I've always heard of those Christmas in July parties that people have. Indeed, I've scoffed at the idea a number of times. But, lately, I'm thinking it's not such a bad idea. My reasoning? Twofold: Ever tried to buy a down jacket in July--in Santa Barbara nonetheless? It's not the easiest task, let me tell you! I've been searching the stores for a coat to take with me to snowy Sweden, and so far, I've only found one. My fashion might have to take the back-burner, so that I'll have enough warmth (i.e. a totally un-hip black boring down jacket) to keep any burner going at all!
My second holiday inspiration comes from my recent obsession with choral music. Trouble is, I can only find "holiday" pieces. I'm embarrassed (though not too embarrassed to exclude it from my blog) to say that I spent 7 out of 8 hours today at work humming cheerily along to silent night, Ave Maria, stille nacht (or however you say silent night in German), and various other songs that make even the bah-humbugers want to grab a cup of egg nog and pull the old Santa hat out of storage.
But, hey, Jesus wasn't necessarily born in December, right? Actually, it's pretty refreshing to be meditating on the holiness surrounding the birth of Christ during this time of year. I still don't think I'm ready to actually throw one of those Christmas in July parties, though.
Maybe next year.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
So, Here's the Scoop
In less than three months I will be living and studying in southern Sweden! I am getting more and more excited for my adventure in Europe with every passing day--for a while it seemed so far away that it was hard to believe I was actually going.
While I'm there, for those of you who don't know, I'll be at a Bible school called Holsby Brunn where I will learn more about the Scriptures, about missions, and Christian leadership--and I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about myself, too! I'm really hoping to get a good feel for what the missions field in Eastern Europe is like--we'll have opportunities to do work projects in Estonia, Latvia, or Poland (to name a few places). I've always been interested in working with orphans, and I hope to visit an orphanage in one of those areas to see if God might be calling me to that kind of service sometime in the future.
The school used to be a health spa, and is located in a forested area in the Smaland region. I've only seen a handful of pictures, but I have already fallen in love with the school grounds. The main building looks like a big red barn, with white trim. There's a handmade swing with a wooden seat big enough for two people. There's also a tiny white chapel in view of the swing and in front of the woods. And it SNOWS there!!! I can't wait to catch some of Sweden's finest snowflakes on my tongue! There's also a ton of opportunities to explore the outdoors--there's a ropes course, camping, canoeing, rock climbing, and hiking right out the back door!
So, this blog is a place where I plan to record my adventures in Sweden and Austria (more about that later). I'll be gone for a full 12 months and I'm sure I will be missing you all terribly, so please feel free to comment on my blog!!! I will be writing mostly about how God is using and changing me while I'm away (so selfish!), but I still want to hear what's going on in your lives while I am away.
BUT, until mid-September I'm still around in Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz in the US. So, give me a call and let's get together before I leave!
While I'm there, for those of you who don't know, I'll be at a Bible school called Holsby Brunn where I will learn more about the Scriptures, about missions, and Christian leadership--and I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about myself, too! I'm really hoping to get a good feel for what the missions field in Eastern Europe is like--we'll have opportunities to do work projects in Estonia, Latvia, or Poland (to name a few places). I've always been interested in working with orphans, and I hope to visit an orphanage in one of those areas to see if God might be calling me to that kind of service sometime in the future.
The school used to be a health spa, and is located in a forested area in the Smaland region. I've only seen a handful of pictures, but I have already fallen in love with the school grounds. The main building looks like a big red barn, with white trim. There's a handmade swing with a wooden seat big enough for two people. There's also a tiny white chapel in view of the swing and in front of the woods. And it SNOWS there!!! I can't wait to catch some of Sweden's finest snowflakes on my tongue! There's also a ton of opportunities to explore the outdoors--there's a ropes course, camping, canoeing, rock climbing, and hiking right out the back door!
So, this blog is a place where I plan to record my adventures in Sweden and Austria (more about that later). I'll be gone for a full 12 months and I'm sure I will be missing you all terribly, so please feel free to comment on my blog!!! I will be writing mostly about how God is using and changing me while I'm away (so selfish!), but I still want to hear what's going on in your lives while I am away.
BUT, until mid-September I'm still around in Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz in the US. So, give me a call and let's get together before I leave!
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