Happy Talk

The dates have been decided, the fares found. Phone calls, sewing, weeks filled with added work hours, and last-time-get-togethers with local friends all make this trip seem a little more real. I am buying my ticket tomorrow, and the last I checked, I am leaving from Minneapolis on January 9th. I change planes in London, (Heathrow, I am afraid) and land in Zurich Switzerland by noon on the 10th! My Canadian friend Hannah Loewen is joining me on this expedition, so I am very grateful to have a travel companion. Her aunt Martha Gerber is the one that really helped this whole trip come together. Martha lives in Bern, Switzerland, and we plan to do a lot with her if possible while there. Hannah's cousin is getting married on the 15th of March, and she would like to stay for that, so we will not be heading home until March 17th. Not the most festive way to celebrate one of my favorite holidays, but perhaps my family can postpone St. Patrick's Day one more day so that I can be in on the wearin' of the green. :)

So what is this trip all about, you ask? I am curious to find out myself. All I can say for sure is that for the last 4 months I have been praying that God would open the doors for me to go overseas again and get involved in some sort of ministry for a while. The details for this trip fell right into place, and all my friends and family encouraged me to "go for it". I will be living and working at "Guetli", a farm near the village of Mettmenstetten, and about an hour's train ride from a lot of the main cities in Switzerland. It is run almost like a kibbutz, only it is not Jewish. It is known locally as a farm, and a bakery where they make and sell breads, as well as for the greenhouse and florist shop on the compound. It is a mission retreat center for believers as well, geared toward young people as near as I can make out. The people there can speak English, albeit some do somewhat brokenly. (This should prove interesting!) Everyone shares in the work to make everything run smoothly, and I think my tasks will be anything from regular ol' house cleaning, to laundry, cooking, baking, greenhouse work, and maybe some office time as well. All of which I do on a regular basis at home, so other than missing my coffee house niche, I should fit in well! (Oh, I HOPE they believe in coffee there, and not just tea. I read something about "tea time".) The mission does not have a website, so I have no link to direct you to. Perhaps I can create one for them while I am there!

I of course do not want to be totally tied down the whole time I am overseas, and have dreams to go to France, Italy, and Austria as well while I am so close. When I was in Israel, I purchased my ticket for 2 1/2 months over there with no idea what all I would do during that time, and God was faithful and opened doors, led us to the perfect people, and filled our time beautifully. I am trusting Him to do that again. I am excited to have to "wing it" and see how He will lead me. Please keep me in your prayers while I am gone. I am looking forward to going with a giving heart, to pour out life and time for other people. My goal for this trip is not only to live life to the full, but make a difference for all eternity on the hearts of the people I meet. Mom sang me the words of this song last night as we sat up late talking before bed. We were sharing hearts and life and dreams and prayers. My dearest mother has always encouraged me to live life to the fullest.

"Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,

Talk about things you'd like to do.

You got to have a dream, If you don't have a dream,

How you gonna have a dream come true?

Talk about the moon floatin' in the sky,

Lookin' at a lily on the lake;

Talk about a bird learnin' how to fly.

Makin' all the music he can make.

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,

Talk about things you'd like to do.

You got to have a dream, If you don't have a dream,

How you gonna have a dream come true?

Talk about a star lookin' like a toy,

Peekin' through the branches of a tree;

Talk about the girl, talk about the boy,

Countin' all the ripples on the sea.

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,

Talk about things you'd like to do.

You got to have a dream, If you don't have a dream,

How you gonna have a dream come true?"