Archive for 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013

Willkommen in Hamburg : Mini Outreach


So last week I had the privilege of tagging along with the DTS Students and Staff to Hamburg on Mini-Outreach! This was the second mini outreach that I have been on and it was absolutely amazing. It was such a breath of fresh air to be in a large city again. I love little Herrnhut, don’t get me wrong, but there is something so amazing about being in a large city, especially such a beautiful one.

We left last Saturday in 3 groups, mine being the first one at 8:30 in the morning, which was nice because that means that we wouldn’t get there too late. My travel group consisted of about 50 students and 6 staff that would all stay together at one church (the other two groups would stay at another church). It was about a 9 hour travel day (which was super nice compared to the 48 hour travel days last year in India haha), and we got there without missing any trains or any major confusion, which was nice for traveling in such a large size.


Outreach started basically as soon as we got onto the train. Kaleigh and I sat next to this elderly woman, and we hit it off her (with the help of a translator). We learned about her kids she eventually told us that two of the four were Atheists, and that she prayed for them every night. We got to pray for her and she was really moved and blessed by it. I saw how happy she was, and it was in that moment when I got really excited for this outreach. The fact that all you have to do is talk to people and relate to them and show them Jesus through your actions makes it super simple.


We got to our church and it was super nice. We noticed that it was just off a street called Hamburger Straße (basically Hamburger street) and that there was a McDonalds across the street. Taylor, one of the students, made a comment about how funny it would be to eat a Hamburger in Hamburg on Hamburger Straße... So obviously, me being Trinda and by definition absolutely up for anything ridiculous, that happened within the hour with photo evidence. Getting to hang out with the students this past week was such a blessing. Because I am not actually school staff, but base staff, and my job is in the back office, I don’t really get to interact with them and make friends with them as much. This week I got to know some amazing students and got to participate in a plethora of shenanigans. Some really memorable ones included the floor turning to lava at 7pm until midnight (that was really fun to get groceries across to the kitchen haha), an epic dance party happening randomly, and a HUGE pizza party out in front of the docks. I had so much fun and hadn’t laughed that much in so long!








Mini Outreach was such a blast, not only because of the fun, but also how inspired I was to see these students in action. Within the first 24 hours, they burst into action and were touching people’s lives right from the get-go. After the first night, our church shared stories of what they did to encourage each other to keep pushing. These stories blew me away. People were entering the Reeperbahn (Hamburg’s Red Light District) and praying there. They were praying for people and lies were being broken already. People could feel Gods presence tangibly and dark atmospheres were being changed. Within 24 hours. I was so taken aback and amazed. They also planned a worship/intercession event close to the Reeperbahn, we participated in powerful prayer walks, and people blessed others through arts. Personally, this was the first time for me that I have seen such powerful evangelism in a big city. I was inspired, and challenged to step up my game, but at the same time not to strive, but to let God really use me how He wanted to. It was amazing.




My most memorable evangelism day included talking to people around the red light district and entering bars to do “bar ministry”. Haha. If you know much about me, then you know that I have been into very few bars in my 21 years. But myself and the 3 other students that I went with had a blast. We got to have some really good conversations with some amazing older German locals. Three of us ended talking to a German school cook, who had been to India. I had been there as well, and the other two students will be going there soon. I could tell that he was really enjoying the conversation, and we were able to bless his day. While we were talking, the other student was talking to the bartender when someone sat down next to her. They started a conversation and she learned that He just came from the country that she will be heading to! Talk about divine appointments! Turns out he runs a ministry in the Reeperbahn and they got to talk about that and her dreams for her future. Another older man that we talked to also treated us to another round of Cokes as well. Time flew by and pretty soon we realized that we were late to meet the final person in our travel group who had left to shoot for her video. We left the bar, but before exiting I told the bartender that she was beautiful in German [pretty good German in my opinion ;)]. She smiled so huge! I could tell that we really brought the presence of the Lord into that place. We were 10 minutes late to meet Justyna, but while she was waiting she had the chance to talk to someone who I had met earlier that day. Because of the language barrier I couldn’t talk to him, but he was Polish and so was she, so they were able to talk and she was able to pray for him. All-in-all it was an amazing day of many amazing days that I had in this beautiful city.



On Thursday night, the OBJECT Conference started. It was a 3 day conference that was put on by Hope Dies Last, a ministry run out of our base that is dedicated to “Transforming culture through media and missions to counteract human trafficking and sexual exploitation.”  I learned so much about human trafficking and the sex industry. There are so many things, and so much information that people need to know. There are so many crimes and people being hurt daily. We learned about the effects of pornography, buying sex, and being sexually exploited on the human mind and how God views it. Personally, I got really fired up. I think that eventually I want to be involved somehow in the fight for this freedom. We’ll see what that looks like in the future. God has His plan for my life, but I have this new passion that I never knew existed in me before. I love it when God shows you something new, that you and Him can have a passion for together.


The week that I got to spend in Hamburg was really amazing. I learned a lot, had a blast, and really saw God move. I am so excited to hear the stories from when these students come back from Outreach, and to see them realize even more how God can use them for such great things!




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Friday, October 18, 2013

One Rainy Night

So, I've said it once, and I am sure I will say it many times more in my life... If something can happen to me, it usually will. I'm not saying that I have a pessimistic view on my life, in fact it's quite the opposite. I love having interesting, even hilarious things happen to me so I have the joy of sharing later. I can laugh a situation off almost instantly and think about how fun it will be to share it later. I've had my car break down multiple times, I've booked plane tickets for the wrong day, I've ridden on multiple sketchy bus rides, and I have a knack for getting lost. I can look back on all of those stories and laugh and praise God in them. I figure that if my life wasn't interesting, then I would get really bored. God must have known that about me when he made me and planned out my life... Well of course he did... He's God. (He also must have known that I would need a patient set of parents to deal with me ;) Good thing I have some!) I love God and how he knows those things about us when he plans our lives. 

Yesterday was one of those days. I didn't get lost or do something silly, but when I think about it, of COURSE it would happen to me. Myself and my co-core group leader (Kelsey) had just wrapped up core group meeting for the day. It was a really good time, and I loved every second, but once it was over I got really tired. I had a bit of a head cold (sneezing, watery eyes, sniffles, head ache... the works) and I had been fighting through the whole day because I hate missing things at the base. But it was 6 and it was time for me to go home! I wandered downstairs (I say wander because it's me... and I get distracted easily) and eventually I ran into my friend Sophia. She was printing things in the darkroom and wondered if we could walk home together. I said sure, and that I just needed to get my stuff from the back office. I reached out to open the door, turned the handle, and to my hearts discontent, I discovered that it was locked. The contents within the office included one backpack, one purse with wallet and all monies, and one laptop, all of which belonged to me. Of course it would also make sense that my card to unlock the office was also within the office. I laughed it off, because I could just get all of my stuff in the morning, and it was safe within the locked office, so I walked home with Sophia. I dropped her off and then went to my apartment.  

Upon arriving at my apartment I realized that my keys were in my purse... which was in the office... of course haha. It was 7:30 though, so I figured that one of my roommates would be home... But if they were then my story wouldn't be near as interesting now would it. Sooooo of course, no one was home. And like any dramatic story, this is the part where the rain makes it's entrance. So I'm standing in the rain, with no keys, and no way into my apartment. I am dead tired to the point of where my eyes hurt just because they are still open, sneezing and cold (my jacket was also locked away "safe and sound"), and I'm hungry and just want to take a shower. I ask God what I should do and he says "Go to ministry night." I laugh and think to myself, "Ha. Really funny God. I'm wet, tired, and hungry. I just want to eat and sleep and you want me to go pray and sing? You're kidding right. I know I told you that I wanted to go, but not tonight. I'll go next week."

At this point I am seriously getting hungry. Hungry to the point of being cranky (haha or "h-angry" as my friends call it). I realize have 1.50€ in my pocket and by that time 20 minutes until the grocery store closed. So like any good North American living in Germany I go to the store to by a chocolate bar. I had made up my mind, so I trudged to "Penny" in the rain to buy a chocolate bar. If you know anything about the Penny Markt, then you know that they always have very interesting things on sale. You can get easily distracted perusing the multiple isles (or at least I can anyways) looking at the new things. I couldn't find anything interesting for under 1.50€, so I continued on to the chocolate. Once in the chocolate isle, I found the 1€ shelf, where there were a bunch of random things for only 1€. On the very last shelf, I found a measuring cup! We had been needing one of those really desperately in our apartment, and I was super happy to have found one! I then find a .35€ chocolate bar and proceed to the checkout, happy that I actually got something that our apartment needed. Maybe I heard God wrong! Maybe God wanted me to go get chocolate and a measuring cup! Maybe now my roommates would be home and I could eat dinner WITH chocolate and then go to bed nice and dry.

Nope. That wasn't it. They weren't home. And it was still raining.

At this point Im frustrated, and the joys of chocolate can't help (although I did eat the whole bar just to see if it would). There was no point of me sitting in the rain on the doorstep of my apartment building. So I decide to walk to the Café run by one of our base ministries. At least there it would be dry. As I was walking though, something came over me (and it wasn't the German chocolate). I began to pray out loud. I just began to thank God for things. I thanked him for my apartment. I thanked him that even though I didnt have a jacket, at least I did have clothes. I thanked him for the rain even though i was getting wet. I just kept thanking him for all that I had... shoes, friends, lights, food, chocolate, and pretty soon I was in a much better mood... But I was STILL not going to ministry night. I wasn't in THAT good of a mood.

As I was walking down the road, I reached the place where I was supposed to turn to go to the cafe. But for some reason I didnt. I just decided to take the long way and walk past the place where ministry night was, just because. BUT I wasn't going... I was going NEXT week. But as I got closer to the entrance a song got stuck in my head.

"All who are thirsty, all who are weak, come to the fountain, dip your heart in the stream of life..."

God has a way of knowing what is best for you. He isn't going to force you into it though. I ended up making the decision in the end to go to inside. I could have kept walking if I wanted. God gave me the freedom to walk in the rain, and even gave me something in that, but he still knew what was best. If I had listened a bit sooner, I would have been drier, but I did gain a tad of wisdom (and a measuring cup) out of the situation. The prayer and worship was just what I needed. I even got to pray for others, which I love doing! By the time it was over, I was feeling a lot better! The Holy Spirit moved so much in that place, and I really felt refreshed.

I love the things God does and the way he moves in my life. Sometimes it's small, like last night, but I think the small ways are more personal, and are just at powerful as the big ones. I love that even when I don't do what's best sometimes, God still loves to spoil me because I'm his child. And when I surrender and realize that he KNOWS what he's talking about, then he just wants to spoil me even more. I love that my life is never dull and that everything that happens can be used to glorify Him in one way or another.

Hopefully though, from now on I won't get locked out of any more offices... :D

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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Provider

...my God is a God who Provides...
The more that I look back on my life, I see more and more of God’s fingerprints everywhere. He is so involved in every single aspect of my life. Things happen in his perfect timing and I can see what a perfect father he is.

Ever since I was about 16, I wanted to move out.  It wasn’t that I wanted to escape my parents and Kyle; the exact opposite is true. I love my family so much and really enjoy spending time with them. The reason that I wanted to move out was to have my own space that I could decorate and make my own. I dreamed of my pictures in frames all over the house, a mint kitchen, a huge book collection (...that would eventually turn into a library when I got older), and nice places where I could have friends over to talk and visit. So moving out had always been a bit of a fantasy for me. I never figured in the logistical side of things however. 16 year olds don’t dream about rent, or water bills, or landlords.  That was for people my parent’s age!


Now being 21, this is the first time that I can say that I’ve officially “Moved Out”. Sure I’ve lived on campus at Trinity Western, and I’ve lived at camp for 4 months at a time for a few years, but I’ve never had to think about rent or cook for myself. I have now moved out and get to embrace all the things that come along with that.
While I was working at camp this summer, I didn’t think about the encroaching and impending “YOU ARE FLYING AWAY TO LIVE IN A FOREGIN COUNTRY” date. Not only was I moving out, but I was moving out in GERMANY. I didn’t really think about what that all entailed. When you move into a German apartment, it doesn’t come with anything. Nothing at all. No kitchen, no counters, no stove no nothing. Over the summer I was involved with a Facebook message with my roommates. They kept talking about how they were receiving things and how God was blessing us. I thought that it was awesome how He was providing for us and for me when I wasn’t even there yet, but I guess it couldn’t really sink in fully until I actually saw the provision first hand.
The day that Tess and I went to get the keys was my first time actually inside the apartment. I looked around and the more that I looked, the more excited I got. This was going to be my home!  God had given us this place to live (it’s super hard to find housing in Herrnhut because of all the staff that need it) and it wasn’t the floor or couch of someone else’s place. That night Maddie, Tess, Sofia and I had a sleepover together in one room of our new place waiting for the next morning when Miri was coming with all of the things that she said God had provided us with. I had no concept of how much it was until I actually saw it...


 Our God is a God who sure knows how to provide. Seriously.
The Empty Kitchen

The Living Room
The Living Room
We took boxes upon boxes of stuff up the 4 floors worth of stairs. I sure got a workout that morning! The boxes just kept piling up on top of each other. Then came the stove, and the sink, and the counters, the washing machine and the fridge. I was blown away every time that I saw something new come out of the back of that moving truck. When we had finished unpacking out apartment was filled with tons of things! I was prepared to buy my own mattress, but we got exactly 5 donated. We actually had 2 stoves and 2 fridges so we were able to give the extra away to people who didn’t have any yet. As we sorted through the things, we had plenty for ourselves, so we were able to bless others with all the pots, dishes, coffee pots and water heaters and other things that we had an excess of! Shoot we even have a set of fancy dishes and cups, and I have an entire matching tea set for when my core group wants to have tea parties.
The Living Room AFTER the Moving Truck

Seriously. So Much Stuff
God only wants to bless us, and he has shown me just how capable of that He is. We didn’t have to pay anything for the things that we were blessed with. We didn’t even have to pay for the moving truck. God is seriously so amazing and good! I know I shouldn’t be, but I am continuously blown away at what He is capable of. God can do anything. He is a God who loves to take care of his children. He is a provider of everything good. He loves me more that I could ever understand or deserve. Whenever I get worried or afraid thinking about the future, like my rent or having enough to buy groceries, I can just look back to this time and remember just how well and fully God provides. He can do this, and much more.

I now have a place that I get to make my own. I have a room that I share with an amazing friend (WOOHOO MADDIE!) and awesome roommates. It may not be like I imagined exactly when I was younger, but I think it’s better this way. I have to work and pray for things and it might not be easy, but that makes it more satisfying. I am learning so much and having a blast while doing it!

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Friday, September 13, 2013

Rest in Me...

... Be still and know that I am God...
~ Psalm 46:10 ~

I am notoriously known for pushing myself to the limits. I worked my self so hard in the past (and VERY recent past), and have been told multiple times throughout my life, that I needed to take a break. The problem with breaks however, is that I can't work while I take a break! (shocking logic i know ;) ) I believed that I had the power to keep pushing myself, and that if I took a break, then I became a burden to everyone around me; I had a fear that people would believe that I wasn't pulling my own weight. I had a fear of being still. I had a fear of being weak.

Funny thing about God... He likes to continuously refine us. Make us better. And sometimes it doesn't feel so nice. 

I got on the plane to leave for Germany, and everything was just peachy. I had just finished an intense summer at Pines and was excited to jump in, and get right to work at the base in Germany. Right as we were taking off though, I got this pain in my neck and left arm, and my chest constricted. It was super uncomfortable! The neck pain lasted almost the whole trip, train included, which was quite the annoyance, but I brushed it off. The excitement and adrenalin of being back in Germany, and being reunited with my friends, made the pain sink into the background. I went strait to the base the day after I arrived and threw myself into helping prepare for the schools.

The next day was awful. The pain in my neck had returned with a vengeance! I worked though it though, thinking that it would go away and I just had to suck it up. That didn't really work... all that did was cause my left arm to go numb. Talk about not being able to lend a hand anywhere! Along with that came an extreme tiredness that I have never felt before. I was exhausted. I was wiped. I was done.

I was resting in the stairwell when one of the base leaders found me. After talking with her (and a bit of crying on her), she put me to bed on a couch upstairs. I told her about how I didn't want to feel like a burden to anyone, and she spoke amazing words of life over me. She said that I wasn't a burden and that I was still in transition from a BIG life change. I needed time to rest and process things.

After my sleep on the couch, I went to the doctor here in Germany. He said that I pinched a nerve in my neck. No fun at all! So I admitted "defeat" and retreated to my bed. And slept.

While I was still in pain, I was talking and praying with one of my friends. She looked at me and said that she felt that this was a season of my life where she felt like God was going to teach me new things. She said that I was not Gods "work horse", but that I was his Daughter. Boy did that hit home. I had been trying so hard this past while to do, do, do! I had forgotten to rest in Gods presence and that he had already done everything that I need. He died for me. I was his princess! I couldn't do anything more to make him extra proud of me. He was already proud of me.

I'm almost back to 100% now. Rest is so good! I'm still learning what it means to rest in God. I'm still learning how to take time for myself (but I think I've gotten better at it!!!). I'm still learning who I really am in God, and that's ok! God has this amazing adventure planned for me. I'm super excited to get to partner with him and work with him this season of my life. I just need to remember that I need to rest. That I am not a burden. That I am not a work horse. I am Gods daughter, and I need to be still and rest in Him. 

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Location: Herrnhut, Germany
Friday, August 30, 2013

Blessed

Sometimes thoughts just hit me when I'm sitting (or in this case, should be packing...). God has truly blessed my life. He gave me the most amazing friends and family that I could have ever asked for. He gave me the opportunity to have the job up at camp that I've always dreamed of having.  He took me to Germany, Nepal, and India and showed me his blessings every day. He has provided everything I need for going back to Germany and has blessed me with such supportive people behind me. I am blessed beyond belief.  I am blessed every day with more than I deserve. My God is just so good to me. I'm just sitting here, in awe of how richly I am blessed by my Lord. I know that he loves me and will continue to provide for me in ways that I will never be expecting and that is what blows my mind. I love my Lord ♥

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Adventure Continues…

“God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.”
This was the motto that we shouted all the time during my DTS. The more I look at my own life, the truer this simple   becomes. God has truly blessed my life this past year abundantly. My family is staff together at the place that fostered the growth of my faith, my life is filled with friends who love and support me in everything I do, and I have the support of a God who is proud of every step I take. Blessed is the only word that comes to mind. Insanely, outrageously and undeservingly blessed.
My summer at Pines Bible Camp as one of the Assistant Program is more than half over. I’ve been here for a little over 3 months, and it has been amazing. Not without its share of struggles and learning experiences, but those experiences are what draw us closer to God. And getting to share this place with my family is an extra cherry on top. I always viewed this place as my home, but now I actually get to call it that; my Home. I’ve learned so much and have gotten to show love to my fellow staff and the amazing kids that come through. I don’t even remember what a summer without Pines is like.
Before my time with YWAM I thought that I would have a nice six month adventure with God and return to my regular life. I would go back to university and finish my degree like a “normal” young adult and start a career. I had no intention of staying in Germany or staying with YWAM. Haha… God sure does have a way of changing our plans; always for the better, but sometimes the changes can rattle you!
For those of you who don’t know I am RETURNING TO GERMNY! WOOHOO! My plane leaves on the 4th of September! I’m scared, excited, apprehensive and giddy all at the same time (talk about butterfly’s in the stomach!). I am returning to the country that I fell in love with and will be helping to run the base that opened my eyes wider to the greatness of my God and the love that he has for me. I will be base staff there, which means that I will be helping to run the day-to-day jobs at the base. I feel called to work in the office helping with the processing of Visas. It’s an interesting desire to say the least, but I’m actually so excited! I also am planning on helping with the growing café ministry that’s happening there. I’m so excited, but I expect that I may become addicted to coffee in the process! Haha. My other goal is to go to China. I would love to go experience the culture over there and show the love of Christ to them through my actions and through my photography.
All this being said, I am open for change. If there’s one lesson that God taught me, it’s to be open for his actions and be willing to hold my plans loosely. He has the best plan for my life. This doesn’t mean that I cannot dream – in fact dreaming with God is super important – but I cannot count on all my plans becoming reality.  If he moves, I will follow. If that means that I go back to India, or to someplace new altogether, bring it on! Haha. Life with God is an adventure! The best thing you can do is embrace it, throw your hands up like you're on a roller coaster and enjoy the ride. 
 This brings me to the final point of this blog post. I can’t do this alone. God has called me to Germany and I am going, but I need help. I need prayer and lots of it. If you would be willing to pray for me that would be amazing! I believe that prayer works and that God hears the cries of our hearts, so the more prayer, the better!!! Secondly I am looking for financial support. As a staff member I need to pay base fees and also be able to afford food and rent for an apartment. My goal is to have at least 500 Euros a month, which is about $650 dollars. This should be enough to cover everything that I would need. If it’s a one time donation, or monthly support they would both be welcome! Once in Germany I am planning on putting out a monthly newsletter. If you would like to donate, pray, or receive updates please e-mail me at trinda_13@hotmail.com. Thank-you for all of your support in my pursuit of God and his plans for me!

“God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!”

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