the form of freshly sliced bread with green salad tossed in homegrown olive oil and salt. It was divine. The fourth course brought fried potatoes with grilled meat that looked like turkey, but I chose not to ask. Finally, a giant platter of Tiramisu was brought from the depths of the kitchen into our presence and we basked in it's picturesque glory before digging into at least 2 helpings each. It happened to be the best tiramisu of my life. As if the 5 course dinner was not enough, I managed to make connection with 2 girls that were staying at the villa who speak German, Italian, and a little bit of English. It is beyond fascinating to discuss and learn the differences in languages. 

I went to a castle up in the mountains to attend a wine tasting! I have wanted to go to a wine tasting for quite some time and I am so thrilled I finally achieved that. The castle was absolutely spectacular and even though the man spoke German throughout the tour, Eva translated most of it for me. On top of making wine there, they also make olive oil from the trees around the castle. It tasted ever so lovely with the fresh bread it was drizzled over. So now I can officially say I have been to wine tasting, and in a castle at that! 

My time has been spent mostly at the racetrack this weekend. Seeing people "in their element" is quite amusing to me and I enjoyed observing the sights, smells and sounds that encompassed me. The mechanical smell of fuel, oil, tires and exhaust is absolutely divine to my nose. Listening to the revs of hundreds of motors and the buzzing of bikes passing by on the track is music to me ears! Seeing the different colors and shapes of all the motorbikes and seeing the different gear each person wears was also quite pleasing to my eyes. I found one that was all yellow. The entire bike and also the suit and helmet of the rider. I though of you, Kevin! Even though the days were long, I am glad I am more educated on the subject of motorbike racing. As we drove away for the last time, I looked back and I saw a cat sitting on a hill to the right of the road just relaxing, being a typical cat. I started laughing. Wild cats are normal in Italy, I suppose. 

While out shopping, I walked down a small street and entered into a tiny, cramped shop filled with candles, baskets and similar old people items. Somehow, I kept looking. I was sifting through some postcards with adorable paintings of children on them and the woman working there heard me say something to myself and immediately said, "If you need me to speak English, I can" which I thought sounded a bit eager, since I had not even spoken to her! But I turned around and said, "oh yes, I speak a little German, but mostly English, thank you." She then described to me that she is from the states and moved here to be with her Italian husband. I told her my story of how I came to be in Italy, and also in Germany. At that moment, her husband walked over to me. He started talking about how he had gone to the states to be with his wife and did not know any English but learned in 6 months simply because no one could speak Italian with him. I found that very encouraging! We talked for 15 or 20 minutes and they were completely charming! I found them to be absolutely marvelous. They brightened my day and I made sure to buy some postcards before I departed. 

Saturday afternoon, standing outside by the car waiting to leave for the racetrack, I looked down at my feet to admire my new Italian shoes (only 10euros!) and I rested my eyes upon a pear. I thought to myself, "Hmm, there is a pear on the ground. How odd. I must investigate." I glanced above my head and behold, there was a tree. As I looked closer, I could see the pears hanging down and I promptly jumped up and down in excitement and in mid-jump grabbed the most perfect looking pear and ate it simply for the experience even though I had just eaten breakfast…and it was delightful. And thus ends my 'discovery of a pear tree' story.

Stars are something I have been missing since being here. They are scarce in comparison to Alaska it seems. As I was closing my laptop to walk back up the mountainous road to the villa, I suddenly realized how dark it was. Determined not to get all worked up into a frenzy and scare myself, I began my trek up the road. I began to pray and happened to glance back down the road as I was talking. I stopped dead in my tracks and my words. Spread before me was a rich canopy of deep navy sky, heavily dotted with glimmering stars and in the midst of it all, the moon shone out bright and strong, allowing my eyes to fully capture the expanse of world which was sliding into my being through my eyes. Nothing can compare to the glimpses of glory the Lord shares with us. Though the night was cold and my body was tired, something had me rooted to the ground, unable to peel my feet from the surface and walk away. To add to the teetering stack of wonder I had compiled over the last few moments, a shooting star shot through the glossy sky, enveloped into the navy darkness within two seconds. These are the spaces of time where my own smile is not enough. These are the spaces of time where Jesus is smiling with you.

Lazy Mountain Bible Church, I would like to address each and every member and/or person who goes there. I miss you. Even though I do not know all of you personally, I miss the strength and fellowship you bring. My heart and soul ache to be in your sanctuary worshipping with you again. Before I fall asleep on Sunday evenings, I think of you all at church and long to be with you. God has opened many doors and avenues for me here and I had found a solid church, but these past few weeks of traveling and changing jobs have found me to be searching once more for a place to worship. I feel withered and dried up from lack of fellowship. Despite that, our Lord is very great and I am continually strengthened by his love and faithfulness. As I am surrounded by many different beliefs and opinions about the world, I have begun to learn more about why I believe what I believe. Even so, I need help. I need prayer. Dear church, please pray for me. You are in my thoughts and prayers often, as you continue to know Christ and to make him known. I long for the day when I will step through those doors again! 

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ." - 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Villas & Motorbikes

Snuggled in a nest of blankets in the back of a red van, sitting atop suitcases and bags (and a motorbike) I drove out of Germany, into Austria and finally crossed the border into Italy. Rafael, the villa owner, came and picked us up to bring us up the mountain to the villa. As I gazed upon the hills and valleys of Tuscany, it made me think back to 3 months ago when I was biking to work, wondering what I was going to do with my life. Surprise! Here I am, creating a new pool of memories and emotions to dive into when I am older. We finally arrived at the villa on Saturday afternoon after road tripping for 2 days. We were beyond exhausted! We are situated at the very top of the mountain (Italian mountain, mind you.) and the view is spectacular. There are other parts of the villa below us and if I want to go swimming or use internet, I have to take a 10 minute hike to get back home! After settling in, I found myself very glum and I just wanted to cry. This confused me since I had held Italy in my thoughts as some sort of magical dream, not something I would ever attain but something I could pull out and examine in detail and wonder, letting my imagination ebb and flow. But instead of feeling completed in my joy of a dream come true, I felt empty. I was seeing Italy with my eyes, but my heart did not respond to it. I walked down in the fading light to an internet accessible area of the villa and Skyped with my mom. It was pitch black outside and my feet were frozen, but I was happier than ever. She cheered me up and comforted me and I am grateful. I showed her the "villa kittens" that are running around everywhere and she told me funny stories to get a smile on my face and also gave me advice on how to see my struggles in new perspectives. I have a truly marvelous mother. She picks me up even when she's falling down. That is a selflessness I pray I will give back to others. The following morning, after telling myself it was going to be a good day, various people began to arrive and fill up the rooms. It is always tricky meeting people and figuring out how much English they know. I can't exactly carry an intelligent conversation in German yet, though I have improved a vast amount from when I arrived! Sunday afternoon was the highlight of my stay here so far. I got geared up in boots, pants, suspenders, jacket, neck protecter, gloves and helmet and basked in the glory of feeling "cool." You all know how difficult that is for me. The man who I was riding with was the designer of the bikes so his signature was etched into all the bikes. I felt excitement rising as I climbed onto the seat and held on tight. The rush of energy that went through me as he started the engine continued to rise as we began down the long hill to the roads below. Once we got through a few towns we began to climb a curvy mountain. The twists and turns and revs of the engine slapped a grin on my face that ached as my cheeks pushed against the sides of my helmet. I literally couldn't stop smiling! The rush of the wind, the rush of the beauty surrounding me, the rush of thinking, "I'm motorbiking through Italy with a super cool guy" and the rush of gripping tightly to the bike as we zoom around the constant curves and wondering if I am going to fall off and die. Today I start a new week and my prayer request is that I would seek and find good perspectives in my day. I am struggling with sadness and I miss you all very much. I would not change where I am for the world, but sometimes I am thrown off guard by what truly brings me joy. Joy does not always come from those big dreams you grew up fantasizing about. Sometimes joy is that short conversation with someone you love. At the end of it all, love is always first. It always has been and it always will be. 

Düsseldorf

My blog is titled, "My Au Pair adventure in Düsseldorf" and now that seems like an incorrect title since I live in Wegberg. But I am not changing it because when I stopped to think about it I realized this: Düsseldorf was the beginning of my adventure, the beginning of the relationships I have made, the beginning of my journey to learn about self, world and love. Düsseldorf will not be my ending, but it will always be where I began. 


Monopoly has never been a game that I succeed at. The kids just so happen to love Monopoly. By the time we stopped playing to have dinner, I had 22euro to my name and they had hotels on practically every property. I owned all 4 railroads but the rest of my property had been mortgaged so I could pay them for always landing on their property. It is a very good thing that I have succumbed to not being competitive in certain areas that I know I will fail at. The bright side to this experience was that I practiced my German numbers!!! I am quite good now. I can say numbers up to the thousands, and the format is becoming more familiar to listen to. I am proud. The kids are not as fluent in English so it is fun helping each other learn words. I have gotten better at understanding what people are saying. It fills me with a sense of exhilaration!!! I was privileged enough to snuggle up with the kids to "Barbie: Die Prinzessin Akademie" a few nights ago. As I sat there with my little sister's head in my lap, I realized a few small blessings I was thankful for. We were eating chocolate and potato chips on the couch, I had my feet curled up on the seat, and it was past the kid's bedtime. Those things could have gone unnoticed but I am glad they did not. I am glad the Lord opened my eyes at that moment to see some of the beauties he surrounds me with. Just 2 months ago, I would not have appreciated those 3 things. But I see now that hard experiences open your eyes to the blessings you get, no matter how small. They always make a difference, always penetrate.


I am currently looking out the window at a darling squirrel bounding through the garden! I am glad we do not have a dog to go chase it and kill it in front of me. (Kristen and Katie, you two alone will understand my strange fear of squirrel death by dog...) Dad, I went to a Catholic church last Sunday and it was all spoken in German! My favorite parts were the singing. Hearing the words filling the room was an experience I cannot compare to anything. I enjoyed attempting pronunciation. :) Yesterday I went out with my family on our bikes in a big circle around Wegberg so I could get a tour. We stopped at a water mill and had some beer. (apple juice for the kids!) There are a lot of water mills in Wegberg! That is my random and slightly useless fact of the day. We got to bike through forests and fields which I liked very much. When we got back home, we prepared a delicious BBQ and I ate so much I almost fell asleep right then and there!!! We had some more beer as well, which was lovely. 


I leave on a train this Thursday from Erkelenz to Düsseldorf, then from Düsseldorf to Bad König to meet up with Eva and her family! On Friday we will drive to Italy. I am sure that my next blog will be packed full of wonderful, Italian experiences. For now, I must be off to prepare a delicious lunch! I am HUNGRY. Also, the kids need to eat. :) Tata for now! 


James 1:16-18
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.