Exhausted
The month of May was filled with work, work and more work. And so were the last two weeks. Completely exhausted and yet deeply grateful for everything that has happened. As always, you can find out everything in this blog post or in the video.
I am thirsty
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. [Psalm 63:1 NIV]
With all the work I've been doing the last few weeks, I've totally neglected time with God, whether it's Bible reading, prayer, or worship. If I have read the Bible, then only out of routine and I’ve actually only prayed in the evenings. When I read this Psalm a few days ago, I really noticed that. I realized how thirsty I actually am, how my body and my heart longs for fellowship with God. I want to really dedicate the time I have with God to Him again and integrate Him more into my everyday life. What about you? Do you long for fellowship with God? Even though you would say you don't believe in God, are you longing for something right now?
Dream wedding
A week ago, I was invited to accompany another wedding and it was just a dream. Definitely one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to. Everything just fit together perfectly.
This time I was not there as a photographer, but to do a wedding film. A short teaser is already on my blog, the long video will follow. I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the weekend.
@Marsolinee
Christival
On Tuesday we went to Erfurt to the Christival, a Christian festival with 11,000 young people and 2,000 employees. Amazing! I was on staff in the mission tent, where we could show the young people why and how they should and can tell others about Jesus. I also helped as security staff in the big arena.
In general, the Christival was characterized by a lot of depth. With the theme: "I believe. We celebrate. Life." it went through Philippians. In my conversations with the young people, I could see how much they long for their friends to come to faith and how reflective they already are. I got many good questions and was able to share how I live faith and why I become a missionary.
A highlight for me was Bülent Ceylan, who is actually known as a comedian. On stage in front of 9,000 people he told how he found faith in Jesus 3 years ago, how a deep peace came to his heart when he prayed on his knees and how he was baptized.
Exhausted
As you may have already noticed, this month has been incredibly full and I worked big overtime. I thought I could relax for a bit on the days I wasn't at weddings, events, safety trainings or photo shoots, but that wasn't the case. At home, I answered hundreds of emails, sorted out the whole small business and photo equipment thing, visited people here and there, and and and ....
By the time you read this, I'll be on my way to Scotland. I'm so thankful I scheduled this from the beginning because 2 weeks of rest is exactly what I need right now. Thank you all for your prayers! I made it through the time and even was able to enjoy it. I was and am exhausted, but not burned out. God carried me through, so thank you so much for your prayers!
Save the Date
June 19th: My Sending Service. I would love for you to come by. The service will take place at 10:30am at the er-lebt church in Landau (Marie-Curie-Straße 3, 76829 Landau). If you can't be there, there will also be a livestream that you can watch here.
July 3rd: Goodbye party. I want to make a relaxed afternoon and evening where you are completely free to come and go as you want to. Between 2pm and 10pm you are invited for coffee and cake, as well as barbecue. If you would like to help out and contribute a cake or salad, please contact me :) Otherwise I am looking forward to chatting with you, sitting at the fire and playing a game of spikeball.
July 9th.: Departure. The big day, if you like. Around afternoon I will get on the plane and leave for Nairobi, Kenya.
My South Sudan-Team
Last but not least, I want to introduce you to the team that I will be going to South Sudan with.
Marlene: our team leader. She has lived in South Sudan for many years and is originally from New Zealand.
Kaci, Grayson & Elias. I had the pleasure of meeting this young family back in February in the US. We get along very well and I'm really looking forward to go fishing and playing guitar with Grayson.
Natasha. She is from South Africa and worked in the AIM office there.
Danielle. She is Canadian and is coming along as a short-termer to see what God's plan could be for her.
Jeffrey. Born in Taiwan with Japanese and Chinese influences, currently lives in Canada and will be sharing a house with me for the year.
@Marlene, Grayson,Kaci&Elias, Natasha, Danielle, Jeffrey
As you can see: 8 people, 6 nationalities. It will be a really colorful and good time, but certainly not without challenges :)
Thanks for reading along! God bless you,
