Saturday, July 9, 2011
Neuschwanstein Castle (a.k.a. the Disney castle)
There Comes a Time
in every persons that he (yes, or she) has an encounter with God. what determines your life is how you answer that call.
i recently had one such encounter. if you want to know about it, you have to ask me personally..
i recently had one such encounter. if you want to know about it, you have to ask me personally..
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Trust Exercise
last week we went to Germany and spent a week doing multiple things that i wont mention now, but basically seeing the other teams. the first night we arrived we had a team meeting and made some small talk. there was another guy in the castle that had been working there for 5 months already. he was, Francis a black guy from Nigeria. one of the guys started talking to him and found out that there was a lake neer by.
a little later that night after all the activities were done, we got all the guys together and discussed the possibilty of going to that lake. the male vote won out and we went to get directions from Francis. he was asleep when we found him but we woke him up and we wouldnt tell us directions unless we let him come with us. there was no way we could deny him. we rounded up some very abused, slightly working bikes and headed for the aqua.
the journey was long and we had two bikes malfunction by the end so one person had to ride on the back basket and another on the front handle bars. we were at the mercy of Francis. he took us through corn and wheat fields, on a highway and finally to the lake. the conversation on the way consisted of bike talk and Francis telling us how crazy he was.
my favorite part was the adrenaline rush of following a strange black man through the fields of a European country to a large lake (it ended up being an old quarry that collected rain water)
a little later that night after all the activities were done, we got all the guys together and discussed the possibilty of going to that lake. the male vote won out and we went to get directions from Francis. he was asleep when we found him but we woke him up and we wouldnt tell us directions unless we let him come with us. there was no way we could deny him. we rounded up some very abused, slightly working bikes and headed for the aqua.
the journey was long and we had two bikes malfunction by the end so one person had to ride on the back basket and another on the front handle bars. we were at the mercy of Francis. he took us through corn and wheat fields, on a highway and finally to the lake. the conversation on the way consisted of bike talk and Francis telling us how crazy he was.
my favorite part was the adrenaline rush of following a strange black man through the fields of a European country to a large lake (it ended up being an old quarry that collected rain water)
Monday, July 4, 2011
Patriotism
happy 4th by the way. we all woke up and said the Pledge of Allegiance with love and liberty at heart.
we had American burgers and Norwegian waffles to celebrate.
we had American burgers and Norwegian waffles to celebrate.
Jews for Jesus
i may not have talked about our hostel manager, Jørgen. he is norwegian. he younger than me. he is my boss.
he invited us to his house one night for a traditional Norwegian feast, compliments of his father, a professional chef. it was there that i was introduced to peanut ice cream. equivalent is Turkish Delight.
the guests were; six Americans, Jørgen, his brother and father, his fathers Latvian wife, that wifes two daughters, Jørgen's three roommates, and a Messianic Jew. and it is about this man that i write this story.
this man had been asked to dinner by Jørgen. he traveled the world preaching to Jews about Jesus being the real Messiah. after our meal we all gathered round the living room in circular seating. i found a seat directly opposite this man, and it was with me primarily that he had eye contact. he addressed us the same as if we were his normal audience. i became defensive at the presuppositions he had already given me but i listened to the amount of knowledge he could conjure....like a brain magician. we told him we went to a Christian school and that we were Christians. that took a fancy with him and he used that as a launching point into evangelism. he asked us if our school had a program to evangelize specifically to the Jewish people. we said 'no'. he said 'huh'.
he believed that the primary people group Christians should be helping is the Jews. to him it is our duty to help them because they had carried and written down our Old Testament for so many years, and without the Jews Christianity would not exist. at this point, i cannot negate him. but this leads into a long train. if you thank the Jews then you have to thank anyone that the Jews had contact with, then anyone else that shaped and changed those peoples history. if you follow this pattern than you have to thank everyone that ever lived. this point i am actually more comfortable with. you must be thankful to all past peoples for there contrubution to the formation of our current way of life rather than saying one specific society has superiority to gratitude. God may have chosen the Israelites to be the ones he fulfills the Gosepel from, but does that mean He had an inferior love for everyone else? to me that seems like no. somewhere in the Bible it talks about equality.
his main purpose in bringing up the Jewish people was that he wanted the ends times to come. he wanted all of Jerusalem (the Jewish race) to accept Christ and fulfill Scripture. the end time are coming.....again
i want to go to heaven but if postponing Jesus coming back means more people have the possibilty to accept Jesus than lets wait a few more generations.
the evening was filled with emotion and synapsis. i will not forget it. that guy spitted out Scripture like it was dragon fire, which i cant help but be respect. he was a kind hearted man that loves God, whom i cannot entirely agree with but im thankful for meeting. its good to make people think and question........or is it?
he invited us to his house one night for a traditional Norwegian feast, compliments of his father, a professional chef. it was there that i was introduced to peanut ice cream. equivalent is Turkish Delight.
the guests were; six Americans, Jørgen, his brother and father, his fathers Latvian wife, that wifes two daughters, Jørgen's three roommates, and a Messianic Jew. and it is about this man that i write this story.
this man had been asked to dinner by Jørgen. he traveled the world preaching to Jews about Jesus being the real Messiah. after our meal we all gathered round the living room in circular seating. i found a seat directly opposite this man, and it was with me primarily that he had eye contact. he addressed us the same as if we were his normal audience. i became defensive at the presuppositions he had already given me but i listened to the amount of knowledge he could conjure....like a brain magician. we told him we went to a Christian school and that we were Christians. that took a fancy with him and he used that as a launching point into evangelism. he asked us if our school had a program to evangelize specifically to the Jewish people. we said 'no'. he said 'huh'.
he believed that the primary people group Christians should be helping is the Jews. to him it is our duty to help them because they had carried and written down our Old Testament for so many years, and without the Jews Christianity would not exist. at this point, i cannot negate him. but this leads into a long train. if you thank the Jews then you have to thank anyone that the Jews had contact with, then anyone else that shaped and changed those peoples history. if you follow this pattern than you have to thank everyone that ever lived. this point i am actually more comfortable with. you must be thankful to all past peoples for there contrubution to the formation of our current way of life rather than saying one specific society has superiority to gratitude. God may have chosen the Israelites to be the ones he fulfills the Gosepel from, but does that mean He had an inferior love for everyone else? to me that seems like no. somewhere in the Bible it talks about equality.
his main purpose in bringing up the Jewish people was that he wanted the ends times to come. he wanted all of Jerusalem (the Jewish race) to accept Christ and fulfill Scripture. the end time are coming.....again
i want to go to heaven but if postponing Jesus coming back means more people have the possibilty to accept Jesus than lets wait a few more generations.
the evening was filled with emotion and synapsis. i will not forget it. that guy spitted out Scripture like it was dragon fire, which i cant help but be respect. he was a kind hearted man that loves God, whom i cannot entirely agree with but im thankful for meeting. its good to make people think and question........or is it?
Sunday, July 3, 2011
sorry folks it's been a while
things have kept me from writing.... mainly myself
geographical update:
from Poland we went to Bergen Norway. it took us a week to clean up and restore an 400 year old building that the local school uses as dormatories. we converted into a hostel and opened for business. after running it for a week went to Munich Germany to meet up with the other people from Wheaton. we stayed at a small catle in a small town in southern Germany. from there, we went back to Bergen and arrived early this morning, it is Sunday.
this is the preface to the many stories that have happened in the past couple weeks, i shall partake in the writing of several of those.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
..........Warsaw continued
a little more about my time in Warsaw.
i spent most days riding bicycles around the city. the hostel had free ones for us to borrow. i was able ride almost the entire city. most of it had to be rebuilt because intense destruction. 90% of the town was destroyed in the second world war. There was an uprising in 1944 by the Polish people, which was thwarted by almost total annihilation of the entire city. Warsaw was home to one of the largest Jewish ghettos during the war. all that is left is a 20 foot section of brick. the older generation doesn't want to talk about the war, the younger generation is ignorant to it. im not entirely sure what the political and economical situations are like in Poland but the gap between the wealthy and poor was very evident.
i had an interesting experience while i was in Warsaw. we went to church on Sunday morn. just a normal International church, so we could hear a sermon in English. there was about a dozen people in the pews. the pastor went up to the pulpit and, at least in my eyes, incorrectly presented the message of the Gospel. i have never been more frustrated with a sermon in my life. what if someone who had never heard the news of Jesus had come in and heard the sermon? i didnt know what to do so i walked (its what i do when i think). i walked into a Catholic church down the road, and sat and watched the Poles. the reverance everyone had was amazing. Polish people would walk up to the front, kneel, pray, and often cry. i wanted the God these Polish Catholics had, not the God of the church i just came from. i didnt know what to do, so i walked up to the people kneeling and begin praying for them. i speak English, they speak Polish; technically i was speaking in tongues. i felt alive, i felt happy. i knew i was being used by God.
from old women kneeling on pews to grown men kiss pictures of Mary and Jesus, i witnessed an evident love. candles were lit to commerate something im not really sure. but i watched them burn.
'like a dripping candle burning out before reaching the floor. yellow, hard, cold, the wax is no longer glowing and maleable'
will we burn out before reaching the floor? we must keep our wax glowing.
(sounds corny but i like the analogy)
i spent most days riding bicycles around the city. the hostel had free ones for us to borrow. i was able ride almost the entire city. most of it had to be rebuilt because intense destruction. 90% of the town was destroyed in the second world war. There was an uprising in 1944 by the Polish people, which was thwarted by almost total annihilation of the entire city. Warsaw was home to one of the largest Jewish ghettos during the war. all that is left is a 20 foot section of brick. the older generation doesn't want to talk about the war, the younger generation is ignorant to it. im not entirely sure what the political and economical situations are like in Poland but the gap between the wealthy and poor was very evident.
i had an interesting experience while i was in Warsaw. we went to church on Sunday morn. just a normal International church, so we could hear a sermon in English. there was about a dozen people in the pews. the pastor went up to the pulpit and, at least in my eyes, incorrectly presented the message of the Gospel. i have never been more frustrated with a sermon in my life. what if someone who had never heard the news of Jesus had come in and heard the sermon? i didnt know what to do so i walked (its what i do when i think). i walked into a Catholic church down the road, and sat and watched the Poles. the reverance everyone had was amazing. Polish people would walk up to the front, kneel, pray, and often cry. i wanted the God these Polish Catholics had, not the God of the church i just came from. i didnt know what to do, so i walked up to the people kneeling and begin praying for them. i speak English, they speak Polish; technically i was speaking in tongues. i felt alive, i felt happy. i knew i was being used by God.
from old women kneeling on pews to grown men kiss pictures of Mary and Jesus, i witnessed an evident love. candles were lit to commerate something im not really sure. but i watched them burn.
'like a dripping candle burning out before reaching the floor. yellow, hard, cold, the wax is no longer glowing and maleable'
will we burn out before reaching the floor? we must keep our wax glowing.
(sounds corny but i like the analogy)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Warsaw Was Raw
get it....
arriving in Warsaw, i realized that the city would be totally different than any of the previous ones. most of the train station was under construction and no one we could find spoke english, so the town had a rather incomplete feeling to it. i kind of felt this way the entire trime we were there. we had to locate our hostel though the confusion and the Iron Maiden fans (everyone seemed to be one). we finally arrived far past midnight and were greated by a very strange individual. he was the owner and he had an awesome Dreadhawk (jealousy) and the walls decked out in posters the screamed anarchy and veganism. some would say he was a hippie. the only thing i saw him wat the whole time was bread and organic butter.............................
arriving in Warsaw, i realized that the city would be totally different than any of the previous ones. most of the train station was under construction and no one we could find spoke english, so the town had a rather incomplete feeling to it. i kind of felt this way the entire trime we were there. we had to locate our hostel though the confusion and the Iron Maiden fans (everyone seemed to be one). we finally arrived far past midnight and were greated by a very strange individual. he was the owner and he had an awesome Dreadhawk (jealousy) and the walls decked out in posters the screamed anarchy and veganism. some would say he was a hippie. the only thing i saw him wat the whole time was bread and organic butter.............................
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Finishing Berlin
its been a while since Berlin but ill finish up with what happened there. the last day we were there, we went to on a walking tour of the city. at the end we went to a place called the East Side Gallery. it was a couple hundred yard long portion of the Berlin wall. on the east side, the once communist side, it was been graffitied to the extreme. on the west side, the free side, it is painted white like how the communists used to have it. the alternate depicting on each side shows how the people have been liberated. since it was out last night Berlin, a few of us went out to a German club. Germany is the electronic capitol of the world, they know how to robo boogie. we didnt get out of there until 2 and by then the trains had shut down so we had no way to get back to our hostel. we found two nice dressed German women and asked them for assistance. they spoke english well. summerized: we spent an hour and a half riding the German bus system totally trusting these Gereman women. as thanks we taught them cultural jargon of America. we didnt get back to our hostel until 4, by then the sun was beginning the raise its eyelids, so i decided i might as well watch the sun come up over this foreign city.
i managed to get 3 hours of sleep because we had to be at the train station at 8 to catch a train to Warsaw Poland (out last stop before Norway). the earlier train ended up being sold out, apparantly Warsaw is a popular place for pentecost. leaving around 17:00, we spent the train ride reading and discusing the mentalities of European people. we didnt realize how different Poland was going to be. we were in the country side by the time the sunset hit and it was a sight to behold. perhaps the best grand-finale to a day i have ever seen, it resembled a 3d Van Gogh painting. blue-pink-orange-purple all swirled like Italian dressing. its not every day you are able to watch the sun come up and go down in two seperate countries. it was one of the most memorable days i have had so far. there is more stories about Poland to come.
i managed to get 3 hours of sleep because we had to be at the train station at 8 to catch a train to Warsaw Poland (out last stop before Norway). the earlier train ended up being sold out, apparantly Warsaw is a popular place for pentecost. leaving around 17:00, we spent the train ride reading and discusing the mentalities of European people. we didnt realize how different Poland was going to be. we were in the country side by the time the sunset hit and it was a sight to behold. perhaps the best grand-finale to a day i have ever seen, it resembled a 3d Van Gogh painting. blue-pink-orange-purple all swirled like Italian dressing. its not every day you are able to watch the sun come up and go down in two seperate countries. it was one of the most memorable days i have had so far. there is more stories about Poland to come.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Miner Details
thought of a joke earlier today; not sure if it is offensive
'why should you not ask Germans for directions?......because they always tell you to take the Third Right'
currently i am staying in the town of Berlin. one of the up and coming art capitals of the world. just yesterday a city wide art exibition opened up for the public to see. it uses the city as a media for the expression....mind bomb.
so i already mentioned Kitna Hora. but Prague is one of the seven mysterious mysteries of the world, self appointed. it is the most beautiful cities i have been to. the train ride from Prague to Berlin is also one of beauty expressed though nature and the adaptability of man. people found a way to buld century old cities right into the cliffs that drop straight to the river. its a good honey moon location,.....anybody? in Prague we met a wheaton alum that was working at a local christian school and hung out with us for two nights that last night we were there he had us over to his house and we made him spaghetti. mom i made you proud. dont underestimate the power combination of kindness and italian food. he had some very encouraging words for us as he did the same program we are currently on. Prague is actually in Bohemia.
today in Berlin, we happened across a breakdance movie being shot. i tried to sneak my way into the background. im a celebrity over here. i had to split from the group for awhile as i needed to think and it is hard for me to do that with people around. God puts very odd things on your heart whenever you dont expect it. ah yes and we went to the jewish memorial today. makes u think about right and wrong and dreidels.
hey coleman and hannah
do you want anything
'why should you not ask Germans for directions?......because they always tell you to take the Third Right'
currently i am staying in the town of Berlin. one of the up and coming art capitals of the world. just yesterday a city wide art exibition opened up for the public to see. it uses the city as a media for the expression....mind bomb.
so i already mentioned Kitna Hora. but Prague is one of the seven mysterious mysteries of the world, self appointed. it is the most beautiful cities i have been to. the train ride from Prague to Berlin is also one of beauty expressed though nature and the adaptability of man. people found a way to buld century old cities right into the cliffs that drop straight to the river. its a good honey moon location,.....anybody? in Prague we met a wheaton alum that was working at a local christian school and hung out with us for two nights that last night we were there he had us over to his house and we made him spaghetti. mom i made you proud. dont underestimate the power combination of kindness and italian food. he had some very encouraging words for us as he did the same program we are currently on. Prague is actually in Bohemia.
today in Berlin, we happened across a breakdance movie being shot. i tried to sneak my way into the background. im a celebrity over here. i had to split from the group for awhile as i needed to think and it is hard for me to do that with people around. God puts very odd things on your heart whenever you dont expect it. ah yes and we went to the jewish memorial today. makes u think about right and wrong and dreidels.
hey coleman and hannah
do you want anything
Monday, June 6, 2011
Dead Churches
today's adventure
Kitna Hora, a church designed with the bones of 50000 humans that died during the plague. About an hour outside Prague, this little town lead to many surprises. I met a fellow Dallas resident and an Arkansas man who tagged along for the day. People are very friendly and most embrace adventure. The church was mysterious and is meant to bring man back to his mortality. If i die please make me into a nighttable. But i wont mind being a TP holder either.
Kitna Hora, a church designed with the bones of 50000 humans that died during the plague. About an hour outside Prague, this little town lead to many surprises. I met a fellow Dallas resident and an Arkansas man who tagged along for the day. People are very friendly and most embrace adventure. The church was mysterious and is meant to bring man back to his mortality. If i die please make me into a nighttable. But i wont mind being a TP holder either.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The city of inspiration
When traveling from Germany to Austria make an effort to look out the windows. You will glimpse the large bedded sandstone cliffs that have been home people for hundreds of years. The locals learned how to utilize the cliffs and built their houses into the cliffs and coves along the river which gives the area a feeling unlike that in most Europe. It's bonkers. Upon. Arival in Vienna and a quick gift of money to some lost vermont boys we went to our hostel. Walking the streets I could hear mozarts sweet symphonies forming in my head. Vienna has harbored the likes of mozart, beethoven, schubert, Brahms, Freud, and now a suburban goof from Texas. Basically, there are classy people in Vienna. Who else does a city wide waltz on new years eve. I spent most of the day at the natural history museum, which had great tourmaline specimins. Make note to buy a ticket for he subway or else you have to pay seventy euro to a man that is dressed like a normal citizen. He was legitimate but it was a frustrating experience. Made some improved spaghetti. Interaction with people is difficult because of the language barrier. The city is filled with tourists but moat places were closed because the church was celebrating the ascension of Jesus. Tomorrow we are off to Prague which everyone raves about.
Love you David
Love you David
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Destination Austria
about to board a trian to Austria. i get seven hours to watch a movie about the contry side. the beaty of Dresden was a surprise. I spent most of my time walking around and watching the German people, eat and drink and drink and eat. its a different life style over here. i tried speaking German at the grocery store we went to. i must be good at telling German jokes because every time i said something, someone would laugh at me. weathers great, feeling really warm. thanks Al Gore.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Train Travel
after leaving at 5 in the morning, we spent eight and a half hours on the train yesterday, going from Amsterdam to Dreseden, which is our current city. Before the bombing of Dresden, happening towards the end of WW11, it was the most aesthetically pleasing city in Europe. only a fraction of the buildings remain and it is still beautiful. One can only imagine what it once was.
I met a girl on the train whose mom sang in the Russian opera and she knew 4 languages, played multiple instruments, had gotten poetry published in a magazine, and was hitchhiking all around europe. people can do amazing things
I met a girl on the train whose mom sang in the Russian opera and she knew 4 languages, played multiple instruments, had gotten poetry published in a magazine, and was hitchhiking all around europe. people can do amazing things
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A Whole New World
we arrived yesterday in Amsterdam around 9:00. Amsterdam is a located in the Netherlands, not Germany, as some have mistaken. the language is similar the German in the sense that you feel that you are constantly being spat upon when a Dutch person talks to you. Other than that, its a beautiful language. The city is built with a horseshoe design plan, which we were able to see when flying in. There are canals semicircled around the main square. It is on one of the canals that out hostel is located. Its actually on the same canal where the infamous Red Light District is located. We walked the district and it was a sight unaccustomed to me. It gets its name from the soft glow of red light that comes from the windows where women openly, and legally, prostitute themselves to any accepting client. The biggest problem for me was that 80% of the women are trafficked and have no other alternative for a day job. I also thought about how common this idea of life is for people to fall into. The idea that men are the business makers and women are the business deals. This idea is present in every culture because it is the mentality we are born with. Without constant striving for change, man falls captive to this idea and spirals towards spiritual depletion. I am just not sure where my destiny fits into this eternal debocle. How do i help the helpless? How do i change the seemingly unchangeable? I have to remember that the whole problem of man's fall into sin is not up to me to fix. Im just here to love. When i think, i write, so i wrote a poem about the events i saw. Our hostel had open mic night last night, and with shakey, raspy voice i read the poem to the few in the audience. I hope it got them thinking. The owner of the hostel was there and he wants a copy to frame on the wall. It felt good to know that i may have helped some people think about the difficult things.
Everyone is healthy and is enjoying the traveling. The jet lag was pretty sever yesterday. I was doing adequate because i was able to sleep most of the plane ride. God bless Ambien.
We are scheduled for an eight and a half hour train ride tomorrow from Amsterdam to Dresden, Germany. More to come.
Everyone is healthy and is enjoying the traveling. The jet lag was pretty sever yesterday. I was doing adequate because i was able to sleep most of the plane ride. God bless Ambien.
We are scheduled for an eight and a half hour train ride tomorrow from Amsterdam to Dresden, Germany. More to come.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Updated Itinerary
May 25 Arrive Chicago, USA
27 Arrive in Amsterdam, Netherlands
29 Dresden, Germany
June 1 Vienna, Austria (Local Spelling: Wien)
4 Prague, Czech Republic (Local Spelling: Praha)
8 Berlin, Germany
11 Warsaw, Poland******* (Local Spelling: Warszaw)
14 Bergen, Norway (via Warsaw airport)
25 Riga, Latvia
27 Hurach, Germany (via Bergen airport to Munich)
July 2 Bergen, Norway (via Munich)
31 Amsterdam, Netherlands (via Bergen airport)
Aug 2 Chicago, USA
Sunday, May 22, 2011
my travel itinerary
May 25 Arrive Chicago, USA
27 Arrive in Amsterdam, Netherlands
29 Munich, Germany (Local Spelling- München)
June 1 Vienna, Austria (Local Spelling: Wien)
3 Prague, Czech Republic (Local Spelling: Praha)
7 Berlin, Germany
12 Warsaw, Poland******* (Local Spelling: Warszaw)
14 Bergen, Norway (via Warsaw airport)
25 Riga, Latvia
27 Hurach, Germany (via Bergen airport to Munich)
July 2 Bergen, Norway (via Munich)
31 Amsterdam, Netherlands (via Bergen airport)
Aug 2 Chicago, USA
Friday, May 20, 2011
pregame
soon, i am leaving on my journey. this is a sample post to make sure its legible and let everyone know i mean business.
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