It's definitely raining in Kassel

Not sure 'it's raining cats and dogs' really works in German! I have a free day today so it would be nice to get out and do some exercise (too much cake!). However, with this weather I may resort to running up and down the stairs- 4 floors is actually a good workout. Or rather to avoid being weird, and to get some fresh air, I may venture out wrapped up in raincoat and hiking shoes!
Last week was a good but challenging week. Thanks for praying for the kids group on Wednesday (Rothenditmold). I found it pretty hard to be honest. The kids are quite undisciplined and I wasn't really confident in keeping firm control. The story was good though! I enjoyed preparing wax crayon stick men drawings to accompany it, and they helped to keep the kids's attention, which was great. Overall though it was quite chaotic and afterwards I felt a bit discouraged to be honest, somehow a bit incapable. When I got back I had a major moment of thinking over what on earth I'm doing here. I know for sure that I'm going to learn loads and develop confidence over time, but I really want to do a good job for the sake of the children.
The kids group on Thursday (Mattenberg) was good fun- it's nice to be getting to know the kids a bit better. That area is quite multicultural which I love. I would love to see more kids from these different backgrounds coming along, and through that get to know the families too. It would be great if you could pray for how we can reach these people.
In the last week I have been well fed! On Friday I went to my 'guest' family for the first time and that was so nice. Yesterday we had a church meal- which was a good chance to get to know people better- and following that I spent time with my housegroup, eating yummy cake and later traditional Korean food!
On Saturday we held a kids day in Mattenberg. The confirmation teenies from our church did a lot towards it, and it went well. It was really good at the end to see a few parents come along to coffee time and a mini talk. Afterwards I went with a few of the youth to a big youth congress. That was quite exciting and I found the talk really inspiring. I slept very very well after that long day!
By the way I have weaned myself off naps! I'm doing a bit better on the stamina side of things. Language wise I'm feeling more confident, though there are of course the harder moments.
I think I may head out soon- the rain isn't looking so heavy!
Great to hear your news too, keep in touch.
Love, Ruth x

Breathtaking

I didn't have the words to describe the majesty before me. I knew the mountains would be quite beautiful but their beauty was more than I could have imagined. It was amazing to wake up to this most days (immense fog a couple of days!). We were staying in a lovely cosy wooden hut and it was so peaceful- well, totally except for our mice friends :) They sound really creepy scratching around and under your bed at night! A comedic moment to look back on would be when my room mate got bitten on the finger by one in the night!


There was 12 of us from church there for the week and it was a really relaxing time. I had my first experience of mountain hiking and I loved it! I thought I might like it but I didn't know I would enjoy it so much. Definitely really hard work (moments of 'what on earth am I doing?') but worth it. There was time to chill too and discuss the Bible. I was challenged about God's passion for changing us, for strengthening us, for giving us everything we need to live for him. He has demonstrated how passionate he is about being in relationship with us.
Unfortunately I was poorly a day and a half with a fever, which wasn't pleasant. To be honest I wasn't patient at all, I was annoyed! Though on reflection I am very thankful I could enjoy so much before that, and recover in time for the last evening and the journey home.

Today in church I had to go up to the front with 20 others who are also taking new positions of leadership. I was quite nervous, even just to introduce myself. But it's ok, apparently I said my 'Ruth'/'Root' very well! How funny. After church I went to a 20+ meeting and it was really good to meet some new people.

This week I have more responsibility than usual for the Wed kids group. Please pray for me. A simple task like telling a short Bible story is really challenging for me. Pray for the kids that come, that they'll have a lot of fun and be eager to learn as well.
Lastly, just to say I'm missing people quite a lot back home, London and Southampton. This comes especially as the new uni term starts. It's sad not being there too.
Thanks for all the prayer, the messages, emails, comments etc- it's good to be supported and I love keeping in touch with you. For anyone wondering my postal address is:


Friedenshof e.V
Kleine Rosenstr. 4
34117 Kassel
Germany

German love xxx

Time for a holiday!

Hi
This will be a short post for a change. In a few minutes I'm leaving for my first holiday! It definitely does feel a bit soon to be relaxing but anyway! It's with a small group from church to a hut in the middle of nowhere in the Alps- how amazing!! Apparently it is so beautiful. I definitely have my camera with me. We're going to be doing a lot of walking and also doing some Bible study together. It may bring back some memories of Longbarn with the basic facilities :)
I've had a good week. It has gone by so quickly though! Though I do have really odd patches I think I am feeling more confident with speaking generally.
On Monday I went for lunch at a lady from church's house and it was so nice! I made the tram ok :) On Monday also we had the first night of our housegroup which was really great. It's a small, very international group and was just an inspiring evening. I'm looking forward to it again in 2 weeks.
Jesus House, the youth mission, was our main focus this week. It was really great, so praise the Lord. Lots of youth came- on Friday night it was particularly packed out. It was held in a huge, beautiful church which is no longer used usually. A lot of energy was put into it being a nice place to be and it was a really good atmosphere. Every night put a different slant on getting to know God more, eg. 'is there anybody out there?', 'Love is everything'. The talks were really powerful and inspired the youth to live for God; the only way to know true life and joy. It was a good chance for me to hang out more with our youth as well. My official job was prayer/pastoral care team, which was a new challenge for me! I was a bit scared at first but it helped me to rely on God's help and boldness. I was able to have some good conversations and pray with people. Another cool thing is that yesterday there was a Brazilian guy there who can speak no German, so I translated my first German sermon! I have never done translation before so it was no way perfect. I enjoyed it but it was slightly stressing in that I was aware that I felt the responsibility of letting him know what the message was.
Both kids groups went well this week- not so many children which was ok, but pray that lots more come back. We had a lot of fun. Pray that as we have fun and get to know each other more, they will experience something of God's love. Something I've noticed is that there always seem to be lots of able, willing workers- which is amazing! Thank God for all these teams and pray that I can be a help and blessing to them.
Please pray generally that I develop some stamina- the other day I only had 8 hours sleep (yes hardly not much!) and I felt the effects! I have taken to having naps but I won't always be able to.
I love hearing your news so keep in touch. I better go, so hope you have a great week.
Love,
Ruth xx
PS A motivation for you to come and visit me- the ice cream here is AMAZING! SO yummy! David and I went yesterday with Franz, the intern who is just leaving. Thanks Franz :)

Welcome to Germany

I've been here for only 5 days and have experienced so much already. Thankyou for all the messages, well wishes and prayers- the support really means a lot. Things are going well! I'm settling in well and I'm grateful that I have been so warmly welcomed here. The people are really friendly and have been so kind to me. I have a lovely room above the church in the same floor as the main youth leader and the other intern.
This week I've been able to get a feel for what goes on here and what I'm going to be doing. It's exciting! We had a team meeting on my first day and I really feel a big 'Amen' inside to their vision. There is a lot going on but one thing is emphasised over all of that- to know and love God with everything. Following from that we want to long for what God does; his 'lost sheep'. Also important is the need to be biblically grounded, because God's word is powerful and gives us direction. The Pastor is really sound and loves God so much. It is reflected in his family life too. They have also really welcomed me.
I'm going to be doing a lot of kids work here. I'm involved in one group nearby for ages 4-8, who generally come from socially disadvantaged families. Another similar group that I've already been to, is for more 7-10 year olds. They will take a while to get used to me but it will be fun. They have a really short attention span but it's a good opportunity to show them that they are important, that God loves them and is interested in their lives. That is a big thing for anyone. I'm also involved in the older youth group (age 16-20). I pray that as we get to know each other more I can chat with them naturally about faith and life with God.
I'm getting to know Kassel a bit more everyday. It's a nice city. There are loads of shops!! So if any shopaholics want to visit me, you would love it here. There is also a really massive massive park with a beautiful house, and some gorgeous castles and loads of lovely wooded areas which are just amazing to walk through on a starry night.
Language-wise it has been a rollercoaster week. It's definitely tiring! I generally zone out by afternoon and pray every day for fresh energy at that time! It's definitely become easier the more I hear. In fact yesterday when I was at a pizzeria late night with the other intern and youth leader I was asked to say grace in English and I found it quite hard- it was really weird! Sometimes I can only laugh because I know my German sounds funny sometimes. It's entertaining for others as well at times! Sometimes though it is really frustrating when I can't express what I want to say. It's not so much for sounding good-though that would be nice of course- it's more frustrating with really wanting to express myself. There was a point yesterday when I just felt so overwhelmed and upset really because what I said just didn't do what was really in my mind justice.
I know that I'm going to learn a lot. Sometimes when I wonder what on earth I'm doing here, I'm reminded that God led me here and he knows what's going on. When I feel helpless, he will also use me in different ways, maybe that I haven't imagined before. I'm grateful for the boldness he gives me each day to do even the simplest of things.
Today was my first service at church! It was really great to be there- amazing to be worshipping God with 150 people in another language. I wasn't there for all of it because I was doing creche (someone was ill) which I was scared about but it was fun and the kids were lovely. It has really be wonderful to be welcome here, which I felt again at church. Lots of people introduced themselves and I've had some invitations to lunch etc to help me get to know people more, which is so kind- I have one tomorrow already- if you read this in time, pray that I can navigate being alone on the tram for the first time!
Just a quick one too before I go- there's a big youth outreach this week- every night Tues-Sat is a different topic designed for youth to bring along their friends and to hear about how Jesus is relevant for their lives. Please pray for the week if you can.
I realise this is pretty long now, so think I will finish. Keep me posted on your lives too, I don't want to miss out on your news.
Love,
Root (this is how you say my name in German, with a bonus rolled 'r'!) xx

PS Last thing, I promise! I just wanted to say thankyou for your prayers for Longbarn camp. It was so great. I hardly washed (!) but it didn't matter. I loved the week. The kids were a lot of fun and it was a joy to learn about Jesus with them. I'm so glad I could make it before flying out here.