Well.. we made it :) And our 7 suitcases too! In fact, we were not charged for our 7th piece (only allowed 2-per-person on international flights), so it was a total God-thing :) *"God-thing"= something only God can orchestrate... which is basically everything, but you get the picture*. Anyway, neither of our flights were full either, SO we all had extra seats next to us, meaning a more relaxing trip altogether. Nothing crummy happened- the flights were both great, and my friend picked us up in MSP and whisked us home! Well, actually my Dad drove because my friend and I do a lot of talking, and her husband didn't think she'd be able to concentrate and drive at the same time (HAHAHAAAA)... he was right, I think! All is good :D
The Journey Is NOT Over Yet...
I have been invited back to the Netherlands to help with the upcoming season of FireChoir! Very exciting, and I accepted. This means that I need a couple of visas, more money, and more PRAYER! But, I always need the Prayer, so don't ever stop that!
I'm not sure what my budget will be, but I want to get back asap... so if God leads you to support me in any way, please get ahold of me, and I will tell you how it can be done (IT Can Be Done!). :)
Tot Ziens for now- gotta head back out into the cold (YUCK!). Blessings and Love
~A
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
December is here!
Happy December 1st!
Well here we are- we survived Thanksgiving and 2 birthdays all within 5 days of each other (we were described as people with "gluttons for punishment" and I think they were right!)! Haha. Wednesday I had several friends over to celebrate my 30th year of life outside of the womb! Then my "Sistah" from Spain (who is also from my home-church back in the States) flew in at 10:30 that night! Thursday was our Thanksgiving celebration-C'tal was here of course, and we also had 6 others come over as well- I think everyone had a great time, even though we had Chicken instead of Turkey! The Pumpkin pie that R&C made was the best I have ever tasted in my life! The apple pie was lekker too! Plus all the other food, heel lekker! We had a grand ol' time :)
Friday wasn't "Black Friday" here in NL... but C'tal and I shopped and shopped and shopped anyway... making up for being out of the US of course :D We had a blast! Saturday we went to Haarlem and Zaanse Schans, a windmill park- and then Sunday it was time to go home! So fast!! But we had a blast! (that rhymed).
Tonight we have our FireChoir party to go to. It'll be sad! But such is life :) Besides... well, more on that later.
OK, that's the quick update for the moment. We are in the process of moving out of the house, so please pray for all our strength and health- extra doses of it all too!
Hugs and Love to all- can't wait to see my MN peeps soon!
~A
Well here we are- we survived Thanksgiving and 2 birthdays all within 5 days of each other (we were described as people with "gluttons for punishment" and I think they were right!)! Haha. Wednesday I had several friends over to celebrate my 30th year of life outside of the womb! Then my "Sistah" from Spain (who is also from my home-church back in the States) flew in at 10:30 that night! Thursday was our Thanksgiving celebration-C'tal was here of course, and we also had 6 others come over as well- I think everyone had a great time, even though we had Chicken instead of Turkey! The Pumpkin pie that R&C made was the best I have ever tasted in my life! The apple pie was lekker too! Plus all the other food, heel lekker! We had a grand ol' time :)
Friday wasn't "Black Friday" here in NL... but C'tal and I shopped and shopped and shopped anyway... making up for being out of the US of course :D We had a blast! Saturday we went to Haarlem and Zaanse Schans, a windmill park- and then Sunday it was time to go home! So fast!! But we had a blast! (that rhymed).
Tonight we have our FireChoir party to go to. It'll be sad! But such is life :) Besides... well, more on that later.
OK, that's the quick update for the moment. We are in the process of moving out of the house, so please pray for all our strength and health- extra doses of it all too!
Hugs and Love to all- can't wait to see my MN peeps soon!
~A
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thank You
I just wanted to thank you all again for your supporting me to be here- both financially and in prayer! I am so thankful and amazed at God's provision for me through you. He will always take care of you, don't ever doubt His love for you! Amen and amen!
Hugs and Love to all- and Thank you again!
~Alicia
Hugs and Love to all- and Thank you again!
~Alicia
Concert!!
Well, it came and went. :) The concert was great!
Friday night we get to the church a little before 6pm. We wanted everyone there by 6:30, but I wanted to be a little early. Once I got there, I was getting nervous/anxious/excited, so I wished we hadn't hurried there- but then again, traffic can be a headache, so we may have been really late!
So, I sat there, after finishing off my make-up, and talked to people here and there. Most of us were excited, some were nervous. Director Doug was up front looking at all his music before everyone arrived and inundated him with questions and nerves. I think he was nervous too. A lot rests on a Director's head, that's fo sho!
We all got into place, and started going over some songs. It came my turn to go over one of my (2) solos. I got up there, sang the first line, and noticed the lights weren't set-up properly.... the lights were my responsibility... all of a sudden I realized that I didn't remember my next line to the song--- AAAAACK DISTRACTIONS!!!!!!! I stood there and all my choir peeps were reaaaaaalllllly nervous all of a sudden (HAHA)... nothing like feeling like everyone is depending on you, and you're suddenly letting them down! We got through the chorus, and the next verse was better... but it shook us a bit I think! But then I reassured everyone that I WAS FINE! And we moved on. Later on I ran to the lil' Girls' room and reviewed my lines, and was certain it'd be alright!
The audience starts wandering in. The place is filling up, and I'm getting instructions on using the Walkie to alert the guy who's gonna "announce" us once we're ready to come on stage, and relaying that to the girl who's leading the other half of the choir onto the stage... then I run back stage, and my side is all lined up, so I give them a "pep-talk" to kill time since we're all especially antsy now. Then I get the signal that it's time, so I relay that via Walkie to my guy, and we all walk to the backstage doorway. EEKEEKEEK..... I could almost hear everyones' hearts' pounding away!
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming out on this very coooooold night. Introducing the all-new Amsterdam's Gospel FireChoir"!!!! Woohoo! Excitement. We walk out.
Whew... and it's done! Ok, so it seemed like it went *snap* that fast! We were shocked! Most songs went great, couple spots here and there, but everyone had a blast- including the audience!!! The choir Peeps surprised Doug and Jackee and me with flowers, cards and cd's at the end of the concert- that was so sweet. And Doug and Jackee surprised all us soloists with flowers too! So I was doubly blessed! I nearly cried after the choir thanked me for coming- what a blessing x a million!
So, now it is recovery mode... which isn't really happening, this week and next are packed full- almost more than last week! But such is life, and I'm gonna enjoy it.
God is good. You are wonderful. Love to all.
~A
Friday night we get to the church a little before 6pm. We wanted everyone there by 6:30, but I wanted to be a little early. Once I got there, I was getting nervous/anxious/excited, so I wished we hadn't hurried there- but then again, traffic can be a headache, so we may have been really late!
So, I sat there, after finishing off my make-up, and talked to people here and there. Most of us were excited, some were nervous. Director Doug was up front looking at all his music before everyone arrived and inundated him with questions and nerves. I think he was nervous too. A lot rests on a Director's head, that's fo sho!
We all got into place, and started going over some songs. It came my turn to go over one of my (2) solos. I got up there, sang the first line, and noticed the lights weren't set-up properly.... the lights were my responsibility... all of a sudden I realized that I didn't remember my next line to the song--- AAAAACK DISTRACTIONS!!!!!!! I stood there and all my choir peeps were reaaaaaalllllly nervous all of a sudden (HAHA)... nothing like feeling like everyone is depending on you, and you're suddenly letting them down! We got through the chorus, and the next verse was better... but it shook us a bit I think! But then I reassured everyone that I WAS FINE! And we moved on. Later on I ran to the lil' Girls' room and reviewed my lines, and was certain it'd be alright!
The audience starts wandering in. The place is filling up, and I'm getting instructions on using the Walkie to alert the guy who's gonna "announce" us once we're ready to come on stage, and relaying that to the girl who's leading the other half of the choir onto the stage... then I run back stage, and my side is all lined up, so I give them a "pep-talk" to kill time since we're all especially antsy now. Then I get the signal that it's time, so I relay that via Walkie to my guy, and we all walk to the backstage doorway. EEKEEKEEK..... I could almost hear everyones' hearts' pounding away!
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming out on this very coooooold night. Introducing the all-new Amsterdam's Gospel FireChoir"!!!! Woohoo! Excitement. We walk out.
Whew... and it's done! Ok, so it seemed like it went *snap* that fast! We were shocked! Most songs went great, couple spots here and there, but everyone had a blast- including the audience!!! The choir Peeps surprised Doug and Jackee and me with flowers, cards and cd's at the end of the concert- that was so sweet. And Doug and Jackee surprised all us soloists with flowers too! So I was doubly blessed! I nearly cried after the choir thanked me for coming- what a blessing x a million!
So, now it is recovery mode... which isn't really happening, this week and next are packed full- almost more than last week! But such is life, and I'm gonna enjoy it.
God is good. You are wonderful. Love to all.
~A
Saturday, November 15, 2008
SeVeN dAySssssss...
...and it will all be over! Or, should I say, Season 1 of FireChoir will be over?! We are performing on Friday, 21 November at Keerpunt Church in Amsterdam- near the VU (Vreij University) at 20:00 hours.... come if you can!!
For those of you that cannot (due to large water-like ditches called the Ocean), please PLEASE PleeeeaaaSe pray for us: 1) That God will speak through our words to both the choir members and the audience; 2) For us to continue ministering to these wonderful people we have been able to meet through the choir; 3) For Doug (choir Director) during the last few days of rehearsal and preparations..
I am very excited!! And God is good (that's not ever circumstancial either!)! God is good and faithful and with us no matter what we are facing as person, family, country or world.
After the concert, we are still going to be very busy: 2 birthdays to celebrate, packing up (we have to move out of our row-house by Nov. 30th... and this includes removing ALL flooring and light fixtures that were put in here, PLUS packing up the house into a container for storage while my parents go on furlough!!); we also are celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday the 22nd with the NL field missionaries; recording more for our cd; then my friend is coming from Spain (who is from MN!) for 5 days, and we get to sightsee, yay! .... :)
Life will be insane! Just like I like it! Ok, well not insane, but busy. Please keep all of us in your prayers throughout these next 3 weeks as we prepare not only physically, but emotionally, for another change in all of our lives. :)
Love and Blessings
~A
For those of you that cannot (due to large water-like ditches called the Ocean), please PLEASE PleeeeaaaSe pray for us: 1) That God will speak through our words to both the choir members and the audience; 2) For us to continue ministering to these wonderful people we have been able to meet through the choir; 3) For Doug (choir Director) during the last few days of rehearsal and preparations..
I am very excited!! And God is good (that's not ever circumstancial either!)! God is good and faithful and with us no matter what we are facing as person, family, country or world.
After the concert, we are still going to be very busy: 2 birthdays to celebrate, packing up (we have to move out of our row-house by Nov. 30th... and this includes removing ALL flooring and light fixtures that were put in here, PLUS packing up the house into a container for storage while my parents go on furlough!!); we also are celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday the 22nd with the NL field missionaries; recording more for our cd; then my friend is coming from Spain (who is from MN!) for 5 days, and we get to sightsee, yay! .... :)
Life will be insane! Just like I like it! Ok, well not insane, but busy. Please keep all of us in your prayers throughout these next 3 weeks as we prepare not only physically, but emotionally, for another change in all of our lives. :)
Love and Blessings
~A
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Flying by...
Wow, it's already November?! Time is now flying by. I've had a busy week, and it's been great.
Last Wednesday, Oct. 29th, we had 3 of our colleagues over for supper- they are all MA's (Missionary Associates) here in the Netherlands. MA's are basically a step between what I am as a short-term MAPS missionary, and my parents who are career missionaries. MA's come for 1, 2 or 3 years to a country and work with a career missionary.
Anyway, the three of them are all 25-26 years old, and the 6 of us literally had a BLAST! I am thankful for these three wonderful, FUN friends that God has placed in my life :)
Sunday the 'rents and I were invited to sing and preach (my Dad) at a church in Zeist, NL. The people are always so welcoming- we sang there almost 2 years ago now, and had the same great reception.
Tuesday I hung out with two of my MA friends (from Wednesday), and one of their friends as well... it was an awesome day of sightseeing! I didn't feel like a tourist much, since I knew where we were most of the time, and we were all about equally lost when it came to reading signs! Actually, we're doin' pretty good, haha.
Tuesday night I had set-up and practice for KidzArk. It was a blast! We had students from an NL Master's Commission helping out- I'd met all of them before, and working with them was incredible! We had a great time at the Kids crusade the next day.
Today I babysat for my AWESOME friends (E and R) for their son (F). He's an 8+month old CUTIE! His Mom is in the states for a week for a wedding, and his Dad needed to go to class (he's not an overachiever or anything..... yeah), so I met him at the University where my parents teach, and watched Baby for an hour and a half. We had a great time!
Tonight was Fire Choir (WOO)! I am going to miss those peeps somethin' FiErCe!! Practice was great, but we are reaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyy getting close to our concert (21 November, EEEEEEEEEEEkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!! Scary!).
Well, those are my thoughts on this fine night. It's 12:44 am, which means I need to head to bed. Hugs and love to all
~A
Last Wednesday, Oct. 29th, we had 3 of our colleagues over for supper- they are all MA's (Missionary Associates) here in the Netherlands. MA's are basically a step between what I am as a short-term MAPS missionary, and my parents who are career missionaries. MA's come for 1, 2 or 3 years to a country and work with a career missionary.
Anyway, the three of them are all 25-26 years old, and the 6 of us literally had a BLAST! I am thankful for these three wonderful, FUN friends that God has placed in my life :)
Sunday the 'rents and I were invited to sing and preach (my Dad) at a church in Zeist, NL. The people are always so welcoming- we sang there almost 2 years ago now, and had the same great reception.
Tuesday I hung out with two of my MA friends (from Wednesday), and one of their friends as well... it was an awesome day of sightseeing! I didn't feel like a tourist much, since I knew where we were most of the time, and we were all about equally lost when it came to reading signs! Actually, we're doin' pretty good, haha.
Tuesday night I had set-up and practice for KidzArk. It was a blast! We had students from an NL Master's Commission helping out- I'd met all of them before, and working with them was incredible! We had a great time at the Kids crusade the next day.
Today I babysat for my AWESOME friends (E and R) for their son (F). He's an 8+month old CUTIE! His Mom is in the states for a week for a wedding, and his Dad needed to go to class (he's not an overachiever or anything..... yeah), so I met him at the University where my parents teach, and watched Baby for an hour and a half. We had a great time!
Tonight was Fire Choir (WOO)! I am going to miss those peeps somethin' FiErCe!! Practice was great, but we are reaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyy getting close to our concert (21 November, EEEEEEEEEEEkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!! Scary!).
Well, those are my thoughts on this fine night. It's 12:44 am, which means I need to head to bed. Hugs and love to all
~A
Monday, October 27, 2008
Happy Birthday Mom!!
Yesterday was my Mom's 60th Birthday! We celebrated on Saturday by going to a steak place in Amsterdam- wonderful food, but pretty sure we spent MY retirement money on that meal, and I didn't even pay?! haha. Ok so it wasn't so bad, we're actually pretty economical people, but I don't get how some of those restaurants stay open with their prices! Actually, I wonder about that all around the world with some places! The food was superb though!
Moving right along. Sunday morning we went to church, and my Dad and I had sneakily got some Cream Puffs and other assorted cookies into church on Saturday, and Sunday morning we surprised my Mom by having it announced that it was her birthday and that the cookies were in her honour for everyone! See, here in NL people have it right.. they have coffee, tea and cookies after Sunday morning services--- it helps since most people have somewhat of a commute home, no matter where they live and it takes time of course so it tides them over... PLUS it provides great time for fellowship... and above all, it's Coffee, Tea and FOOD! Who says no to that? Exactly.
So then we came home, had some hamburgers and brussel sprouts.. I've learned to eat those little cabbage-looking heads by some miracle, haha- and then relaxed for awhile. My Dad and I were tired from all the PLANNING we'd been doing. See, we decided to throw a little surprise party Sunday night- and one thing my Dad and I are good at doing is going overboard on food preparations. SO we had quiche which I made (DELICIOUS, I surprised myself, fo sho!!); chips and bread with 2 diff dips, chocolate fondue with fruits, marshmallows, cake, peanuts...., meatballs we'd bought already prepared (good thinking!), chicken from KFC... 2 of our missionary colleagues brought 1) a mexican dip with chips, and 2) the Birthday Cake--- and both were GEWELDIG (great) and LEKKER (great tasting!)- so thank you so much to you 2 ladies, Dar and Jackee!
And of course we had Pops, or Sodas as some of you call them.. or Coke if you call it that too. And not to forget, we had coffee and tea for everyone. When my Dad and I were out buying the stuff for the party, we were looking for disposable cups for the hot drinks. I found some glass cups that were cheap, and I told my Dad we should just get some to supplement the coffee/tea cups they already had.. and he said, well, why don't we buy these black/white ones, and get one for each guest, and they can take them home with them!! (all together now): *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww George*
How sweet is that? Very, I agree :)
So we gave everyone a "Murielmento"- it's like a "Momento" but, better :D
All in all, it turned out GREAT! Thanks to everyone for making it such a wonderful night for my Family and I! Love you all!
And hugs to all that couldn't be there! ;) Hugs and Love to you all too!!
That's all for now. 4 weeks -1 day is my Dad's 60th Bday, and 3 days later is my 30th, so we're celebrating 150 years together! Of course they want to average that out to 50 years old each, but I'm not agreeing to that one! haha :)
**A
Moving right along. Sunday morning we went to church, and my Dad and I had sneakily got some Cream Puffs and other assorted cookies into church on Saturday, and Sunday morning we surprised my Mom by having it announced that it was her birthday and that the cookies were in her honour for everyone! See, here in NL people have it right.. they have coffee, tea and cookies after Sunday morning services--- it helps since most people have somewhat of a commute home, no matter where they live and it takes time of course so it tides them over... PLUS it provides great time for fellowship... and above all, it's Coffee, Tea and FOOD! Who says no to that? Exactly.
So then we came home, had some hamburgers and brussel sprouts.. I've learned to eat those little cabbage-looking heads by some miracle, haha- and then relaxed for awhile. My Dad and I were tired from all the PLANNING we'd been doing. See, we decided to throw a little surprise party Sunday night- and one thing my Dad and I are good at doing is going overboard on food preparations. SO we had quiche which I made (DELICIOUS, I surprised myself, fo sho!!); chips and bread with 2 diff dips, chocolate fondue with fruits, marshmallows, cake, peanuts...., meatballs we'd bought already prepared (good thinking!), chicken from KFC... 2 of our missionary colleagues brought 1) a mexican dip with chips, and 2) the Birthday Cake--- and both were GEWELDIG (great) and LEKKER (great tasting!)- so thank you so much to you 2 ladies, Dar and Jackee!
And of course we had Pops, or Sodas as some of you call them.. or Coke if you call it that too. And not to forget, we had coffee and tea for everyone. When my Dad and I were out buying the stuff for the party, we were looking for disposable cups for the hot drinks. I found some glass cups that were cheap, and I told my Dad we should just get some to supplement the coffee/tea cups they already had.. and he said, well, why don't we buy these black/white ones, and get one for each guest, and they can take them home with them!! (all together now): *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww George*
How sweet is that? Very, I agree :)
So we gave everyone a "Murielmento"- it's like a "Momento" but, better :D
All in all, it turned out GREAT! Thanks to everyone for making it such a wonderful night for my Family and I! Love you all!
And hugs to all that couldn't be there! ;) Hugs and Love to you all too!!
That's all for now. 4 weeks -1 day is my Dad's 60th Bday, and 3 days later is my 30th, so we're celebrating 150 years together! Of course they want to average that out to 50 years old each, but I'm not agreeing to that one! haha :)
**A
Sunday, October 26, 2008
It's been 2 weeks...
...and No, I have not disappeared into the oblivion that is the Netherlands :) 2 weeks ago as we were coming home from church, I wasn't feeling all that great. We stopped to get something to eat, and as we were standing in line I told my Mom that I was not feeling good. Hmm.. It just went downhill from there! I got a cold/flu or something, and was quite out of it for over a week! I even had to miss choir practice 2 Thursdays ago :'( and I was very bummed that I did! It turned out to be a good thing though, since I was still running a fever- which lasted nearly 10 days by the way! And now I've been battling a cough, which is also quite annoying!
But hey, God is good, and I'm still here to attest to that :) We had a trip planned since before I got here in September, so we decided to still do that, since I was feeling better by last Sunday. We spent 4 days in Luxembourg and Germany- and loved it!
Saturday before we left, I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to see one of my former (She's not old!!) teachers from the 8th grade! She taught me in Togo at the British School of Lome in the '92-'93 school year, and I hadn't heard or seen from her until this summer when we reconnected on FaceBook of all places! So then we catch up to where we are and so on, and she tells me she's going to be in Amsterdam on Saturday, the 18th of October, and would I like to meet up with her and her Mom! SHOCKING, haha! I took my Mom with, and we met up with them for some lunch and tea, and had such a wonderful time! It was such a blessing to reconnect after all these years, what fun! The time was short (TOO short!) but fabulous nonetheless. Hugs to you Debbie, and Patricia too!!
Well, that is all for now. Got some stuff to do for tonight. Did I mention that today is my Mom's 60th birthday?? That's right, and she doesn't look close to that age, does she? :) I'm making her a surprise supper! Well, she knows I'm making it for her, but she doesn't know what I'm making- and I'm cooking up a doooooozy! Thankfully I have a helper, in the form of my Dad! Wahoo!
Hugs and Love to all :) Thanks for your messages, emails and prayers-they impact me more than you will ever know!
**A
But hey, God is good, and I'm still here to attest to that :) We had a trip planned since before I got here in September, so we decided to still do that, since I was feeling better by last Sunday. We spent 4 days in Luxembourg and Germany- and loved it!
Saturday before we left, I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to see one of my former (She's not old!!) teachers from the 8th grade! She taught me in Togo at the British School of Lome in the '92-'93 school year, and I hadn't heard or seen from her until this summer when we reconnected on FaceBook of all places! So then we catch up to where we are and so on, and she tells me she's going to be in Amsterdam on Saturday, the 18th of October, and would I like to meet up with her and her Mom! SHOCKING, haha! I took my Mom with, and we met up with them for some lunch and tea, and had such a wonderful time! It was such a blessing to reconnect after all these years, what fun! The time was short (TOO short!) but fabulous nonetheless. Hugs to you Debbie, and Patricia too!!
Well, that is all for now. Got some stuff to do for tonight. Did I mention that today is my Mom's 60th birthday?? That's right, and she doesn't look close to that age, does she? :) I'm making her a surprise supper! Well, she knows I'm making it for her, but she doesn't know what I'm making- and I'm cooking up a doooooozy! Thankfully I have a helper, in the form of my Dad! Wahoo!
Hugs and Love to all :) Thanks for your messages, emails and prayers-they impact me more than you will ever know!
**A
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Leading Worship
I am so excited, because I have been able to lead worship twice in the last 3 days, and it is such an awesome thing to do! Sunday night it was at the English service where my parents and I attend church- called Keerpunt or "Turning Point". Every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays there is an English service in the evening.
I really did NOT want to lead worship on Sunday. I was feeling... hmm, inept, to say the least. My piano playing is less than good, and I haven't really played since the middle of May-- so I set all my focus on that point of discomfort, and really had a battle. But I decided to do it anyway, the best that I could, and rely on God to do His thing :) I planned to go in early, around 5pm, so that I would have about an hour+ to practice and prepare.
We pull up to the church, and comment on how busy the parking area is..... Oh NO. There is an Indonesian service that runs from 3-6 pm... and so they were there, having service! Aaaaack!
We decided to go get a sandwich- what else could we do?! Oddly enough, I had peace somehow.. God is so true to His word when He says that He will give us peace in times when it doesn't make sense to have peace.
The sandwich was fantastic, btw- ham, mozarella, tomatoes and Pesto--- YUM YUM!!
ANYWAY (we're drifting away from the story here...!)- so we got back to the church, and I had about 18 minutes to practice, and then 1 minute to grab a cup of tea, and we started the service. God really answered our worship to Him- He Was There In The Midst Of Us, amen! And then one of my new friends, Sarah, got up and spoke some words of encouragement--- she talked about how God sees us as precious stones... sometimes on the outside, we just look like dull rocks with rough, ugly edges.. but on the inside, we are precious, beautiful stones.... :)
On with worship.. I led worship in chapel today at my parents' school- The PU's sang backup, and one of the students played guitar, and I played the piano. We practiced yesterday- and after Sunday night, I was so encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and the people at the service- that my confidence had grown and there was a change in my approach and thoughts even.
Today went very well, even though we were pressed for time (what's new?!)! God has encouraged me SO much, through people and these experiences, in just a few days. What a great journey! :)
love you all
~A
I really did NOT want to lead worship on Sunday. I was feeling... hmm, inept, to say the least. My piano playing is less than good, and I haven't really played since the middle of May-- so I set all my focus on that point of discomfort, and really had a battle. But I decided to do it anyway, the best that I could, and rely on God to do His thing :) I planned to go in early, around 5pm, so that I would have about an hour+ to practice and prepare.
We pull up to the church, and comment on how busy the parking area is..... Oh NO. There is an Indonesian service that runs from 3-6 pm... and so they were there, having service! Aaaaack!
We decided to go get a sandwich- what else could we do?! Oddly enough, I had peace somehow.. God is so true to His word when He says that He will give us peace in times when it doesn't make sense to have peace.
The sandwich was fantastic, btw- ham, mozarella, tomatoes and Pesto--- YUM YUM!!
ANYWAY (we're drifting away from the story here...!)- so we got back to the church, and I had about 18 minutes to practice, and then 1 minute to grab a cup of tea, and we started the service. God really answered our worship to Him- He Was There In The Midst Of Us, amen! And then one of my new friends, Sarah, got up and spoke some words of encouragement--- she talked about how God sees us as precious stones... sometimes on the outside, we just look like dull rocks with rough, ugly edges.. but on the inside, we are precious, beautiful stones.... :)
On with worship.. I led worship in chapel today at my parents' school- The PU's sang backup, and one of the students played guitar, and I played the piano. We practiced yesterday- and after Sunday night, I was so encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and the people at the service- that my confidence had grown and there was a change in my approach and thoughts even.
Today went very well, even though we were pressed for time (what's new?!)! God has encouraged me SO much, through people and these experiences, in just a few days. What a great journey! :)
love you all
~A
Friday, October 3, 2008
Hello!
Just wanted to say hello to everyone out there :) It's Friday, so that means Fish day! I trotted out to the open market about a 1/2 block from my house and got some fried fish to eat- I'm thankful it's only out there once per week, I can justify eating it that much :) Yum!
Anyway, Hugs'Love to all :)
~A
Anyway, Hugs'Love to all :)
~A
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Oktober???
It's Oktober? Say whaaaaaaaaat??? :) Yes, welcome to the very COLD month of October! It has been cold all month! And we're only nearly 24 hours into it, and Brrrr!
Today was my very first KidzArk event with the children's ministry that I am helping out with. It was loads of fun! The kids pretty much only speak Dutch, and I know how to say "What is your name? My name is Alicia. Do you speak English? I only speak English! That is pretty! Good job!" So... needless to say, I didn't converse a lot with the kids. I smiled a lot, and laughed when the kids were laughing- they give good clues as to when they are enjoying stuff or not, so it was fun! I helped in a Human Video and with Mosiac Tiles for the craft "club" time- that was fun too.
The best part was working with some Master's Commission students. I met 3 of them- there are 6 at one of the churches near the church where we met at for KidzArk- and 3 of them helped out today, as well as other students in a similar program. They spoke great English so we had fun talking and working together, and it was their first time helping out too, so I didn't feel like the sole total stranger to the whole process!
Then afterwards I went to a friends house and some other friends came over and we had Chinese food, and it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! I could have eaten MUCH more, haha! Geweldig ;)
I get tomorrow morning/afternoon off, so I am very excited to "chill" for awhile, it's nice to have breaks now and again :)
Blessings'Hugs'Love All
~A
Today was my very first KidzArk event with the children's ministry that I am helping out with. It was loads of fun! The kids pretty much only speak Dutch, and I know how to say "What is your name? My name is Alicia. Do you speak English? I only speak English! That is pretty! Good job!" So... needless to say, I didn't converse a lot with the kids. I smiled a lot, and laughed when the kids were laughing- they give good clues as to when they are enjoying stuff or not, so it was fun! I helped in a Human Video and with Mosiac Tiles for the craft "club" time- that was fun too.
The best part was working with some Master's Commission students. I met 3 of them- there are 6 at one of the churches near the church where we met at for KidzArk- and 3 of them helped out today, as well as other students in a similar program. They spoke great English so we had fun talking and working together, and it was their first time helping out too, so I didn't feel like the sole total stranger to the whole process!
Then afterwards I went to a friends house and some other friends came over and we had Chinese food, and it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! I could have eaten MUCH more, haha! Geweldig ;)
I get tomorrow morning/afternoon off, so I am very excited to "chill" for awhile, it's nice to have breaks now and again :)
Blessings'Hugs'Love All
~A
Sunday, September 28, 2008
My Weekend Adventure in Belgium
Friday morning my Mom and I headed out from the house around 9:15am. We walked 15 minutes to the train station, and bought two tickets to Maastricht, Netherlands. Thankfully the machine also works in English (ya press the little picture of the British flag in the bottom-left corner, and voila, Engels!). Anyway, we climbed the 2 sets of stairs to the platform-- we were about 25 minutes early, so we got the wait awhile :) No point in running to the train station late and missing your train!
Eventually we made it to Maastricht, no problems along the way, about 4 hours after we left home. My Dad met us there with the car, and we continued on to Belgium. He and my Uncle had been there since Monday teaching/speaking at different churches of their missionary friends the Meyers. I had heard of them for years, but never met them except once when I was 7.. but didn't remember them! They live in the town of Ciney, a beautiful picturesque town somewhere in Brussels- they work there and also in the town of Dinant which has one of the most beautiful churches and a fortress I've seen- they are right next to each other, so I think it makes them even more impressive!
Friday night we had church in Dinant, and my parents and I sang a couple of songs, and then we also sang in the Sunday morning service in Ciney. Saturday my parents, uncle and Roger (the host!) went to Bastogne where, during the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne was completely surrounded by enemy soldiers but the allies held them off. There is a great monument there built by the Belgians in honour of the American soldiers that fought in that war. There is also a museum that were visited, quite interesting as well :)
Well, that is the short version. Tomorrow I'll be spending most of the day recording more parts of songs for FireChoir, and then Tuesday and Wednesday I'll do more recording in the morning if needed, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy the pics! The captions/descriptions are below each pic!
~A :)
**************************Belgium Trip*******************
Me, talkin' to Adolf Sax- the creator of the Saxophone!
Just outside of the star monument in Bastogne- I loved this statue of the Eagle drinking water out of a soldier's helmet- it represents the "Screaming Eagles" from WWII
The Star monument in Bastogne, where the allies succeeded in holding off the enemy in the Battle of the Bulge! The monument was built by the Belgians in honour of the Americans that fought in the war
Me, on top of the Star monument- I'm "touching" Minnesota with my scarf. Every US state is listed on the monument!
One of the Tanks used in WWII - the back of the tank is below...
This is the back of the tank, where a young 25-year old captian was sitting inside the tank, and was killed by whatever made this hole in the tank. The skin on the tank is thick, too!
My parents and I "singing" for the camera at the church in Dinant! 
The church in Ciney is actually part of a mall in a store front- very cool!
Immanuelle and her brother- she is my newest friend, a real sweetheart!
"La Guere des Vaches"... the War of Cows. This statue (and the pic below) are to represent a war that happened many years ago where a man from one town stole another man's cow. He eventually returned it, but the town where the cow was stolen from was so angry that they went to war against that man's cow and there was a huuuuuge battle that eventually involved many regions around both towns, and literally thousands of people were killed and died because of that war... All because of a simple Cow.....
So, this statue is in a Traffic circle as a reminder of all those people that were senselessly killed because of one man's actions. Just think what one person can do, for good? :)
Eventually we made it to Maastricht, no problems along the way, about 4 hours after we left home. My Dad met us there with the car, and we continued on to Belgium. He and my Uncle had been there since Monday teaching/speaking at different churches of their missionary friends the Meyers. I had heard of them for years, but never met them except once when I was 7.. but didn't remember them! They live in the town of Ciney, a beautiful picturesque town somewhere in Brussels- they work there and also in the town of Dinant which has one of the most beautiful churches and a fortress I've seen- they are right next to each other, so I think it makes them even more impressive!
Friday night we had church in Dinant, and my parents and I sang a couple of songs, and then we also sang in the Sunday morning service in Ciney. Saturday my parents, uncle and Roger (the host!) went to Bastogne where, during the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne was completely surrounded by enemy soldiers but the allies held them off. There is a great monument there built by the Belgians in honour of the American soldiers that fought in that war. There is also a museum that were visited, quite interesting as well :)
Well, that is the short version. Tomorrow I'll be spending most of the day recording more parts of songs for FireChoir, and then Tuesday and Wednesday I'll do more recording in the morning if needed, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy the pics! The captions/descriptions are below each pic!
~A :)
**************************Belgium Trip*******************
Roger and Lilly's house in Ciney, Belgium
The Cathedral in Dinant, at nightMe, talkin' to Adolf Sax- the creator of the Saxophone!
Just outside of the star monument in Bastogne- I loved this statue of the Eagle drinking water out of a soldier's helmet- it represents the "Screaming Eagles" from WWII
The Star monument in Bastogne, where the allies succeeded in holding off the enemy in the Battle of the Bulge! The monument was built by the Belgians in honour of the Americans that fought in the warMe, on top of the Star monument- I'm "touching" Minnesota with my scarf. Every US state is listed on the monument!One of the Tanks used in WWII - the back of the tank is below...This is the back of the tank, where a young 25-year old captian was sitting inside the tank, and was killed by whatever made this hole in the tank. The skin on the tank is thick, too!
My parents and I "singing" for the camera at the church in Dinant! The church in Ciney is actually part of a mall in a store front- very cool!Immanuelle and her brother- she is my newest friend, a real sweetheart!"La Guere des Vaches"... the War of Cows. This statue (and the pic below) are to represent a war that happened many years ago where a man from one town stole another man's cow. He eventually returned it, but the town where the cow was stolen from was so angry that they went to war against that man's cow and there was a huuuuuge battle that eventually involved many regions around both towns, and literally thousands of people were killed and died because of that war... All because of a simple Cow.....So, this statue is in a Traffic circle as a reminder of all those people that were senselessly killed because of one man's actions. Just think what one person can do, for good? :)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Busy week!
It's been a few days since my last post, but it's been a busy week! Monday I started recording Alto for our songs for the choir so that people can learn their parts! It was a challenge, since I had only really started listening to the music Sunday afternoon, simply because I could not get the files to download to my computer until Saturday night. So I did some fast listening, and then some fast learning! Doug is a whiz on the piano so he pounded out the parts as I sang along and that helped me out too.
Monday night I had my first meeting for the kids' ministry that I am helping with, called KidzArc. There were 5 other ladies there besides me and Judy, the missionary that is heading it up. Much of the conversation was in Dutch, so that was a good challenge for me! I am learning words here and there, and also many Dutch words are very similar-sounding to English and sometimes even French--- so sometimes I could get the context even if I don't know what they were saying! Judy spoke English most of the time, so even if I didn't know what the other ladies were saying, she'd respond in English and I'd be caught up to speed.
KidzArc is once per month, on the first Wednesday of the month. They do all kinds of things- puppets, crafts, skits, human vidoes, small groups, et cetera... The first one I am helping with is this coming Wednesday, October 1st. We are having a set-up meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 30th, and I am going to be helping with the human video! There is a children's minister/evangelist who is going to be here for a week and she will be teaching us the human video--- so please be praying for me that I will learn fast, and that KidzArc will reach many kids with the Love of Jesus!
Tuesday I continued on with my recording. I knew what to expect this time, so that helped. Wednesday was pretty much the same, except we took a break to have some Tea! So good for the throat! :) Plus, it is getting chilly here already!! But from what I understand, it doesn't get freeeeeeeeeeeeeezzz--zzzing cold like it does in the midwest of the States, so it should be tolerable :)
Tonight we had out second choir practice. We split the groups up by part, and I helped with the Altos, since that is what I had been working on all week, and it went very well. Then we brought everyone together and worked on the songs together. For the first real time, it worked out pretty good! We have a lot of work ahead of us, but what's new, right? :)
Alright, that is all from this part of my world. Hope you all are good! Keep those prayers goin', comments comin', and emails rollin' in!
~A
Monday night I had my first meeting for the kids' ministry that I am helping with, called KidzArc. There were 5 other ladies there besides me and Judy, the missionary that is heading it up. Much of the conversation was in Dutch, so that was a good challenge for me! I am learning words here and there, and also many Dutch words are very similar-sounding to English and sometimes even French--- so sometimes I could get the context even if I don't know what they were saying! Judy spoke English most of the time, so even if I didn't know what the other ladies were saying, she'd respond in English and I'd be caught up to speed.
KidzArc is once per month, on the first Wednesday of the month. They do all kinds of things- puppets, crafts, skits, human vidoes, small groups, et cetera... The first one I am helping with is this coming Wednesday, October 1st. We are having a set-up meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 30th, and I am going to be helping with the human video! There is a children's minister/evangelist who is going to be here for a week and she will be teaching us the human video--- so please be praying for me that I will learn fast, and that KidzArc will reach many kids with the Love of Jesus!
Tuesday I continued on with my recording. I knew what to expect this time, so that helped. Wednesday was pretty much the same, except we took a break to have some Tea! So good for the throat! :) Plus, it is getting chilly here already!! But from what I understand, it doesn't get freeeeeeeeeeeeeezzz--zzzing cold like it does in the midwest of the States, so it should be tolerable :)
Tonight we had out second choir practice. We split the groups up by part, and I helped with the Altos, since that is what I had been working on all week, and it went very well. Then we brought everyone together and worked on the songs together. For the first real time, it worked out pretty good! We have a lot of work ahead of us, but what's new, right? :)
Alright, that is all from this part of my world. Hope you all are good! Keep those prayers goin', comments comin', and emails rollin' in!
~A
Friday, September 19, 2008
First Practice!
We had our first practice last night, and it went very well! There were about 35-40 people total, and lots of laughing and enjoying ourselves, so it was a good time. Of course everyone was overwhelmed by not knowing any of the music really well, except for one song called "Amen" which I think most of the western world would know- and one song that was sung in a movie called "I Love You Lord"- a few people knew that song. But we assured them that there would be MP3's for them to get with their parts on it, and that will definitely help!
I am singing in the Soprano section, because there were fewer Sop's, and my Mom decided to join the choir too! So she's doing Alto of course, so that'll be good for practicing at home! Next week I am going to go to Doug and Jackee's and record the Alto part along with the songs so that the ladies have something to listen to for learning. That suits me just fine, because I like to learn all the parts of songs as we go along anyway, and it will make me available to teach different parts and fill in for Doug now and then.
We had a lot of people- about 6 or so- show up to check us out, so please pray that they come back and want to join us! There were also 2 guys that showed up looking for a Friday Night Bible study (uh, it was Thursday?!) and one of our ladies convinced them to join, and they signed up too after the rehearsal was over, so we were thrilled about all of that!! God works in allllll kiiiiiinnnndddssss of waaaaays!!!
Ok, well I am off to the market. Every Friday there is an open market in the centre of Hoofddorp--- and we happen to live about a half a block away! So we are going to get some fruit and fried fish (YUM!) and maybe some flowers-- to look at, of course :D
Hugs and Love to all :)
~A
I am singing in the Soprano section, because there were fewer Sop's, and my Mom decided to join the choir too! So she's doing Alto of course, so that'll be good for practicing at home! Next week I am going to go to Doug and Jackee's and record the Alto part along with the songs so that the ladies have something to listen to for learning. That suits me just fine, because I like to learn all the parts of songs as we go along anyway, and it will make me available to teach different parts and fill in for Doug now and then.
We had a lot of people- about 6 or so- show up to check us out, so please pray that they come back and want to join us! There were also 2 guys that showed up looking for a Friday Night Bible study (uh, it was Thursday?!) and one of our ladies convinced them to join, and they signed up too after the rehearsal was over, so we were thrilled about all of that!! God works in allllll kiiiiiinnnndddssss of waaaaays!!!
Ok, well I am off to the market. Every Friday there is an open market in the centre of Hoofddorp--- and we happen to live about a half a block away! So we are going to get some fruit and fried fish (YUM!) and maybe some flowers-- to look at, of course :D
Hugs and Love to all :)
~A
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Where I'm Living!
I'm living across the street and canal in the building on the Right. The canal is behind that fence.
If you look closely in the middle there you will see my Dad standing right next to the front door- under the third window from the Left--- that is our row house- all the windows in that column are ours--- the top window is the 4th floor window, and that is where my room is! You can barely see the window in this picture, but it's there!God Provides!
One of the things I had said I needed to buy when I got here was a bike. Today, my Dad and Uncle and I decided to go bike shopping, and I found out that someone had decided to actually buy a bike FOR me! WHat A Shocker!!! I was so excited!! (Can You Tell?!) :)
We found a bike that I thought would do the trick, and I hopped on... er, well, crawled on--- after 15+ years of not riding a bike, I was a slight bit apprehensive, to say the least! But, I got enough testing on it to know that it is going to work (with a little practice!) and had my Dad and Uncle there to help me check it out too--- and I decided to go with it. My Dad and I had been out bike shopping 2 other times, and kept coming back to this one store, but hadn't seen this bike before. It was quite remarkable, because when I got on the bike, we tested it for the right height for me, and it turns out with the seat at the lowest setting is the EXACT height that I need to reach the pedals and properly pedal!! Hmm... coincidence? :) Romans 8:28... "And we know that in all things (even the little, unimportant-seeming details) God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose".
Even in the small things that might not seem like they are the huge, ultra-important life-saving/changing details- God cares and supplies everything we need. What A Blessing :)
Hugs to all- Tomorrow is our FIRST CHOIR PRACTICE so please be praying!!!
~A
We found a bike that I thought would do the trick, and I hopped on... er, well, crawled on--- after 15+ years of not riding a bike, I was a slight bit apprehensive, to say the least! But, I got enough testing on it to know that it is going to work (with a little practice!) and had my Dad and Uncle there to help me check it out too--- and I decided to go with it. My Dad and I had been out bike shopping 2 other times, and kept coming back to this one store, but hadn't seen this bike before. It was quite remarkable, because when I got on the bike, we tested it for the right height for me, and it turns out with the seat at the lowest setting is the EXACT height that I need to reach the pedals and properly pedal!! Hmm... coincidence? :) Romans 8:28... "And we know that in all things (even the little, unimportant-seeming details) God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose".
Even in the small things that might not seem like they are the huge, ultra-important life-saving/changing details- God cares and supplies everything we need. What A Blessing :)
Hugs to all- Tomorrow is our FIRST CHOIR PRACTICE so please be praying!!!
~A
Monday, September 15, 2008
1st Day on "The Job"
Today I went out "advertising" with the missionary couple that I am working with- Doug and Jackee. We went around parts of Amsterdam and a couple place outside of AMS, hanging up posters and stuffing mailboxes with postcards that have info about the Gospel Fire Choir on them. It's interesting in NL, because there are several huge pillars randomly placed about where anyone can put up a poster with information about anything they want to- parties, concerts, dramas, shows... et cetera. So they've been putting up as many posters as they can with wallpaper paste! We did that for about 4-5 hours- it was fun, and I got a lot of walking in too! :)
I'm working through my jet-lag- getting up is the hardest- when I get up here at 10 am my body is telling me that it is really 3 am and that I should STAY IN BED!! But I crawl out of bed and get going, and it starts to feel "normal" as I get going. Right now it is almost midnight, and it really feels like I should be in bed, so my mind and my body are starting to adjust- little by little :)
Hugs to all
~A
I'm working through my jet-lag- getting up is the hardest- when I get up here at 10 am my body is telling me that it is really 3 am and that I should STAY IN BED!! But I crawl out of bed and get going, and it starts to feel "normal" as I get going. Right now it is almost midnight, and it really feels like I should be in bed, so my mind and my body are starting to adjust- little by little :)
Hugs to all
~A
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A Day in the Life of Flying + Day 1 of NL
I made it! I am in the Netherlands. All of my luggage arrived just fine, and I didn't have to leave anything behind at the airport. When I got there, both of my bags were overweight- the one was just over 50 pounds, so the lady said that wasn't a problem if my other bag was fine.. well, it was 55 pounds. So, she said to take 5 pounds out and then I'd be good to go. I took out a jacket, a book a some DVDs and that brought it to 52 pounds.. I asked her if that would be ok- she hesitated, and then said, ok, but don't tell anyone I'm doing this! Yay Jesus!
I stuffed the stuff into my carry-on's and that was that. Now, if you have ever seen me pack or traveled with me, you will know that I know how to get A LOT of things into a smallllll suitcase or purse. I had my carry-on, which weighed about 30 pounds, and I had my "personal item"- A.K.A. Very Big and Heavy Backpack, which also weighed around 30 pounds. I prayed my way through the checkpoints because I did not want them to tell me that my stuff was too heavy and that I needed to check one more bag. Thankfully no one lifted either bag, and I made it through ok! Needless to say, my back was a bit tired when I woke up this morning!
Anyway, then I got to my gate in Minneapolis, and ended up having over 2 hours to wait, since I had gotten through my luggage check and security point VERY quickly. Note-to-self: next time I fly out on a Tuesday in the middle of the day, 3 hours is NOT necessary for getting through the airport on time!
The flight was uneventful to Chicago, and that is ALWAYS a very GOOD thing :) I only had a 2-hour layover in Chicago, so I was prepared to run if need be. Chicago O'Hare is a HUGE airport, and often very busy, so I figured that at 4 in the afternoon, it would be busy. Generally in Chicago I have to get onto a tram/train, ride to another terminal, go through another security check-point- which can take forEver- and get to my gate by the time they are boarding the plane. So, I was ready.
I get off the plane, go to a set of TV screens to check which gate my flight is leaving from, and it was in the same terminal that I landed in! So: NO tram, NO security check-point, and NO rushing to get to my gate! I had time to get something to eat and sit down at my gate for over an hour. So that was a very smooth layover- Kudos to Chicago O'Hare!
The flight was fine going from C to Amsterdam, except that we were stuffed into the airplane like sardines in a can. Even the ladies next to me who were tiny were feeling cramped in their seats. I dozed off a couple of times, but never really slept at all. But I made it here, so did all of my STUFF! so it was a successful journey.
We landed about 35 minutes early, and thankfully my parents had been tracking my flight, so my Mom was waiting for me once I came out of the gate. I made it to their place by 10 am, and at 12:30 we had lunch with some of the people I will be working with! I lasted until around 4 or 5 pm and then couldn't keep my eyes open--- staying up for over 27 hours isn't my forte!
After my 2-hour nap, we had supper and enjoyed the beautiful weather out in the backyard. I will post pictures very soon, since that is what people seem to be asking the most for! Once I figure out how to do that on here, I'll get some up...!
Ok, hugs and love to all- thank you for praying for a good traveling day for me- your prayers were answered in full!
~A
I stuffed the stuff into my carry-on's and that was that. Now, if you have ever seen me pack or traveled with me, you will know that I know how to get A LOT of things into a smallllll suitcase or purse. I had my carry-on, which weighed about 30 pounds, and I had my "personal item"- A.K.A. Very Big and Heavy Backpack, which also weighed around 30 pounds. I prayed my way through the checkpoints because I did not want them to tell me that my stuff was too heavy and that I needed to check one more bag. Thankfully no one lifted either bag, and I made it through ok! Needless to say, my back was a bit tired when I woke up this morning!
Anyway, then I got to my gate in Minneapolis, and ended up having over 2 hours to wait, since I had gotten through my luggage check and security point VERY quickly. Note-to-self: next time I fly out on a Tuesday in the middle of the day, 3 hours is NOT necessary for getting through the airport on time!
The flight was uneventful to Chicago, and that is ALWAYS a very GOOD thing :) I only had a 2-hour layover in Chicago, so I was prepared to run if need be. Chicago O'Hare is a HUGE airport, and often very busy, so I figured that at 4 in the afternoon, it would be busy. Generally in Chicago I have to get onto a tram/train, ride to another terminal, go through another security check-point- which can take forEver- and get to my gate by the time they are boarding the plane. So, I was ready.
I get off the plane, go to a set of TV screens to check which gate my flight is leaving from, and it was in the same terminal that I landed in! So: NO tram, NO security check-point, and NO rushing to get to my gate! I had time to get something to eat and sit down at my gate for over an hour. So that was a very smooth layover- Kudos to Chicago O'Hare!
The flight was fine going from C to Amsterdam, except that we were stuffed into the airplane like sardines in a can. Even the ladies next to me who were tiny were feeling cramped in their seats. I dozed off a couple of times, but never really slept at all. But I made it here, so did all of my STUFF! so it was a successful journey.
We landed about 35 minutes early, and thankfully my parents had been tracking my flight, so my Mom was waiting for me once I came out of the gate. I made it to their place by 10 am, and at 12:30 we had lunch with some of the people I will be working with! I lasted until around 4 or 5 pm and then couldn't keep my eyes open--- staying up for over 27 hours isn't my forte!
After my 2-hour nap, we had supper and enjoyed the beautiful weather out in the backyard. I will post pictures very soon, since that is what people seem to be asking the most for! Once I figure out how to do that on here, I'll get some up...!
Ok, hugs and love to all- thank you for praying for a good traveling day for me- your prayers were answered in full!
~A
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Leaving.
I'm leaving for the airport in 1 hour! Please be praying that all my luggage arrives on time with me, and that it is all intact! Plus, that I will arrive in one piece as well, haha ;)
God bless you all. See you on the other side of the big Pond!
~Alicia
God bless you all. See you on the other side of the big Pond!
~Alicia
Monday, September 8, 2008
I'm Leaving Tomooooorrrrrooooowwwww!!!
Wow! The day is almost here- can't quite get my mind around that right now. I am almost all packed (YIPPEE!)- just got some clothes to do and few other things to add to the suitcases, but it's pretty much all done. This whole doing-things-ahead-of-time is really not a bad idea at all! Glad I'm finally tapping into that gold mine... haha!
Today I have quite the to-do list- hair appt. at 9am, errands to run after that, lunch with my "former" co-worker, more errands if the other ones aren't all done-- then home to chat with my Mama, finish packing, visit a couple friends, call more friends, laundry, cleaning the bathroom, write out lists, double check lists... I wonder if I get to sleep today? Eh, oh well- I can sleep tomorrow on the airplane, right?! Right! :)
Well it has been quite the journey so far, and I still haven't left the country. It's been a good road though, full of challenges and stuff, and that is good too.
Ok, off to start my list... have a good week y'all!
~A
Today I have quite the to-do list- hair appt. at 9am, errands to run after that, lunch with my "former" co-worker, more errands if the other ones aren't all done-- then home to chat with my Mama, finish packing, visit a couple friends, call more friends, laundry, cleaning the bathroom, write out lists, double check lists... I wonder if I get to sleep today? Eh, oh well- I can sleep tomorrow on the airplane, right?! Right! :)
Well it has been quite the journey so far, and I still haven't left the country. It's been a good road though, full of challenges and stuff, and that is good too.
Ok, off to start my list... have a good week y'all!
~A
Friday, September 5, 2008
4 days and all is weeeeeellllll
I'm sure you're all getting tired of the "less than ______ and I'll be in NL" phrase--- me too- I can't wait to start saying "been here only_____ and blah blah blah"! haha.
Seriously though, 4 days to go, and I'll be watching some movie on the airplane, hoping that the next 4+ hours go by quickly. :)
Today was my last day at work. The best thing about today was all the wonderful hugs and well wishes I received from my co-workers- I even got a hug from some customer that saw me hugging a few of my co-workers and asked if she could get in line too, haha. She was about my Grandma's age, so it was cute :P
It is still settling in that I am done at wmt. Hard to believe that after all these years of waiting to leave, it is over. I am so thankful that I waited on God's timing to do that, rather than leave the times I was frustrated and just simply wanted to quit, for whatever reason. And another thing, I was able to have nearly 2 months with my co-workers adjusting to the fact that I was leaving, and work through a lot of those emotions. I've said before on here that I've often had very little time to process things when a big change was coming in my life, and often said goodbye very quickly. This time was different- I got to enjoy sharing this next step with my friends without having to say goodbye hastily. It was so good :)
So, to all you peeps at 1633.. I will never forget you, and will always appreciate working and learning together with you (about life, not freight! haha). It is very hard to leave you all but I know it is the right time for my life, which means it's the right time for you too :) Love and appreciate you...
Hugs for now
~A
Seriously though, 4 days to go, and I'll be watching some movie on the airplane, hoping that the next 4+ hours go by quickly. :)
Today was my last day at work. The best thing about today was all the wonderful hugs and well wishes I received from my co-workers- I even got a hug from some customer that saw me hugging a few of my co-workers and asked if she could get in line too, haha. She was about my Grandma's age, so it was cute :P
It is still settling in that I am done at wmt. Hard to believe that after all these years of waiting to leave, it is over. I am so thankful that I waited on God's timing to do that, rather than leave the times I was frustrated and just simply wanted to quit, for whatever reason. And another thing, I was able to have nearly 2 months with my co-workers adjusting to the fact that I was leaving, and work through a lot of those emotions. I've said before on here that I've often had very little time to process things when a big change was coming in my life, and often said goodbye very quickly. This time was different- I got to enjoy sharing this next step with my friends without having to say goodbye hastily. It was so good :)
So, to all you peeps at 1633.. I will never forget you, and will always appreciate working and learning together with you (about life, not freight! haha). It is very hard to leave you all but I know it is the right time for my life, which means it's the right time for you too :) Love and appreciate you...
Hugs for now
~A
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Less than a week...
And I'll be leaving for NL! WOW! In fact, in a week from now I will be sleeping in NL! These last few days have gone faster than all the rest, so that means these next few days will be sonic-speed or faster. Still so much to do- packing, cleaning, sorting, packing, packing, cleaning, packing, packing.... you know the drill. Knowing that it will all be over in less than a week is helping me get through it!
Today I went to Avon (town about 15 min. away) with 2 of my friends, and we painted pottery together! It was a really cool experience- we had originally planned to go to the MN Zoo, but turned out that a bunch of the things we wanted to see there were not open, so the pottery won. It ended up being a blast- and really, a good reminder to me of how God has blessed me so much with friends in my life-- I am so rich with friends! So amazing... :)
Ok, back to packing & sorting & cleaning & & & :) :) :)
Love you all!
~A
Today I went to Avon (town about 15 min. away) with 2 of my friends, and we painted pottery together! It was a really cool experience- we had originally planned to go to the MN Zoo, but turned out that a bunch of the things we wanted to see there were not open, so the pottery won. It ended up being a blast- and really, a good reminder to me of how God has blessed me so much with friends in my life-- I am so rich with friends! So amazing... :)
Ok, back to packing & sorting & cleaning & & & :) :) :)
Love you all!
~A
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Single Digits!
Well, I am now down to it single digits of the number of days before I leave for NL! WOW!! I'm really excited and tired- those are the two main emotions I am generally feeling these days. Hard to believe that I'm down to 9 days...!
Yesterday I went to visit my Grandma and Aunt and Uncle in Wisconsin- traffic was perfect, and so was the weather! I spent most of the day with Grma, although part of the day was spent packing- see, my Uncle is coming over to Amsterdam a week after I leave here, and he is able to bring some of my stuff- YAYAYAYAAAAAAAA for him! I filled up most of one suitcase and that is going to help me SOOOOOO much! SO thank you UnC! :)
I also sang and shared about my upcoming adventure at his church in New Richmond, and I was WONderfully received by everyone there- as always! What a wonderful bunch of people, thank you for your blessings and encouragement to me! SHout OUt to NR!
Well, that's it for now. The next 9 days will be filled with packing, sorting & cleaning mostly, and hanging with some friends. It's going to be a VERY busy 9 days, but I have 9+ hours on 2 airplanes to rest, right? haha :)
Love you all!
~A
Yesterday I went to visit my Grandma and Aunt and Uncle in Wisconsin- traffic was perfect, and so was the weather! I spent most of the day with Grma, although part of the day was spent packing- see, my Uncle is coming over to Amsterdam a week after I leave here, and he is able to bring some of my stuff- YAYAYAYAAAAAAAA for him! I filled up most of one suitcase and that is going to help me SOOOOOO much! SO thank you UnC! :)
I also sang and shared about my upcoming adventure at his church in New Richmond, and I was WONderfully received by everyone there- as always! What a wonderful bunch of people, thank you for your blessings and encouragement to me! SHout OUt to NR!
Well, that's it for now. The next 9 days will be filled with packing, sorting & cleaning mostly, and hanging with some friends. It's going to be a VERY busy 9 days, but I have 9+ hours on 2 airplanes to rest, right? haha :)
Love you all!
~A
Friday, August 29, 2008
Prayer Needed for Insane Chica!!
That'd be me. I'm the insane Chica. I'm the insane Chica that is a major procrastinator! Yes, I know that all of you are intensely shocked by this, but nonetheless, it's true.
Ok, so you're not shocked. :) Neither am I, so it's fun. But I am getting some things together to take to my Uncle's tomorrow- he lives 2 hours away, and he is coming to NL a week after I am----which is GREAT because I have too much stuff I need to bring and not enough room on the airplane! So, yay! But I am not used to packing this much in advance, and I have so many thoughts rolling around in my head and sooooo muuuuuuch tooooo dooooo I'm going crazy! But you know, "the darkest hour is always just before dawn"... so, I am going to keep on keeping on-- even if it means I keep on being insane! hahaaaa :)
So, I was reminded of something earlier on today. Several years ago- maybe like 5 or 6?... God told me that I needed to work on 3 areas of my life before He would move me from here.. He didn't exactly specify what "here" was, but He said the areas were 1) My finances, 2) My organization (ick) and 3) My health/getting into shape. So of course, I took that as meaning I needed to be perfect in all those areas, and who in the world would ever be able to do that?? Ugh!
So slowly over the past few years I have worked on those areas- some, little bits at a time, other times it was huge chunks- but I've worked hard in different ways. And today, I realized that I am now "moving on" from that place that I was in- that although I have not perfected any of these areas, by ANY means- I am working at being obedient in working on things in my life that need to change. I have learned a true lesson in Grace and what it means to be obedient. AND I benefitted from both of those areas. So cool!
Well, now I'm back to being crazy-insane chica again. I gotta run outside to my car and see if the oil is holding out--- eeek! God is good~Always (WW).
Hugs, Love
~A
Ok, so you're not shocked. :) Neither am I, so it's fun. But I am getting some things together to take to my Uncle's tomorrow- he lives 2 hours away, and he is coming to NL a week after I am----which is GREAT because I have too much stuff I need to bring and not enough room on the airplane! So, yay! But I am not used to packing this much in advance, and I have so many thoughts rolling around in my head and sooooo muuuuuuch tooooo dooooo I'm going crazy! But you know, "the darkest hour is always just before dawn"... so, I am going to keep on keeping on-- even if it means I keep on being insane! hahaaaa :)
So, I was reminded of something earlier on today. Several years ago- maybe like 5 or 6?... God told me that I needed to work on 3 areas of my life before He would move me from here.. He didn't exactly specify what "here" was, but He said the areas were 1) My finances, 2) My organization (ick) and 3) My health/getting into shape. So of course, I took that as meaning I needed to be perfect in all those areas, and who in the world would ever be able to do that?? Ugh!
So slowly over the past few years I have worked on those areas- some, little bits at a time, other times it was huge chunks- but I've worked hard in different ways. And today, I realized that I am now "moving on" from that place that I was in- that although I have not perfected any of these areas, by ANY means- I am working at being obedient in working on things in my life that need to change. I have learned a true lesson in Grace and what it means to be obedient. AND I benefitted from both of those areas. So cool!
Well, now I'm back to being crazy-insane chica again. I gotta run outside to my car and see if the oil is holding out--- eeek! God is good~Always (WW).
Hugs, Love
~A
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Less than 2 weeks--- and General Ramblings
Well the 2-week mark has surpassed me already--- in fact, 2 weeks from this moment I'll HOPEFULLY be sleeping in my bed, since it will be 5:30 Thursday morning, NL time! By the way, for future reference I will be using "NL" which stands for "Netherlands", in case of confusion!
Yes, NL is 7 hours ahead of Central Daylight time, or Central Standard time, whichever you prefer. So generally, when you are getting up to go to work at 7 or 8 in the morning, it will already be late afternoon/early evening for me! And when I am getting ready to go to bed, you'll be getting ready to make your evening meal! So it will take some mental adjustment ;) When I was visiting my parents in May & June of this year, it just would crack one of my friends up when I told her I was going to bed, and she was still enjoying the mid-late afternoon day. The funny thing is, it's very normal for me to sort-of "live" in two (or more) different time zones, and very UNUSUAL to just have one time zone to think about and deal with, so I have the flip-side of many of you. Growing up in different countries does that to a person... :)
Today was my next-to-last day at work- I was very excited today. Yesterday I shed a few tears, and it was harder to deal with, but today was a "YIPPEE" day. One of my co-workers announced at the meeting this morning that it was almost my last day, and he was bummed, but I was gloating (sorry kids!). It will be my first holiday season that I am not working in retail since 2000, and that is a big deal to me! I get to have Christmas EVE off, BLITZ/Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) off, and the day after Christmas off... that's a T R E A T! Although it was a rush watching people trample each other running into the store the day after Thanksgiving....
I really am thankful though that I have had this time to work through leaving wmt--- I keep telling people that I won't miss the Corporation.. but I'll miss the people... A LOT. My co-workers are some of the best that there is or ever have been in my life, and I am so grateful that I was able to have them in my life. (Somebody break out the lighters, I could go sappy-song here...!). hahaaaa :) Really though, I mean it! I won't miss being Aliciat though (BW and Vanilla W) hardy har har! Props ;)
Ok, this is turning into some weird post, so I'll go for now. I think I had too much chocolate at Gap's, and not enough protein! :)
Hugs to all
~A
Yes, NL is 7 hours ahead of Central Daylight time, or Central Standard time, whichever you prefer. So generally, when you are getting up to go to work at 7 or 8 in the morning, it will already be late afternoon/early evening for me! And when I am getting ready to go to bed, you'll be getting ready to make your evening meal! So it will take some mental adjustment ;) When I was visiting my parents in May & June of this year, it just would crack one of my friends up when I told her I was going to bed, and she was still enjoying the mid-late afternoon day. The funny thing is, it's very normal for me to sort-of "live" in two (or more) different time zones, and very UNUSUAL to just have one time zone to think about and deal with, so I have the flip-side of many of you. Growing up in different countries does that to a person... :)
Today was my next-to-last day at work- I was very excited today. Yesterday I shed a few tears, and it was harder to deal with, but today was a "YIPPEE" day. One of my co-workers announced at the meeting this morning that it was almost my last day, and he was bummed, but I was gloating (sorry kids!). It will be my first holiday season that I am not working in retail since 2000, and that is a big deal to me! I get to have Christmas EVE off, BLITZ/Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) off, and the day after Christmas off... that's a T R E A T! Although it was a rush watching people trample each other running into the store the day after Thanksgiving....
I really am thankful though that I have had this time to work through leaving wmt--- I keep telling people that I won't miss the Corporation.. but I'll miss the people... A LOT. My co-workers are some of the best that there is or ever have been in my life, and I am so grateful that I was able to have them in my life. (Somebody break out the lighters, I could go sappy-song here...!). hahaaaa :) Really though, I mean it! I won't miss being Aliciat though (BW and Vanilla W) hardy har har! Props ;)
Ok, this is turning into some weird post, so I'll go for now. I think I had too much chocolate at Gap's, and not enough protein! :)
Hugs to all
~A
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thank you!
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you that have been so encouraging and excited for me in this adventure.. I am so thankful to have so many incredible people in my life in various ways, and want you to know how much I appreciate all of you!
Well, my bed is calling me, even though it is kind of early. I have 4 more days of "actual" work at wmt left--- that is settling into my understanding as well--- a bittersweet feeling really- I always knew this day would come, and that it would sort of "take me by surprise"... but now that it is here, it's hard to say good-bye. But I am glad for that, because it means that I have been blessed with friendships beyond the day-to-day "hello, how are you" relationship of co-workers--- not everyone gets that :)
Lost in my thoughts........................................................
Much Love
~A
Well, my bed is calling me, even though it is kind of early. I have 4 more days of "actual" work at wmt left--- that is settling into my understanding as well--- a bittersweet feeling really- I always knew this day would come, and that it would sort of "take me by surprise"... but now that it is here, it's hard to say good-bye. But I am glad for that, because it means that I have been blessed with friendships beyond the day-to-day "hello, how are you" relationship of co-workers--- not everyone gets that :)
Lost in my thoughts........................................................
Much Love
~A
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
3 Weeks!!! (Eek!)
It's the 21 day count-down! Wow, here I am being surprised that it's 21 days away, and it's already almost 20! I was just sending a message to my friend, commenting on how in 3 weeks from this moment, I will be watching a movie, and thinking about whether I should try to sleep or not even bother. I rarely sleep on the airplane, but I still try to relax and enjoy the ride. I won't get there any faster wishing I was there, and can't get to sleep by obsessing about how I should be sleeping. Who needs sleep anyway- I'll get caught up once I get to Europe! Or not. haha :)
Only 6 more days of work left. I am having issues concentrating on my job, but I'm making a grand effort nonetheless. One of my bosses (there are dozens... haha) asked me today when my last day was- she was relieved that it wasn't until Sept. 5th... pretty sure she wants to torture me as much as possible to make up for when I'm not there anymore... hahaaaaa (Love ya JJ).
Anyway, I guess I do need sleep, and lots of it. So off I go. Have a good rest of your week y'all. Today God told me He will provide for me, and I just wanted to remember that. Sometimes I panic wondering how I am going to pay for all the things I need and et cetera, and He reminds me that He will never fail me- and He never has- but I still need those reminders from Him. I've had many people encourage me that God has something else and that moving on from wmt is not a bad thing, and I am really holding to that promise from God that "He will never leave me nor forsake me". :)
Hugs
~A
Only 6 more days of work left. I am having issues concentrating on my job, but I'm making a grand effort nonetheless. One of my bosses (there are dozens... haha) asked me today when my last day was- she was relieved that it wasn't until Sept. 5th... pretty sure she wants to torture me as much as possible to make up for when I'm not there anymore... hahaaaaa (Love ya JJ).
Anyway, I guess I do need sleep, and lots of it. So off I go. Have a good rest of your week y'all. Today God told me He will provide for me, and I just wanted to remember that. Sometimes I panic wondering how I am going to pay for all the things I need and et cetera, and He reminds me that He will never fail me- and He never has- but I still need those reminders from Him. I've had many people encourage me that God has something else and that moving on from wmt is not a bad thing, and I am really holding to that promise from God that "He will never leave me nor forsake me". :)
Hugs
~A
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Counting Down the Days...
It's still into weeks + days, but I've begun counting down days nonetheless. I have 11 more days of actual "work days" (my last day official day is Sept. 5th); I have 3 more Sundays at my church and one at my uncle's church, and 26 more days until I board the plane. Seems like I just wrote about it being over 4 weeks away, wow!
I realized yesterday how much stress I am under, and that I hadn't expected to have that much stress to deal with. However, realizing I was dealing with stress, and that it is a "normal" amount of stress really helped me to deal with it somehow- go figure that one out. I spent this morning not getting up early to work on things, but actually turned off my alarm and slept until I woke up- until a whopping 9:30ish am--- long gone are the days when sleeping in meant until past NOON! Haha- I must be one of those adults or something. *laugh*
I went to my dentist today- the ladies were so excited for me in doing this venture *Shout Out To The Dentist Ladies!!!*, and so was the Doc! I figured getting my teeth checked and a couple things fixed was probably a GOOD idea before I left--- although it's not like how it used to be in Africa when we'd see a dentist MAYBE once every 2-3 years-- and even that was iffy. Things have certainly changed since I was a kid!
Well, I need to do some stuff- mundane things like: laundry, dishes, vaccuuming... are there 2 'C's' or 2 'U's' in that word? I figure 2 of each pretty much covers it ;) OH, and more Olympics are on tonight, so I'll be watching that as well!
I need some questions to answer on here, so email me or leave a comment on here (I think you can sign in anonymously and leave comments, and just put your name at the end of your post)--- and I'll answer the questions, that'd be fun!
Have a good rest of your week, whomever and wherever you are!
~A
I realized yesterday how much stress I am under, and that I hadn't expected to have that much stress to deal with. However, realizing I was dealing with stress, and that it is a "normal" amount of stress really helped me to deal with it somehow- go figure that one out. I spent this morning not getting up early to work on things, but actually turned off my alarm and slept until I woke up- until a whopping 9:30ish am--- long gone are the days when sleeping in meant until past NOON! Haha- I must be one of those adults or something. *laugh*
I went to my dentist today- the ladies were so excited for me in doing this venture *Shout Out To The Dentist Ladies!!!*, and so was the Doc! I figured getting my teeth checked and a couple things fixed was probably a GOOD idea before I left--- although it's not like how it used to be in Africa when we'd see a dentist MAYBE once every 2-3 years-- and even that was iffy. Things have certainly changed since I was a kid!
Well, I need to do some stuff- mundane things like: laundry, dishes, vaccuuming... are there 2 'C's' or 2 'U's' in that word? I figure 2 of each pretty much covers it ;) OH, and more Olympics are on tonight, so I'll be watching that as well!
I need some questions to answer on here, so email me or leave a comment on here (I think you can sign in anonymously and leave comments, and just put your name at the end of your post)--- and I'll answer the questions, that'd be fun!
Have a good rest of your week, whomever and wherever you are!
~A
Monday, August 11, 2008
Four Weeks From TOMORROW!!
Four weeks from tonight I am going to be sitting here... or maybe running around screaming hysterically, you just never know.... thinking how fast the time has really gone! I can't hardly get my mind around 4 weeks, and by then I'll have to be getting my mind around "tomorrow"! Wow, it's nuts.
I've had a few thoughts today about how could "all that money" possibly come in...? It's a lot of money! And every time, I countered it with just trusting in God. I was talking to this customer at work about how things are kind of difficult with his family right now, and he said he was just a sinner.. and I said, "well, I am a child of God". And he was kinda like, well yeah.......... well, ... yeah... yeah... ok. (lol). But it made me realize how powerful words can be- the words that I speak to myself will either build me up to doing what I am created to do... or they will tear me down and destroy everything.
So, I'm buildin'... :)
It's raining outside--- what a WONderful sound, and smell. It really is a good thing that I love rain, because Netherlands is FAMOUS for it, haha!
And by the way, the Netherlands is DUTCH not Danish--- I've had several people refer to it as Danish, and they're different from each other :) It's like how some people used to ask us what it was like living in the country of AFRICA... Uh, Hello, They're Called Continents!
Hmm, perhaps that could be a title for a book....! Well, another time. :)
Well, it is long-over-due time for bed. I've been enjoying the Olympics and MN Twins, and probably terrifying everyone that lives within a 7-block radius of my house--- if you don't know, I like to "cheer" for "my people"... i.e. Scream Radically on their behalf. It's very fun. You should try it sometime! :)
Much love to all, thank you to everyone that has encouraged me and been excited with me in this time, through email, letters, and in person- it is so supportive and I appreciate you so much!
~A
I've had a few thoughts today about how could "all that money" possibly come in...? It's a lot of money! And every time, I countered it with just trusting in God. I was talking to this customer at work about how things are kind of difficult with his family right now, and he said he was just a sinner.. and I said, "well, I am a child of God". And he was kinda like, well yeah.......... well, ... yeah... yeah... ok. (lol). But it made me realize how powerful words can be- the words that I speak to myself will either build me up to doing what I am created to do... or they will tear me down and destroy everything.
So, I'm buildin'... :)
It's raining outside--- what a WONderful sound, and smell. It really is a good thing that I love rain, because Netherlands is FAMOUS for it, haha!
And by the way, the Netherlands is DUTCH not Danish--- I've had several people refer to it as Danish, and they're different from each other :) It's like how some people used to ask us what it was like living in the country of AFRICA... Uh, Hello, They're Called Continents!
Hmm, perhaps that could be a title for a book....! Well, another time. :)
Well, it is long-over-due time for bed. I've been enjoying the Olympics and MN Twins, and probably terrifying everyone that lives within a 7-block radius of my house--- if you don't know, I like to "cheer" for "my people"... i.e. Scream Radically on their behalf. It's very fun. You should try it sometime! :)
Much love to all, thank you to everyone that has encouraged me and been excited with me in this time, through email, letters, and in person- it is so supportive and I appreciate you so much!
~A
Saturday, August 9, 2008
One Month
I realized this evening that I leave in a month! Wow, scary! Ok, exciting really, but so much to do, so that = scary for me!
I found out this week that my leave of absence was denied at work. I was experiencing different emotions at first, but I just let them work themselves through that first day, and prayed about it. And the next day I had peace about it. So, God's plan isn't over for me yet--- well, not that I ever thought it was, but let's just say I don't know what it is yet.
And that's ok! I have enough to focus on between now and leaving that I don't need to focus on that.
Well, that's all for now. The money is coming in bit by bit (THANK YOU!) and I'm simply trusting God for it all!
~Alicia
I found out this week that my leave of absence was denied at work. I was experiencing different emotions at first, but I just let them work themselves through that first day, and prayed about it. And the next day I had peace about it. So, God's plan isn't over for me yet--- well, not that I ever thought it was, but let's just say I don't know what it is yet.
And that's ok! I have enough to focus on between now and leaving that I don't need to focus on that.
Well, that's all for now. The money is coming in bit by bit (THANK YOU!) and I'm simply trusting God for it all!
~Alicia
Thursday, July 31, 2008
It's been less than 5 weeks...
...and I just got started! I received my approval from the Missions department that I will be working with, and I am leaving in 5 weeks 5 days from today!!! From the beginning I have been relying on God's promises that He is "never early and never late". He had this plan from the beginning, and I am just along for the riiiiiiiide! :) And it's exciting!
Ok, as far as budget goes- I have to raise approximately $6,000 to go- this will help to cover different necessities, such as: a cell phone, a bike (commuting), airfare, and other "odds and ends". But I am trusting in God to bring in the money- He has never failed me!
OK, well that is all for now! Feel free to email me or post on here with any questions and such. You are all such a blessing to me!!~Alicia
Ok, as far as budget goes- I have to raise approximately $6,000 to go- this will help to cover different necessities, such as: a cell phone, a bike (commuting), airfare, and other "odds and ends". But I am trusting in God to bring in the money- He has never failed me!
OK, well that is all for now! Feel free to email me or post on here with any questions and such. You are all such a blessing to me!!~Alicia
So guess what....
God has shocked me completely.
Within the past 5 weeks or so, my life has taken a dramatic turn of events... I am moving to EUROPE FOR 3+ Months!!!!
*That sound you just heard was me cheering*
Quick Details:
I'll be in Netherlands, to be exact, working in both Amsterdam and Zaandam. I'll be helping to start a choir in Amsterdam and working with kid's ministry in Zaandam.
I plan to leave in September, and come back in December, before Christmas time.
My budget is not nailed down yet, I am still waiting on my paperwork for that, but it will be several thousand dollars. This is the least I need to be able to go, with all the factors of transportation, food, and so on.
Well, that is all for now! If you want to support me in this venture, please email or call me, and I will get you the info that you need!
Blessings
~Alicia
Within the past 5 weeks or so, my life has taken a dramatic turn of events... I am moving to EUROPE FOR 3+ Months!!!!
*That sound you just heard was me cheering*
Quick Details:
I'll be in Netherlands, to be exact, working in both Amsterdam and Zaandam. I'll be helping to start a choir in Amsterdam and working with kid's ministry in Zaandam.
I plan to leave in September, and come back in December, before Christmas time.
My budget is not nailed down yet, I am still waiting on my paperwork for that, but it will be several thousand dollars. This is the least I need to be able to go, with all the factors of transportation, food, and so on.
Well, that is all for now! If you want to support me in this venture, please email or call me, and I will get you the info that you need!
Blessings
~Alicia
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