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*******************

Roger and Lilly's house in Ciney, Belgium

The Cathedral in Dinant, at night
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 WWIIThe 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? :)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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