Clint and I celebrate our 1 year anniversary in Germany
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Anniversary
On June 9th, Clint and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. The wonderful thing about it is that we were able to celebrate at the exact location where we first talked about dating. For those of you who don't know our story, I will tell you. During the summer of 2002 I was on the Germany Campaign for my second year in a row. Clint was there visiting our mutual friends Ed and Courtney Cantrell, whom we now are working with in Chemnitz. He was there for 2 weeks during the campaign and I was able to meet him and I thought he was a really nice guy. After he left Germany, Ed and Courtney told me that he was interested in going on the campaign the following summer and said that the group should encourage him to go. Courtney gave me his e-mail address and I e-mailed him to let him know that I thought it was great that he wanted to go on the campaign. I told him what an impact it had made on me and how much I loved it there. I also told him my plans of going back to Germany on the HIM Program after I graduated. What I didn't know was at this point he was already thinking about going back on a more permanent basis as well. We began e-mailing each other back and forth and really got to know each other. Our friendship developed over the next year and I was able to see him occasionally when we had our campaign meetings every Sunday afternoon and sometimes he would come to Wilshire so I got to sit by him at church. It didn't take long for me to really begin to like Clint. He has such a fun-loving spirit. Anyone who knows him can also tell what a kind and loving heart he has as well. I really can't pinpoint exactly when I knew I had a crush on him, but I liked him for quite awhile before we actually started dating. I was too nervous to say anything about it because I wasn't sure how he felt about me. Little did I know, he was beginning to develop feelings for me as well at the same time and he didn't say anything about it for a long time either because he didn't know how I felt about him. Well, when we went on the Germany campaign during the summer of 2003 we spent a lot of time together. On June 9, 2003 we were walking with some other friends from a gas station nearby the Lutherhoehe, which is where we were staying. On the way back we stopped underneath the Autobahn and a lot of the group was there looking at the beautiful view of the towns nearby. Slowly, most of the group went back to the Lutherhoehe and Clint and I just stayed there, looking silently at the beautiful view. This seemed like the perfect time to say something, but I had no guts in me. :) We stood there in silence until finally Clint said, "I have to get something off my chest." I said, "Ok." "I kind of like you," he said. And feeling much excitement and relief, I said, "I kind of like you too." I think at that moment we both felt a huge release from the tension we had been holding for not knowing how we felt about each other. Not only that, but we felt like we were in high school again because of the way we said, "I kind of like you." Ha ha. It was great. It was definitely a moment we will be able to laugh about for a long time. After we confessed our crushes Clint said something like, "I was thinking that maybe we could go out sometime when we get back to Oklahoma." I answered, "I would like that." Relieved, we both decided to head back to the Lutherhoehe so no one would wonder where we were and on the way back Clint grabbed my hand and all was right in the world. I will never forget that moment. It was so sweet and so memorable. It is so funny to think about how giddy we both were after that night. As soon as we got back we both went our separate ways to talk to our friends about it. Actually, I really wanted to tell Tracy Hankins about it when I got up to my room, but for some reason I didn't tell her until the next day. Tracy knew all about my crush on him and she had been giving me advice for a while about it. Well, from then on Clint and I were pretty much inseparable. This year on campaign on our anniversary Clint was really sweet to me. In the morning the entire campaign group has breakfast together. When I was ready, I went into the kitchen and the only people that were already in there was Clint and Dave Christy. I went and stood across from Clint on the other side of the table and Clint told me that he wanted me to sit beside him, so I went around and when I got to my seat I saw a little stuffed animal that was holding a heart and it said "I love you" and also a little glass heart shaped box with heart shaped chocolate in it. Also, there was a note that he wrote me and a flower that he picked from outside. I have to say that this past year has been the most amazing year of my life and I wouldn't change it for the world. I am so completely in love with Clint and am excited about our journey here in Germany.
Clint and I celebrate our 1 year anniversary in Germany
Clint and I celebrate our 1 year anniversary in Germany
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Good News
There is good news! Clint and I found out yesterday that our things that were shipped have arrived in port in London. From what Clint could understand was that it was going to take 10 days for it to go through customs and then would be sent on to Germany. I don't know if they are putting it back on a boat or what. As long as I know it's not at the bottom of the ocean, I am happy! I am ready to get my pictures and personal things to decorate my apartment and really make it mine! I need pictures on my walls, they are too bare right now.
I have been meaning to leave some posts and let you know some interesting facts about Chemnitz, or new things I have learned but I just haven't gotten around to it. I will try to add things periodically though. Also, I am trying to figure out how to post pictures on this thing. I am working on it so be patient.
About my new home:
The zoo in Chemnitz is really close by to my apartment. In fact, from Ed and Courtney's apartment you can actually see it! You can periodically hear the peacocks and Clint told me he heard a lion. Ed just told me that recently the lion attacked a worker that was trying to feed it.
Things I've learned:
I learned a new phrase in German this week. It is a silly phrase and I seriously doubt I will ever have to use it in a real conversation but it is funny.
Ich habe schon ein Pferd vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen.
It means I have seen a horse throwing up outside of a drug store. I guess it is supposed to be a sarcastic phrase that you can use if someone was bragging about something. Then you could come back and say... "Oh yeah? Well, I've seen a horse throwing up outside of a drug store." As far as I can tell, that is it's purpose.
In this area of Germany, Saxony, there is a very distinct dialect that changes a lot about the language. Basically, it is a different accent and has a lot of slang terms. A lot of the people here speak with this dialect, especially the younger generation. (I am pretty sure I know what I'm talking about) :) Some friends have also taught me some Saechisch phrases. Those, however I wouldn't have a clue about writing. To me, the Saechisch dialect is crazy and doesn't make sense. I mean, the German language itself is hard enough to learn with all the grammatical rules, but then add onto it a totally different dialect that changes everything and that is just crazy! I'm sure by the end of the two years I am here I will be able to speak some as well as understand some of this dialect, but right now it just confuses me.
Other than the idiomatic phrases and the Saechicsh dialect, I think I am also learning a lot of the language. It is a very slow process, but I think it is coming along. Every morning Ed, Courtney, Clint and I meet at 9:00 and have a Bible study. We have been reading through the book of Luke because that is what one of the first Let's Start Talking (LST) books is written for. After we read each chapter in English we practice our German by reading the same chapter in German. This helps a lot with being able to pronounce the German and also since we just read the chapter in English, it helps our comprehension of the German. I think it has already been helping me. Clint and I are also looking into German classes in language schools that will be starting in August.
Well, that is about all I know right now. :) I hope you are all doing well!
I have been meaning to leave some posts and let you know some interesting facts about Chemnitz, or new things I have learned but I just haven't gotten around to it. I will try to add things periodically though. Also, I am trying to figure out how to post pictures on this thing. I am working on it so be patient.
About my new home:
The zoo in Chemnitz is really close by to my apartment. In fact, from Ed and Courtney's apartment you can actually see it! You can periodically hear the peacocks and Clint told me he heard a lion. Ed just told me that recently the lion attacked a worker that was trying to feed it.
Things I've learned:
I learned a new phrase in German this week. It is a silly phrase and I seriously doubt I will ever have to use it in a real conversation but it is funny.
Ich habe schon ein Pferd vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen.
It means I have seen a horse throwing up outside of a drug store. I guess it is supposed to be a sarcastic phrase that you can use if someone was bragging about something. Then you could come back and say... "Oh yeah? Well, I've seen a horse throwing up outside of a drug store." As far as I can tell, that is it's purpose.
In this area of Germany, Saxony, there is a very distinct dialect that changes a lot about the language. Basically, it is a different accent and has a lot of slang terms. A lot of the people here speak with this dialect, especially the younger generation. (I am pretty sure I know what I'm talking about) :) Some friends have also taught me some Saechisch phrases. Those, however I wouldn't have a clue about writing. To me, the Saechisch dialect is crazy and doesn't make sense. I mean, the German language itself is hard enough to learn with all the grammatical rules, but then add onto it a totally different dialect that changes everything and that is just crazy! I'm sure by the end of the two years I am here I will be able to speak some as well as understand some of this dialect, but right now it just confuses me.
Other than the idiomatic phrases and the Saechicsh dialect, I think I am also learning a lot of the language. It is a very slow process, but I think it is coming along. Every morning Ed, Courtney, Clint and I meet at 9:00 and have a Bible study. We have been reading through the book of Luke because that is what one of the first Let's Start Talking (LST) books is written for. After we read each chapter in English we practice our German by reading the same chapter in German. This helps a lot with being able to pronounce the German and also since we just read the chapter in English, it helps our comprehension of the German. I think it has already been helping me. Clint and I are also looking into German classes in language schools that will be starting in August.
Well, that is about all I know right now. :) I hope you are all doing well!
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Pictures!
Hallo! Here is a link to some of my pictures if you would like to see Campaign pictures as well as others. I will continue to keep it updated.
http://community.webshots.com/user/aprilbeth80
http://community.webshots.com/user/aprilbeth80
June Newsletter
Greetings from Chemnitz!
I have to apologize for being so late in sending my first newsletter. The first month here has been very busy with traveling and then finally settling in. Things have finally slowed down now and I am ready to begin the next two years working with the church. It is exciting to be in my apartment and to really begin to feel like I am not just a visitor but am making a new home for myself.
I arrived in Germany on June 4th with a group of 18 other people from Oklahoma Christian University. I had the opportunity to be involved with a singing campaign that took place in two different cities in the east part of Germany, Oelsnitz and Chemnitz, for the 4th summer in a row. This year the campaign was led by Curt and Deborah Niccum and it was a great success. The campaign group mainly worked by singing in schools, nursing homes, market places, and advertising the gospel meetings that were going on. We also hosted some summer youth parties in which we had many visitors attend. The most visitors we had was 65 in Chemnitz! This is a wonderful way to make contacts to bring into the church. Many of the visitors were students whom we had visited in the schools. We were able to talk to many teen-agers and invite them to the gospel meetings. We had an average of 30-40 visitors at the gospel meetings, which was very exciting. Overall, the campaign was a wonderful experience.
After we worked in both of these cities in Germany, we had a few days of free travel in Europe and the group split up into smaller groups to travel. I went with three other campaigners, Clint Everhart, Leslie Ellwood, and Tristan Block. First we traveled to Amsterdam where we were able to see the Anne Frank House and the Van Gough Museum. These were both very interesting places to visit. We also were able to go to a clog and cheese factory while we were there. We also briefly visited Brussels, Belgium. We had just enough time to try some Belgian Waffles and then make our way down to Munich. While in Munich, we made a trip to Fuessen to see Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle is considered a fairy tale castle which was the model for Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disney World. It was very beautiful and we had a fun trip.
After our trip we met with the rest of the campaign group in Vienna. Here, we were able to do some more work with the church as well as do some site seeing. One evening we had a concert at an African Refugee Shelter and it was a nice time to meet people and fellowship. The people there were very encouraged by our singing and even sang for us as well! Also we held another summer youth party in which we worked with children from a shelter. The age group was much younger than we worked with before, so it was a little different. We took them to a park and played on the playground for awhile and once we were able to bring them all back together again we sat down and sang some songs, had a short devo and ate some snacks. It was a long, challenging day to keep up with the kids, but I think it was a good experience and the kids enjoyed it. We were also able to visit one of the churches in Vienna and sing there as well. Curt Niccum gave a lecture on the Dead Sea Scrolls which he has been involved with in translating. After services, we enjoyed a nice fellowship, pot luck, and more singing.
On July 6th, the campaign group flew home from Vienna. There were three of us that had to stay behind, however and that was very difficult. Clint Everhart, Amy Nickerson, and I are all doing the HIM Program in Germany for the next two years and it was hard to say goodbye to our friends. However, with tears in our eyes we said our goodbyes at 5:00 a.m. and then the three of us took a train back to Germany that day. We made it to Chemnitz safely, where Clint and I will both be working. Amy stayed overnight with me, but left the next morning to go to Dresden, Germany where she will be working on the HIM Program.
Thankfully, I was able to get into my apartment right away. It was nice to finally have a bed of my own and to know that I can stay in one place for a while. Clint, however, was still working on the process of signing his lease and getting his apartment details taken care of. Yesterday he received his keys and is now working on furnishing his apartment as well as building his kitchen. Usually when you rent an apartment here, it only consists of walls and rooms. Everything else you must provide and build yourself. He must install lights in each room, build cabinets and counters and install the sink, refrigerator, and stove. It will take some work for him to get settled in, but he is eagerly getting all the things taken care of as we speak. Things have been a little bit easier for me. I am renting the apartment that belongs to the preacher and his wife, Larry and Pam Sullivan. It is on their land and it is completely furnished.
I am very thankful for the Sullivans and the work they do as well as how they have already taken care of me. I am also thankful for the other missionaries here, Ed and Courtney Cantrell. They are officially my supervisors for the HIM Program and they have been a big help in allowing me to get settled. For the past week or so we have been meeting every morning to have a Bible study. This is going to be a regular event even after we get settled. It is a nice time to pray, discuss anything that is on our minds, and to study the word in depth.
They have also been training us to do the Let’s Start Talking program (LST). There is a group that comes every summer for 5 or 6 weeks that does this program which is teaching English through the Bible. Now we must work to keep up with the contacts that were made this summer and to continue studying with them. I will not only be getting in contact with these people soon, but also I will take over for the people who were studying with Jennifer Alexander, who just finished the HIM Program here.
Today I had my first LST meeting. It was with a woman named Jacqueline Schubert. I will guess that she is in her early 30’s. She doesn’t know very much English at all, but somehow we were still able to communicate today, thanks to the Lord’s help and what little German I know. Since today was our first meeting I wanted us to try to get to know each other and this was a little more difficult that I thought it would be. I still learned some things about her and she learned some things about me though. She is very interested in learning English, however and is excited about the opportunity for me to help her, especially since it is a free program. We will be starting at a very easy level in the LST books on Monday. I explained to her the lessons are from the Bible and she asked if I was a Christian. I told her I was and she told me she wasn’t. She asked if this was a problem and I said it would not be a problem and I still wanted to study with her. She is excited to meet with me again and begin the lessons. I am also excited about this challenge I have been given.
I hope that you are all doing well and that God is blessing each and every one of your lives the way He is blessing mine. I can’t believe that God has been so good as to give me this wonderful opportunity to come to Germany and to tell others about Him. I ask that you continue to pray for me as I try to be a light to Germany right now. Thank you all who have been thinking and praying for me.
I am setting up a blog site in which I hopefully can put some updates, and possibly my newsletters. I can also post pictures as well. I also have a website where a lot of my pictures will be as well. I will keep you updated as much as possible. I will leave the links below if you want to stay up to date.
Love in Christ,
April
I have to apologize for being so late in sending my first newsletter. The first month here has been very busy with traveling and then finally settling in. Things have finally slowed down now and I am ready to begin the next two years working with the church. It is exciting to be in my apartment and to really begin to feel like I am not just a visitor but am making a new home for myself.
I arrived in Germany on June 4th with a group of 18 other people from Oklahoma Christian University. I had the opportunity to be involved with a singing campaign that took place in two different cities in the east part of Germany, Oelsnitz and Chemnitz, for the 4th summer in a row. This year the campaign was led by Curt and Deborah Niccum and it was a great success. The campaign group mainly worked by singing in schools, nursing homes, market places, and advertising the gospel meetings that were going on. We also hosted some summer youth parties in which we had many visitors attend. The most visitors we had was 65 in Chemnitz! This is a wonderful way to make contacts to bring into the church. Many of the visitors were students whom we had visited in the schools. We were able to talk to many teen-agers and invite them to the gospel meetings. We had an average of 30-40 visitors at the gospel meetings, which was very exciting. Overall, the campaign was a wonderful experience.
After we worked in both of these cities in Germany, we had a few days of free travel in Europe and the group split up into smaller groups to travel. I went with three other campaigners, Clint Everhart, Leslie Ellwood, and Tristan Block. First we traveled to Amsterdam where we were able to see the Anne Frank House and the Van Gough Museum. These were both very interesting places to visit. We also were able to go to a clog and cheese factory while we were there. We also briefly visited Brussels, Belgium. We had just enough time to try some Belgian Waffles and then make our way down to Munich. While in Munich, we made a trip to Fuessen to see Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle is considered a fairy tale castle which was the model for Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disney World. It was very beautiful and we had a fun trip.
After our trip we met with the rest of the campaign group in Vienna. Here, we were able to do some more work with the church as well as do some site seeing. One evening we had a concert at an African Refugee Shelter and it was a nice time to meet people and fellowship. The people there were very encouraged by our singing and even sang for us as well! Also we held another summer youth party in which we worked with children from a shelter. The age group was much younger than we worked with before, so it was a little different. We took them to a park and played on the playground for awhile and once we were able to bring them all back together again we sat down and sang some songs, had a short devo and ate some snacks. It was a long, challenging day to keep up with the kids, but I think it was a good experience and the kids enjoyed it. We were also able to visit one of the churches in Vienna and sing there as well. Curt Niccum gave a lecture on the Dead Sea Scrolls which he has been involved with in translating. After services, we enjoyed a nice fellowship, pot luck, and more singing.
On July 6th, the campaign group flew home from Vienna. There were three of us that had to stay behind, however and that was very difficult. Clint Everhart, Amy Nickerson, and I are all doing the HIM Program in Germany for the next two years and it was hard to say goodbye to our friends. However, with tears in our eyes we said our goodbyes at 5:00 a.m. and then the three of us took a train back to Germany that day. We made it to Chemnitz safely, where Clint and I will both be working. Amy stayed overnight with me, but left the next morning to go to Dresden, Germany where she will be working on the HIM Program.
Thankfully, I was able to get into my apartment right away. It was nice to finally have a bed of my own and to know that I can stay in one place for a while. Clint, however, was still working on the process of signing his lease and getting his apartment details taken care of. Yesterday he received his keys and is now working on furnishing his apartment as well as building his kitchen. Usually when you rent an apartment here, it only consists of walls and rooms. Everything else you must provide and build yourself. He must install lights in each room, build cabinets and counters and install the sink, refrigerator, and stove. It will take some work for him to get settled in, but he is eagerly getting all the things taken care of as we speak. Things have been a little bit easier for me. I am renting the apartment that belongs to the preacher and his wife, Larry and Pam Sullivan. It is on their land and it is completely furnished.
I am very thankful for the Sullivans and the work they do as well as how they have already taken care of me. I am also thankful for the other missionaries here, Ed and Courtney Cantrell. They are officially my supervisors for the HIM Program and they have been a big help in allowing me to get settled. For the past week or so we have been meeting every morning to have a Bible study. This is going to be a regular event even after we get settled. It is a nice time to pray, discuss anything that is on our minds, and to study the word in depth.
They have also been training us to do the Let’s Start Talking program (LST). There is a group that comes every summer for 5 or 6 weeks that does this program which is teaching English through the Bible. Now we must work to keep up with the contacts that were made this summer and to continue studying with them. I will not only be getting in contact with these people soon, but also I will take over for the people who were studying with Jennifer Alexander, who just finished the HIM Program here.
Today I had my first LST meeting. It was with a woman named Jacqueline Schubert. I will guess that she is in her early 30’s. She doesn’t know very much English at all, but somehow we were still able to communicate today, thanks to the Lord’s help and what little German I know. Since today was our first meeting I wanted us to try to get to know each other and this was a little more difficult that I thought it would be. I still learned some things about her and she learned some things about me though. She is very interested in learning English, however and is excited about the opportunity for me to help her, especially since it is a free program. We will be starting at a very easy level in the LST books on Monday. I explained to her the lessons are from the Bible and she asked if I was a Christian. I told her I was and she told me she wasn’t. She asked if this was a problem and I said it would not be a problem and I still wanted to study with her. She is excited to meet with me again and begin the lessons. I am also excited about this challenge I have been given.
I hope that you are all doing well and that God is blessing each and every one of your lives the way He is blessing mine. I can’t believe that God has been so good as to give me this wonderful opportunity to come to Germany and to tell others about Him. I ask that you continue to pray for me as I try to be a light to Germany right now. Thank you all who have been thinking and praying for me.
I am setting up a blog site in which I hopefully can put some updates, and possibly my newsletters. I can also post pictures as well. I also have a website where a lot of my pictures will be as well. I will keep you updated as much as possible. I will leave the links below if you want to stay up to date.
Love in Christ,
April
Arrival
Greetings from Germany! I'm sorry that it has been so long since some of you have heard from me. I am trying to get settled in to my apartment here in Chemnitz. I was able to move in to my apartment last Tuesday evening. Most of my luggage was already here waiting for me. I still have some boxes that are being shipped that have not arrived yet. I hope they are not lost. :) I just wanted to leave a short message letting you know I made it safely. I will be sending a newsletter all about the things we did on campaign and also a website with pictures. I hope all is well with everyone.
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