Hey!

So it’s been a week since I have been back and Germany, and what a good week too! The sun has been shining every day, the grass is becoming a gorgeous green, the trees are budding and the flowers are growing; it is so beautiful. The Castle has been so full of life as well this past week with three different schools living and studying here at the moment. The September MOTA just graduated this past Thursday, so a lot of them are actually leaving and on their way home. There is also a MOBILE DTS school that travelled all over Europe and is now spending their last two weeks here in Herrnhut; they will be graduating this coming Thursday. Then our school, the January MOTA, recently returned from mini-outreach and will be on our way to Ethiopia in two weeks! Everything here is so busy and exciting and happy and alive. It is so good to experience God’s goodness on so many levels, including learning lessons from mini-outreach, all throughout worship and lecture this week, the people that I have met and have gotten to know, and even through the weather.

I learned some major things through mini-outreach, and encountered many challenges, but overall I found it to be a really good two weeks. The last weekend our team spent in a town called Česky Tešin, which is on the very Eastern side, right on the border to Poland. We helped out with a missons conference there and spent some quality time with the youth and young people of the local church there. it was a really blessed ending to our two weeks spend in the Czech Republic. On our drive home on Sunday we stopped in a Polish city called Wroclaw, which was an incredibly beautiful place. It is not too well known of a city, and that is a shame, because it’s architecture, culture and leisure is comparable to a lot of popular cities.
Something that really struck me during those two weeks was that the way I react to situations is different than the way other people react. I need to learn to be more flexible, not in the sense of dealing with a schedule or lack thereof, but instead being more flexible with people around me and how they are reacting and going through things.

So our mini-outreach is over, and the entire week after that is gone already as well. The time to go to Africa is approaching quickly, and my excitement is growing! I am of course scared of some things that I will face there, and the twelve weeks spent there will not be without its challenges, but I know that God is willing and able to take care of me and my whole team. These last few weeks of lecture are really crucial in our preparation for what God has in store for us in Ethiopia, and I think that we are finally really getting to know each other on deeper levels within the team and are really doing our best to dedicate our hearts to God so that we are able to serve him to the best of our ability.

Our speaker for this past week was very intense and very thought-provoking. His name is David Guava and he is a really spirited man. He has encouraged me a lot with his teachings on the Holy Spirit and he is speaking again next week so I am looking forward to what he has to say about evangelism.

I will be sure to post again what is going on within the next few weeks. Prayers for preparation of my heart as well as the hearts in my whole team would be really appreciated. And also, prayers for financial needs as well would be great; I want to thank those who have supported me again for helping me pay for this amazing trip. I would not be able to be here with such freedom if I was not supported so much by the people back home (aka: you!), so thank you so much. I say that from the bottom of my heart.

I pray you are all well and that the weather where you are has been a beautiful blessing for you too! May God continue to bless you and may you be open to what he has for you each and every day.

Love always,

Fina