A Year Completed

It has been a year since I have come from the go conference. Looking forward a year seemed like a long time. A long time to not go home. A long time to be in another culture. A long time to live in another language and find a home in an unfamiliar place. I was excited but very nervous at what the year to come would bring. As the year progressed it got faster and faster. My days become more filled and I became settled in a world that now seems so familiar. I am so sad to leave this world behind. To leave the people that I grew to love so much in my ministry for others to take over. To say good bye to new friends and a church that has become like family. To trust that it is all going to be fine even if I am not here to walk beside all these wonderful people. As of today I am finished with OM. It has been a wonderful experience and I am so glad that I took this year to go into missions. I hope to return to missions soon. Thank you for your support throughout this year. I could not have done it without you!

Kids Summer Camp Week

This last week we had a kids camp week. We had about 50-60 kids everyday for many different activities. We went on forest adventures, played sports, did crafts, baked, had a big jumping church, sang songs and learnt about Jonah and how he was given a second chance by God. It was an amazing week where I believe all the children have became closer to God and his word will penetrate through their families as well. One child came up to me on the last day and said I have been hurt by a girl in my class but now I know that I need to give her another chance. A couple other girls who I knew before the week would always come up to me and want to have long conversations. They wanted to show off their friends, tell me about the activities they had partaken in and often tried to be wherever I was. With one of these girls at the end of the week her mother came to the evening BBQ for parents and children. I spent some time talking to her mother and she seemed pleased. A little later she came up to me specifically to thank me for taking care of her children and said she was going to send her kids again to the kids program this year. This is so amazing because this is a family from Shri Lanka. They are Hindu believers and when I first started working with this preteen girl she wanted nothing to do with Christianity. God is doing amazing things in the world and in our communities.

Being Fullfilled

The last month has been packed with the busyness of daily life and a little break where I got to make some wonderful memories with family. As my year here in Switzerland has progressed it is amazing how the longer I am here the more I feel fullfilled. The more I understand and can build into others lives. The more my heart loves the country and the people that I minister to. With more time I feel more and more settled and everything becomes routine or what is considered normal. Last night I went on a street outreach team. Nothing amazing happened but I felt more competent then ever before. I understood almost everything that was going on. I talk to some people even some in German. I heard people's stories and prayed for them. I feel alive knowing I am at a point that I can do what I really love which is to meet people where they are and speak into their lives. I even met a women from Israel that said she moved to Switzerland to get away from the bombing almost twenty years ago but never really felt at home. The culture is so different she explained. I could defnately sympathize with her and was able to pray for her in this area. God is so good and it is amazing to work and live exactly where he has placed me to be!

Change

It has been almost a year since I started with OM at the middle of last August. There has been many exciting adventures, times of great change, difficulty and unexpected surprises. As many of you know this is just a normal life with Christ. Times of growth, change and new perspectives as you grow closer to Christ with every day. Over all my year has been very positive. I have really enjoyed it and God has done great things in my life. I have been a little sad lately because this wonderful time is slowly coming to a close. I have had to say good bye to some good friends and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead. This week we are going hiking as a team. It will be the last day we will be all together as some of us are on vacation and then one of our team is leaving at the end of July. I am in the process of completing many of the ministries that I have invested my heart in over this year which means saying good bye to many new friends. Please pray for this transition time. My mind knows that the end is near but my heart is still so invested here. I never knew that I could love a place so much as I have grown to love this community that I have been in this year.

Bringing a Glimmer of Hope

Every person is important in the world. The reality is we cannot help everyone and some people think why try to help any if we can probably never solve the problem. In our world one of the biggest problems is slavery. Approximately 80 percent of these people enslaved are slaves of human trafficking. The estimate for the number of people who are enslaved in the world is between 20 and 30 million people. The majority of these are women. Last night I had the opportunity to go with an organization called Global Act in Zurich to go and bring a little bit of hope to a few off these women. We went to a place not too far from where I live where women will stand around a traffic circle while men will pick which one he wants. Then they go into a box with their car and receive the services she has to offer. Even though this is absolutely horrible to think about and even worse to look into these women`s faces or at the men who are leaving. The city of Zurich has tried to make this problem as safe as possible for these women. Men use to pick up the women and go anywhere with no protection for these girls. Now they have to stay on the property where there is security, help buttons for them if they are threatened and social workers to help them. Last night we picked up some really good food from a restaurant and brought it to the ladies. Unfortunately because it is a government run center we are not allowed to talk to the women about Christ but we are there to serve not only the women but bring hope to the social workers as well. I truly believe that God can work in this as well. You can even see it with the women. I was told that they were skeptical at first with Global Act but what I saw last night was that they knew why we were there. One girl saw us and she called the others. Soon they were all sitting at the table enjoying the meal like a supporting community with each other. Please pray that this ministry would continue, that God would be working on the hearts of all the people involved and that new doors would be opened for people serving in this area. 

Building a Foundation

This week I was working with the preteen girls in the area. As usual they had a lot of fun, enjoyed the one to one attention and this week learnt some new skills in baking. This week was a major stepping stone for one girl in particular though. Even though she has been attending regularly when it comes to the devotion or teaching before this week it was obvious that she was trying not to listen. She would role her eyes, interrupt or not contribute to the conversation. This girl comes from a culture that is taught not to listen to anything outside of her religion which is Hinduism. This week though I started to share about how much God loves his people. I asked have you ever felt so loved that you felt so much joy or cried from joy? This girl was totally engaged telling stories and listening to others stories. She was attentive right until the end even when talking about God and reading scripture. This was a big step for this girl. She is starting to open up to meeting the one true God. Please continue to pray for her and for all the other girls that these messages will transform their lives.

Community

Normally I do not talk about life outside of my work in the ministry but a large part of my life here in Switzerland is being involved in an international community. Daily I am involved in a team that is from three different nations. I go to a church that is international and almost everyone comes from somewhere else or has international experiences. Also I have settled into a really great young adults group that is from all over the world. It has become a normal part of life to talk in several languages, to try to understand other cultures, ways of communication or living. Trying new food, learning new dances, talking about complex situations with many different experiences and world views. It really has challenged me to think outside of my world view and to consider what I think is normal may not to be normal or natural for others. I have been taught to think and listen with understanding and not to take things personal if things are not done as I would do them. It really has made me think over and over again what is good or bad, what is cultural or truth. My time here has shown me that things are not always clear. They are not usually in black and white but in many shades of grey. I have really had to seek God and his truth, to help to understand even myself better through this. It can be very challenging but honestly one of my greatest joys in life. This past weekend I went on a camping trip with some friends. There were seven people that went. We came from seven different countries, from four continents and from five different first language groups. We had a lot of fun but as always different people with different perspectives can bring challenges. We joked around a lot, helped each other setting up camp and hiking very steep mountains and above else loved each other. We played campfire games and had very deep discussions such as does the bible tell us to love ourselves? What does this mean and how can we love others if we do not love ourselves? I have never experienced such a complex but wonderful community where at the end of the day no matter all the road blocks God is so good to bless deep meaningful community.

Great Joys

One of my greatest joys in my week is to work with the preteen girls in the area. I love getting to know them, planning activities and sharing Gods truth about who they are in Christ. My three main girls that come all are from very different backgrounds. One is from a museum family who is from Egypt. One is from a Catholic Orthodox background from the Balkon area. One is from Sri Lanka and is from a Hindu background. It is good to see the progress in this intimate group. They are really enjoying the time. They will often ask to stay longer or ask what we will do next time. They have gotten into some good discussions about religious differences and are starting to think outside of the box that they grew up in. I believe this is potentially the start of a transformation in their lives but also the lives of their families and communities. It is so amazing to be apart of this greater plan that God has for these girls. 

Finding Closure

As summer in almost here, school in almost over and people are thinking about the summer vacation plans things have started to slow down. Most of our regular programming is going to be finished in about a month and new projects are not being taken on. Even though I will still be here for three more months as a team we are planning for change. It is a strange feeling to know that everything will end soon. People that I have grown so close to will go all over the world. New workers will come in and take over our ministries. My life will change once again. For the first time in my life I am struggling with accepting this change. I feel at home here. I like my work, friends, church. In many ways I feel like I just arrived. Please pray that my future would get figured out and I would feel ready to move forward. Please pray for the last few months to have a strong ministry and good times of closure.

Baby Steps

As a team we have been supporting a family in the area. We have gotten the mother more involved in the community, given her a purpose and helped her faith to grow over the past few months. The daughter has also been going through some difficulties. She has been depressed for months, she has missed a lot of school and has been dealing with some phychological problems as well. Last week this family was invited over for dinner. There was something that was really bothering the teenager and she barely ate or spoke. After dinner she had a complete breakdown. For the first time potentially ever she totally opened up and asked for prayer. I think it was a major turning point in her life.In the past week we have seen her many times and she seems so much better then she has been for many months. I am excited to see where God is leading her next.

Meeting People

In the past few weeks things have been going well but there hasn't been many stories to tell. I know that God is working but sometimes it is difficult to see the results. I was reminded last night that it isn't really about seeing results but meeting people where they are at. Sharing community and living out the truth in Jesus. Last night I met with a family from India, two immigrant men and a women who looked like she could have been homeless. All people with different languages, cultures, statuses. The most important part of all was that we were together sharing our faith, encouraging each other and learning from each other. Jesus walked among all people groups to give the same message that he has come to be the saviour of the world.

OM Retriet

Last week all the people working for OM Switzerland got to go on a four day retreat in Germany. We were involved in many activities such as team building games, hearing about the father heart of God, learning about the exciting new vision that OM has and being part of community with one another. I thought that it was a very good and uplifting experience. As missionaries it is sometimes difficult to keep focused on the task that Jesus gave to us. To spread the good news to the whole earth. This is a daunting task when you think about it but it is a team effort with the greatest leader of all our Lord God the almighty. I was reminded that I am part of a much larger family of thousands of people all over the world trying to follow the same call. What I can do is important but I don't have to do everything. I am so thankful that God has placed every one of his servants in a specific place with a specific task in mind. It is a world that is sometimes difficult but it is an incredible adventure that you  have to be just a little bit out of the ordinary to take. Is this something that you want for your life?

Redemption and Transformation

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, 

in accordance with the riches of God's grace. That he lavishes on us. 

With all wisdom and understanding. 

Ephesians 1:7-8

As a believer we know that what has happened in the past is forgiven. It is washed clean and there is nothing that separates us from the love of Christ. Our past though is never forgotten, it can define the way we relate to others, the way we see ourselves and the way we live our life. I have been meeting regularly with a woman who has come out of drug rehabilitation. I am there to listen, to give some advise and to pray with her as she moves forward in her new life with Christ. A topic that has come up recently is how does she move forward with having a past full of destruction. How can she forgive herself and make new patterns in her life as she moves forward. This takes a lot of time and transformation from God to change what has been so familiar for a long time. Please pray for this woman and pray for me that I have wisdom and can speak truth into her life. I am so thankful that she has recently committed her life to Christ. I know it is still a long road ahead to become who God created her to be in him. 

Language

Language is a topic of my every day life. Whether it is translating from another language. Discussing something and everyone needing a different word to understand the topic. Trying to share about Christ and realizing that you know at least basics of three different languages and the other person doesn't speak any of them. I was told recently that the words we speak is only  seven percent of how we communicate but without this seven percent expression about what is really important is pretty much impossible. More and more the world is integrating with each other. It is normal to hear multiple languages, to see different cultures and to live simultaneously with each other.

So the question is how important is it to learn other languages? I have learnt over the past few months that no matter how many languages someone speaks generally people only have one or maybe two heart languages. This is the language that is easiest to express themselves in, the easiest to share their deepest desires of the heart. It is also usually the language that is most preferred to communicate in. As someone who loves to learn and grow in perspectives of other cultures. To be able to meet people where they are at it is very important for me to learn other languages. It is something that I have been thinking about a lot and wanting to make more direct steps in this area. Please pray for guidance in this area to make good decitions. Learning a new language could open up many doors and really effect my future.

Transitions

         This morning we were talking about praying for times of transitions. OM is going through a big transition of redefining the values, goals and structure of this very large international organization. I ask that you join us in praying for this transition that will effect thousands of people in over a hundred countries all over the world. Please pray for wisdom, peace and good communication amongst the leaders at this time.

       We continued to talk and pray at a more personal level that included our ministry in Switzerland as well as for each other. The reality is we as people are almost always in transition. Whether that is a transition from not knowing Jesus to coming into a relationship with him. It could mean a transition of moving, starting something new, making a new friend, starting a new ministry or making decisions about what is to come next. Life is full of change or anticipated change. Please pray for me as I am anticipating another transition time at the end of August as well as for smaller transitions with friends, ministries or other unexpected changes. Even though life is not always very stable I am so thankful that Jesus is consistent in my life. I am thankful that through all the change he is walking with me and is always by my side.

Speaking The Truth

Instead, speaking the truth in love , we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15

What do you do when you know the truth and want to share it? What do you do when you are surrounded by many people from many backgrounds, cultures and even religions? What do you do when truth is so subjective in our world but you know that the only true truth comes from God? 

These are all very relevant questions in my every day life. God says to share the truth, to not be afraid. This is a challenge that I have had recently. As I have started working more closely with immigrant preteen girls they all come from all over the world, different backgrounds, cultures and even religions. I have had the opportunity to share the truth once again this week. I have shared the truth that God cares for them. For many it is their first time hearing scripture, it is the first time hearing the truth of God. Please pray that this truth will resonate in their hearts and there will be more opportunities to share the truth to these girls. 

Living with Purpose

Everyday I wake up with the hope that today will be a day that God will use me to impact the world around me. The connections that I have made and continually make will make a difference. That people will come to know Jesus as their loving saviour and yearn to share the truth with the world. I want to see healing in the lives of people, to see truth of who people are in Christ solidified. Every day I wake up with a dream that is much bigger then I could ever see but clinging to the promises that God loves his children and will do what is best in every circumstance. 

Once in a while it is fun to see the impact. One of my greatest callings is to mentor and share truth to girls usually in their preteen or teenage years. I have a huge heart for these girls and have been focusing on a few girls in this age range. This week at our kids club two of the older girls showed me that they really care that I am around and are definitely watching what I am doing. One girl I have been focused on for a while, encouraging her, sharing truth, came to my work shop and was so happy to be spending time with me. Another girl gave me a decorated egg, something she had worked hard on and out of everyone she gave to me. i am filled with hope experiencing these two things this week. The calling that I have had for years is coming to be part of my ministry here in Switzerland. Thank you for your prayers on having a couple people to mentor and build into. 

A New Friend

A couple weeks ago I met with a lady who I will be meeting with regularly for the first time. She is in an addictions recovery program close to where I live. She is a new believer that I will be helping to guide her spiritually and in daily life. We had a very good first meeting. We had coffee, spent some time getting to know each other, talked about what she would like out of these times and then just had fun playing some games. It was a good time for building trust in this new relationship. My prayer is with time she would become more comfortable with me and open up even more. That there would be healing in her life and I could be part of this.

Integrity

A few months ago I had a vision. My vision was that preteen girls especially from immigrant backgrounds would be able to come to a small group that felt like family. They would come and receive a hug when they came through the door, they would feel appreciated and learn their identity in Christ. As of this week this vision is now a reality. I have started a group with the help of another OM team member to bring this vision into reality. It was a very small group but a lot of fun and the truth that everyone is made perfect by God was taught this week. I am so blessed that God put everything into place so that this vision could become a reality with someone to help me, a place to run the program and a lot of support from the OM team. My hope is that these girls will live with integrity knowing the truths of who God says they are in him.

Perseverance

Last week while we were having our kids sport week one of the activities was for children to do a gymnastics obstacle course. One part was to jump on a small trampoline onto a large matt. One little girl came to take on this challenge over and over again. She was far too small to get up on her own so for the first few times I helped her up and off she would go again. After a while she learned how to place her legs on the supporting matt to get up on her own. She was incredibly persistent. It reminded me of Hebrews 12:1 which says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Just as this little girl ran with perseverance to complete the challenge that seemed impossible for her we are asked to do the same. To run with perseverance on the path that God has marked out with all the challenges or times where we feel like we can't go on.

Kids Camp Week

This week we are running a kids sport camp week for children grades one to six. It is a program that partners with the community, social workers and teachers to give something for children to do during their winter vacation. In the past their has been a problem with children wondering the streets unsupervised at this young age especially children from immigrant backgrounds. This program was implemented last year to help with this situation. The children participate in sports activities, crafts, a short story and a snack every day. It is all free and open for as many children that want to come. The first day we had about 50 children and the number continues to grow. 

Yesterday I was helping with crafts which was making a wooden box with a light in it. One of the older girls that I know fairly well because she comes to our kids program was having a difficult time with this and started to cry. I saw her and asked if she was alright. She nodded but she didn't seem fine. I stayed with her for a few more moments and explained that the task was difficult and I learnt how to do these things at a much older age. She seemed reassured and continued to work on her project. At the end of the day I saw her again and asked if she felt better. She said yes. I gave her a hug and told her that she is so beautiful. She said goodbye with a big smile on her face. It was one of those moments that I knew that God was working in her heart and bringing her towards him. She was seeing Christ through me which is why I serve everyday. 

Healing

Last Friday evening we were doing street outreach. We walked up to a group of teenage boys and started to ask them questions to win five Swiss Frank's. One boy in particular was very engaged in the conversation. After a short talk we noticed that his ankle was wrapped up and he was using crutches. We asked if we could pray for healing. He agreed even though he didn't understand. We prayed and then asked him to walk without his crutches. At first he was limping a little bit then started walking more and more normally. The boy couldn't believe that his ankle was healed. He was telling all of his friends around him " I don't know what happened this man put his hand on my ankle and now I can walk!" Through this we were able to spread the gospel talking about how Jesus is the true God and the ultimate healer. Coming from a Muslim background this teenager started to think that Jesus is more than just a profit. He was given a bible and will hopefully discover Jesus in a whole new way.

Multiplication

It is really amazing to see what God is doing here in Zurich. In every ministry we have seen an increase in number of people participating, personal growth, as well as running things well without too many challenges. Our biggest challenge at the moment is we are getting to the point where we don't have enough people to help run what is going on. In Coffee and Deeds, there are so many people that come in we do not have the time to sit and chat with people during a regular shift. We have now started to go to Coffee and Deeds on a separate occasion in the week to talk to people and meet them where they are at. Also in the bible study that we run there in an increasing number of people coming and now we need different ways to still make the group have a family feel. For the kids program we help run it is increasingly well prepared and runs very well. There is also a slight increase of children. Last we help immigrant mothers learn German in a conversation class and there are almost too many for the people that are helping. God is really moving in the ministries here in Switzerland. Please pray that this continues and also that God is preparing more people to come and help! If possible that it would be people within the community as it is one of our goals to involve people who live in the area to eventually take over these programs.

Nothing is Impossible

For a few months we have been doing some child care for a family in the community. These children can be very challenging and difficult to look after. We have spent then past few months praying for them and trying to work with the parents on how to deal with what is happening. Over Christmas we had a little break from this ministry and the parents started to make some really positive changes. The mother is staying home more with her children, giving more individual attention, this couple even has been reading and talking to professionals about how to raise children. The environment has totally changed, the children are better behaved, the parents are more relaxed this is more of a home reflecting on God. There is hope now in a situation that seemed would never change.

Little Victories

        Over the past four months one of the greatest challenges about being here is not understanding the language. Learning a new language takes time, a lot of practice and can be frustrating when you have been studying for months and still hardly understand some times. This week I had a little victory in this area. One of the girls who comes to kidstreff ( the children's program we help run at the Protestant church) was talking to me like usual. In the past I have not understood her because she is very fast and probably doesn't speak in clear thoughts some times. I understood her for the first time ever and was able to respond accordingly this week! I just feel one step closer to really being able to connect with the people here. It is nice to see the progression even if it is just a little at a time.

Mission Net

       Last week I was at a large conference called Mission Net in Germany. This was a five day conference to encourage and renew people who are in mission work or people who are interested in mission work. There was two main sessions a day, many seminars, many times of small groups, prayer, worship and getting to know people from all over the world. I was sent by OM to help with Global Village. This is a simulation that people go through to see the many needs of the world. In this simulation you go back in time to creation and the fall. Then to when Jesus died and the instruction to spread the gospel. The final step is going through "the village." This is a space that many of the very difficult issues of the world we face our acted out. Things such as domestic violence, prostitution, refugees, people from other religious backgrounds and more. The task is to spread the gospel to the people in the room. Once a short time has past then the people where lead through three more stations of reflection, debriefing and setting goals for the future. I was part of the debriefing team so I spend half of the time talking people through what they experienced and half the time giving instruction and organizing people in the reflection room. It was a lot of fun and so interesting to see how people react and what they decide to do with this experience.

       For some people, they were very aware that it was just a simulation but where reminded of our task as Christians and all the needs of the world. There were others that were so invested that they came out in tears or didn't want to leave the village at all. I debriefed quite a few groups but there were two in particular that I remember the best. In one of the groups there were two teenage girls and two older men who were from Italy. One of the older men was translating for the teenagers and they were talking about how difficult it was to want to help but not be able to communicate since they only spoke Italian not English or German. After a long discussion I was able to encourage them that culture and language are things that can be learned and do not have to be a limitation. I was able to encourage them to help in their own culture but also giving them the possibilities to think outside the box as well. Later that day I saw one of the girls and she came up to me and gave me a big hug and then smiled and said " sorry I can't speak English." Even though she couldn't express what she was thinking I know that something that I said must of really impacted her. The other group the I really remember was about five young people who spoke Dutch but where able to converse in English. We had an amazing discussion and everyone was really into what they had experienced. For myself the most encouraging point that came out of this group was one of the girls said " I have been thinking about taking some youth and mentoring them in how Christians are suppose to live out there faith and now after experiencing this I am sure that this is my calling." I was so touched that the simulation not only moved this one girl to make a change but to bring change through helping others to also live out their faith. It was an incredible week where God was doing really big things in the lives of everyone who attended the conference.