A few days ago I was talking on Skype with a few friends from home. They asked me what my favorite part of my time here in Germany has been so far. I can't be sure, but I think they were expecting me to say my trip to this city or to this place. I had to take a minute to think about the question. It was a good question to make me think. What has been my favorite part? I have been so blessed during my time here. God has new surprises for me daily, and most of them have been such a huge blessing. But honestly, the first thing that came to my mind when they asked about my favorite part of this journey has been my alone time. I've had some really great time to just rest and to talk to God.
Scheduling is one of my favorite things to do. I love making plans. Actually, I could tell you what I have planned for each week of the next year and a half. While at school, at least 50 hours of my week are usually scheduled with class, working, class work, and club activities. If I see I have a few extra hours one day, I try to plan ahead the best way to use that time. I'm definitely not saying I don't waste a lot of time laying around, surfing the internet, and watching movies. Because that is definitely something I do to relax or relieve stress during busy times and I definitely do those things to avoid doing homework and then end up missing out on sleep to hastily finish assignments.
My time here in Germany has been different. Yes, I do have daily and weekly duties. I take the girls to school, pick them up, prepare breakfast and snacks, play, take them on shopping trips (I didn't say all of my duties are difficult... ;) ) But I have so much unschedule free time here and it has been a huge blessing. It has made me slow down and unwind. I maybe spend a bit too much time napping, but that has been nice. I also have spent a bit more time reading. I just finished a great book one of my friends gave me, A Woman and Her God. It was so great. God taught me a lot through various authors who wrote short passages to encourage and inspire women. I am now reading Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul as well as What's So Amazing About Grace? All of these books are teaching me so much.
One thing I was scared about before coming here was being alone and away from my Christian communities at school and at home. It was something I prayed a lot before I came and God has been blessing me by putting great Christian young adults in my life here. But because I am not meeting weekly with others to be poured into and to pray with, I have been having a lot of great alone time with God. I have been seeking Him in ways I never have before. I am finding how important it is to have daily alone time with him. The other morning I was wasting time before meeting my friend and driving around the hills near our home. I didn't know until then just how beautiful this area is. I stopped the car along the side of an old, narrow road and started walking on the empty trails. I spent an hour walking and talking with God and exploring the beautiful places he created. The whole time I only saw two other people and they were a few hundred meters away. It was so amazing to have that time alone with him. I was able to open up and he taught me so much during that time.
I am amazed by how great my time here has been. It is pretty unbelievable that I will be leaving here in one month from today. I am excited to get back home but so thankful for my time here.
Scheduling is one of my favorite things to do. I love making plans. Actually, I could tell you what I have planned for each week of the next year and a half. While at school, at least 50 hours of my week are usually scheduled with class, working, class work, and club activities. If I see I have a few extra hours one day, I try to plan ahead the best way to use that time. I'm definitely not saying I don't waste a lot of time laying around, surfing the internet, and watching movies. Because that is definitely something I do to relax or relieve stress during busy times and I definitely do those things to avoid doing homework and then end up missing out on sleep to hastily finish assignments.
My time here in Germany has been different. Yes, I do have daily and weekly duties. I take the girls to school, pick them up, prepare breakfast and snacks, play, take them on shopping trips (I didn't say all of my duties are difficult... ;) ) But I have so much unschedule free time here and it has been a huge blessing. It has made me slow down and unwind. I maybe spend a bit too much time napping, but that has been nice. I also have spent a bit more time reading. I just finished a great book one of my friends gave me, A Woman and Her God. It was so great. God taught me a lot through various authors who wrote short passages to encourage and inspire women. I am now reading Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul as well as What's So Amazing About Grace? All of these books are teaching me so much.
One thing I was scared about before coming here was being alone and away from my Christian communities at school and at home. It was something I prayed a lot before I came and God has been blessing me by putting great Christian young adults in my life here. But because I am not meeting weekly with others to be poured into and to pray with, I have been having a lot of great alone time with God. I have been seeking Him in ways I never have before. I am finding how important it is to have daily alone time with him. The other morning I was wasting time before meeting my friend and driving around the hills near our home. I didn't know until then just how beautiful this area is. I stopped the car along the side of an old, narrow road and started walking on the empty trails. I spent an hour walking and talking with God and exploring the beautiful places he created. The whole time I only saw two other people and they were a few hundred meters away. It was so amazing to have that time alone with him. I was able to open up and he taught me so much during that time.
I am amazed by how great my time here has been. It is pretty unbelievable that I will be leaving here in one month from today. I am excited to get back home but so thankful for my time here.
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