differences

Sometimes I am slightly shocked when I see or hear some U.S. Americans mock on "Non-USAmerican behavior". Yes, the German system (government, health, history, whatever) has its issues. A lot. But show me a country that has no issues in those areas! and I gladly take some (of those good meant) advices.
Yes, the German language knows funny nicknames for things we like. But at least any German I know never ever had problems to just accept and not laugh about English speakers, who call their loved ones "Honey"... 

Sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you.
Honey, ah sugar sugar
You are my candy girl

And you've got me wanting you

Noah

Today Noah is one week old. This cute, little girl already had a serious open-heart-surgery when she was 2 days old. It was a "three-steps" surgery and maybe two of those steps have to be redone this week. Please join me in prayer that she does not have to have it.
Her parents attend my church and I wish that through this we and all the world may see the power and glory of our living God.

--- click the titel (Noah) above to get to her parent's (Cass and Alex) blog entry about her birth. ---

Heaven's jubilant

After a long time of praying, waiting and crying my sister is now my real sister, she got baptized last Monday! I am still overwhelmed. Finally all she knows about christianity (and she know a lot, believe me, our mom is a great teacher) she is starting to put things into action. She's like a skyrocket!
As many countries and an ocean are seperating us, I asked her today if she would be interested in sharing our bible readings on a blog and here it is: 2 sisters and 1 bible (it is still under construction, though)
If you like that and maybe want to be one of our sisters as well, let us know and we will authorize you to be a contributor.

Fisher House Project

Last Sunday, we (Judy, Fran, Larry, Monika and Krisi) went to Landstuhl to serve some dinner we had fixed at home before. (ok, Larry just helped us by driving the car to get us there and left later)
“Supporting America's military in their time of need, we provide "a home away from home" that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time -- during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury” is what you can read on their homepage. As I know, it is an activity Judy started in our church (well, she asked if someone from church could come) but I read on a sign that the consulate was held responsible for the dinner that night. I just wanted to go, help and spread some love. All the people we met were so grateful and this in itself made me glad. I pray that they could feel God’s love even if I couldn’t talk to them very much. Just click the picture to see some more (I uploaded to my facebook).

stop worrying and enjoy your life

is part of a message on busses wheeling all along since October 2008 in London and since January 6th in Madrid and maybe soon all over in Europe.
What happened to us christians that atheists think with God you can't enjoy your life and you have to worry?
First something Jesus said about worrying:

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion--do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:25-34)

What more could God call to us like "don't fuss", "relax" and "don't worry"? Just one scripture (out of many more):

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. (Matt. 11:28)

And now about enjoying life. Jesus said:

John came fasting and they called him crazy.
I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riff-raff. (Matthew 11:18+19)

So - Jesus knew how to feast (aka enjoy life) but even so it wasn't right for people.
It is pointless to discuss if God exists or not, you have to try out to live with God. I did and I can tell you, God literally gave me some bread when I had no money to buy some and also he did with clothing! So far I love the "probably" in the bus-commercial - it makes people think. How about the other way around?

THERE IS PROBABLY A GOD.

NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE.

It's worth trying!

(thoughts from the Sunday sermon yesterday by Dieter)

Xmas Questionnaire...

I was tagged by Amy


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Well, I think I never had Egg Nog, but when I "wikipedia" it, I think I'd love it...

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrap

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope...never did in our family

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I have no special day or time when I start to put my decorations up. Something between end of November and Christmas :-)

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
In Germany the favorite Christmas dish is roast goose. I love that very much with red cabbage and dumplings but I also like roast duck which we had since a couple years because that bird is smaller than a goose and so you don't have to eat from it for weeks...

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:
One Christmas my mom got very sick and could not decorate/cook the holiday dish/buy gifts. My sister and I got ill, too, and so we all spent the holidays in bed, candles were lit and my mom read a lot of stories for us. It was very special.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
In Germany nobody "believes" in Santa - we have the "Christkind" (which is litterally translated as "Christ-Child") or "Weihnachtsmann" (= "Christmas-Man", that guy equals Santa, I think). Thanks to God and my mom I learned the truth about Christ when I was very young, (and I never thought HE would bring the gifts although I knew it was because of Him that we were blessed with gifts).

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Here in Germany you always open all the gifts on Christmas Eve. Traditionally the whole family goes to Church in the afternoon on the 24th and when you come back around 4.30pm it is actually dark outside. The children are asked to sit and wait in a special room until they hear the gentle sound of a small silver bell. Then they would open the livingroom doors to see the illuminated & decorated christmas tree (which was just brought in that day) and the gifts underneath. Then they are asked to say a christmas poem or sing a christmas song for their parents/grandparents and after all they could open the gifts.

In my family we didn't go to church on 24th; my mom always baked a special cake and served it with coffee and tea around 3.30 pm. Then she read the christmas story for us. And we had to play the piano and sang songs altogether. Later on we could open all the gifts and play. For dinner we always had potato salad and wiener.
As we have 2 Christmas Holidays in Germany -25th and 26th- we went to see my grandparents on 25th and had the roast goose on 26th (or the other way around).

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
I don't have a christmas tree. But if I had one I would decorate it with dark red christmas balls etc.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
For Christmas, I love snow! Unfortunately we don't have snow very often in Wiesbaden. So this year I decided to go to Fischen and celebrate Christmas there with my mom.

12. Can you ice skate?
Well, I used to ice skate when I was younger and I didn't fall down. I never was a figure skater but I loved it. Since I have my hips and one knee replaced I don't dare to ice skate again.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
When I was twelve or something I got a boombox. It was not a big and fancy one but I remember sitting on an armchair all night long (it was very late when I finally had to go to bed) with that machine on my knees, listening to christmas music in the radio.

14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Being with my mom, especially since my sister, her husband and the kids moved to the U.S.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Vanilla ice cream served with hot raspberries

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
see number 9

17. What tops your tree?
What tree? (I think I would have a star)

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O du fröhliche (a german song which has a special meaning to me because of its origin)
O Holy Night

20. Candy Canes​!​ Yuck or Yum?
I think yum... (we don't have it here)

21. What do you want for Christmas?
I have no clue

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party?
we meet at Weihnachtsmarkt and go out for dinner with work.

23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs?
We used to dress up on Christmas when I was young.

24. Do you own a Santa hat?
No

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?
my mom

I tag Mr. Jim and Anju.
Thanks, Anju!
Mr. Jim, I can't wait for next christmas ;-)

and this is for you, Amy :-)

Thanksgiving in Germany

Last Sunday we had a holiday in Germany (Erntedankfest) on which people traditionally take harvested products/food products to church services, offer thanks for the good harvest, have the food blessed, followed by the parish breakfasting on blessed food.

For this reason we had an outreach service and extra decoration. We as church had met early to have the Lord's Supper in an extra room and the activities started at 10:00 a.m.
Ruth Kreusel had prepared the tree you can see in the background and had apple-shaped paper and pens put on the tables.

Later, people were asked to write something, they are thankful for, on the "apples" and then go to the front and pin the apples to the tree.

When everybody was done we had a beautiful tree with many apples up there!
The theme of the event was like "Thoughts about giving Thanks" (in German it is "Gedanken zum Danken" which better shows the likeness of think and thank) and after we heard some really good thoughts about how to give thanks we had a brunch together.

When everything was over, people were asked to make a small donation and take the "decoration food" home.


A special surprise that Sunday was, that JR showed up, telling us he will be in Germany for another 10 months period. Thank you. :-)

reconciliation

honoring our moms...

in the u.s. school is about to start again after vacation and in this connection i found this video... have fun watching!

Entering Atlanta Area

U.S.A. meets Wiesbaden, Germany

See what I found last friday during grocery shopping at REWE! Most of my favorite american food stuff... at least FOOD is not a reason anymore to travel to the U.S. ;-)

feel kinda sick today

Today we just hang around. The weather is a little better, the sun came out for the first time we are here and the fog is gone. But it is still cold. Rumors are we're gonna have some snow tonight, others say it would be warm on Monday... we'll see.

My sister wanted to show us HEB today and so we went there shopping. I like that place! They offer a lot of European stuff so it felt close to home (no, not the TV show!).

We just got back (it's around 2pm) and I feel a little sick now... Hope I didn't catch another cold!

Arrived in Killeen

We had a horrible flight!
The flight itself wasn't bad at all, but it was long! After 10,5 hours flying from Frankfurt, Germany to Atlanta our connection flight was 1h and 20 minutes later than scheduled and - to make it worse - we couldn't land in Killeen because of thick fog.
We circled for a while and then headed to Dallas. Problem: I was SO tired during that second flight that I didn't get that special information. I just wondered why the flight took us so long... When we finally landed, I THOUGHT we were in Killeen BUT only after a call to my sister I finally realized we were in DALLAS!
Delta (our carrier) organized some vans to bring us to Killeen Airport. Which took another 3,5 hours.

After all I was up for 29 hours with a traveling time of 25 hours.

I feel SO tough, HAHA.
But more tired....

Traveling Tina

Flight Itinerary:

Monday 21. January
Frankfurt, Germany take off at 12:45pm (Delta 15)
arrives
Atlanta, GA at 5:05pm

Atlanta, GA take off at 7:40pm (Delta 4445)
arrives
Killeen, TX at 9:13pm

Flag Quiz

www.neoworx.net

That's just a little quiz for you to play

I can't post more because I'm sick today!

~~~ sneeze ~~~