Last Day in Switzerland

My sincere apologies for the lag in my blog posts about our trip to Switzerland. A case of the shingles has slowed down my writing substantially but there was one very exciting thing that happened our last day in Switzerland that I want to share with you. There aren't, however, any pictures of the best part of the day so I'll share a few others with you that I took that day. Feel free to skip the pictures and move to the bottom of the post, if you'd rather.

Our plan for Tuesday evening was to go into the "Red Light District" of Switzerland (yes, they too have a "Red Light District") to minister to the prostitutes, most of whom have been brought into this position through human trafficking. In the morning we bought some small gifts to take to the girls and put them together in cute little bags in hopes of making them feel special.

At 2:00 we met up with Pastor Desmond, the pastor of the church we were working with, at the downtown Zurich train station. Maybe it's because I don't spend a lot of time at train stations that I was fascinated by all the activity. Busy place. Also, this is where the good pretzel stand was located so, of course, we had a pretzel snack to tide us over.

After leaving the train station we did a bit of shopping to stock up on chocolates or any other trinkets to bring home. After finishing up our shopping we went to the top floor of a store called Manor for a coffee break. (And yes, I do realize that it appears that all we did was eat on this trip but it didn't really feel that way at the time - though my scale might disagree.) One thing I noted about Manor is that they have the exact same logo as Herberger's has here in MN. Hmmm . . . makes one wonder. The following two pictures were taking from the little deck right outside the eating area. We were in full on tourist mode as we stood out there taking pictures. (As if my white tennis shoes and mega-camera hadn't already alerted the locals that we were tourists.)

One funny story is about the clock in the background of this next picture. You can see a closer up version in this blog post but as we were walking today I was told that this particular clock has the largest face in all of Europe. A couple hours later we were walking past it again and I heard a man tell his friend that this clock has the SECOND largest face in all of Europe. If Wikipedia is to be believed, it is in fact, the second largest clock face in Europe (by .3 meters) but the largest clock face on a CHURCH. So, now we know. Oh, and it's St. Peter Church in case you are curious.


Pastor Desmond knows the owner of the local watch shop and suggested since we had some time before beginning our ministry that we go there and visit the museum in the store's basement. Wow, fascinating clocks! This first one is just one that I found interesting. I can't really tell you much about it.

This huge clock has seven faces and dates back to the 14th century. I didn't catch what all of the seven faces do but besides the one that tells the time there is also one that shows the movement of five planets. Here's the incredible thing; ALL seven faces are powered by one big weight. Crazy huh?

The last clock here is one of four, I believe, that are still in existence. I believe one of the other ones belongs to the Queen of England. I wouldn't mind having it on my mantle.

After our tour in the clock/watch museum we were waiting outside and John decided to take a picture of the actual storefront. The man on the left coming out of the store is a security guard coming to tell John that he can't take pictures! (We'd been given permission to take photos downstairs.) Let's just say that this isn't the store you'd want to go to in Zurich for a cheap watch.

Around 7:00 we headed over to Starbucks to meet up with the women who would join us (actually lead us) into the red light district for our ministry time. To be clear, it was just the female members of our team who visited the girls. The men stayed at Starbucks (or outside of Starbucks actually because they closed at 8:00) to pray for us.

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about going into the red light district. I had NO idea what to expect. Well, I had some idea, but to be honest, it was much less offensive than I was anticipating; at least from the street view. Our "guide" had a bit of a "route" that she usually takes. She said she rarely sees the same girls because they are moved to and from other countries every few months to comply with visa requirements. We spoke with a number of girls; some in windows waiting for their evening's work and others just sitting outside of bars. The amazing thing is that all of them were so grateful for the gifts we brought and welcomed the information we had to share with them about Christ. The one girl whose face still sticks in my mind was from Romania. She appeared to be no more than 17-years-old. It made me so sad that she was forced into such a nasty way of life. Tragic!

There was a moment in the evening that was totally unexpected and one I will never forget as long as I live. We were outside of a bar talking to about four girls. We were probably there for about 15 minutes but before we left one of the girls prayed for US! For real!

Let's say you gave me a list of things I would never anticipate happening in my lifetime that looked something like this and told me to pick the one I would least expect to occur:

1) You will go sky-diving.
2.) You will adopt a child from a foreign country.
3.) You will have twenty grandchildren.
4.) You will be prayed for by a prostitute.

I would put "being prayed for by a prostitute" at the top of the list of things least likely to happen; and, by the way, I don't much expect the other things to happen either (with the possible exception of sky-diving, but shhh. . . don't mention that to my mother . . . or John.) It was the most surreal and humbling moment. You can be sure that I had to wipe away a few tears.

And thus, an amazing moment capped off an incredible trip.

Enjoying God's Creation

I apologize for the lag in my blog. I’ve been sick. I’m writing this on Saturday, October 1 about our time in Lucerne on Monday, September 19. I figured I’d better hurry up or my brain will get a little fuzzy.

We didn’t actually anticipate having a lot of touring time in Switzerland but that is how things worked out. Nothing was really planned for us on Monday so we took a vote as a team and decided to do a day trip (at our own expense) to Lucerne. What a stunning place!

We started with a train ride through the Swiss countryside, from Zurich to Lucerne. After we arrived in Lucerne, and spent $2.50 to use the “clean” toilets at the train station (a marvelous example of free-enterprise), we had a little time to walk around and see the city before departing on a boat ride across Lake Lucerne.

The 669 feet wooden Chapel Bridge over the Ruess River has been a landmark in Lucerne since 1333. A large portion of the bridge was damaged in a fire in 1993 but has since been rebuilt and is still beautiful. I wonder whose job it is to water the flowers that line each side of the bridge? From a distance they are so perfect you almost think they are artificial flowers; but they aren’t.

You’ll be able to tell by most of my pictures that it wasn’t a warm, sunny day for our visit to Lucerne but we did not allow the clouds and rain to dampen our spirits. Views are always different when it’s raining but there was still plenty of beauty to go around.

After our 1½ hour boat tour we got off in Alpnachstad to board the world’s steepest cog railway. Basically, the cog is a gear on the underside of the train that hooks into a rack on the track allowing the train to scale heights at a steeper grade than a normal train would be able to. The cog train from Alpnachstad up Mount Pilatus climbs, at some points, a grade of 48%. Mount Pilatus by the way is named as such because local legend teaches that Pontius Pilate hung out there after he sentenced Christ to death and was later buried there. Who knows if that is true or not?

Although it was raining the views up the mountain were spectacular until it started to snow. I will confess that I would have preferred a bright, sunny day offering plenty of vistas to take in but I wasn’t the only person to consider in this expedition. Sitting across from us on the cog train was a girl from Brazil. She had never seen snow before and the look on her face when she first spotted the beautiful flakes was priceless. She was SO excited and thus we cheered with her.
By the time we reached the top of the mountain I was either sick from altitude or from turning my head so many different directions trying to “see it all.” But, thankfully, I recovered in time to have schnitzel for lunch, which I found out is basically a piece of pork pounded flat and fried. YUMMY!

There are two hotels built on top of the mountain; one built in the 1890’s. I am amazed at how they were able to build such a huge structure on top of such a tall mountain so many years ago.

Going back down the mountain provided another type of experience. We started off in a aerial cableway which is different than an aerial panorama gondola; although other than the size and seating, I couldn’t explain the difference to you. In the cableway we stood and the ride only took us a little way down the mountain where we then boarded the gondolas. Both were the smoothest gondola “type” trips I’ve ever been on. It was as though we were gliding through the air in hot air balloons.

This is going to sound strange, I know, but the highlight of the day came as we were gliding down the mountain. John and I were alone in the gondola and all of a sudden I heard this beautiful melodic sound. I know John can’t sing like that and I didn’t see any speakers in the gondola so I wondered where it was coming from. I glanced below us to see a field of cows munching on the grass, all of whom had bells around their necks. That’s what was making this beautiful sound. Apparently, each cow’s bell has its own tone so, when they are all moving about, the combination of the sounds creates a little concert. The lady in the gift shop at the bottom graciously answered all of our questions about the bells which I’m sure she answers a hundred times a day.

After we reached the bottom of the mountain we took a bus back to Lucerne (as we’d ended up in Kriens a few miles away.) There we did a little shopping, walking around (sometimes in the rain), and enjoyed a fabulous dinner before heading back to Zurich.

We saw lots of little ones on scooters like this one. So cute. I found it interesting that this mom led this little guy over to some steep steps. How she was planning to get down those steps with a stroller, a scooter, and a toddler I'll never know. Pastor Lindsay went over to help them out.

What a great day of enjoying God’s amazing creation!

Doing One Thing

This blog was written on Sunday, September 18.

Most of our day today was spent at church. The church is helping with the building of a transition home in Moldova. Of course, many of the members haven't had a chance to get to Moldova so the church basically had a "mission Sunday" to share about the work there, and about human trafficking in general. If you recall from my blog about Moldova you'll remember that the transition homes are just one way to prevent "at risk" girls from being trafficked.

A couple of us shared about our time in Moldova and how God worked in our lives while we were there. Since I only have one other thing to tell you about today I thought I'd give a brief summary of what I shared with the congregation.

As a little girl I grew up thinking that all children had parents that loved them. Now, of course, I know that isn't always the case but in Moldova I was overwhelmed by the reality of that fact. The more you hear about human trafficking, the more you want to "fix it" but the problem is too big for one person alone. In fact, it's pretty much an impossible problem. But God is the God of the possible and he kept reminding me over and over again of the quote that says "no one can do everything, but everyone can do something." The transition home allowed me so see the hopeful side of things. For this congregation to build such a home may be the "one thing" that will help make a small bit of difference. Pastor Lindsay also shared Andy Stanley's quote "Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone." What we do may not seem like much, but in God's hands it is multiplied just like the loaves and the fishes.

I met a girl at church on Sunday, Tabea, who God is using in a big way to minister to women who have already been trafficked and forced into prostitution on the streets of Zurich. Tabea is a young mom with three kids and was praying for a way to minister to these women using the gift and talent God has given her as a therapeutic massage therapist. With the help of another organization in Zurich, and a miraculous opening in the building adjoining theirs, she goes into the red light district once a week, during the day, to offer free therapeutic massages to the prostitutes. These young girls are so abused and mistreated that they basically set up a stiff wall within themselves as a means of protection. To receive a loving, healing touch is something so rare, Tabea says, that as she starts to massage them their bodies feel like boards more than people. Eventually, as they begin to relax and trust her they will often cry and let down their guard a bit. Because the girls speak so many different languages Tabea's touch, and ultimately God's, is the only way she can show them love. To say that I was impressed with Tabea would be an understatement. She is doing the "one thing" that God has called her to do.

Good job, Tabea, good job.

Powered by Chocolate

Well, we've been home for five days now and I'm just getting around to posting my blogs from the trip. I'll try to post one each day for the next few days until you've "heard it all." Since I'm posting these from home and not during our trip I'm able to post the pictures along with the story. It takes a bit longer to add the pictures, having to choose and edit the pictures; thus the delay. This blog is about our first day in Switzerland - Saturday, September 17.

800 miles - that is the approximate number of miles that we walked today. Thankfully, there was plenty of chocolate to keep us energized. We were met this morning by Joel, the son of the pastor that we will be working with here in Zurich. Due to a scheduling mix-up, we won't actually see the pastor until church tomorrow. So, Joel, and his fiancé, Nicole, met us and showed us the city.

We started off by taking a train to downtown Zurich and then a tram (similar to our light-rail in Minneapolis) to Uetliberg which, according to the sign on the building there, is "The Top of Zurich." Granted, the hike to the top was, shall we say, challenging, for some of us but it was well worth it, The view was beautiful despite the fact that it wasn't a very clear day. Pictures hardly do it justice, but as you might guess, I tried.




Of course, all that walking wore us out so we needed to stop and have something to drink before catching the tram back into the city.

By the time we got back into the city it was time for lunch but instead of spending a lot of time at a restaurant we all voted for pretzels - the giant kind that you can get at sporting events only WAY better. I know you may find this odd, but as good as the chocolate is here, I think the pretzels are my favorite. They even make sandwiches out of them, with pretty much any kind of sandwich meat you could imagine.

After "lunch" we did a little shopping, focusing our efforts on getting some yummy Swiss chocolate because, as you can imagine, we were starving at this point. We hit up the expensive chocolate store first and later went to the "grocery store" for some more reasonably priced chocolate. I say "grocery store" but in reality it was a department store with a "grocery" department. Come to think of it I don't recall ever seeing what I would consider a "real" grocery store.

As we were walking through the streets I saw this beautiful clock. Later in the week I heard that it has the largest clock face in Europe - even bigger than Big Ben. About two hours later we were walking by the same clock and I heard some guy tell his friend that it has the second biggest clock face in Europe. Who to believe?

With chocolates in hand we continued to window shop on the Zurich equivalent of Rodeo Drive. At one point we ran into a full concert band performing on one of the streets and as we finished up our "shopping" some of us sat on a bench by a fountain to wait for the whole group. I was aghast when I saw a woman hold her son up so he could get a drink out of the fountain "spout." Apparently, the water in the fountains is safe to drink. I however, have not tested that personally. Pretty sure I won't.


We saw two churches that were right across the river from each other. FrauMünster Church was built in 853, and was beautiful. At one point a fire destroyed a part of the church so it was renovated and some of the stain-glass window were replaced by more modern windows designed by artist, Mark Chagall.

The second church we visited, GrossMünster, has quite the intriguing history. It was built by Zwyngli Platz during the days of the protestant reformation in the 1600's. Unfortunately, Zwyngli was a bit nuts and, in an effort to eliminate the corrupt Catholic priests he'd take them up in the bell tower and throw them out the window. I can say with pretty much 100% certainty this was NOT how Jesus would have handled corruption in the church. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful church.

After a stop for dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant we headed down to a park along the waterfront. In the background of this picture you can see both FrauMunster church and the giant clock.

There is a little pond at the park with stepping stones across it. Most of the stones are placed so that anyone, really, can walk across them without much effort. But some of the stones are placed further apart either for design or so that one 20-something man (say, Joel) could dare another 20-something man (say, one of our team members, Heith) to jump across them. (You know where this is going, don't you?) It appears that it's difficult for a 20-something man to say no to a dare such as this and once the jumping and momentum got going, well, it couldn't be stopped . . . until Heith landed in the pond, just shy of the fourth stone. I know it's wrong, but it still makes me laugh. Thankfully, his injuries were minimal, and we expect his shoes will be dry sometime before we leave.

Our return to the hotel consisted of three forms of transportation - four if you include our feet; boat to tram, tram to train, train to hotel shuttle from the airport. It's a great system which would be even easier if only I knew German. So far, I love Switzerland.

Moldova

I am posting this on Saturday night in Switzerland. There is so much more to tell you but I have to get to bed. Following is a recap of our two days in Moldova. All I can say for now is that Switzerland is amazing and I will probably have to post the rest of my blogs when I return home as internet use is incredibly expensive.

I could write a book on our two days in Moldova. If you've been checking for my blog update you have probably guessed we did not have internet access in Moldova. But, we did have ducks and chickens; grapes and tomatoes right outside our door. Oh, and a rooster who obviously has not been schooled in the proper crowing hour.

We arrived in Chisano (pronounced Kish - ah - now) on Wednesday afternoon and spent most of the day getting to know our host and being briefed on what we'd be doing there.

The goal of the group we worked with is to help prevent kids from becoming victims of human trafficking therefore the majority of our time was spent going to schools distributing pamphlets with information on how to avoid getting caught up in the trafficking web. It's a huge problem in Moldova because of the low income level. When a person is desperately poor and can't get a job, he/she is a prime target to be trafficked. The unemployment rate in Moldova is nearly 65%!

Every week there are 22,000 victims of human trafficking worldwide. Only 1% of the victims are ever rescued so keeping them from being trafficked in the first place is key. It's an overwhelming problem with no easy solutions. The things I learned would make your blood boil - at least I hope it would - but it's too much to share here.

One of our stops on Thursday was at a state run orphanage. The young children came right over to meet us as soon as we got out of our van. What amazed me was that when our friend in Moldova pulled out toothbrushes for the kids they flocked to get them as though he were giving away gold bars. While at the orphanage we gave a trafficking prevention presentation to the older kids - probably the most at-risk group of teens for trafficking.

There was one little girl at the orphanage that reminded me of a little girl we met in Russia two years ago. She was quite eager to talk to us when we first arrived and loved having her picture taken. As we left I went to give her a hug and she kind of pulled away from me. I realized later that she very rarely has any kind of loving touch, or really any kind of human touch at all and probably didn't know what to think when someone touched her in a kind way. (Either that or she just didn't like me.) Heartbreaking.

It would be easy to get overwhelmed with the sadness, and vastness, of the problem but fortunately we were able to see the upside of things also. After leaving the orphanage on Thursday afternoon we drove to a transition home for girls. That is another project that our hosts support. The transition home was amazing. There are eight girls living there, along with "parents." It isn't a big house but it is filled with lots of love. In this home, and all of the transition homes that are built, the "parents" are a local pastor and his family. When asked how living in this home has made a difference in their lives the responses were things like, "I finally have a family," "Now I have hope," "Now I know what it feels like to be loved."

In the transition homes the girls are taught basic skills such as tailoring, cooking, gardening, etc. These skills not only help them learn how to care for a household, but also enable them to get jobs so they can successfully support themselves. And, if the girl has a dream to go to college or to get some trade school training they try to find scholarships for them. I didn't really notice it at the time but one of my team members pointed out that the home for the girls is probably a bit nicer than the conditions of the homes of those who actually built it. I think that says a lot about the care they offer the girls.

If you read my pre-trip blog you might remember that I had some concern (translate as "scared to death") about the home we'd stay in during our time in Moldova. I was even more concerned as we were being driven there on Wednesday night. It was dark and we were driving on dirt roads better suited for a four-wheeler than a small sedan filled with four people and 150 pounds of luggage. I looked over at Pastor Lisa, who was going to be staying at the same house with us and said, "I think this would be a good time to break into the chorus of 'I Surrender All.'"

I have to say I've stayed in worse places - and better places. Our hostess didn't speak a lick of English but, despite the fact that she cares for a husband who as far as I could tell is basically dying and hasn't left his bed in three years, was incredibly gracious and cooked us a huge breakfast every morning. She has so very little yet offered us so very much. Before we left she gave Pastor Lisa and I table runners made her grandmother. It was incredibly humbling. The picture here is of Nadia, our hostess, and me in my anti-trafficking t-shirt.

Well, I have rambled on long enough and yet only touched the surface of all that happened during our short Moldovan visit. Despite the lack of creature comforts that I am used to I would do it all again if it just keeps one girl or boy from getting caught up in trafficking.

I Refuse

In a few short hours we will board a plane bound for Moldova. Well, actually, we’ll board a plane, and then another plane, and THEN the plane to Moldova but eventually we’ll end up there. Where in the world is Moldova anyway? I will have to say that with our recent surge in traveling my geography skills have reached new heights and may now be at least at a fifth grade level. Moldova is located east of Romania and is surrounded on the other three sides by the Ukraine. I’m sure it’s perfectly clear for you now. We’ll be in Moldova for just a couple of days and then we head to Zurich, Switzerland for five days. As you might guess, this is a mission trip, or as we call them at our church, a Global Project. I wonder if anyone really goes to Moldova just for fun?

I love going on Global Project trips but if I were to be totally honest I’d have to say that most often, before I leave, I am scared to death. Do I fear harm of some sort? Not at all. Here’s what I am afraid of; the food and the accommodations. I know it sounds silly but it’s the truth. I’m not a huge fan of foreign foods. There are even a few, quite a few really, American foods that I don’t like all that much. Basically, I’m a fussy eater. Add to that a couple of food allergies and eating can sometimes be a challenge. As long as I don’t need to worry about offending anyone I’m o.k., it’s just that sometimes we are fed by a host family/missionary/orphanage cooks and you really don’t want to offend them. So, I try. I’ve already started praying that I won’t be faced with anything that’ll make me gag. Ha! (I also have a suitcase full of high energy foods to “tide me over” until our return.)

As for the accommodations, well, let’s just say you never now what you might end up with but you can be fairly certain that it’ll never be The Hilton. But, I’ve managed to live with some pretty nasty places and as long as I have my own travel pillow along, I usually do o.k. This time will be a little bit more interesting in that we’ll be staying at someone’s home in Moldova. I’m trying to think of it as a short-term Rotary Exchange program.

Why then, do I go, you might be wondering? Because I feel that God has asked me to do this for Him. When I consider all He’s done for me, it would be foolish really to say no. And, as a missionary friend once told me, “If God asks you to do something and it makes you fearful, do it afraid.”

There is a song that I’ve been hearing a lot on the radio lately. It pretty much sums up my feelings about this trip. It’s called, I Refuse by Josh Wilson. Click on the song title if you’d like to hear it in full. It’s an amazing song! Below is the chorus.

‘Cause I don't want to live like I don't care.
I don't want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.

So, that’s why I go. Because I refuse to say no to God. Would He find someone else for the job it I didn’t go? Of course. But then I would miss out on the adventure and the blessing.

I was encouraged this morning by a verse I read in my morning devotions. In Psalm 139:5 David says to the Lord, “You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.” Even though I may be fearful, I can rest in the knowledge that God has his hand of blessing on my head. Why then, should I be afraid?

I know I’ll have more to share as the week progresses so check back. I’m not entirely sure of my accessibility to the internet; that’s part of the adventure. I’ll post when I can. And, when I come to mind, I wouldn’t be at all offended if you offered up a prayer for our team and the people to whom we’ll me ministering.

Dave Ohlerking

You may or may not remember that in March 2007, John and I went on our first mission trip together to Swaziland, Africa. While we were there we had the privilege of meeting Dave, Ohlerking, the founder and president of Children's Cup. Dave was an amazing, godly man with a heart as big as Africa itself. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him.

On Wednesday, October 13, Dave, and his wife, Jean, had been back in Africa for just a few hours when Jesus called him home. The cool thing about this (if there can be a cool thing about dying) is that Dave had always said that if he could choose, he wanted to die in Africa. And sure enough, he did! God honored his greatest desire. I love that!

Today, October 23, Dave's life is being celebrated, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I wish I could be there to celebrate with his family. His daughter, Susan Rodgers, and son-in-law, Ben Rodgers, are some of my favorite people and not only would I love to wrap my arms around their necks, I'd also like to honor Dave's life. Even though we didn't spend a lot of time together, Dave has had a huge impact on my life.

Awhile back I purchased a book that Dave wrote called Survival Proverbs for Missionaries. It's not that I plan to go onto the foreign mission field full time, it's just that I'm all about survival even on short term mission trips. It was in that little book that I got some of the best advice I'd ever heard for dealing with the sticky situation of refusing food offered so very kindly by someone who's desire it is to give you their best. Here's Dave's advice: When someone offers you food that you know will make you sick say "I have a medical condition that prevents me from eating that." Brilliant! Now, I just have to remember it when the occasion arises. I know I'll never forget Dave, especially when I need to use this nugget of wisdom.

Dave will most certainly be missed on this earth but I know that there is a HUGE party going on in heaven in honor of his arrival. Dave's son-in-law, Ben, shared some of Dave's other nuggets of wisdom on his blog. He gave me permission to share them here. And so, in honor of Dave Ohlerking, I share with you these nuggets.

Share your strength. Save a child.

-Hope’s name is Jesus

-You can change a child’s life forever

-It’s about the children

-Once you go to Africa, you’ll go back in your mind every day for the rest of your life.

-Pray. Give. Go.

-If you don't hold onto something, you will let go of everything. What is there that you will refuse to let go of?

-The safest place to be is in God's will.

-Jesus said, "Go everywhere, tell everybody."

-When Jesus said, "Come," He meant all the way. When He said,"Go," He meant all the way.

-If we do not predetermine boundaries, how will we know when we've gone too far?

-The highest reach of our faith is to have faith IN Jesus rather than faith FOR what we want.

-You can hold more in an open hand than you can in a clenched fist.

-"Can I go home and live with you?" I have been asked this by many children in many countries. Something in me never stops crying.

-Advice to new missionaries: It will take a year on the field before you really see what you're looking at.

-African pastor wishing to honor me said, "You may have white skin, but you have a black heart." I was honored.

-My ability to do God's will in my life is not subject to other people's decisions.

-Godly meekness is not weakness.Godly humility is not timidity.The strong resist unGodly desire to bluster and brag

-God spoke the world into existence. Is His Written Word any less powerful than His Spoken Word?

-Honesty goes both ways. It acknowledges both weakness and strength.

-If your future looks scary just remember God is already there and He ain't afraid.

-Sometimes the best use of power is not to use it.

-Imagine being an African child who doesn't have $1 worth of anything and then receiving a Tori Box full of school supplies and toys!

-God is bigger than any challenge you face.

-If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

-It is possible for believers to live in such a way it becomes natural to experience the supernatural.

-Being with caring, loving, giving Filipinos who live in poverty challenges my personal financial priorities, God bless them and forgive me.

-"We hours" of the morning again. Wonderful sense of the presence of God.

-Many cultures consider forgiveness to be weakness, but to forgive is to defeat evil by doing good.

-Like ears crave sound, and eyes crave light, my soul craves the presence of God.

-How would it feel to find out in Heaven you gave the dollar that won the last soul before the rapture?

-"Think it not strange" that every evil hell can muster is aimed at the followers of Christ. It's always been that way--but we win!

-One of our greatest thrills is watching our children and grandchildren sell out to Jesus. We are blessed!

-If I tear you down, and you tear me down, we both lose. If I build you up and you build me up, we both win.

-God has let me live long enough to have a memory full of awesome things He has let me see and do and be part of.

-As evil deepens and accelerates, so does God's grace and anointing.

-There is a place in Christ that can only be gained by totally losing one's self awareness. Why don't we go there?

-By definition lie (untruth) proves the existence truth. Truth's name is Jesus.

-Should our embarrassment to witness cost the untold one his soul?

-You will either sacrifice your present to your future or you will sacrifice your future to your present.

-Everything God does is redemptive. He does not waste our experiences--good or bad.

-Personal peace is one of the surest evidences of God's power in your life.

-God is incapable of doing wrong things

-I believe God just asked me, "What are you willing to let go of so a hurting child can live?"

-52 years ago today was the first time I kissed Jean! It was so good I'm gunna keep right on kissing her.

-To find God’s will, seek his presence.

-Touching the world from the heart of America

-Changing the world one child at a time

-Have you ever seen fever in the eyes of a child.

-Giving hope, inspiring dreams, changing worlds.

-Train up a child.

-"Hopeless children. Unwanted children. Diseased children. Unloved children. Raped children. Forgotten children. Enslaved children. Prostituted children. Abused children. Hungry children. JUST CHILDREN."

"I cannot walk away from the children."

Finally! - Pictures from Armenia

Well, in my last blog a week ago, I promised you pictures from my trip to Armenia. And now, at long last, here they are. Of course, I can't post all 100 pictures here but I thought I'd show you a few of the highlights.

Our first day in Armenia was spent trying to adapt to the 10-hour change in time zones and see some of the sights of Yerevan. Republic Square is the center of the city and was actually built during the Soviet reign of Armenia. It used to be called Lenin Square but, for obvious reasons, it was changed once Armenia gained their independence. It is said that a statue of Lenin has been replaced by a giant television screen somewhere on the square but I didn't see it. Of course, it's a very large square and we didn't walk every square inch of it. In fact, we never really got any closer than this pictures depicts.

The last stop of our walking tour was at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. Actually, I have since learned that the entire monument is called the Cascade and was built in the 1970's during the Soviet occupation of the country. Water jugs protrude out of the building on every level and at one point in time water would flow from one level to the next via these jugs. It would be interesting to see the Cascade when the water is turned on. The art museum is at the bottom of the monument, but I believe the entire structure is now owned by Gerard L. Cafesjian, an American born Armenian who actually lived a great part of his life in Minnesota working for West Publishing. Cafesjian's story is really kind of an interesting, Click here if you'd like to read it.

Below is the view of the capital city of Yerevan from the balcony of my first hotel room. I think I ended up in a total of four different rooms while I was in Armenia. Being as there were five of us, and I snore the loudest (no need for comments on this statement, I had my own room. I was worried about getting lonesome but I needn't have. Every morning, shortly after I'd get up someone from the team would end up at my door wanting to use my hair dryer, curling iron, or converter. I felt like the mom with the best Kool-aid on the block.

When I wrote my blog about our trip to Jermuk I mentioned the woman who invited me to her apartment to take pictures off her back porch. This is one of the views from that "photo shoot." The picture really does no justice to the view which actually took my breath away.

Over two years ago God put a big dream in my heart to go to Armenia to minister to women. When I gave my first talk on "Hearing God's Voice" I shared with the women about how that moment marked the culmination of that dream and I wanted to record it in pictures. They graciously smiled and let me take their picture. What choice did they have really? I was after all, the one with the camera . . . . and the microphone.

The view from the front door of the church in Jermuk. Too bad I didn't see all this snow before I left. I would have packed differently; perhaps more sweaters and less sandals.

These women came from across Armenia to attend the conference in Tsaghkadzor. I can't help but think that they are "world changers." God will use them to make a huge difference in Armenia, I have no doubt.

When we finished our conference in Tsaghkadzor we had just enough time to stop at the souvenir market. There was a whole lot of stuff that I could live without but my favorite purchase was an intricately carved replica of Noah's Ark (complete with animals) in front of Mt. Ararat. Truth be told, I'm sure I could have lived without it, also, but I bought it anyway.

Remember the blog I wrote about all the food at our dinner in Bjni? Well, this picture shows just SOME of the food we had that night. And the beautiful girls in the picture were our translators and host while we were in Armenia. Marine (second from the left) was my translator at the two small churches we visited. The first day she actually translated something to me as "blah, blah, blah," which totally threw me into a fit of hysterics. I will never let her live that one down.

Can you imagine hauling all this stone in from another region to build this Noravank Monastery? And, it's not like it was South Dakota with nary a hill in site, or that they had trucks to haul it all. Oh no, Henry Ford didn't show up for another 500 plus years. When I originally wrote about this place I said it was built in the 9th century. Apparently, I was misinformed. If you recall I had purchased the Italian version guidebook. Anyway, a little internet research shows it was built in the 13th century. But still, I have to wonder why they would carry in all this stone when there was stone in abundance all around them? Maybe in heaven one of the builders can explain their thinking to me.

This, the Khor Virap monastery, is the one very close to the base of Mt. Ararat and is significant in Armenian history because this is where St. Gregory the Illuminator was held for 13 years. Because of him, well really because of God's work through him, Armenia was declared a Christian country in 301 A.D.

I must have taken at least ten pictures of Mt. Ararat while I was in Armenia. One from my hotel room, one from the top of the Cafesijan Center for the Arts, and even one from the monastery near the base of the very mountain itself. But, the best picture, by far, is the one I took out the window of the airport cafe on the day we left Armenia. It is mind-boggling to know that somewhere on this mountain, Noah stepped off the ark onto dry land. You don't suppose he looked out across the land and said, "in a few thousand years, I think there's going to be an airport right over there"?

What an amazing opportunity this trip was for me. Some days I think I need to pinch myself to believe that God would really choose me to share His Word and His love to people across the globe. I am incredibly blessed.

I Love Paris in the Springtime . . . kind of.

Well, I promised you last week that I’d tell you about our day in Paris after I got home. Here it is one week since my arrival and nothing yet about Paris. I have no good excuse except to say that jet-lag has hit me a little harder than usual this time.

So, about the whole “Springtime in Paris” thing. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, especially if you happen to land there on one of the cold, cloudy, rainy, miserable days. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy Paris, I did, but I would have enjoyed it way more had it been say 70° and sunny.

We arrived in Paris in the early afternoon, but by the time we got to our hotel it was around 3:00 p.m. The cab driver who brought us from the airport was pointing out historic sites along the way, even though his English, and our French, were equally deplorable. He showed us where Princess Diana was killed but the cab driver who took the rest of the team showed them a different spot. I’m not calling anyone a fibber, I’m just saying. This is our view from the cab of the Arc de Triomphe, the traffic, and the rain.

Our first order of business was to get lunch/dinner. We had already changed time zones by three hours so we were hungry for some kind of a meal even if we didn’t know what to call it. We walked a few blocks down the street to a Brassiere, which is apparently, something like a café. There is no such thing as a “quick” French meal so we just sat and enjoyed a little debriefing of our trip. The server asked us about dessert but we’d passed a French bakery on our way to dinner so we declined with the idea of stopping for pastries on our way back to our hotel. It seems the pastry shop didn’t serve coffee, or have tables, but there was a coffee shop next door that we were told would let you bring in your goodies and get some coffee to go with them. I didn’t really care what we did, as long as I didn’t have to stand outside in the rain. So, basically, we spent our first three hours in France working our way from one restaurant to the next. Not a bad gig, especially in Paris.

We went back to the hotel to add a few layers of clothing and determine the best way to tackle the city. One of our team members was sick so she opted out of the tour, leaving just four of us. We decided that the best plan was to find a cabbie that would drive us around, show us the major sites, and then drop us off at the Eiffel Tower. We asked for a cabbie that spoke English but apparently the request lost something in the translation. If he did know much English, he hid it well. Still, it beat walking in what felt to us like sub-zero temperatures.

I realized as we drove around that my camera was running out of battery power so my picture taking was somewhat limited. I tried to save what was left of my battery for pictures of the Eiffel Tower. It would just be wrong to go to Paris and come home without one picture of the famous icon. After we got dropped off at the Eiffel Tower we decided to get tickets to go up the elevator on the inside. This is where the rain and the cold, I believe, worked to our advantage. My son, who is an inter-continental pilot, tells me that every time he’s been to Paris, the line at the Eiffel Tower is two to three hours long. We, however, walked straight to the ticket window (after weaving our way through the barriers that are set up for the days when there actually is a line.) We had two choices; we could take the elevator to the second level (not to be confused with the second story) or, for a few more dollars, we could go to the very top. Though I hated to miss the thrill of going to the very top, we all determined that it would be just too cold to do so and thus, we settled on going to the second level, which, as it turns out, was plenty high enough to see everything I really needed, or wanted, to see. I suspect that if you go to the very top, you can probably see London, or possibly, New York.

In spite of the cold, nasty weather, I would still have to say, I loved Paris. I can even see why there is song about loving Paris in the springtime. It is a fun, beautiful, city and I hope I get to go back someday. And, say what you will about the Paris people but, I won’t soon forget the kind woman at the pharmacy who removed a wayward nail from my shoe. (Seriously, who manages to get a nail stuck straight up into their shoe while getting out of a cab?)

The warm shower that ended my day in Paris was second only to my own bed after arriving home the next day. Well, that, and being able to see my husband again after ten days apart. All in all, it was a great trip. Hopefully, I’ll get some Armenia pictures up in the next couple of days. Thanks for your patience.

Five Minnesota Evangelists Discover Noah’s Ark

O.K., so we didn’t really discover Noah’s Ark; and we technically aren’t evangelists but we DID go to Mt. Ararat today. We actually visited two different monasteries, one at the base of Ararat.

I must say that today was the first day I wondered if I’d make it out of Armenia alive. As we headed south out of Yerevan we got into a traffic jam at a round-about that had me convinced that I would either die there or live there for the rest of my life. Armenians don’t like to give up their spot. We did eventually get through the traffic though and the rest of the drive was spectacular. The mountains reminded me of the Colorado Rockies and at one point we were in a gorge with huge vertical walls of rock on both sides. The falling rock warnings took on new meaning when we saw a boulder the size of the average house lying next to the road creating a bridge – useful only for giants - over the mountain stream.

Our first stop was at a monastery called Noravank. I bought a little book to bring home so I could read all about its history and tell you about it, but when I went to read it tonight I realized it’s all written in Italian. That’s helpful! At least there are some pretty pictures inside. But, I can tell you that this monastery was built in 900 A.D. out of stone that was imported from another region. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to get that stone through the gorge and up the mountain in the middle of nowhere. The chapel of the monastery had steps outside of it which provided the only way up to the sanctuary. We asked about the elevator but apparently they didn’t build elevators in 900 A.D. The steps were about 14” wide and quite steep. Only one of our team members, Marie, braved the climb and said it was beautiful inside. That’s nice. I’m not generally afraid of heights, and I actually came very close to climbing the steps, but then my brain kicked into gear; that, and the fact that I could hear both my mother’s and my husband’s voice saying “don’t even think about it, Nancy.”

We also went into a mausoleum where the former kings of Armenia are buried. I always feel bad in a mausoleum because there is no way to walk around without stepping on someone’s grave. I feel like I need to continually apologize to the dead for stepping on their final resting place. But, the acoustics in that place were second to none so three of us stood and sang the doxology, in harmony. Wow, if we could always sound that good, we’d probably be famous. Too bad we can’t carry that mausoleum around with us.

Our next stop was Khor Virap which is very near the base of Mt. Ararat. The story goes that this is where St. Gregory the Illuminator was thrown in the dungeon for 13 years amongst poisonous reptiles. Every day a widow brought him bread on which he sustained life. One day, the king of Armenia was on his death bed and St. Gregory was summoned to pray for him. After Gregory prayed, the king was healed and then declared Armenia a Christian nation.

Our time here ended with dinner at an Italian restaurant. I know when a lot of people travel to foreign countries they only want to eat food from that country. I’m not one of those people and thoroughly enjoyed my spaghetti tonight.

Tomorrow we fly to Paris, where sadly we have a 20 hour layover before our flight home. Rats, we’ll have to go do a little sightseeing there. Please note my dripping sarcasm. I most likely won’t have internet access while in Paris so this will end my posts until my feet hit the American soil I know and love.

Bjni - Easier to Pronounce than Tsaghkadzor

Today was our last day of ministry here in Armenia. We were in a little village outside of Yerevan called Bjni. If I’m not mistaken it’s pronounced something like buh-juh-knee, but some of us just call it Benji.

The church in Bjni went all out to make it a special day for their women. First off, they cancelled their normal Sunday service so that they could have more time with us. It is HUGE that they would do that. On the other hand, the churches are 70% women so it only seems right. They had also put a lot of effort into decorating the church to make it look special, complete with fresh flowers, banners and organza. The Armenians are very hospitable and treat their guests like royalty.

There were a few men who helped today and all of them were dressed in suits. I think it would be very uncommon for them to come to church in anything less. Even one little 18 month old boy I met was in a suit. Actually it was more of a tuxedo complete with tails! So cute! One man who was helping with music managed to find the canned applause key on the keyboard and as our team was introduced he’d turn it up as each member stood. It cracked me up.

At the end of the six-hour “mini-conference” we spent about a half-hour or more of time praying for the women individually. Later we were told that it was very unusual for them to be so open and ask for prayer like that. What an incredible time.

After a great day of ministry we were invited to the pastor’s house for dinner. The quantity of food at an American Thanksgiving dinner pales in comparison to what the Armenians put out for their guests. When we arrived the table was already filled with meat trays, platters of cucumbers and tomatoes, three or four different salads, greens, pickles, olives, boiled eggs, anise leaves, parsley, cheese and lots and lots of lavash bread. THEN, they brought in barbecued chicken and pork with potatoes. They barbecue in an oven dug into the ground, which is where they also make their lavash bread. After the chicken and pork they brought in plates of cooked greens that they pick in the mountains. It looks kind of like cooked spinach but tastes a wee bit better. I didn’t have any tonight but it’s been served several times since our arrival. Next came two whole chickens that they had butchered from their yard. And just when I thought there couldn’t possibly be more food, they brought out blinis, which are kind of like a crepe with some kind of meat. They can also be filled with sweet fillings but tonight they had some kind of pork. They are quite good.

But wait, we aren’t through. Just before we called the paramedics to come and take us out on stretchers they brought out pastries and some kind of homemade dessert. And, don’t be thinking they’ve cleared the table off at all. Oh no; they just set the newly arriving plates on top of the ones already on the table. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. We weren’t done yet though. Next came two platters of fresh fruit! AND, after all of that there were trays of wrapped candies. It was like the dinner that wouldn’t end. Some of the team enjoyed thick Armenian coffee which is why they are still up with me tonight as I write this. All in all we were there for two and half hours! In addition to the great quantities of food, we enjoyed great conversation and learned so much about Armenia and the persecution the Christians have faced here.

Our last day here will be spent doing a bit our touring before we head home. It will be hard to leave, but I do look forward to being home again. If I could just drop over every few days and be home in time for a cucumber-free dinner, that would be perfect.

Kisses and Cucumbers

What do kisses and cucumbers have in common? They are both in plentiful supply here in Armenia. EVERY meal, with the exception of breakfast, includes a bowl of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. The other thing served at every Armenian meal is lavash bread. Lavash bread looks somewhat like a tortilla but tastes more like lefse, without the butter and sugar. In my opinion, you can wrap just about anything in bread and it’ll taste better, so that’s what I did with all those cucumbers and tomatoes. My friends will tell you that I’m not a huge fan of vegetables so the fact that I’m eating cucumbers and tomatoes at all is somewhat of a miracle. But hey, it’s a mission trip. We expect miracles.

We finished our leadership conference in Tsaghkadzor early this afternoon (now yesterday as I get ready to post this.) The worship team at the conference did such an awesome job. I’d be the first one to tell you that I think the worship team at my church is unbeatable, and I generally whine a little when I have to be away from my church on a Sunday. But, this team here in Armenia was every bit as good and they weren’t even singing in English! I love spending time in worship with people of a different culture. It usually dissolves me into tears when I picture every tribe and nation surrounding the throne of God singing praises to Him in one tongue that we can all understand. I do try to sing along part of the time hoping that as I mimic the words the others are singing, I’m not really mispronouncing them in a manner that turns them into a swear word. One word that seems to transcend every language is Hallelujah so when I hear that I can sing, sing, sing.

Our day ended with a time of prayer. Many of the women asked for prayer as they take the step to start a women’s ministry program in their own church. Our purpose, throughout this conference was to empower them to do just that so it was exciting to know that they were ready to begin such a ministry. But one of the last women I prayed with asked that I pray for her to be healed from depression. She literally sobbed in my arms as we prayed together. I know that she is safely in the arms of God as she struggles through this time in her life, and I have all the confidence in the world that He will pull her out of the valley she’s in, but in my humanness, it was hard to leave knowing that I wouldn’t be able to give her phone calls of encouragement or go out to coffee with her next week to see how she’s doing.

As for those kisses I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post; they were plentiful as we hugged the women good-bye. It was hard to leave these amazing women who are seeking to serve God and change their world. I will miss them.