Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

whoa. i can't believe this yea has come and is now gone! crazy times. but i feel like i've been saying that throughout this whole year. hmm... well, here's the last update for the year 2008... are you ready for it?

this is it.

to all of you who are far away from me, i miss you and i pray the best for you in this upcoming year.

p.s. the title is how you say, "happy new year" in Hawaiian. pretty cool, right?   (;

happy new year!

whoa, 2008 is coming to a close. it's insane how fast this year has passed by. cwazy cwazy.

i hope everyone's Christmas was a glorious day! i had a really great time with my family here at home. my mom made an uh-maaazing dinner for all of us, oh my, it was so good! haha, i still haven't unpacked yet... gosh, i stink at this. 

well, thing's are going really great over here. the sun is shining, the air is clean, the birds are chirping. i went to the beach last sunday... trying to get some color other than white on my skin. i think i prefer sand over snow. well, depends on the clothing i have. 

so, i suppose i should let some people know that Caleb and I were in an accident. but don't worry, we're a-okay! just sore from the whiplash and all that great stuff that comes along with being in a car accident. for me it's my chest where the seatbelt was (i'm bruised) and my ribs on the left side. Caleb's back is really tight and his neck is still sore. :( the even happened on Tuesday, we were heading out to Hana (back  side of the island) for the day. the weather forecast was partly cloudy with scattered showers... as we were driving out it started POURING like crazy. the roads were obviously wet... cause that's what happens when it rains. Anyways, we were turning a sharp corner and started sliding down the turn and hit an oncoming car going about 15 mph. doesn't sound too bad but the car was totaled. the guy in the other car was fine, as was his car. but it really stinks... obviously. we got back into town from the tow truck guy... it was sad to say goodbye to the car. it's been so good to us. :( so please pray, we know that God is our Provider and He has a plan in all of this. it's just hard sometimes to understand His timing. but He is good, just like always. Praise Him that everything worked out good, and He put really kind people in our path that day. 

but now we're moving on to bigger and better adventures! 

i made it.

 it was a long day and a half of traveling... but i made it! oh my, did i make it. 

being home feels so surreal. i can't believe it! my whole family was at the airport to pick me up along with Caleb who brought me an arizona green tea and flowers. (awww) i love them all so much, it's so good to be with them again. but oh dang, do i miss Germany! traveling was fun... mmmkay, not really. it was sad and lonely and cold. but i'm home now... the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the air is humid, i'm wearing a skirt and t-shirt. no hoodie and no socks! it's been 15 hours since i saw my best friend again after 110 long long very long days. i'm about to eat macaroni and cheese... oh man, life is good. 

haha, God is good. praise Him that i made it home safe.

i miss all my friends from Germany. ): awwee... so sad not to be with them no more. i pray you all had safe travels and get home safe. 

for real this time.

alright, so my official last update from Germany. it's about 3 o'clock in the morning right now. one hour before we leave for the airport.

graduation was really good, really encouraging. and i cried. haha, but that's ok. the hardest goodbye's are just starting to come...

i'm so hungry right now, but Tamiko gave me a orange to hold me over. she's such a wonderful friend. i'm going to miss her so much! spring 2009 Okinawa? i wish.

well, i'm almost home. just a whole day of traveling and then i get off the plane in Maui. cwaaazy.

i don't even know what to say right now. God is good, and He has such amazing purposes and promises that He fulfills and keeps. it's so comforting to know that He is in control. even when i can't think straight at 3am... He's still there, sane. it's real nice.

anyways, for those who i'm departing from... i'll miss you and i'll see you sometime again. Christians never say goodbye! (:

and to those at home, i'll see you soon! so soon! and i'm so excited to be back.

Praise Him!

the end is near.

alright, it's here. i'm leaving Germany and it's the end of my third semester. crazy, huh? sometimes life seems like it'll never get moving along, and then before you know it POOF it's gone. this semester went by fast but it was well spent. i can say that with confidence. 

well, the photo is of my dorm at our final "dorm meeting". such an amazing room, hands down. haha. as we can see none of us are tan... anyways, it'll be weird. i've learned to live with these girls for the past 3 1/2 months. i remember when i first moved in... that feels like sooo long ago. it's really strange... but we had a good time that night at The Black Sheep... really good food and amazing ice cream. it was fun. 

so tonight is graduation! pretty exciting, there's a good size group of graduates. then i leave at 4am tomorrow morning... and then it's another 28 or 29 hours of traveling... something insane like that. so just pray that i would get home safely, it'll be sad traveling by myself... but another good experience to add to the list i suppose. anyways, i'm today we have dorm cleaning... did i mention that already? hmm... we have a bigger room, but i'm thinking it'll probably be easier. i was able to stuff everything in my suitcase! Praise Him, my family will have presents for Christmas. (: 

i suppose it's time to say goodbye, i'll still blog when i'm home of course... do not fret my dears. life in Maui will be different, but so good. i'll keep you all updated. i love you all and safe travels to everyone. 

everyday.

well, tomorrow's my last full day in Germany. let's make the most of it. 

i'll miss it lots. this was such an amazing semester. today one of the students gave the most exhorting devotion i've heard all semester. it was pretty cool.

these are just a few of the things i'll miss... Annie, of course. she's been such a blessing this semester. i love singing songs with her and those amazing piano skillz she's got. Melissa's Christmas lights and Tamiko coming into the room every night. i love them both dearly. Alisha! awee, i miss her already. such an amazing friend. i know we'll cross paths again someday. Zach and his bleesting. haha. Dön-shanks and that sound that Doug makes when he eats them... and of course everyone else that i've come across. cold-cut tuesday (ok not really), musical mondays, fake fact friday. "what's the deal?" my roomies and sunny days. Sabine's weather forecasting (she's always right!). aaand Laura keeping the rules, such a good dorm steward. haha, but it's been such a great 4 months. i loved it here and i'm sad to leave. so bittersweet. but it's all good.

anywaysss... here's a few photo's for you to enjoy. blogger was being weird with the uploading once again... but i must go finish packing now.

"i hate the theme 'finish well'! cause this isn't the end... it's only the start!"

oh dang oh dang.

only two whole days left in germany. time just seems to be slowly ticking by.

i took down my suitcase from the attic and began going through my stuff... i have a million hats... not sure how they'll all fit in my bag. i remember it being a lot bigger than it looks. let's hope and pray i can fit everything back in. i went through my clothes to see what i wanted to put in the "give away" box. i pulled out like 3 shirts but still haven't put them in there yet. i'm forcing myself to give away another sweater and pair of pants. but it's always good to let go, you know. the mood is a little strange around here. some people are crabby, other's are in a daze, and a few are a bit stressed. i'm just trying to have a good time... haha.

sorry this post is without photo's again. i'm working on it. next post, i promise.

love you guys, and for those in Hawai'i.... see you three daysss!!!!!!!!

a lovely day.

i ended up having a beautiful day today in Cologne. the weather was super cold but there were times when i was warm enough to stay alive... barely. probably the coldest i'll be for awhile. i'll be home soon enough. back to the sunshine (hopefully) i hear it's raining a ton over there, will someone let me know what's going on? i just need to know if Hawaii will sink. anyways, i had a lovely time, ate really good food, hung out with some of my best friends here, and didn't take any pictures (horrible, i know.), and i got presents for my whole family! with 3 euros to spare... what an accomplishment!

so yes, a really great day in all, praise the Lord. He is good even when i try and ruin everything.

my last week in Germany...

and who knows the next time i'll be here... or traveling again... or seeing these amazing people.

life is such a grand adventure. it's so cool how God gives us these pleasant opportunities to enjoy life in such a way.

this week seems to just be dragging along... which is good thing in a sense cause i really want to enjoy every moment of it but at the same time i want to close my eye's and when i open them be at home again. that would be so lovely. 

i think everyone's a little antsy to go back home, wherever that may be... for most it's the states, for one Japan, another New Zealand, one more to Belgium,  a couple in Holland, and a lot going back home to various villages here in Germany. For me,  lucky i live Hawaii. i miss the sunshine, but i hear its been raining non-stop over there. but still... to smell the warm air and that island breeze. i never thought i would miss it this much. so i think it's safe to say that my island fever has reduced to a cool temperature.

  i'm ready for home again.

tomorrow a couple of my friends and I are going Köln for the Christmas market! i'm pretty excited about it. i was there for an hour or so a couple weeks ago but it was kind of just a passing through type of thing. so it'll be sweet to actually spend some time there and pick out presents for my family. maybe get some coffee at Starbucks. (: that's always nice, even though it's super expensive here. it'll probably be fuh-reeezing... that's the downside. i'll have to bundle up... 

utter amazement...

alright, i won't talk about  about how it's nearing the end. how i'm excited to go home. how i'm sad to leave this place that i so desperately want to call home. how cold the weather is outside. or even how amazing gummie bears are! but what i will talk about is something i never tire of speaking of and i hope you never tire of hearing of.. .and that is how faithful, kind, and gracious our God is! 

I think it'd be safe to call this semester a "roller-coaster" experience. not so emotionally, but more so spiritually. it's been kind of crazy how many highs and lows there have been, yet through it all God has held my hand tightly and never let go. His faithfulness is immeasurable. There has been many a time when i have consciously made a decision to meditate on something less than who He is. I've had so many wrong thoughts and realize that it's not what He desires for me, He desires the best and it hurts Him when I choose the 2nd best... or nothing even close to it. But His loving kindness seeks me out and draws me closer to Him than ever before. It's incredible! and on top of all that, I'm a sinner... so unworthy of any attention from One so Holy. Yet His grace covers me in robes of righteousness and before Him I stand pure, spotless, and undefiled. how amazing is that? He can take a weak, cracked, and ugly pot and make it into a vessel of honor. He is so good! so gracious! so amazing and incredible! so deserving of praise and everything that is worthy to give!

i love Him.

I've got my life in a suitcase.

life is going by faster than ever... i feel like i say that every entry. but it's true. unlike the title implies, i haven't packed to go home yet. but it's only another ten days or so until that happens. but what that statement does imply is that the Copeland cd is still more amazing than everrr.

i'm not really sure what to "update" on. i'm still alive. still healthy. God is good. always. school is going well, pray for my New Testament final cause that's what i'm worried about... it just seems like there's not enough time for class... but if i could go back to the beginning of the semester i pretty much would have started studying the first week of school for the final i'm supposed to take next Thursday morning... intense, to say the least.

I had another döner last night... one of my last for who knows how long. but sooo good. i took photo's of it too for any of you questioning peoples... it's pretty much the most amazing thing you could ever eat. and so filling. it's ridiculous. but i love the way it brings joy to people... haha. seriously. 

i miss Ho'okipa... ah, it's so beautiful over there... i can close my eyes and see the ocean and the little windsurfers out there. lovely. 

Fifteen mo' days!

wow, another week has pasted by and in two weeks i'm going to have tears rolling down my cheeks. it'll be so sad to say goodbye to the dear dear dear friends i've made here. Melissa always yells at me whenever i mention the countdown to going home... i'm just really excited to be home for Christmas and to be with my family and Caleb. but i know i'm going to miss it here so much, maybe just as much as i miss home? eh, i don't know. i guess we shall find out soon enough. 

Anyways, enough of that. Today I sang with some of the other students (Jason and Sammy) for devo's, it was lots of fun. Jason even made me bust out the tambourine, that was cool. a bit intimidating... but i tried to be inspired by the way i saw Anathallo own every single instrument they played. (amazing!) ahem. so yeah, we did some Christmacy songs such as, "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "O Holy Night". Then for the last song we sang, "Great is Your Faithfulness" it reminded me of Val, singing the echo and harmony... and of course it reminded me of that annoying little guitar ditty that plays on the cd at CCSM. but good times. Oh! and i'm so excited cause Annie and I are doing worship twice this week! once for Friday morning devo's (i lead every other Friday) and then on Saturday for the Bible College Ladies Brunchen (is that a word?). So it'll be fun, just like the good 'ol days of Wien. ♥

I only have like 9 more classes. cwazy cwazy. and 6 more M1 shifts *sniff* that means only 6 more mocha's in Germany from this lovely coffee bar... i think this has been the fastest semester by far. First semester went by at such a good pace, beginning, middle, end... second semester went by a little faster, yet at the same time it didn't seem like it was going to end... and now third, here and gone with a snap of my finger. hopefully next semester will slow down a bit. i know there will be a lot more to keep myself busy with... but i'm sure i'll be able to enjoy the time and use it well. Bible College has been such a blessing... God is good. (: 

and of course it's a bit chilly here in Siegen... it started snowing again today! well... kind of. i believe it is called sleet. but i don't really know... pretty much the sky opened up and sludge started falling from it. right now i'm looking out the window and i see snow, it looks lovely. hooray! i can't wait to sit in my room by the heater and read my book. that's always so nice. i'm almost done with Apologetics... only a couple more chapters to read! then that's 2 classes down and only three to go....

I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me...

what a week.

my table for Thanksgiving; Leah, Will, and me.

hello all, i hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great. I know that for me it was very nice (and very tasty!)... i made another thankful tree for Thanksgiving day in the church coffee bar, Hannah asked me too. it was a lovely tree and it was lots of fun to make. actually i think they kept it and it's now in the student cafe... interesting. haha. i guess most people liked the whole idea of a thankful tree... perhaps the tradition has gone international? that's cool. (:

So after we ate dinner a handful of us took of for the next great adventure... an Anathallo concert in Offenbach! it was uh-mazing... to say the least. i felt so inspired walking away... but still knowing that i'm not that good. haha, it was a really great show. i'm so thankful i had the opportunity to go. My Saturday was filled with train rides. Another group of us went to Belgium! that was a blast as well. (: we spent about 5 hours on a train which was interesting to say the least... there's a ton of people traveling on the weekends cause of the Christmas markets and such. but the train into Belgium was fairly smaller and less people were on it. We went to a place called Liege (i think...). I learned how to count to ten in French, that was cool. I had a waffle... that was pretty amazing. seriously though... it was the best waffle i've ever eaten. pretty much. I was going to go on a Ferris Wheel, but my "friends" wouldn't let me or Melissa go on it cause it was too expensive. and yes, i suppose €3 is a lot for a ferris wheel ride... i dunno, it would of been cool. anyways, after that we went to Köln  and spent about an hour and half there. just kind of walking around the Christmas market and such. I got Starbucks, a dark cherry chocolate latte'. mmm, it was delicious. we got home around 11:30 and when we walked into the Villa it was all decorated for Christmas. and on the girls floor we had an advent calendar that Melli made us counting down to the last day of the semester... it was pretty cool. 

the main attraction... Anathallo.

Belgium!

(from L-R: Izzy, Will, Tamiko, me, and Melissa.)

Melissa was so excited to get some "Barbe papa" (cotton candy in French), she learned how to say it over a month ago 

and has been dreaming about eating it in Belgium.

it was pretty much the best weekend ever.

my family will be so proud.

so Thanksgiving stands right before my face... what to do. what to do? it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all! it's all icy and snowy outside... mom's autumn decorations aren't out... i'm not even sure what food i'll eat... i'm not even in America for crying out loud!... but you know what. haha. i'm still thankful. i'm so thankful that i get to experience the beautiful changes of the season-something i've always wanted to do- i've gone sledding, had a snowball fight, and seen snowflakes fall on my mittens. i get to eat really good food everyday, and a banana today! AND i get to spend this amazing holiday in a foreign country... the first foreign country i've ever been in! with some pretty amazing people that i've had the privilege of getting to know over the past 3 months. God is so good... and in just a couple days i can start listening to Christmas music. :) but while on the subject of being thankful, my roommate Melissa and I made a thankful tree to surprise our 2 other roommates (Laura and Sabine). 

...and yes, it says that i am thankful for "my dog". cause when i finally do get one i'm going to be so thankful. and the verses that I used on the tree stump is Psalm 100. (read it...) Anyways, Thanksgiving dinner is Friday at 2:00 p.m. and we're going to be taking our class photo. so we get to dress all shnazzy. 

I can't believe it's only three more weeks until I leave... it's gone by so fast. I'm really excited to go home, but it'll be bittersweet.... like always. it'll be good though. 

so I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! remember to truly give thanks to our God, 

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." 

rain. sleet. snow.

well, it started snowing yesterday. so pretty much it was my first time "experiencing" snowfall. super exciting. i thought it would have to be a lot colder in order for it to snow... not that i'm complaining. haha, it's pretty cold here. but i just didn't really know. it's a 50° difference between here and home. can't wait to go back. (:

and once again blogger is being retarded aaand it won't let me upload more than one photo. sorry you can't really see the snow in this one that i decided to upload first. :/ but it looks lovely outside! 

i suppose there's lots to update on... can't really think of anything right now. hmm. Thanksgiving is only a week away! my favorite holiday and i get to spend it in Germany... sweet. 

I started my apologetics class this past week... it's been interesting. intense. i don't know. it's on DVD and it's a lot to take in... kind of. sort of? yeah. it's a lot. haha, but hopefully i'll pass and not fail. i don't plan on it so hopefully it'll all work out. we have some new rules.... kind of funny considering there's only one month left of school. but whatever. so far they haven't been too difficult to abide by. guess you just gotta submit. i think the days are going by faster and faster... it's cwazy. i know i'm going to be home before i know it. that'll be cool, but i'm sure it'll seem super surreal. hmm, my brain is so shot right now...

anyways, haha... i'm going insane. (:

26 more days!

this is just the beginning...

...and i'm nowhere near the end.

God, He's so incredibly big. Sometimes I feel strange writing updates on here... seems like i never know what to put into words the amazing things that He's doing in me. This past week was speaker's week, a whole 5 days that we as students get off from class and have the opportunity to sit in lectures by guest speakers. The speaker's this week were, Gayle Erwin, Heather Mercer, and of course, the Holy Spirit. Gayle spoke to us on servanthood, "The Jesus Style",  a book I recommend to everyone to read. Whether you're a believer or not, he paints an amazing "out of the ordinary" picture of who Jesus really was when He came to the world as a man. It was challenging to read it, in ways I didn't expect... but such a blessing. Heather is a woman with a powerful testimony of God's sovereignty and how even in the midst of a hopeless situation He gives hope. She's a missionary and in March 2001 she was a part of a team of eight people who went to do ministry in Afghanistan. She was there for four months before she was arrested by the Taliban a month prior to the attack of September 11th. She was held in 5 different prisons in the area of Kabol until her rescue on November 13, 2001. What a sweet opportunity to listen to what these two speaker's had to say about the amazing things God has done in their lives and who He is, not only to them but to all of us.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts that your thoughts." 

Isaiah 55:8-9

what a comforting thought. I know that as human, I am finite. but God is infinite. I'm a fickle pickle... but God never changes. He's God- He knows all. but sometimes.... I'm really stupid... and i don't trust Him. but how could I not??? He's proved Himself faithful, in the past, in the present, and i know that i know that i know that He will be faithful in the future. 

So yeah, just a thought... God has shown me some incredible things this past week, life-changing i believe. and yeah, that's a bold statement. but you know what? that's what God's into... changing lives. :)

I hope anyone who is reading this is encouraged, thanks for checking up. I'll try keeping up with the updates... it's just been super busy this past week. but anyways, i love you all and i'm thinking about you. 5 more weeks and i'm home. cwazy.

 

back to where we started...

so today was a rainy day... boo.

BUT, so far it's been a very lovely rainy day. i thought it was a bit cold so i sat next to a heater all morning... mmm. that was nice. now i'm just sitting inside the cafe'... getting ahead on certain homework cause i'm avoiding doing it for other classes. Oh, Bible College. 

it's always like this around this time of the semester... Conor reminded us this morning that we're right at the top of the mountain and here comes the decline. sounds like something Jacob would say, it was encouraging. Just keeping in mind that yeah, i miss my family, yeah, the excitement that we all had at the beginning of the semester has faded away, and yeah, maybe i'm feeling more like i want to "get it over with"... but I need to keep my eye's on Jesus-always. and never become complacent with any area of my walk or the wherever He has placed me... now i must take heed.

on monday morning i was invited to be a part of the breakfast crew. it was exciting indeed. we made pancakes, one of the interns shared his pancake mix and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. it was delicious! his parents just visited last week and they brought it for him. so it was pretty cool. so it was Izzy, Zach, Tamiko, and me... and the pancakies were so tasty. and i think i was able to perfect my flipping skills, which is pretty cool i think. i didn't take any photo's but i stole this one from Zach... just so you can see the deliciousness!

I also went to the store today with Lish. i had a craving for some gummies... i haven't bought any in almost a month! and then i had to buy some oil so i could make the dressing packets my mom sent me in the package. i'm excited about that, cause i love the dressings she sent me. :) and then i bought some bananie's! i was excited... they always motivate me to get up and go to breakfast. 

i felt like i had more to type about... guess not. it's hard trying to keep this thing updated consistently. most of the time i feel like i'm rambling on and on and on. that's why i like adding photo's... it factors in the excitement!

oh! i know something exciting to share! Caleb bought me the new Copeland cd. ♥ it's amazing. he's amazing. I can't wait to listen to it with him. Copeland, Caleb, and perhaps a cup of coffee or cocoa... sounds delightful.

the sun was shining...

today was a marvelous day... i wish i had photographed it. but that's ok, because the warmth of the sunshine will keep my heart comforted for many cold nights to come. 

yes, it was a beautiful, glorious, wonderful sunny day. although this morning it was a bit chilly... i wore the Amelia Earhart hat that Val Pal sent me in the package i received yesterday... but i'll talk about that later. anyways, i was FREEZING this morning but then by the time classes were out the sun was shining and all the clouds were gone! so after lunch i sat outside with Tamiko on the bench and we played some guitar and sang. it was so warm. :) i took off my hoodie and just basked in the sun. it was marvelous. aaand then a puppy appeared out of nowhere! a super cute dog too, aw it was so happy and playing with everyone. i wanted it to be the new school mascot, but no such luck.

So yesterday, I received my third package of the semester. pretty much the best package ever... i was excited to open it, i knew some of the treasures that were inside. but at the same time i was oblivious of the treasure trove that laid before me. she individually wrapped every little object so i carefully unwrapped each one in wonder... more surprised as i pulled back each piece of tissue paper that revealed something more and more marvelous. it arrived at the perfect time, i've been feeling a little homesick lately so it was really nice to have that.

well, i'm hoping tomorrow is nice and sunny again. that would be superb.

ugh. and blogger is being retawded right now and it won't let me upload any photo's... oh well.

1000 times a day...

well,  this past week has gone by ridiculously fast... it's quite overwhelming but at the same time it's been pretty chill.  I'm not sure how t o describe it... thinking back to Thursday-ish i remember being really busy with homework and i felt like i had a million things to do ... then i pretty much got them all done before Friday night. So then this weekend i didn't really have anything to do. but it was nice cause i was getting over some horrible bug... i won't go into details but it was very unpleasant. but anyways... but one of the girls here gave me some hardcore german something or other medicine and it made me feel uh-mazing. haha... and of course i drank lots of water, no tea, but lots of water. i also ate a significant amount of chocolate... i think that had to do a lot with how fast i was feeling better. anyways, over the weekend i did sooo many stinkin' chuck tracks. they were all really good though! in all honesty, i really enjoy them... i really enjoy getting them done too. 

Today i learned how to say "tangerine" in Japanese... that was exciting. except i'm pretty sure i kept saying it wrong. oh well... there will be more lessons.

it's open week for the Bible College so i have two temporary roommates. they're really nice, both from The Netherlands. and they brought a ton of sweets and snacks... so far they haven't shared but i know it's only a matter of time... just kidding. haha, but i wouldn't be opposed. ;) next week is speaker's week... Gayle Erwin is coming for the first couple days. that'll be pretty rad, i'm expecting it to be busy. it sounds like we have a pretty full schedule. we'll see how it goes. it's crazy cause it seems like the weeks are going by sooo fast. six more weeks, really? seems crazy to me... 

haha, first semester feels like it was forever ago... things were so different then. cwazy. 

my head a-splode.

the past couple days back have been good for the most part. it's cool getting to see everyone again and i know i'm going to miss them all as a whole when the semester's over. but we won't talk about that now... except this one thought.

it's strange to me how fast life goes by... you're only in a certain place for what seems like a moment. i'm constantly changing... always growing... and always seeing things in a different light and through a different perspective. in a way i like it a lot. cause i look back to where i was last year and i realize i've changed so much, praise the Lord. but being here this semester i really have to force myself to slow time down. i'm having a really great time here and i love it, this season in my life has been so amazing. and i know God is doing so much in my heart. it hurts cause it's been through so many "stretching's".  i think it's just because i miss my family and Caleb so much, a part of me wants to be there with them. yet, i know it's so much better to be here for now. so, i'll make it to the end. sometimes i just get really excited about going home though, and it's funny to me cause if i really really really think about it i realize... i don't miss Maui at all. yes, a sad thought, but true. but i know that when i do get back home it'll be the perfect timing and i'll be happy to be there. i just don't like missing people there and then going home and missing the people here. :( hmm.... life is tricky. 

as a regular update, health seems like it's been an issue as of lately... i got sick yesterday after coming back from Vienna. Melli is sick too... and i'm not sure if anyone else is. but hopefully no one will get too sick. so far it's just a sore throat, headache, stuffy nose type deal. yuck, i was just reminded of the summer when it seemed like i was sick every other week. bleh. anyways, i was off gummies and coca-cola for awhile but i'm slowing forming the habit of eating them on a regular basis again. probably not good cause i aaammm sick.... oh well, i'm never good at nursing myself back to health anyways. 

in more exciting news... i received my second package yesterday! it was amazing. it made me so happy. i was pulling it all out one by one and showing Melissa (my roommate) everything as i was doing so. it was lovely. i think i've already eaten a ton of M&M's... delicious. and a bag of cheez-it'z.... amazing. i'm stoked to make the salad dressing and sharing it with a select few... haha, just kidding. but all that to say, it blessed me. :) thank you wonderful family! AND my sister's decorated it for me. :) so nice. 

this photo is for Tamiko, ice cream from Vienna. so lecker!

the weeks are passing by...

well, I'm back from Vienna! it's been a long and stretching week but amazing. God is doing a great work in Vienna and it was an amazing experience to be a part of it and a huge blessing.

i wish i could sum it up really simply but i've decided that it's pretty much impossible. I had an incredible time and I'm so glad that God's will was for me to go there. Annie and I had so many opportunities to do worship and sing it was insane. we also recorded our first cd, "Austrian A Capella" 14 songs in the course of two hours. super rough and all. but it was fun and totally on a whim. we are slaves to music now and there's no turning back. we were both able to share some of our own songs on Saturday night. The church had an Erntedankfest (Thanksgiving type feast) which was a cool event. We sung for like 3 hours straight. it was cwazy. but so rad! i'll see if i can post a video that Allison took of us singing Annie's remix of "Nothing But The Blood" (an amazing rendition!). looking back i feel so blessed and so encouraged by the whole week. once again, i can't help but say, God is good. :) 

i miss Vienna... a lot. and all the inside jokes with the team, and my bananie's for breakie every morgen... and of course crossing at the bunny and turning at the Billa. and the crazy Subway Stations. and stealing all the photo's Maarten wanted to make first. and of course making melodies with Annie!

All of our passports. 3 American, 2 German, 1 Kiwi, and 1 Dutch.

the last two are from Allison's camera. the "couchuzzi is pretty cool, haha. but i'll give a link to more photo's soon. Please keep praying for the team. a lot of us are still really tired and trying to catch up on classes and getting sick. it'sssnot alright. but God is in control. :) only 51 more days left.... cwazy cwazy. 

miss you all! thank you for your prayers. ♥

I'm updating this from my iPod...

hello, today my team leaves for Vienna! I'm super stoked about it. So here's just a quick update while I'm sitting in the cafe... We leave in about 3 hours or so. It's really strange thinking that I'm going to be in a foreign country in less than 12 hours. Please, please, please keep my team in prayer- that would be amazing!


Thank you, I love you. :)

Hooo-san-naaa!

mmm, such a good song. 

so right now i'm contemplating eating a delicious banana. :) it says it's from Ecuador? That's such a long trip from there to Germany for such a little bananer...

i'm listening to Hillsong right now and it's making me miss the telecaster an extremely large amount. It's that pathetic that I miss a guitar? well, it's true! i do... and i'll admit it. today i was recording some stuff and just messing around on garage band trying to make my acoustic sound like an electric through all the affects. it was sad... cause it didn't sound anything like it.

hmm, i lost my phone charger... figures... i use it as an alarm (the phone, not the charger... obviously.) so i'm using Alisha as an alarm and having her wake me up in the mornings. haha! i really need to find it though cause it's really frustrating and i looked through ALL of my stuff and i can't find it... God, please open my eyes. 

in other news my friend Anjulie gave me this amazing scarf and then she made an even more amazing hat. they're both so lovely. haha, and i'm going to be a total macnerd and upload them from photobooth... you know, just so you can see. 

and this one's for mom... hi mom!

mmkay, i'm done.

the zoo!

this past weekend was the long weekend and I went to Cologne with some friends and hit up the zoo. Ah, it was a ton of fun... and there were so many animals (except for Kangaroo's and Panda Bears...). Then when we were heading back to Siegen we stopped at the Starbucks and right when I walked in I felt so comfortable. It was like I was right back at home. so strange, but nice.

Today Allison and I met up with our Auslander person... She's 19 so I can't really call her my "mom". haha, but it was really nice and she took us out for breakfast at IKEA... it was delicious! but now I'm sooo full so I'm skipping out on lunch. 

I also received a card from my mom today... so ridiculous. it was one of those song cards from Hallmark, you know the one I'm talking about. I thought it was really funny... but I think I may have broke it cause now it doesn't play every time I open it. =/ hmm... but it was funny. I can't wait to show my roommates, they'll love it!

Oh, here's an update for outreach week. I'm going to Vienna! we bought our tickets yesterday, sooo crazy! but I'm so excited. :) it's going to be amazing!  

title title.

so. i'm super stoked on this beautiful day! it's been raining for the past couple days and today when i woke up it was beautiful and sunny and the air is nice and crisp. so lovely.

today i'm going to go out and shoot so i don't have any photo's for this post... but perhaps the next one? we'll see. 

sooo... growing up in Hawaii i've always had this desire to see the leaves change, to experience a season. and now i actually am... it's amaaazing! the leaves are beautiful and i'm so excited to go out this afternoon and explore. i think i'm going to take a walk up in the woods cause i haven't been up there yet... hopefully i won't get lost? i'm sure i'll be fine. or maybe even go on a bike ride? oh my, i'm so excited. 

i'm learning to appreciate the sun more and more. i love rainy days and when it's overcast cause i like being nice and cozy inside. but sometimes... when it rains for three days straight... it makes me kind of sad... but today it's warm and sunny and beautiful. 

oh geez, i'm blogging about the weather... haha. 

I never realized...

addiction |əˈdik sh ən|
noun
the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity


i hate to admit it... but... i will and i must confess that, i'm pretty sure i've become dependent on fancy espresso drinks. good thing? not so much... bad thing? i don't know! it's not like it's an expensive addiction... i'm keeping my eye on it and at times won't even bring my wallet with me. it's in those times of weakness though... i just can't control myself and say no.

anyways, i'm glad i could get that out.

in other news, i'm hoping that I can go to Vienna for outreach week. I'm not really quit sure yet. I should probably talk to Annie about it. I'm really excited though, just to see the amazing things that God is going to do through all of us leading up to that week, during that week, and after... and pretty much with the rest of our lives. it's gonna be sweet. :) we all have the great opportunity of sharing our testimonies in Guest Lectures... over half of us went today and it was super rad just hearing everyone's in the course of three minutes each. It's amazing how dynamic God is and how He's personal with each and every one of us. He speaks to us personally and He's definitely not systematic.

it's a lovely thing when you get inspired by someone else's simple photography. i love it. you can look at something from someone else's perspective and it gives you a fresh new one. again, i love it!

I've been trying to keep my flickr updated as much as i can... a couple uploads here and there. so if you haven't looked at it in awhile i guess now would be the time to check it out... you know... if you wanted to.

With the exception of today, the past few days have been beautiful. sunny and warm, sooo nice. so here are some photo's that i've been itching to upload. the last one is the reflection of the autobahn and our neighbors in the library window. haha, i thought it looked cool and was excited when it turned out. I'm working on some photography and becoming more and more comfortable with my weapon of choice. i'm hoping to pick up a few tricks here and there and i'm excited to try new ideas. tomorrow i think i'll take my camera and shoot the lovely leaves that are beginning to change on my walk to school. i'm seriously loving it so much out here. God is such an amazing artist!

p.s.
there's a link to my flickr under my picture over therrre... --->

God given...

God chooses to work in super unique ways... however He sees fit.     and i like that about Him. 

I know I've said it a ton of times before but God is so good! and He is so faithful... and I know that He is doing amazing things here. He is moving and dealing with so much in me.  geez, He's incredible. 

I remember praying before I came out here, just for a friend. No big deal, I knew I was coming out here on my own not knowing aaanyone really. And it seemed really intimidating. So I prayed that there would be a girl out here who I could just click with, a friend. Well, God is good. Everyone out here is amazing and sweet and cool and quirky. haha, but from the very first day Alisha (a little girl from Ohio) and I have been at each other's side,  it's been almost a month now and I know she is a very dear friend indeed. In fact, I'm pretty sure today was the first day we didn't sit next to each other in devo's only because I did worship this morning so I sat in the front row. But I hope you understand what I'm saying and don't think I'm saying this just to say this. It's funny, cause as time goes on I know our bond is growing stronger. and i love that because it's really an answer to prayer. and God was faithful in blessing me with a friend. so cool! 

God is really arousing my heart for worship, He is so worthy of my praise. But even then I'm so unworthy to be in His presence. but since I first came here He's been speaking to my heart when it comes to worship... it's personal, you know? He's so intimate and so delicate with me when in reality what I need is a slap across the face to wake up and truly love Him with all my heart... He's working on me, I just feel so insufficient  but He completes me. and that's so rad. 

Anyways, I really like the train here... I'm not sure exactly why but it always seems like an adventure to go buy a train ticket and sit there and such. it's a train! and last time I checked there's not a set train schedule in those Sandwich Islands. I'm really looking forward to outreach week and traveling. Haven't done any traveling yet, but there's another outreach that I'm going on later this semester to a different part in Germany. So, if you remember, please keep outreach week in prayer. I know God has amazing things planned. Just keep all the different teams in prayer while we're all going on outreaches in October. (18th-25th) That would be greatly appreciated. :) I'm not sure where I'm going yet... but soon I shall decide for sure. (I have 'til next Thursday) There's places like Ireland, Vienna, Prague, London, Frankfurt, and everywhere!  but as a reminder... you know... if you suddenly start thinking of trains all the time...  just remember to pray for the students here who are going to be traveling a lot next month. That would be greatly appreciated. 

cause I said I would...

here's a link to my photo's:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38767&l=3619c&id=540251451

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39616&l=cca57&id=540251451

copy and paste! The first is a link to some photo's of before i left to when i first got here... and then the second album is just some of the stuff that's been going on around here. 

anyways, i hope you enjoy them.