Los Últimos Días.. helado a medianoche, haciendo las fundas y probando la morcilla. Días 41 y 42 (y hoy, día 43) de mi #45diasdeverano

Don't worry, the whole post isn't in Spanish - just the title!

I haven't had as much time to write recently as the days have been full (yet restful, hurrah!) On Wednesday we went to León for the afternoon, where Betsy and I enjoyed yet more Tapas. I have been told my a few people that I need to try Morcilla, as it's typical Spanish food and a typical Tapas choice. Morcilla, for those of you who don't know, is blood (and vairus other parts of a pig). The time we went for tapas I didn't even consider trying it and flat out said 'no'. But Betsy convinced me to at least try it while I am here. And so, I have to admit here, I did. Needless to say, it was gross. And just the thought of knowing what it was made from was enough to make me dislike it. It's appearance didn't do much to help either:

La Morcilla. Bleugh.

On the way back, we all went via the new church in León, which is in the process of being built. We had a tour of what is currently there and were updated on how the process is going. They have a number of supporting churches in the US who are helping to fund the building and have even had sponsors from the Catholic church in the city (who apparently wanted to be seen to be a part of it, because it's been such a huge talking point in the city!)

The baptism tank.

The work is still very much underway. They think it will take another year to complete.

This is upstairs - the rooms for the kids and youth.

The group wandering round having a look.

Manuel (the guy in the middle, in the hat, he is one of the elders of the church) explaining the process, the plans, and after this we prayed together for it all.

That night, Betsy and I went late night exploring (originally to find somewhere that sold ice cream but we ended up giving up and simply walking and exploring!) We managed to find a perfect spot where the village lights were hidden by trees and we could see multitudes of stars and  constellations. I said, when we were there, that we should have taken some blankets and hot chocolate! But we weren't there for too long and said perhaps tomorrow night! We walked far enough to find the edge of the village though which I found quite exciting (admittedly, this was not far as the village is quite tiny!)

Looking a bit wild but wanted a picture with the sign at the end of the village!

But while we were taking pictures, creatures started moving in the darkness of the bushes. Perhaps snakes, perhaps frogs, but creatures making usual noises and even the smallest of innocent little beings can sound scary in the dark of night out of reach of help. So we made our way back fairly rapidly!

Yesterday, we spent an hour at a market in Valencia don Juan (the same town that our big concert was in a few weeks back). It was heaving with people, very hot and smelled strongly of fish. It wasn't one of my favourite experiences..

Antique-looking objects

Fruit and veg looking fresh and tasty (loads better than the fish stall!)

But later, while some families went to the water park (weather was much better yesterday!), some of the ladies were doing crafts and being creative down in the basement, so despite being in swimming costumes ready to go, we changed our plans and Betsy and I got creative instead! Here were some of our finished products:

Not quite finished - Betsy midway through making her 'leather-style' case.

Mine :) Rosa y amarillo con los corazones.

Another example from one of the women there! I love the big buttons but there weren't many left of the same colour.

Again, another - with a mariposa (butterfly)

I decided to make another for my notebook, with buttons!

Betsy's first one, it inspired me to make some too!

I have spent a lot more time with Betsy again this week, and it has been really good getting to know her a lot better (and talking about loads more than food, weather and whether I'm happy haha). We are two of only very few here without their families, so have ended up spending lots of time together, exploring, being each others family and fumbling our way through deeper conversations in Spanglish. She wrote me a beautiful letter this morning, which she left on my bed. In her broken English, she wrote down some of the experiences we've had, some of her hilarious English words and phrases, her thanks for various things and generally lovely words. I wrote her back this morning too, in Spanish of course and left the little letter wrapped in some Union Jack ribbon that I brought with me for gifts! It didn't take me long to write a page or so, which just shows me how much I have advanced in the past four weeks, in vocabulary of course but mostly in confidence in the language! I don't think I would have really known where to start this time in July!

Oh and last night, we managed to find ice cream after La Noche de Talentos! Finally!!

Helado a medianoche (ice cream at midnight!)

This afternoon, I didn't have enough time after lunch to say goodbye to everyone so I ended up addressing the whole camp while they finished there food and said a few words of thanks and apologies that I couldn't say goodbye to everyone individually. Before I left as well, I spoke with Laura on the phone (the girl who's house I am now at!) to confirm travel details and make plans for tonight. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but actually, it was my very first phone call in Spanish :) and I was reeeally nervous about using the phone but it was actually really fine! She spoke very slowly for me but it was way easier than I thought it would be! Hurrah!
Juanma drove me to the station in León. We left with like 38 minutes to get there, and it is about a 25minute drive. Ok, not exactly necessary to panic but more rushed that i would have liked. Of course, the only time in my four weeks here that I experience traffic is the journey to the station with not much time to spare.. A lot of praying occurred. But it was all OK in the end and I got on the coach! Actually, the journey with Juanma was really cool because he was the first person who I met in Spain, he picked me up from the Airport on my first day here. Our first conversation on the drive to the camp was almost totally in English. On our drive to the station, for him to drop me off on my penultimate day here, our conversation was almost entirely in Spanish! Woo!! And it was really comfortable. We both commented on how it is a sign of how much I have learnt these past few weeks!

My bus journey to Bilbao was about a 4.5 hours. It wasn't much like the buses I have previously caught here - more like a near-luxury coach to be honest, with black and gold seat, far-reclining chairs and loads of room. Very nice!
And I am now here in Bilbao, lush and green (it was raining when I arrived - preparing me for my return to England I think!) And here I will spend the night and the first part of tomorrow exploring Bilbao with Laura (who I met at the Music camp and who speaks only a little English!) before my flight back to England tomorrow evening...
Oh wow. #45daysofsummer nearly done! Mañana, England here I come!

(I have also updated my post of Day 39 with a picture of Josué and the snake at the lake (that wasn't meant to rhyme!) for those who are interested to see it..)

Minor kitchen fires, missionary tales and another week at camp. Day 36 & 37 of my #45daysofsummer

After a lie in yesterday morning, and after Betsy almost set the kitchen on fire while the rest of the house was sleeping (she was baking delicious treats for dessert later in the day but the baking paper caught on fire in the oven - all was fine though and she put it out and I helped her clean up the ashes of burned paper. Thankfully that was all!) I nipped to the Post Office to send a couple of letters and then we went for lunch round Laura and JPs house.

Their mum, Sara, is American and their dad, Antonio, is Spanish (and looks like a movie star, it has to be said). We had Gespazo for starter (cold, vegetable soup - sounds awful, tastes wonderful!) and a Tex-Mex main with Betsy's 'Mana de Cielo' (Manna from Heaven) for dessert. Although sometimes speaking English whilst over here can feel like I'm missing an opportunity to learn more Spanish, I didn't really mind yesterday. The family were so interesting and talked to me in English so I figured it was OK to respond in my native language and actually have some quality conversations! Antonio told me about how he and his colleagues used to smuggle Christian resources into Bulgaria to support the underground church there during the Communist period, how they had to memorise all the details of their travels and the people they were meeting so as not to have any evidence on them that would give others away if they were caught. He told me of a friend of his who recently passed away, who led the UK branch of The Navigators for many years, and who lived in Erdington. And I was able to respond and talk about the New Wave Camp that Zion is connected with in Bulgaria and my visits their, how I have friends who are involved in the Navigators and how my Grandad and some of my family live in Erdington! What a tiny little world. Sara made me English tea and told me about how her and Antonio met in the US when they were both 33, and how she had prayed for a man just like him for many, many years. She told me the story of why and how they came to adopt Laura and JP over 10 years ago, from a Bulgarian orphanage and what it's been like raising a family in Spain, struggling with the language, the culture of León but feeling called to here. For some time, they were considering moving to Africa as Antonio is an eye surgeon and works out there for some weeks every Summer, but they both felt God clearly close the door for that and therefore they are staying put in León continuing their work there.

How utterly refreshing it was to meet them, to hear their stories and be encouraged and inspired. I wished we could have stayed longer but Betsy and I had a bus to catch.

The journey back to Toral was only 45 minutes and then a short walk from the bus stop to the camp.
Many people had already arrived; many familiar faces but also many new ones! I felt a lot more confident to introduce myself to people or be introduced and have things to say! I met so many people, young and old, and had quite a few pretty long conversations with various people before we all ate together and then wandered over to Calle Mayor (the other house) for songs with Betsy to end the evening! It is the Family Camp this week, and almost every age group is covered: babies, kids, teens, young parents, not-so-young parents, grandparents.. I think the only age group that seems to be significantly lacking is the 20s. I am here of course, and Betsy, Diego and a couple more coming tomorrow - but our age group feels a bit thin on the ground sadly. I suppose it's a difficult age at which to come to a camp with your family.. I hope that's the only reason.

But anyway, I'm very excited that Lluna is back for the week! And she had gifts for me - a bracelet, a book that is both in English and Spanish for learning the language, and a calendar with a verse and devotional for every day of the year (for 2010, but it's for the practice rather than the calendar!)! She also excitedly introduced me to all of her family, who said they had heard a lot about me, and it's great that she has been able to recognise how much I have improved in the last couple of weeks while she's been away.

This morning, after devotions (at a more acceptable hour for this week's camp - 9am!) and breakfast, I was back to my cleaning duties, which I have come to really enjoy to be honest. It's good having the time to be quiet and reflect, but I also love the opportunity to sing along to music while there's no one at the camp! :) having already spent 2 weeks here earlier this month, I feel like I know the ropes pretty much. I still need to ask questions and I'm learning pretty much all the time, but people who are new here have asked me where they can find things or questions about how things work and I have been able to help without feeling the need to apologise for my lack of words or knowledge. I must look like I know what I am doing!

Thankfully this week, there seems to be a lot of space in the schedule and in general, there is already quite a different feel from the last two camps. Already I am getting to practice speaking more with different people (which is enjoyable & important but also mentally & physically exhausting) but there is more time for me to rest and pray and write, and hopefully be in some kind of fit state to start back at work a week on Monday, just a day after I return!
Ooh there's nothing quite like a jam-packed Summer! #45daysofsummer #notmanyleft

Days 29 & 30. Even at my weakest, I am loved. #45daysofsummer

In some ways it feels like these two weeks have gone so slowly, yet in other ways, I can't believe I've already completed two camps and I've survived for this long in another language!

I suppose most of all, I can't believe there are only 14 days left of the summer holidays. That's 13 of my adventures and 1 little day in there at the end for recovery and cultural re-adjustment before going back to work (and it's a great feeling to be excited about the next year at Earls and then about whatever God has planned for me after that!)

But for now.. the past two days! 

Yesterday, the last full day at the camp, we all went along to the football training. The honest intention was for me and Eli to beat Betsy and Bianca in volleyball, but we didn't have a ball so we couldn't play. Instead, we joined the monitors as they played the Brazilians in a final game of football. I can proudly say we drew. 0-0. And I touched the ball about 3 times in the match. I'll take that!

Later in the afternoon, instead of going to the swimming pool, we had group water activities stationed around the block that the camp is on and in the local park. These planned activities turned in to a village-wide water fight with around 50 kids and adults running round the streets with buckets of water!

I actually made the video again last night (the end of day video that the brasilians make with photos and video clips from the day, and a short devotional message). This time I was on there with my epic fall in one of the water activities, that happened to be recorded on someone's mobile. You can trust me that it was hilarious, and in slow motion too. Yay! Haha. Honestly though, I did hurt my head a bit and my neck has been quite stiff since.. Plus I've had tooth ache (wisdom teeth mean I'm getting wiser, right?) and I cut my finger quite badly on Thursday, although thankfully it has healed really quickly! For some reason I've been clumsily in the wars the past couple of days but I'm still standing and think (hope.. pray..) that the next week should be less hazardous. Can't say that for the week after as have no idea what the final camp (de familias) will be like! I'm flying by the seat of my pants this summer, and learning to be OK doing that! God hasn't let me down since and I've been provided for in every possible way with absolutely more than enough!

Last night was the final dinner of the camp and I was totally overwhelmed by everyone singing a simple song of thanks to the cook (which is a normal 'summer camp' thing to do I think!) which turned in to a raging torrent of thanks and celebration, people waving their napkins, standing on chairs, shouting, singing, clapping. United and grateful and enjoying every minute! It was such an experience! 

I also made a little friend called Isra who has been my shadow this week. He's about 12 I think but he's only tiny! Although he spoke very little English he persisted in talking to me, sitting on my table every meal time, next to me during the songs and games on the evenings.. even though I was constantly asking him to repeat his questions and talk more slowly! He bought me an ice cream the other day with his tuckshop allowance, so I gave him a box of my skittles last night in return. He's a proper little gentleman and I'm going to miss him!! 

I think his example, and generally the experience that I've had with most people here has been so deep and profound for me. In some ways over the past few months, I've definitely not being at my best, yet in other ways I think I have been because I know that God has brought me to this place in my life (not literally, to Spain, but to where I'm at spiritually, relationally, emotionally etc.) and I arrived here in Spain still dealing with so much head and heart stuff, balancing feeling broken and messy and yet complete and walking in God's plan for me, with so many prayers and having so much that I hoped God would do.. I can barely speak the language so communication is obviously the biggest challenge. I have spoken very little compared to normal, had too much time to think sometimes, misunderstood instructions and got things wrong, been too nervous to try things sometimes (not often, but sometimes!), felt like such a burden when asking for things to be repeated again and again, made mistakes when speaking..

The people I've met here haven't had me at what I would consider my best.

Not in the slightest. 

And yet, they have accepted me. Loved me. Shown me patience. Taught me new things. Been my friend. It's been a challenge on both sides. But they haven't minded. They haven't judged. 

How this reminds me so much of what God does for me. Accepts me. Loves me. Shows me patience. Teaches me new things. He's not only my God but He's my friend. And he judged me worthy of the death of His son so I might know Him.

He has been so close this week, whispering encouragement and truth to me in the times of quiet and confusion and questioning. Stirring things up that I would rather He not, but in the process, showing me that I am loveable even at my weakest and even when people fail me, He does not and will not. 

Thank you God.

We had to leave the camp pretty sharpish this afternoon because the minibus driver wanted to go quickly (I think he had a whole day of driving ahead, taking people to various places, stations, airports etc.) And this sadly meant that I didn't have much time to say bye to the people who were still there! Some I will see tomorrow at church, and some next week at the final camp of the summer, but some I had to give a quick hug to and then I was off (yay for Facebook!) And now I am here at my hosts for the week, in León with Bianca and her family, and Betsy will be arriving later tonight. I am so thankful for their hospitality and welcome - and its really exciting to be in a family / home environment for a short time to have some time to properly rest and unwind... Ahh.
Here's to the holidays.

Day 19 - mi cerebro esta frito. #45daysofsummer #45díasdeverano

So, I am two days in to my Spanish experience and here are some of my observations so far:

• Spanish people eat a lot. Like, loads. The meals aren't always massive, but they just occur so frequently!! And it might just be that I'm at a youth camp but they also snack loads too! No idea where they put it all...

• I have totally underestimated the effort / skill of anyone who has learnt another language and become proficient. I wasn't expecting to find this easy at all, in fact, it's been a lot less scary than I anticipated but I just couldn't comprehend the level of frustration and challenge before I actually got here. I have learnt pretty quickly to say, mi cerebro esta frito (my brain is fried).

• Everybody wants to learn English. They do. It's hard sometimes to get them to speak Spanish to me because obviously I find it difficult to communicate clearly sometimes or understand what they're saying first time, but they also jump at any chance to practice speaking English to me! At least if they're learning too, we're all learning together.. 

• Everyone says hello to each other as they pass on the street. It's like I imagine it would have been in the olden days in England. Or when you're walking the dog up Clent. It's just a given, and its really nice and friendly :) and if I respond with "Buenos dias" or something like it, other than my hair colour, I reckon they could think I'm Spanish!

• After only one day here, everyone seemed to slow down when speaking. Of course, this didn't actually happen. But its amazing that even in such a short amount of time, my brain has begun to recognise loads more words, and although I don't know what most of them mean, I can take in the individual words rather than it seeming like people are speaking at a million miles an hour! So I am getting loads better at picking up the general topic of conversation now :)

OK.. So quick overview of what's actually going on here!
I am currently helping at a camp in a town called Toral. I'll be staying here for three different camps, and this one is a music camp. After devotions (los devocionales) and breakfast (desayuno), I help out with an hour or so of cleaning duties (limpio los servivios y los suelos) and then get to join the choir for the rest of the day! They are learning about 12 songs to perform at two concerts this weekend - one in the local town, and one at a castle in a town a few miles from here. I think, but I'm not sure yet, that I'll get to perform with them.. We'll see. Either way though, it's been really fun spending time with them, doing what I love and feel able to do (singing!) whilst also working on learning the language (which I am definitely less confident at, but it's going well!)
My favourite times so far are the evenings - at 10:45pm (very specific!) we have an hour of group games. Yes, for all who are wondering, I am still very competitive even when everything is in another language... And the people here have been so quick to welcome me straight in and make sure I know what's going on!!
There have been a few times when I've felt a bit wobbly and emotional already - feeling nervous, and a bit lonely because it's so hard to communicate properly. But as time goes on, that is getting less and I do feel like I'm getting to know people more and more!

One of the games last night where people had to propose to each other in the funniest / most romantic way. It sounded amazing although I didn't understand most of it!

Another game, where two people had to make up an amusing dialogue to go along with a serious part of a movie.

The choir.

The band (are amazing!).

Reading from sheet music! Feeling professional... 

Day 13 - Good food, good friends, and good news..!! #45daysofsummer

Again we are without WiFi (for the next couple of days possibly), so I will have to update this post with pictures at a later date! But pictures are not always necessary, and I hope for today, words will suffice.

Day 13 of my Summer, here in Germany, was another good one although it was challenging in various ways too. So far the week has been incredible but we all know that life is not always sunshine and rainbows.. 

I have had this trip planned for many months, with the intention of catching up with old friends, resting, exploring, using my free summertime to it's maximum potential... And it's not that I was unaware but perhaps I was expecting too vast a difference - life is the same wherever in the world you are.

My struggles and challenges and the things I am working out and working through have come with me to Germany. So these past two days I have been continuing to process and pray and cry a little too. 

And I know this is OK. 

I also know that I am not alone in any of it. 

Conclusions from yesterday:

I am thankful for Jessie (I have been thankful for her on other days too!). Thankful that she has come on this trip with me, that she is one of the funniest people I know who makes me laugh more than anyone else in the world, that she knows where I'm at and knows my heart, and that she is patient and encouraging and willing to stand with me. 

But more so (and of course Jess won't mind me saying this!) I am more thankful for God. And thankful to be reminded again that wherever I am, location-wise, in my head or my heart, on my journey, He is there. My 'stuff' comes with me, but my God is already there. He is right beside me, dwelling in me by His Spirit. 

I am not alone. And God is even more patient and encouraging, allowing me to experience all that I am this week, with friends, nostalgia, new experiences, adventure, fun.. but also allowing me to continue to face and work on the things I need to, to grow, to change.. albeit a painful process, but a good one. He is so good.

So that's a bit of what was going on under the surface of the day... now let me give you a quick run down of the rest of the days events! (pictures to follow!)

Jerina, who was on Pais in Canada the year after I came home to England, lives in Frankfurt which is only an hour by train from Marburg. She arrived just before 10am and we all had a remeniscent Canadian style breakfast (pancakes, maple syrup, bagels, cream cheese, blueberries, fruit salad etc..). Needless to say, delicious!

Then we went out to expore the city some more - I have some great photos of the city from up high, at another local landmark (which sadly I can't remember the name of... I do remember that there were A LOT of stairs involved though!). This was followed by Casserole, a typical German dish (again, delicious!) and then our goodbyes were made... :(

The tower we climbed..

Top of the tower, here with Jerina!

View of Marburg.

The journey to Keltern began. :)

No storms this time, yay! In fact, minus the quick detour we had to Mannheim (just to say we've been there.. there is a German band both Jessie and I love called Söhne Mannheim), we made pretty good time until we actually made it to Keltern and got lost. After meeting what felt like half the village to ask if anyone knew 'Frederick Beck' (surprisingly, it seems that everyone does know him.. and each person got us a little closer to finding his house!) But we arrived finally, to see the lovely Anna. She had made Spezel (not sure of the spelling of that, I will have to find out) - basically a baked dish with pasta, vegetables and sauce (again, delicious!! Danke Anna!)

When Freddy arrived home, we drank Irish coffee and ate dessert and we heard their good news... THEY'RE ENGAGED! (Cute picture of them with their rings to come.. honest!)

They have been engaged since June and are announcing it mostly as they see or speak to people. Of course they told us the story of how and when (so unbelievably romantic!) but we were privileged to be the first people to whom they told the story in English!! So cute! :)

The rest of the evening was spent eating more dessert, catching up, playing music, booking tickets for the William Fitzsimmons gig we are going to tonight... and then, finally, to bed!

The above are pretty self I explanatory. We stopped off in Mannheim for some quick snaps of the city!

The happy couple - Freddy & Annschön and their rings!

Day 6: Slowing down, I've got all Summer.. #45daysofsummer

Well the moral of the story today (or this week) is to stop eating out as I have been feeling rather full..!

However, in weeks like this, when I get the time and space to slow down and catch up with friends and family, it is usually over coffee & cake or at a meal time, as having food together is a very social thing. And so we'll overlook it this time! But definitely need to consider other social activities to suggest when meeting with people!

I quite enjoyed having an admin morning first thing today and now I'm basically packed (and within the weight limit!) and all the paperwork is printed and organised! So all that's left for me to do is slow down (even more, as this week has been fairly full already), chill, read, sunbathe, eat, hangout with people.. Which is essentially what I've been able to do today. Today has seen some rather deep and profound conversations about Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, hair accessories, summer reading lists (all important things to discuss at this point in the holidays!), but equally some lighter topics such as compromising, trusting God, the book of John, and missionary stories.. Rich and diverse and keeping me thinking!

But grateful to have some more time to carry on reading Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers (recommended read!) and think everyone should read at least one Francine Rivers book this Summer and be inspired! Even got a bit of a cuddle from Missy while I was reading (although I wonder if she just thought I looked like a comfy place to nap).

                                                   

Here's the recipe for the muffins I made yesterday by the way, as they seemed to go down a treat! I'm sure you could substitute the raspberries for another soft fruit if they don't take your fancy. This makes approx. 20 muffins (plenty to share!) and since they contain two types of fruit (almost) they can surely be considered healthy?!

Or go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/raspberry-orange-muffins-recipe.html (in case the picture isn't that good!)

One more thing to share this evening! Ooh as well as the fact that I harvested one of my little courgettes today (perhaps prematurely!) but it was delicious and so cute! Have lots more growing on there too, will upload a picture tomorrow - the plant has well and truly flourished and seems to have exploded in terms of growth over the past week! BUT, that's not what I wanted to share. Look at my pansies!!! Grown from seed and have taken a few months but we finally have some smiley little flowers :) and I'm so happy I got into see them before I leave for my travels. 

On that note I'll wish you all a smiley Thursday, and leave you with the encouraging thought that sometimes it takes a long time for good things to grow, but it's worth the wait!
Goodnight!

Deep fried ice cream goodness...

OK I did find a recipe for Fried Ice Cream this afternoon tho, which got me pretty excited for the time when I will no longer be sharing a kitchen with 22 other people...

As much as I shall really miss living in halls on campus, I am genuinely looking forward to going home and trying this. And also doing more baking. Lots of baking.

:)

(if you want to try this, here's the website that has the know how!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4hjU44/simplysogood.blogspot.com/2011/05/fried-ice-cream.html ENJOY!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Slices

Mine did not come out looking at all like the picture on the previous post. Haha.

Ready to bake..

Ready to eat..

(please note that mine don't have the Tulip back drop either, which obviously makes a difference.)

They do taste like cookies though. Which is a start. And OK cookies actually. Maybe even good. Like, not as good as Brenda's or Donna's, but good cookies all the same!

(Next time I'll add more chocolate chips though, and cook them on a lower temp for a longer time.. see I'm learning!)

In fact, I've judged them good enough to take round Mark and Vicky's tonight, for dessert. So they passed on that level. Plus Matty enjoyed one hot out the oven last night, and then another for his drive to college this morning. Double score.

Not bad for a first go, eh?!

Masterpiece #2. Get in. I don't have one for today though, unless (by some miracle) I finish this essay I'm writing..

I told my Nan today about the cookies, and about Monday's Lasagna success too, and she said, "Oooh you'll make a good wife one day!"

Thanks Nan, thank you muchly.

That is definitely in the Top 3 of what a girl wants to hear at my age. (I'm not joking!)

The sun is shining today too - it's over 20 degrees outside.

And I am 400 words in to my 1500 word essay. Better than nothing!

What a happy little bunny I am today!

Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

I am not a Mennonite.
However, I did live with a Mennonite family for a year and can therefore somewhat appreciate their sense of community and their attitude to cooking and/or baking good food.

http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/

This site gets almost 4500 visits every day.

I'm thinking I may be one of those visitors, looking for some inspiration over the next couple of weeks - especially since today's recipe is Chocolate Chip Cookie Slice.

(got this pic off the site - not my creation!

If I do end up making these I'll upload my pic although I

doubt they will look quite as d-lish as these..)

Oh gosh I will have put on so much weight by the end of these holidays....

Easter Break: day one.

OK firstly, my cousin just posted this to me on fb and it is incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIhGxEdez98

Click and watch and be amazed all over again by the gospel.

(sometimes you need to hear it again afresh, right? I don't know how I get so blasé about all of this..)

Right, so now you've watched that.

Check this out!

Ready to bake...

Ready to eat..

It's a shame the photo doesn't do it huge amounts of justice! But trust me, it was good. Especially for a first ever attempt at making lasagna (from scratch might I add!).

In fact, I was so excited about baking today (and being all 'housewifey'!) I've had to stop myself from making a goal of 'creating a masterpiece a day' for the duration of my easter break..

(This would count as masterpiece #1, obviously.)

But I'm pretty sure after like 3 days I'd run out of things to make, or else run out of creativity or motivation.

And in all fairness, it would just be another way to procrastinate from getting my essays and revision done.

But we'll see what I can do, anyway.

Like I also made chocolate cornflake cakes for supper whilst watching Glee, for Mom and I to eat while watching Eclipse again.

(Can't think of a segway so this can be it!)

Last night I was reading Eat, Pray, Love (getting through it slowly - I'm almost half way through).

The story is written by Elizabeth Gilbert, and is about the year she takes out to travel and find herself and ultimately, get her life back on track. It's split in to three parts, and I'm in the second one - she is currently in India, living in an Ashram while visiting her guru (I know this sounds weird, you have to read it to understand but stick with me here!).

So last night I got to a part where she was admitting how hard she finds the act of meditation and I was so incredibly challenged by it, I couldn't wait to write it down and reflect on what she'd said.

"There's a difference between meditation and prayer, though both practices seek communion with the divine. I've heard it said that prayer is the act of talking to God, while meditation is the act of listening. Take a wild guess as to which comes easier for me. I can prattle away to God about all my feelings and my problems all the livelong day, but when it comes time to descend in to silence and listen. . . well that's a different story. When I ask my mind to rest in stillness, it is astonishing how quickly it will turn (1) bored, (2) angry, (3) depressed, (4) anxious or (5) all of the above."

What she said so resonated with how I feel most of the time (minus the angry and depressed parts).
Even when I sat with God this morning, and prayed and read the Word, I felt like this.

It's funny how in the times when life is crazy and hectic, I so crave that quiet time and just to hear God in the stillness.. and then when life calms down and I get some time to be still and listen, it becomes the hardest thing in the world for me to do!

I was listening to someone talk a few weeks ago, and he was saying that we can't or we shouldn't be bored with God.. and I agree with him on that. This is not so much that I am bored by or with God, it just feels more like I've got a case of ADHD of the mind - I can't be still long enough to simply sit and wait on God, and listen to what He's saying.

And yet God says, 'Be still and know that I am God'.

He spoke to Samuel while he was sleeping, and to Elijah in the still small voice.

And I want for Him to speak to me in the quiet, too.

But I know I have to listen in order to hear..

It's encouraging, though, to know that others feel like it too (I know it's only in a book, and Elizabeth doesn't have a relationship with God through Christ like I do, but it's encouraging still..)

Even in Romans 7, Paul talks about not doing what he wants to do, and doing what he doesn't want to do and while he's not talking about listening, I think it's applicable here.

So this is something I've asked God for help with, and I'm hoping for change.

:)

It's a good thing my God is in to change!

That's enough musings for one day I think.

G'night!

Hungry for the Word!

So i'm sitting there, right. And i'm thinking about the LORD (as you do), and about life lessons and sound teaching i've heard from good people.

And then it just sort of dawned on me.

A wise woman once told me that reading your bible, is like eating meals.

"Sometimes," she told me, "you don't even feel hungry, but you eat anyway because you know that you need to eat to stay alive. And sometimes you just eat because you like eating, and it tastes good and you get cravings that you want to fulfil! You don't just need food to stay alive though, it's not all about survival, but growth. Babies need to eat for growth and repair, same with children, and even adults. You (we!) just need food."

And in the same way, we need to read our Bible. Not just to stay alive, but for growth and repair.

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that 'All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training..'

It's never a waste of time. ever.

My favourite part of the conversation with this wise friend of mine went like this though;

Rebecca - "What did you eat for dinner this time last year?"

Me - "Erm... Really? I have no idea."

Rebecca - "Alright, how about last tuesday?"

Me - "....I can't remember."

Rebecca - "OK, well what was the best meal you ever had?"

Me - "Erm.... Oh gosh, well, oh yeah OK, when I was younger my mom used to always make this soup with these tiny little pasta shapes in... ohh no actually, there's this dish at Big Wok called Egg Foo Yung and i've actually never tasted anything like it, or nooo there was that time I went out for my friends birthday and-"

Rebecca - "Now you don't necessarily remember what you ate last year, or even last week, but I guarantee those meals gave you energy to continue through the day, even though you probably didn't think about it. But you do remember the really good meals, the ones that mean the most or taste the best, and you can recall what they were, when you need to."

Again, this is like reading Bible reading.

And this encourages me in a morning, to get up and read His Word, regardless of whether I'm completely shattered and have a 10am lecture to get to.

It's unlikely that I'll remember everything I read or study. But it's never wasted, it gives me energy, it makes me spiritually healthy and it gives me nutrients to store up and draw on when the time is right. And then every so often, I'll have an incredible meal, I'll read something specifically relevant or God will reveal something new and invigorating, and I'll remember it and it will be a defining moment and a meal I'll remember for a long time.

But I need to remember that most times when I read my Bible won't be like that.

But they are just as important.

And so the thing that dawned on me?

(and i'm not sure if it's theologically sound yet, but it's a cool concept with regards to the theme of food and bible reading yay!)

"In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God..." (John 1:1-2)

This word was breathed out and things were formed and other such cool things.

And it goes on to say that "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

So this 'Word' (logos) they are referring to is Jesus, yes? He became flesh, and He dwelt among us in around about 2 AD.

And the Bible, is also the word of God (remember that 2 Tim 3:16 verse!) and therefore, Jesus is the Word of God: the Bible... In a sort of weird, supernatural way.

Let's just say Jesus = the Word = the Bible.

Yeah?

OK so another thing about Jesus is that He declared "I am the Bread of Life." (John 6:35)

And so not only is Jesus the WORD (i.e. the Bible) he is also the BREAD of Life.

For the mathematical among us then, Jesus = Word + Bread.

And there you go. That was my revelation moment. That Jesus even told us that he's the bread of life, He's the food we need to survive, and grow, a be repaired and yet we can enjoy it too. And we get this bread through reading His word, feeding on it, chewing it over, savouring every syllable, every word and verse and letting it satisfy that hunger inside.

Man, our God is good. And having just got back in to reading my Bible, I remember now, how good His word tastes.

Mmmm...

Bon Appetite!! (And thanks God, for the good food!!)