Back in the land of the living...pictures coming later

Things they really say here:
“Achtung!” “Gesundheit!” “Kaput” “Mama mia!”

March 3rd

I think I better pick up where I left off before I begin describing where I am right now, or I will never remember it all! Where were we, oh yes! In Bern. So Deborah (“Deb-ORR-ahh”) decides it would be fun to ride on a boat over the River Rhine, and walks up to the man on the boat and calls out: “When is the next ride over?” thinking it was on a schedule. The man calmly drawls back, “I think I will at least wait until you get on.” :] So we climbed aboard, and after Rebekka treated us to the $$ ride, off we went. These European cities are so beautiful. We happened to cross right by a famous church, and after climbing many many flights of stairs up the steep hill, entered it. It was dank and echo-y and old, with many tombs and stained glass. But what was refreshing to us was seeing Gideon Bibles in several languages on a table, free for the taking.

Then we just spent the afternoon wandering around the cobblestone streets, taking in the church bells ringing, pigeons, and people. Suddenly Deborah turns to us all excited, and said, “I will invite you to ice cream! To the best ice cream in Switzerland!!” Then we went into a restaurant called Mvenpick. It was simple and elegant in there, wooden floors, mahogany tables, and white walls. We sat down and waited a looong time before a waitress arrived, and just chatted and enjoyed our time together. (I really like those girls!) The menu was so fancy, and printed in 3 languages. I ordered a combo called “Swiss Chocolate” that had 3 flavors; a vanilla/chocolate chunk, espresso and hazelnut, and chocolate/chocolate chunk. Then they were layered with fudge and real whipped cream, and when I say it was incredible, I mean it! Wow. The ice cream is made with fresh cream from Brown Swiss cows (I think!) and was so creamy. I honestly didn’t expect it to be that amazing, being a Wisconsin girl and all. Hannah and I just looked at each other like, “WOW!”. We took some pictures of our 10 Franc creations, and savored it. Ice cream is very expensive here, so we have only had it once or twice since we have been here.

The girls took us to the train station, where we had a 15 minute ride into a nearby German town where Mirjam Hage goes to school. She parks across the border, and walks over to where her school and flat is Once again, God prepared a ride for us, so we did not have to pay for a expensive train ticket. She “happened” to be going home to Guetli that night, and was very nearby Basel! The train was very late, stuffed and packed to the gills, AND I had to ride backwards, so I did not enjoy this ride as much as the last time. When we got off at the cute typical looking station (just like in the movies) Mirjam was waiting for us. We walked around her little town, and saw her apartment before heading back to Mettmenstetten. We were so hungry by the time we got home at 8:30 that we went straight to the kitchen, and there was Rahel and Simon Stucki eating supper as well. Guetli had leftover Dumpfnudel, a soft sweet roll baked in a mildly sweet custard. So we 5 all sat around the tall community table eating leftovers and catching up on each other’s lives. Those are the kind of memories I will savor.

On Friday I did a lot of sewing, Daniela wanted me to finish up the several projects I had been working on, so I was in the laundry area as well as all over the Guetli! It seemed I was always running here and there, trying to get things done. Our plans changed about Italy, so I also started some preparations for the trip. That evening we were invited to the Siegfrieds, Rebecca and Thea’s family. I really like their dad Conrad. He is so funny and spontaneous! Right after dessert he gets up and goes into the living room and starts playing Rachmaninoff really loudly. (On a CD, of course!) He loves the movie “Fiddler on the Roof” and was quoting it loudly at supper, and complained constantly how sore his tummy was from all the work in the forest at Guetli that day. (He had come to volunteer.) He also can be quiet, and all his kids love him and hang on him all the time. He is so Swiss, and I just get such a bang out of his Australian accent! Neva is very much like my mom, she always dresses cute, and is soft and motherly and makes good food. They have 8 children which is very unusual for Switzerland, and all the kids are close. We sat and talked in 2 languages around the table and dessert, showing each other pictures of our families. It was a very special evening, and I found myself thanking God again for yet another fun experience with another lovable family.

Saturday morning I sewed again, and cleaned our room and washed laundry, and started getting sad about how few days I have left here! At Tsfirie in the garden I was giving them a hard time about speaking German, telling them they really only have to speak English for about 5 more days, and then I will be out of their hair. :] That night as I was in the Zurichhaus I heard some outstanding piano happening downstairs, and stole down to peek in on whoever it was. There sat Nati playing like a pro with all of his heart. I knew he plays differently when no one is around, so I just quietly stood there without his knowing. Hannah came down and found me, and we came in and sat by the piano and began to sing. That has become one of my favorite things to do here: sing with Nati around the piano at night. Soon Damian heard us, and joined in, then Lydia, Mirjam H, and Sassy Simon. OH! I will miss them! I think I told you about most of Sunday, it was a lot of running around and packing for Slovakia.

On Monday the 3rd, I was awake by 3am, and we met in the kitchen for breakfast at quarter to 4! Several people woke up and dressed to come and say goodbye to us, I was surprised! We had a short prayer time together, and loaded up and headed out. I was torn for most of the day because I was SO tired after only 3 hours of sleep, but wanting to see the countryside! The first part in the dark was familiar, we went up to St. Gallen, but when we crossed into Germany it was all new territory. It is so easy to cross the border here - they just wave you though! The ride between St. Gallen and Munich was pretty much exactly like Wisconsin. You would have swore you were in your own home state, (except you shouldn’t swear :]) and we drove east all along the mountains of Austria just south of us and the border. We passed rolling hills, castles, farms, and churches. The houses are a lot more square (and not as pretty) there than Switzerland.

And by the way, this ride was on the Autobahn!! We were inhibited because of the tall van of course, but people went flying past at probably 100 mph all the time. I was asking the guys about it, and they said that there are many accidents because people come there to drive their car fast, and are not skilled in vehicle control. Then when someone moves into the left lane, they can scarcely stop in time. Not a minute later, we braked suddenly because a police man was waving a neon flag, and we were on the site of a bad accident. The car was more than totaled, black and smoking, and ambulances were on the way from the opposite side of the road, sirens screaming. Mirjam Hage told me she knows someone that goes to Germany when he is mad, then he drives on the autobahn to get rid of his anger! Yikes! You never know who you are driving with!!

I could not believe I was driving through Munich. That’s the name of some far away city in Europe! I looked at my watch, my family was sleeping. I again missed having my own cell phone to call and tell them where I was at! Then came the drive through Austria. That country is all charm. The ugliest part of Austria is…beautiful. Now it is spring here. The road passed up and down green hills, cute chalet homes, majestic churches, tall pines, and ever the mountains were framing every view. I tried to take a picture through the bus window of the Salzburg castle, but I don’t think it turned out well. We stopped at a wayside for fuel and lunch right next to Moon Lake. (It cost .50 Euro to use the restroom there!) The girls had packed well for our trip, we always had hot water in a carafe, with coffee, tea, instant soup, and bread. Then of course there was chocolate, apples, and other sweets. It was such a perfect day, all day, the weather was amazing!

We drove for many hours through Austria, and as we traveled, we practiced songs in Slovak for our missions trip. The language is very similar to Russian and Polish, and basically impossible to pronounce! I finally gave up and just began “la la loo-ing”. :] They all knew I was very excited to be along, and everyone was sure to point out this and that to me. Suddenly Emmanuel yells from the front, “Rebecca you must wake up now!! This is Vienna!” And was I surprised. It reminded me of seeing Jerusalem for the first time, totally different than I had pictured, it was framed by mountains, and had some sky scrapers! We went south of the city, and I began seeing signs for Budapest next to the highway. Wow. Had I not been so sore and tired, I would have pinched myself! :]

Then not long later, we passed into Slovakia, and I never have felt such a change entering a country! You would not believe you are only 2-3 hours drive from elegant and rich Austria. You can feel the weight of communism in the country, and see it on the faces. The landscape was barren and brown, reminding me a lot of the desolate areas of Nevada. I suppose it is a lot like Russia. Slovakia has always been oppressed by other countries, and is very poor. The homes are square and dumpy, and when we entered the town of the church that was our first stop, I was amazed how “real” it felt that I was in another country. It is so totally different than any other I have been to! We are a very short drive from Hungary here in Sus. (The name of the village is Sus, and it means “Desert”. So the name of the mission here is “Pramen na Susi” which means “A well in the desert”.)

We had a program there that evening, singing and testimonies and music and such. I went up and sang with them, and as I stood there facing out into the crowd, it really hit me: I am in one of those churches that I pray for! Often at home during prayer time I remember the believers from all over the world before the Lord. I knew the were out there, but now I got to see them with my own eyes! It was very special. There were desserts and tea afterwards, and I began feeling headachy and sick to my stomach from exhaustion. Elvira and I got into a good talk just before we left, and it continued in the van as we rode the last hour to Sus. I did not notice much that night as I was so tired, but all I do know is I saw Olga again, and it made me happy. :] She led us upstairs to clean beds in a small girl’s dorm, and we all fell fast asleep.

March 4th

Breakfast was at 9 today, and I am not sure that even by then I was fully rested! We had good hot coffee and cocoa, and some Slovak bread with jam. Then we had a looooong meeting that probably wasn’t boring if you understood German. :] I am so grateful to Cornelia for always translating for me. We planned out the week, assigned jobs, and had a devotional time. I met the rest of Crystal’s family. She had been in Guetli for 3 weeks, and I often worked with her when I was in the sewing room. She is always smiling, has beautiful blue eyes, and often talked about her family in Slovakia. I love her husband! His name is Wolfgang (“Voolf-gong”) and is he ever a huge man! He looks so noble, like someone who would play a knight on Robin Hood or something. He is tall and broad, has a low voice, dark beard, and wears a green felt hat. They have 4 children, all of whom are lanky like their dad, and smiley like their mom. :] They are more of those ultra talented types, who speak several languages. There is Sabrina (20) who is studying nursing, Samuel (18) who told me he is 1 meter, 96 centimeters, Ramona (17) who is scared to speak English for fear of messing up (and a real character), and my personal favorite, Philipp (14) a typical teenager all gangly and pimpled and teasing and eager to learn new words in English. I will tell you more about him later.

I helped clean up in the nice (small) kitchen, and then Cornelia let me loose with all the sewing supplies. :] It really was ironic. When I was sewing in Guetli, Crystal asked me, “And when do you come to Slovakia to sew for us?!” and I sort of chuckled, thinking inwardly that that would probably never happen. There I was, not 5 days later, sewing in the mission house in Slovakia! Emmy Roth had left a wealth of supplies, and can you believe how God worked it out, they had the exact same machine that I use at home! That was so nice because I felt comfortable with it, and could work fast. I quickly whipped up most of a skirt for Olga to her great delight. It was such a comfy feeling, being in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of God’s plan for me! Seriously, this place is in a barren area. I feel like I have been plopped down in a movie like Fiddler on the Roof. It is like going back in time, the poverty is unreal.

After supper Cornelia took those of us who have never been here before on a short tour. The mission house is an old school that they bought many years ago, and have been slowly renovating. It is brick and stucco, surrounded by weathered sheds, stacks of firewood, heaps of hay, mud, and more broken down buildings. Inside it is cold and echo-y except where they have remade the place. It really is an amazing story how they purchased the place, and how it has grown. The goal is to have it as a retreat for young people, and as Cornelia said, “We are not here because we chose it, we are here because God led us.” They have such a need for help here, the Kiel family and Olga are the only ones working on the place, and people are sent over from Guetli as they can spare them, but they are short too! I have a couple of friends that keep coming to mind while I am here, I will have to contact them when I get home, and see if they would be interested in coming to stay for a few months.

March 7th

There are few more panicky feelings for me here, than to have many things happen to me all day for several days, and not have time to journal it! I pray that the Lord will help me to remember all that I have done.

Wednesday the 5th after a long morning of fellowship together we all knew our different jobs, and I sewed another skirt for Olga. All throughout this week we have several meetings in a day, We practice singing, we pray, we study the Bible, we eat huge meals, and then there are the break times. :] It snowed most of the day. Thea asked that I would share my testimony that evening, We were having a fun evening geared toward the youth from the village, most of whom are very dark and have never heard the gospel. We hosted them at the school, and they arrived around 4pm, 6 boys that looked totally Russian. :]

We played soccer for a while outside, and I took a walk with Olga. It has been so fun for us to try and communicate together. We are equally limited in each other’s languages, and so we try our best to use what words we know, sound effects, expressions, and sign language. Then we end up laughing and later on have someone translate so we know that we had it right. :] She is such a dear girl. She loves this country and has such a heart for the mission. We have a special bond as well because we are both close to Rahel Stucki.

When it got dark we came in and played in the large meeting room many more interesting games. You would not believe how creative they are here! During the hot dog supper I shared my testimony, and Sabrina translated it for me. I really did not feel ready for it that day, it was like nothing was coming to my mind and I didn’t know what I was going to share. I just asked that God would show Himself strong in my weakness, and I pray that He did. They may never hear of Jesus again. We 5 girls were so punchy in our room that night, Thea thrives on people laughing at her, and it only makes her perform more. She is such a delight, that girl. She is so small and sprightly, always happy and serving others. I really really appreciate her.

And for the others? Wow, How can one describe so many people that they love, except that they are wonderful? Elvira is sweet. She is always in the background, very ladylike and mature, She has Anne of Green Gables coloring, a round face with deep dimples, and a cute smile. She and I have really connected on this trip, we are the same age, and have many similar situations in life. Damian is one of those guys that you feel you have known all your life, He would make an incredible caricature, I think that nearly every time I look at him. He has no accent when he speaks English, and could almost be American in his looks. He reminds me a lot of my brother Christian when he was in his early 20’s. He is good in the kitchen, a very capable fellow, and is wonderful when sharing in front of a group. I love his sincerity. (They are both German.)

Nicola is the cutest little thing you have ever met. She is the epitome of a little Austrian girl, and looks just like one of the girls from The Sound of Music. (They can’t believe I have seen that movie, by the way. They thought it was Austrian or something.) :] She is tall and thin and has thick long straw colored hair and pink cheeks. You just want to prop her up on your bed as a little doll! :] She has a real funny sense of humor, I love being with her here. In Hasliberg they are always very busy and have a lot of stress, so I did not know her personality as well. She also works tirelessly in the kitchen, and loves God so much. I had to smile at her this morning as I was getting dressed. She was all decked out for the day, flower in her hair and all, praying fervently with her hands clasped and eyes squeezed tightly closed. :]

Jochen (“Yo-ken”) cracks me up. He is basically a Darrell, huge and brawny and simple and sweet. He forgets his size and bowls things over all the time. He NEVER understands me the first time, so I always think twice before asking him anything. Yet he speaks several languages, and is a very good translator, and unlike other people, almost always remembers to do it for me. His voice is very resonant and deep, and he plays the saxophone of all things. I love, absolutely love watching he and Cornelia relate to each other. She is thin and classy and put together and very deferent, and then he is all big and young and low voiced, asking things very bluntly to her, and I don’t know, it’s funny and I have to silently chuckle at them. He really loves the Lord, and is sincere and a good leader. And Simone has taken me time to appreciate. She is a very different girl than I first thought. She came from a difficult home, and is not completely well physically, but I think God is really working in her life. She was saved 3 years ago, and loves to talk about God, and sing and prays aloud a lot. She is sober, but has a very girlish side and can get so giggly at night. She has really warmed up and I love her a lot. They are both German as well.

There is another girl here named Regula, she will be going to Canada in June for 3 months to learn English better. And she will be staying with some of Hannah’s relatives! She is thin and classy, 21 and a teacher! I hope to go and visit her when she is up there. Anyway, I should write more about my week here.

Thursday the 6th we all woke early, because there was a special prayer time before breakfast for the youth meeting that night. We had a long devotional time. I love all the constant time spent in God’s word. It keeps you so focused when you are always thinking on Him. I have been crocheting a scarf while I listen to Cornelia translate. It was going to be for selling at the Market, but it has been some years since I have crocheted, and it is far from perfect, so perhaps I will give it to Olga when I leave. :] I have been sewing a lot of skirts for her, today I finished one and cut out and sewed most of another. The other girls have been cooking, making crafts for selling at the market, and always there is the preparation and practice for the mission week. On Sunday is a full day with many young people from several towns meeting together. We have some people coming from Guetli for the day as well, and I think it is supposed to be a surprise WHO is coming, because I have not heard a word! We have been working on songs in Slovak, the Bible School youth are going to do a skit, and lots of musicals and testimonies and slideshows and… :] So throughout the day you will find people in various rooms singing, working on computers, gluing crafts, cooking, talking on the phone, sewing, etc. :]

(Philipp just came tearing into my room all flushed and told me I had to come with him now, WITH my camera! His rabbit just had babies, and he needed “good quality pictures” of them. So off I went running through the mud with him, and snapped several of his little babies. :] )

After lunch I went for a long walk with Philipp. It was a very enlightening experience. I took my camera along, and tried to encapsulate this country for you. The homes range from quite nice to complete shacks, and there is rubbish everywhere. The yards around the homes are all fenced in with vicious sounding mongrels barking from them without ceasing as you stroll past. The sun was shining, and I took many pictures of the countryside. Philipp told me that the alcoholism here is quite bad, most of the people in Sus are drunkards, and make their own, although it is illegal. (Sus is pronounced “Sue-shhh”.) We walked uphill for over a quarter of an hour, and then turned around, and it nearly took my remaining breath away. It really is a beautiful country from a higher perspective! I would love to see it in the summer when it is green and the fields are full of flowers.

Philipp bent down and pointed to some tracks in the mud. “Do you see this? Do you know what it is? Wild dogs. People in towns do not want them, so they bring them out to the country and release them, and then they become wild and mean, and attack you.” He whipped a long knife from his belt: “I take this with me when I walk alone, because they can….” and he clutches his ankle with his hand. (“Oh great”, I think. I am glad I was not walking alone!) Then he pointed to other tracks. “Those are from wild pigs. I have often seen men in a Jeep come and shoot them. They do not have papers, and the police ask me to describe them and their car!” (All of this is in broken English, mind you, so I do a lot of filling in words like my Auntie Bobbie. :]) Huh. Once again Bec is glad she is not walking alone, but with a brave lanky teenager. The weather was perfect, and I kept taking pictures of the view.

Philipp continued to regale me with other interesting stories that you only read about on the internet or in a book. “Sometimes when I walk, I see Mafia men. They are dressed all in black, and big, and they have no hair.” For the third time that day, Bec was glad she was with Philipp. :] I supposed it must be dangerous for women to walk alone there, and he said no, not at all, just as long as you ignore them. “If you are the slightest bit interested in what they are doing, they will beat you up.” No prob, I will ignore if that’s what it takes! He told me how one time in Germany he watched a bank get robbed, and described the whole story of how the men disappeared in the woods, etc. Philipp said that they know absolutely everything about everyone, and will randomly walk up and insist you give them money. Then he told a couple of stories about how it happened to some believers he knows. He pointed out a lot of things that were the result of communism, like long trenches in the hills to control water, etc. These people are so…oppressed here. It’s like they have been ruled for too many years, and do not understand life, and joy, and cleanliness and freedom. Yet in spite of all the bad, the country yet retains some beauty. I don’t know why, but it is drawing me. I think it is because I see the need for Jesus so sorely.

We saw a castle in the distance, and he told me that in time past there was a queen there that killed young girls and bathed in their blood, hoping to thereby keep her youth. I know what Mom is thinking by now, “Oh, nice country!” :] Emmanuel told Olga the other day that I am a Slovakian gypsy. (He knows that my great grandpa was an orphan in Poland, and that I am German, Polish, and Czechoslovakian, and since there are dark colored gypsies here, he convinced her. :] )

The Keil (“Kyle”) family has been here for 5 years, and the kids have learned Slovak in that short time! They are all fluent in it, as well as German, Swiss, English, etc. :] Philipp is not afraid to try out new words, and loves it when I correct him. He is really gifted in languages. He has a soft spot in my heart, can you tell? :] He said so many more interesting things. This one in particular I really liked, because it was in broken English, and yet so profound: “My father goes here to get his sheep. He is the only one who can make them come, because they know my father’s voice. They do not know my voice, so I cannot make them do anything!” Sound familiar? They let their sheep run loose to eat and exercise, and always keep an eye on them. Then when the animals run to another village, the Keils will go on foot and collect them. :] Such a different life!

We stopped by their home, a small house just up the road from the school/mission house because Philipp wanted to show me his rabbits and goats. There were Wolfgang and Crystal enjoying the sunshiny day and the animals. It is such a simple life here. They have bees, goats, sheep, chickens, and rabbits. The house is off the main road, and behind it a hill slopes down to a little rushing brook. They are very happy here. I just love Wolfgang. I admire him as I have very few men. He is just so…noble. He has laugh lines around his eyes, exudes strength and has a pure and piercing gaze. He loves the Lord and sings mightily with all his heart, and has a great sense of humor and a deep throaty German voice. He is so content, and just lives. I wish you could meet him. I have no doubt that his sons will grow up to be as good of men as he, Philipp was telling me how much he loves his dad and his strength.

Crystal took me for a tour of the house, there is so much work to be done. She told me it is not their heart to compel people to come “and work”, they want them to come because God laid it upon their hearts, and they want to come, for the people. She told me more about the mission. We passed Cornelia and Elvira on a walk, and Cornelia said I just have to come back and take new pictures in the summertime. Hmm. I wonder….

We girls had fun getting all dressed up for the evening. I raided Olga’s closet because I am so sick of my clothes!!! You can imagine how they look after wearing them constantly for 2 months straight, my whole 6 outfits. Besides, they didn’t seem fit for singing in front of a church, after wearing them for work in the greenhouse. She grabbed a neon orange “flu flu” scarf for me. Although I love it, I don’t usually wear orange because of my dark coloring, but this was “actually not that bad!” Nicola found a matching flower and stuck it in my French twist. I knew what my sisters would say when I looked in the mirror, but I grinned inwardly and thought to myself “The girls dressed me up, and I rather like it!” (Sorry everyone, just some inside family jokes.) We had a long, loud, and fun drive to church. I was in the far back of the bus, smushed between Tabitha and Philipp. I love those 14 year olds! They have been coming in and sitting with their school work in the room where I sew, laughing at me, teaching me new words, and learning words from me. Tabitha is in love with my music, especially Andre Rieu and the Ein Straussfest collection. She plays cello, so she likes anything classical. I shied away from my oldies. :] Everyone laughs when they see the 3 of us together.

The pastor of that church was SO funny! He would speak in Slovak, then Samuel would translate it into German, and Cornelia would translate it into English. That has been happening all week, language is an amazing thing. One time he said something SO funny, and I hee-hawed long after the original sentence because it took a while to get communicated. It was so hilarious, all my friends just shook their heads at me. It really was a special evening. Philipp had gone through the Slovak words with me earlier, and I wrote them down with English pronunciation, so it went better for me with the singing. :] All the testimonies were good, and Emmanuel showed a slide presentation of his recent trip to Ethiopia. He has been there and back while I have been in Europe. I was excited to be in another church, it is just incredible how the bond in Jesus Christ works! Oh yeah! I went up to Olga and chirped, “Yavas Loo Blue” and she gasped, and grabbed me and hugged me and wondered where I learned it. I was too sheepish to tell her I got it from the movie The Great Escape, so I just hugged her and said it again. So anyway, it works, in case you love a Russian. I got in another good talk with Elvira that night. I will miss these girls.

So today, I had a nice quiet time before breakfast. It was hard to find a room alone! Damian made Rosti, which merited applause from the table. We had a long meeting and singing, and then I worked on pictures. They have used my photography a lot, I am often called hither and yon to snap pics of this or that. They are using several of my photos for the missions day on Sunday here in some sort of presentation. While here I have also compiled an album for them out of my pictures from the past 2 ½ months, and hope to burn a CD of them with Simon next week. Then of course I was sewing, accompanied by Tabitha and Philipp. :D I have made 4 ½ skirts in the past few busy days. Thea called me a skirt machine…it is a blessing to me to be able to use my gifts for others. I just never dreamed I would be sewing in Slovakia!

Someone gave them a new espresso machine, and it has been a source of interest and excitement. It is not a “real” one, but still is nicer than a coffee pot. Sometimes it gets mixed up and grunts and groans and you have to unplug it to reset it. Today I frothed some milk for my coffee, and just as I was heading out Wolfgang comes in all excited to make an espresso. He eyed up my green mug, and when I offered it to him, he accepted, grinning and telling me it matched his sweater. A kindred spirit! Someone who understands the importance of different coffee mugs! I went to the kitchen, and 10 minutes later he arrives with his empty green mug, sniffing and feigning sorrow, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes as he says mournfully, “I go to my sheeps!” I guess the machine was all messed up again, and he got sick of waiting on it. I got Philipp to fix it for him. :] Oh, he makes me laugh!

I am missing Switzerland, and all therein. :] It will be fun to have another week there before I fly home. Waaah! I am not ready to come back yet! I have had so much fun spending so much time with Emmanuel and Cornelia. They are usually gone or so busy at Guetli that we have had no time to just get to know each other. Here we have been like a small family and spend lots of time together. Inge instructed Cornelia to hug me each day for her while I am gone, it was so sweet! And Zita sent a card for me with Cornelia that I received on the way here. Oh, I love these people!

In the late afternoon I took another walk with Philipp, this time to another hill and great lookout. Then Tabitha, Cornelia and I made a supper of leftovers. Everyone was in great spirits, and I was a little sad to miss out on the evening. But I decided to stay home tonight and rest and write. I was way behind in journaling, and wanted desperately to get it done because we will be gone all day tomorrow and Sunday. So after dishes I came up to our room, opened the window, put on some guitar music, showered, and typed. It has been 3 hours now, and I am sore and tired. I need to head to bed.

March 8th

Today was a long day. It started at 4am, because we had a 3 hour drive to the next church we were sharing at. Wolfgang and Crystal left with all of us girls in the green bus around 5:30am, and I got to see a lot of Slovakia! Thea and I snuggled together on a bench in the back and she told me all about the land and the year she lived here in Slovakia. It is so sad to see the results of communism everywhere. All of the homes are drab and square and gray and broken down, there is no cheer or beauty about them. We passed many tall apartment homes that all looked the same, and were burned out or trashed completely. Thea said the mindset was “it’s not mine, it belongs to the government, why should I care for it?” The people are trying to change it, though, and they do so in the extreme. Suddenly you see a home that is neon blue or fuchsia pink. There is rubbish and mud and the broken homes have metal fenced yards with weeds. The weather was heavy and gray and the faces of the people so sad. The countryside is really quite lovely, though. It is hilly with ravines and trees, and I imagine that in the summer the flowers must be breathtaking. Thea said she grew to love it. She lived in Sus for one year, teaching German in a school in Stara Tura.

The church was small and elegant, most of the people older. It was a day geared toward missions, and Grandma Lippuner was just arrived from Africa. She has been traveling there since I mentioned her first toward the beginning of my stay. She stood for a few hours, sharing about the people, showing pictures, and asking for prayer. She really is an amazing woman! She was there over the time of the recent earthquake in Ethiopia(?), and told how they were sitting in a home visiting, and suddenly the earth began to roar and shake. She could hear building crashing and thought to herself, “Well Lord, now is the time you will call me home!” But God still had more work for her to do! Many many homes were destroyed, and they thank the Lord that the mission was OK. She told stories of people whose lives have been changed by God at The Mission on the Nile, people who have been badly scarred by life. One woman for instance, was captured by the rebels, and forced to watch her brother hacked to pieces alive in front of her eyes. The men then cut his heart out and ate it in front of her. Or another one was kidnapped and raped, became pregnant, and was cast off by her husband, needing help to care for her 3 children. They have a place to care for people, a school for the blind, a school to teach people a profession, and many other ministries all over Africa. It is for missions like this that Guetli works and supports.

The youth had a skit without words (I can’t remember what they are called!) and sang songs, played instruments, and shared testimonies. It was a full day, and we headed out for home by late afternoon. For the 3 hour drive back we youth were having a grand time together. We sang songs in English, German, and Slovak, talked about our lives, and for a good hour I did impersonations of the people of Guetli. Elvira and Thea were literally crying, begging me to do it for everyone on my last night. I just hate trying to do something like that on demand!

When we got back to Sus, the small load of people from Guetli had arrived, and Hannah was among them! Emmanuel Herrman, Lydia L, and Marcel also came. I was about ready to head to bed when I found out we had one more meeting yet for the next day! So we again met and practiced singing until late. Needless to say I slept well!! Oh my! I have never described Emmanuel Hermann (19)! He came back from Africa about a week ago, and is just a beautiful boy. He is calm and controlled, very strong inwardly, and a tease. He is such a combo of his parents, I can't decide who he resembles more! I really like him. He is leaving for the army soon for 5 months.

March 9th

I have a new favorite German song. It is soooo incredible! I have had them sing it for breakfast every day since I heard it. I made sure to get the music so my sisters and I can sing it. In Slovakia they have a chocolate spread that is dark, and much better than Nutella! We ate that on bread for our morning nourishment, and were at the church by 9am. The service was so long, and so Slovakish, and I had to go to the restroom so bad, that I did not enjoy the first part. It was very “religious” because of the coming Easter season. I just looked around the lavish building and prayed that the Lord would come and do a work in the people’s hearts. They were so down and drab and looked half dead. Emmanuel L. sat behind Hannah and I and translated as he could. It was nice to not be left out for once. All day, someone would speak in Slovak, it was translated into German, and then into English. And then, in the place you would least expect it, was an incredible sermon about the Potter and His vessels. Both Hannah and I were quite blessed by the unexpected surprise. We all got up and sang some songs, and they were quite full of life and joy in that dismal place. We had the guitars, loud happy voices (“not ugly German threats”) and the acoustics were wonderful! Simone shared a fervent testimony, we sang again, and that was the end of the morning service.

Then came a delightful meal. You should have seen the dessert table! The best of the deserts are like a cream puff we would get at a fair, only in a long elegant twist. I tried a Kolachy, because I knew Mom would ask. :] I saw more Gypsies, they really are dark skinned! At the beginning of the day I was put in charge of photography, so I was always everywhere or called everywhere to take some.

The afternoon was themed on Missions, many of the young people who have been to the mission field shared, we sang, showed slides, heard sermons and testimonies. Something very interesting happened to me that I will have to tell you about later when I am home…It was decided that I could come back with the load that was returning to Guetli that night, and I was relieved. I sleep better in a car at night, and was not looking forward to a long full day of travel the next morning. Emmanuel Herrman had to be in the Swiss army by 10am the next morning, so he was really rushing us to get out. I had some swift goodbyes to the girls, which was not at all what we planned, and then Hannah, Damian, Lydia, Emmanuel and I headed out. We stopped briefly at the mission house for our baggage and food, and then drove off into the night.

We had such fun together. The young people here can have such a good time and enjoy themselves without ever getting out of hand. We ate and talked and sang and laughed, and Damian told us his driving accident stories for a while before he fell asleep. :] We drove right through Bratislava and Vienna this time, and again I wished I had a cell to call my family and tell them where I was! One of the foods that Sus packed for us was a bag of dried pears. Hannah holds them up with glee, and goes, “DRIED PEARS!! I love dried pears!” We all began chewing away on them as we visited happily together. We hit the autobahn in Germany, and began to make some progress. Just kidding. Emmanuel said he has made a protocol never to drive over 140kph. But one time, just for me he went up to 160. They have high metal fencing next to the highway so no animals will run out in front of you. By the time we got to the toll tunnel, I groaned to Hannah, “I am feeling SO nauseated! Yuck!” and fell asleep. Later when I woke up, I was like, “OH! I feel so gross!” and Emmanuel sits up quickly, and asks, “Oh, do you feel sick from those pears too? I feel like I could about float away up here!” We all started laughing, and then Hannah and Lydia admitted that they too felt like the pears were sitting like lead in their stomach, but they thought it was their imagination. For the rest of the ride there was periodical groaning. We decided to set them out on the community table in the kitchen the next morning and see if anyone else got sick. :P We chuckled wickedly. Damian droned on and on for the last hour, stuttering how he can’t speak English at 4am, and making us laugh so hard! We pulled in at 4:30, and slept for a few hours.

March 10th

Hannah and I got up after the two hours of sleep and went to the Monday morning communion service. We have been wanting to do that since we arrived!! It was fun to see everyone again, and after breakfast I went to work in the garden, and watered my primroses. They are basically all blooming now, and the day was sunny and warm. I could see my mountains! I am getting nostalgic now, starting to feel sad. I fly out a week from today! I still feel nauseated! And tonight I have an ice cream date with Rahel and Daniela! This afternoon I have been working on pictures. The week is filling up fast.

One more thing I have to write before I post: Hannah actually DID put the pears out in a bowl, and Zita came up and asked her all sweetly, “Emmanuel told me these made him sick last night, did you feel OK?” She was so embarrassed, and as soon as we were out of the door, we laughed until we cried. Now we are going for a walk, so tootaloo.

I am going to Slovakia for a week!! Ahhh!

February 25th

I cannot believe the amazing weather we are having here! Today I was working outside in short sleeves. We were preparing greenhouse #3 for the thousands of geraniums we will transfer to it tomorrow. I love this work. For some reason I was not feeling well today, and tried to drink a lot of water. Tonight we are invited to Simon and Mirjam Kulling’s house for supper. I am excited to have some one on one time with them. They are both quite alike, quiet and sober. Simon serves a lot at dinner times, and Mirjam always works tirelessly in the kitchen. They are married for one year this month.

We had such funny experiences since I wrote last. This one in particular made Hannah I laugh until we were simply weeping. About an hour before we were to leave the Toblers, we sat down on the floor in our room to debate whether or not we should walk and carry our baggage to the train station, or splurge and take the bus. (We are always pinching Francs here.) :] The up side was that it was another 25 minute walk, and we could save money and get more fresh air and exercise. The down side was being 2.50 short and looking stupid to Toblers and all of St. Gallen, hefting our unwieldy luggage down the hilly street. We decided for the sake of propriety we should probably take the bus. Then we dug out our wallets and dumped out whatever change we had. Oh dear! 10 cents short! Now we faced the decision of being completely tacky and asking for .10, or being completely tacky and walking with our unwieldy luggage! Hannah said in her panicked tone, “Becky, search again. Are you SURE you don’t have any more change? I only have a 100 franc bill!” (And on the bus you have to have exact change.) I proceeded to shake my wallet up side down…no luck. We began laughing. Then laughing harder, and soon we were sitting there with tears rolling down our cheeks wondering how we were going to break it our hosts! I hope with all my heart that Chris did not somehow hear us, because a moment later he knocked on our partway open door and said with a smile, “By the way, don’t worry, I will drive you down to the train station with your luggage.” He probably thought we were these horrid American moochers - the way we ate and slept at his home! Right as he dropped us off and was driving away, I told Hannah we should be very careful crossing the busy street so that we were not made into mush right in his rearview mirror! That would be so horrible!

March 2nd

This is bad. I have not written for a week!! I have ever so much to write about, and have been so busy that I have been unable to sit and just do it! OK, so I have an hour. Let’s see what all I can get said. :]

When we got on the train leaving St. Gallen, Hannah and I positioned ourselves according to our tastes. I am really not very fond of cruising backwards through mountains and tunnels, and it doesn’t bother her. I don’t think that matches either of our personalities, but so it is. :] So after a stop or two, this sweaty soldier gets on, and sits down behind us. After a moment or two Hannah and I met eyes, and then started smiling. I mouthed, “Does he smell?” and she nods vigorously. We breathed a sigh of relief when he got off a stop later. Then we groaned. A man next to the train takes a long last drag on his cigarette, and climbs in the doors to our compartment. Not only did he come and plop in next to us, he brought his dog. That combo was worse than the soldier. I don’t get why they don’t pipe fresh air into the trains like they do in airplanes! We decided it was going to make a funny memory, and began to enjoy the amazing views. The air was much clearer (outside!) on this trip, so we got a lot of mountainous views. :] When the cigarette man got up on our second to last stop, we were so happy. Then guess what. An old hippie and his wife who had been on the utmost peaks it seemed also chose our cozy little compartment and with a sweaty sigh snuggled down across from us. The old geezer grunted as he bent over and unlaced his hiking boots!!!! It was just too much. We could not imagine what all we would smell before Uznach, and were glad to get off and wait in the fresh air on a bench for our ride back to Guetli.

It was fun observing people get off the train. Several dudes were limping around in ski boots, and trying to not knock anyone on the head as they turned around. The weather was perfect, and the view of the mountains amazing. Hannah and I were so happy when Manfred came cruising in with his wife Heidi and our German mama Inge. They had just dropped their children off for a week of skiing school. So as we drove through the winding hills back home, we regaled them with stories of our weekend and heard what all happened at the Guetli. We drove through a little village called Hirzel that was the hometown of Johanna Spyri who wrote the book Heidi. I guess there is a museum there about her life. That book is very popular here. I began bouncing on my seat as we got closer in eagerness to see everyone again! I told Hannah it would be a good sign if Ruedi came and shook our hands at supper, and HE DID! (He is just sorta the welcome-take-care-of-guests-run-the-place-when-Manuel-is-gone kind of guy.) Not only that, he said they missed us! Sigh!

We helped to clean up supper, and then took a walk in the dark with Rebecca Siegfried. We have both gotten so close to her. She is sort of a dry almost melancholy person, but very family-ish and fun. She is the one whose mom is Australian. Her dad is Swiss, and met her mom in New Zealand when they were young and wild and not believers. After some years of friendship and traveling, they married and lived in Australia for a year before moving to Switzerland. Neva then went to language school to learn German, and also learned Swiss German. They then proceeded to have 8 children, and she spoke only the German languages to them! I can’t imagine not speaking to your children in your own mother tongue! Now they all speak English, but not fluently. Only her dad has an Australian accent like Neva when he speaks English. It’s so cute! Anyway, back to our walk. The men have all been in the forests cutting trees the past weeks, and someone did not clean up the trail because we walked right into a huge branch. It was too funny!

When we got back to Guetli, we saw the lights on in the basement, and I told Rebecca how absolutely fun it is to spy on Guetli at night! She has a fun streak and it didn’t take much convincing. I of course was the one brave enough to peer around the corner when we opened the basement door and there was Simon, (Little Ruedi) Nati, Mirjam Hage and Helene singing away in German. I was indignant that they were singing without inviting us, and stalked in singing. They all started grinning, and beckoned us all in to sing with them. And so for the next hour we all had Gemeinschaft together singing hymns. Daniela (the young woman from Germany who is teaching Tabitha) joined us. I love those spontaneous times, and will miss them all so much!!

On Monday the 25th we worked a normal day here. I seeded all the flats for the week early since I would be gone most of the week. It was fun chatting with Daniela and Rahel about my weekend. During our break time Hannah disappeared on some surprise excursion that Mirjam had planned for the kitchen gals, and I just went back out to the greenhouse instead of a break. I wasn’t sure if she would reappear and didn’t want to be off walking if she was. That evening they let me off early to get cleaned up though, because Simon and Mirjam invited Hannah and I for dinner!

It was such a special evening. Neither of us had been to their little flat, and were overwhelmed with the charm! It is in one of the large typical chalet houses across the street from us, and is one large room. The room was lit by candlelight, and decorated beautifully. They had their bed behind a sheer curtain framed with a bookcase and dresser, and in a large wardrobe typical of Switzerland they had a small sink and pantry and coffee maker! In another corner was one of those cozy corner table thingys and a desk. They treated us like guests of honor, and we had such a restful and wonderful evening with them. They shared their testimonies and love story with us, and we looked through their wedding album and listened to their wedding music. They are married a year this month, and it was so fun recognizing everyone in their wedding pictures! The Guetli had so many fun things they did for their wedding reception - games, skits, food that cannot be described, and flowers! A bunch of the young men dressed up with HUGE bows around their necks and played brass instruments and rode along as Heinz Hage (dressed up like a real English gentlemen) drove Simon and Mirjam around in a horse drawn wagon pulled by a tractor of all things! And of course they had to walk through the poles held up by children adorned with fruit and flowers and all that Swiss stuff. It was so intriguing to look at, and especially fun because they were our friends! Simon also had lived in Israel for a while doing volunteer work before he was married, and stayed in a hotel in Haifa that I visited when I was in Israel! We ended the evening with scripture and prayer, and went to bed feeling very satisfied!!

Tuesday the 26th was such a busy day that I can hardly think where to start. We had been working on preparations in the greenhouse to move the 10,000 geraniums we have been hand tending to another house, and around 10 o’clock several helpers from all over the Guetli arrived. It was incredible, I think we got it done in 3 ½ hours. We do the fireman hand-to-hand pass the tray thing. It was a warm and sunny day, and I was encouraged to take pictures. I began to have pain after a couple of hours, and then helped Lena Jegge arrange the plants on the tables. It felt like everything I did that day, I hurried. During our break time, Hannah and I took Inge and Rahel’s bikes, and biked to Knonau to check out Bea Hauser’s souvenir shop. She told us that we should take the scenic way home via Mettmenstetten, and we agreed. I of course am never lost, and always know where and how to get home, but I do make mistakes. :] We turned at the wrong place and ended up backtracking, and instead of the 10 minute ride back to Guetli that it should have been, it was 45! It was lovely scenery, and we could not stop laughing at my mistake. I loved it though. Almost every trail has a crystal clear stream alongside it, and there are people and dogs and children, and trains and bells and flowers.

I had a few more hours in the greenhouse, and then we left to get ready for Bern. Rahel and Studious Simon and Daniela go every Tuesday to Bern for a Bible Study, so Hannah and I arranged it to go along and visit Tante Martha for the evening. Simon took the train in because we had to go via Hasliberg since Marvelous Markus forgot to take something there the other day. It was a wonderful mistake. :] Not only did we get off of work early, we had a enjoyable drive together to a lovely out of the way place. The mountains were exceptionally pretty, and I can see the landscape progressively changing as we live here. It is getting greener and greener, and I am noticing waterfalls and things that I did not see before when it was snowy. Rahel made the condition with Markus that we would go if he would buy us ice cream, and he gave them money for it! So in an adorable village just below Hasliberg we stopped at a Volg gas station and bought little ice creams. Ice cream is so expensive here. After Wisconsin, it feels almost criminal to purchase it for such a high price here. But we really did not feel guilty eating it. :]

In Hasliberg everyone was surprised and happy to see us, and Frau Kugler sat us down for a cup of coffee and gave us each a chocolate bar. Never have I benefited so well from someone’s mistake! We really were late, and soon headed out. You guys would not believe the lovely country I drive through on a regular basis here! There was a traffic accident outside of Bern which made us quite late, and Rahel called Simon on his cell (or as they call it, “his handy”) and described Martha Gerber and asked him to find her and explain why we girls were late. (The train station was our meeting place.) Apparently he did, so she was not a complete nervous wreck when we arrived. :] It was a cool rainy night, and she wanted to treat us to the city, so we (much to her delight) followed her around and did whatever she told us. If she said turn here, we turned. If she wanted us to run, we ran. :] It was fun. She picked out a restaurant right under the capitol and treated us to fondue!! I could not believe I was in a real Swiss restaurant eating fondue next to the capitol of the country! We ate outside in a winter porch, surrounded by glass and covered with a tarp. All of the tables had candles lit on them and each chair had a sheepskin you could either sit on or cover up with since it was chilly in there. Smoking is still allowed in restaurants here, and people do it in force, so we were glad to be out there. Aunt Martha chatted away, asking questions and then changing the subject before we even answered her. She makes me laugh SO hard, all the time.

When they brought the fondue out, the flame was too high, and we could not figure out how to lower it. Tante Martha was about to go over to a table of Russians nearby to ask them to please fix it for us, and Hannah and I desperately begged her not to. She declares loudly, “I believe in asking for help!” We had to eat our fondue fast because the cheese would have burned, and it just went along with all the rushing we did that day. :] It was SO fun. Then she told us she had a dessert for us at her apartment, and we had to go out there and eat it. Because it was raining, we were going to take the tram, but when we got to the tram stop, it would have been a 7 minute wait, so we decided to walk closer before mounting. Meanwhile we passed a little wooden shack that smelled wonderfully, and Martha asked us if we ever had Roasted Chestnuts!! (Are you reading this, Leah, Keith and Anna K?) They call them Maronis here, and sell them on the city street corners. She bought a small bag of them, and we ran through the wet streets, we ate them. They have a little pocket on the brown paper bag (a pocket sized edition :]) for the shells. I was enthralled. All those Christmas songs about chestnuts roasting over open fires, and I had never had one. They are so good! Almost the texture of a mushroom, a tiny bit slimy, yet airy and warm and smoky tasting. Eeew. That was a gross sounding description. They say you either love them or hate them.

By this time we had arrived at her house, and we had a nice little dessert time, arguing how we were going to get back to the train station. Hannah and I didn’t want to pay for the tram, and wanted Martha to come back with us since it is free for her. She didn’t want to, and we were debating what to do when Simon called and told her in his serious way that they would pick us up at her house. Whew! Then we relaxed and ate the cute little mocha torte she had bought for us, and some sparkling apple juice and chocolate. We went to the basement so she could play us some of the songs she has been learning at her piano lessons, and we then sang hymns for a while. Back up in her room we sat on her bed and read scripture and prayed together. Martha decided she was tired, laid down, and rested, asking occasional questions in the silence while we waited for Simon to call when they arrived. Suddenly she jumped up and grabbed her new treasure and started buffing my nails. It was such a fun fun evening. On the ride home I plied Simon with questions to keep him awake while he drove because the others were drifting off. I heard his testimony and some about Swiss army life.

Wednesday the 27th I worked the morning in the greenhouse, but Hannah’s cousin Rebekka arrived around 3 to take us to Basel with her. After showing her around Guetli we loaded up and left to tour Luzern. It is a perfect Swiss town, I loved it! It is framed by mountains, has a lovely lake in it, and a famous bridge. The shops down the cobblestone streets are all charming, and overall it is just a nice town. I really like Rebekka, she felt like I had known her my whole life! She treated us to a hot chocolate in a little café, and then we headed out for Basel, nearly an hour away. When we got to her flat, she quickly mixed up a plum tart, and we visited in the kitchen while it baked. They have these cookbooks here called Betty Bossi, and everyone has it, just like we have Betty Crocker! We poured over her cookbooks, and heard her love story about how she and Martin got together. By this time it was quite late, and after looking at all our family pictures we went to bed.

Thursday morning we slept in and the had a leisurely breakfast together. Hannah and I packed all of our stuff up, and then we went to visit their great aunt Martha Ryser who lives right near Chrischona. (We stopped at a Coop quickly for Hannah to get some tulips for her.) I took some pictures for the Loewens so that they could see her. :] Then Rebekka took us to the St. Chrischona Bible School she and Deborah attend/ed. Rebekka (25) graduated last year after a 3 year course, and her fiance has a few months left. Deborah (27) has another year left, I believe. We saw the church they will marry in, and Rebekka asked if I could help photograph her wedding. I was glad for the chance to scope out the territory and check into lighting and stuff. :] We met her boyfriend who is very tall and handsome (and looks just like the actor Jim C. from the Count of Monte Cristo) and is German. Deborah came breezing in all happy and gushing at lunch time and I liked her immediately. She also felt like an old friend right away, and doesn’t look a bit like her sister. Rebekka is tall and thin, dignified yet “real”, and has straight black hair and blue eyes. Deborah almost reminded me of Lanae Bontrager. She has curly auburn hair, is freckled and white and soft and warm and sparkly. We had a nice lunchtime together and then headed out to our Basel with them.

They are such sisters! Deborah takes one look at Rebekka’s car, and tells her that it’s too dirty. Then she told us the story of her and her boyfriend Adrian, and stops long enough to announce that the car stinks. We parked a ways out and walked into the city, and Rebekka treated us to a ride in a boat across the River Rhine. Oh dear, I must finish this at a later date.

March 2nd

OK, this is rather abrupt, but I need to quickly send this, because I am not going to have internet for 8 days. I am going to Slovakia! Surprise! It came about quickly, and we are not going to Italy as we first planned. Hannah had had it on her heart to visit her relatives in Switzerland more, and was feeling guilty about going to Italy. When she told me, I had an instant clearing in my heart, and told her that it was fine, we would not go. Perhaps God is protecting us from something! Cornelia then asked if I would be interested in going to Slovakia as an alternative. The Bible School young people from Hasliberg and Emmanuel Lippuner’s family are all going on a short missions week to visit the believers there. I am very excited about it because it will be like traveling with family, it will be free, and I will see my roots. (I am German, Polish and Slovakian.) We leave at 4 in the morning tomorrow, so tonight I have been running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off to get all my laundry done and packed. There are so many things to remember because I will be sewing there. I am excited to see Olga again, she was here at Guetli when I first came.

So I will type for a few more moments. Today was one of our last full Sunday’s here, and it made me sad! Auntie Martha came to spend the day with us. We had a late breakfast, and then came to our room for quiet time and writing. Before lunch we went to the Nebenstube and played games with a bunch of the young people. (I taught them Madness…it is fun to play in German!) Auntie arrived, we ate lunch, and then the three of us took a walk together, and ended it sitting on a bench and praying aloud.

At 2pm, several of us young people met around the piano downstairs and practiced “It is well with my soul” and then we sang it as part of the program for the Guetli afternoon. (We sang some verses in English, and some in German.) That ended late, and I took some family pictures of some of my friends here, then started wash just before supper. Now I have been packing, and want to connect and call my family and say goodbye to some of my friends while they are out wandering around. So please keep me in your prayers as I travel on to another country. I am excited that most of the drive is right through Austria! And excitement! We are taking one of those little “Smart” cars that I love, so I will finally get a ride in one!! Yay! I will be back a week from tomorrow, and will expect many emails awaiting me. Then I will be sad because it will be my last 4 days here before the wedding in Chrischona, and flying out on Monday. Anyway, you will be in my prayers, I miss you and love you. (Don’t worry, I will take plenty of pictures.)