Back Home in Herrnhut!

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God taught me quite a few things while being on outreach. The first lesson was that ministry is hard in first world countries. People are so content in living the lives that they already have. They have so much that they can fill their lives with, they feel like they don't need God. People think that in order to become a Christian they have to give up everything fun and what fills their lives, so they reject it. "Why would I give this up? If God wanted me to be happy, then why would he take away what makes me happy?"

I also learned that my expectations and God’s plans are two completely different things sometimes... well, most of the times. I would have thought that I would have already learned this lesson, seeing as though God and I haven’t seen “eye to eye” on a few occasions and he has always been right somehow (Insert sarcasm here ;) ) . I went into the outreach with expectations on how God would use me and how it was going to look. God had quite different plans for me, and my time there. I was disappointed at the time, but looking back now, I realize that I totally needed the learning experiences I had. If my weeks had looked any different then I wouldn’t have learned anything.

I had expected to be a part of “big” things. That I would see miraculous things all the time and that people would be giving their lives to Jesus left, right, and center. Amazing things happened (there was a healing and people discovering Jesus), but I expected so much more and was disappointed at my lack of “evangelism talent”. I didn’t even think that I was being used. I didn’t see results, therefor I was useless. WRONG! I wasn’t harvesting, but planting and watering. Sometimes we get so focused on the harvest we forget that we have to plant and water first. God is the most important in this process though. When I got back to Herrnhut he reminded me of this verse…

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.   1 Corinthians 3:7

Even if I had witnessed people deciding to let Jesus into their lives, it wouldn’t have been my doing, but Gods. I was doing something important while I was there. God had me doing what I was doing for a purpose. Even if I never see any harvest from the work that I did (and I probably never will), it was worthwhile!

During the second week we also put together a flash mob! It was so amazing to be a part of something so cool! I have another thing I can officially cross off my bucket list! It was so awesome that people were so fascinated by what we were doing and the fact that we were spreading the gospel by doing it. We all sang to “Beautiful Things” by Gungor and it fit with the city so well.

Being on the road is awesome, but nothing compares to being back "home". I have realized that I have a very loose definition of the term "home". I've been known to call camp, Trinity Western and the base here my home. Home is wherever I feel comfortable and content. I've never really been one for homesickness, because I usually feel quite at home almost anywhere, which I count as an insane blessing. But after being in the big city without an actual bed for two weeks, nothing beats coming "home" to the tiny town of Herrnhut and being able to crawl back into bed and back into my comfortable routine.

The big city was awesome, don't get me wrong. I love the city! Nothing beats Starbucks for €1.50 and only having to walk two minutes to get it! But there is something completely peaceful about living in a small town. I missed the trees and the quite of Herrnhut. ALSO God totally blessed us with snow this weekend, so that was TOTALLY AWESOME! He also blessed me with Bacon… which was amazing! It has been two months since I’ve had bacon. You truly appreciate so much once it is taken from you haha!

ALSO Breaking News! I found out my outreach location! WOOOOHOOOO!! I will NOT be posting in on Facebook or here, due to the safety of my teammates and the permanent base staff in the country(s). BUT if you would like to know, send me a message and I will fill you in on the awesome news!! I would also like to ask that you would please pray for me and my team, as well as all the other teams we are sending out. Outreach is going to be amazing and hard and life changing so prayer for ready and willing hearts would be much appreciated!

Here's the Video of us doing the Flash Mob.
If you are searching for me, my hair is strait, so good luck to you;
I like to make like Waldo and be hard to find ;) haha