My Testimony ~ Part 1

I have shared my testimony twice already since being here and tonight I will be sharing it again. The other day, I sent a copy of my testimony to Josh so that he could proofread it... I was kinda surprised when he said he didn't know it all. With that in mind, I decided that I would write out my testimony so that you could all know me better than you have in past.

The first time I remember someone becoming a Christian was when I was really young playing in the family room with Emily. Mom and Emily were talking and then Emily was praying and BAM, mom and Emily said that Emily was now a Christian. I remember thinking, "Oh, that's cool. I wanna be  a Christian too."

Sometime after this, I remember mom taking probably Sarah, Ben, Emily, Josh, (maybe) Grace, and me to a prayer thing in Portland. I didn't realize what it was all about. I remember some grandfather putting his hand on my head to which I responded to by moving. After this happened twice, I looked up to see him resting his hand above my head and this is when I realized that people were gathered in groups all around praying for people. I remember wanting to reach up and grab the grandfather's hand. "If you're blessing me, don't stop." I think that was my thought process.

Does God take your gifts and desire and turn them into spiritual gifts? I don't know, but I do remember one day listening to Patch the Pirate and hearing the song, Make Me a Servant like You. This is the first time I remember singing a song/prayer to God and meaning it sincerely. I wouldn't say I was saved when this happened but maybe that's just meat near the bones...


Despite these things though, by the time I was 8, I was known by close friends and relatives as a liar and a thief. After an occasion of lying or stealing (I can't remember) while we were on family vacation, I was sent to my room and told to wait for dad. When he came in, he sat down on my bed and this is what happened.
"Rachel," he said, "Your mom and I really love you and it hurts us when you lie to us and steal from us. When you lie to us, you lie to God. Your mom and I cannot help you. Your lies have built a wall blocking you from God, but he wants you." At this, he pulled up the sheet on my bed and separated us and started hitting it saying, "Rachel! Rachel! Where are you?"
I don't remember anything else from that conversation - Dad doesn't remember it at all. However, this conversation is one of the only ones that has stuck so vividly in my mind over the years. Isaiah 59:2 says that our sins have separated us from our God. I didn't know this verse till recently, but I'm so thankful that my parents read the Bible and then transcribed it, so to speak, to me - their visual daughter - so that I could understand more easily.

When I was 10 years old, my parents let me join a soccer team with my friend, Kelsey. During this time I realized a couple of things:
1. not everyone was home-schooled
2. not everyone had a mom and dad who weren't divorced
3. not everyone went to church
4. people my age said bad words
5. not everyone knew who Jesus was
6. I did not know if Jesus would save me

I was really scared - I knew I would die and I didn't think I was going to heaven. I knew that the Bible said do not steal and do not lie and I knew I was known for these things. I was guilty. I knew that Jesus had died on a cross to save me, but I didn't really believe he would. Finally, after probably 3-5 nights of crying myself to sleep asking God to save me, I went downstairs and talked to my dad.
I saw dad, walked over, and started crying. I told dad everything. He gave me a hug and spoke comfort and confidence to me. He was so confident that God would do what He said He would do. He must have told me, "Rachel, if you ask Jesus to save you, He will. He says He will and He does not lie." That night, Dad prayed and I believed.

That was a problem for me later in life. I think Satan used it to make me think I wasn't saved because of the verse that says, "if we confess with our mouths..." So later I did confess with my own mouth so that I would be able to confront it easier.

Thanks, Megan Joy, for sending me the photos. :)

The FairyTales

I think Sweden is the perfect setting for fairy tales. I find myself half looking for red mushrooms with white polka-dots and am shocked to find "regular" mushrooms.

You go mushroom hunting and find the blueberry forest. I have decided that if I go for a walk I must bring a bucket just in case to collect strawberries, blueberries, or mushrooms (if I get taught what is poisonous and what is not). And another beautiful thing I have really been appreciating is butterflies - they are everywhere. 

I went for a walk today and kinda got lost. I found out that I really do panic kinda easily when I'm away... in the woods... and no one knows where I am... oh well, I survived. I felt a little like Merida from Brave walking through the forest - it felt like I would walk upon a little cabin (I did, in fact, when I was lost) and meet either a witch or a bear or something fairy-tale-esque.

I will be posting my testimony here at some point. I've given it twice in two weeks and will be giving it in a week or two during a German teen camp - I guess it will either be translated or I am just gonna be super impressed (again) with how fluent people are in speaking/understanding a foreign language. Anyway, I realized that I haven't told many of you and it might be nice. Soooo - that's all for now, folks!

Sweden

The 4th of July never ended for me, but the 5th of July started at some point for me over Canada. I haven't traveled every year of my life and definitely not across the Atlantic Ocean every year (though I think I'm trying to make up for that now), but never before this trip has the sun never set for me. It was very strange, but really cool all at the same time.

I arrived at 16:00 in sunny Copenhagen. Everyone was out and about enjoying the irregular sunshine and, so that I would sleep well that night, Julie and I joined them walking along the cobblestone streets with my suitcases. (For planning on being gone for 14 months, a backpack, a carry-on, and a suitcase weighing 48lbs isn't shabby at all.) It was really very nice to get to chat with Julie again, see her home, shower, and eat Danish food. (Danishes are not called danishes here, but something like German Bread. Julie didn't know if they were actually German or Dutch.)

July 6th I left Denmark to go to Holsbybrunn, Sweden. I didn't quite realize that the two countries were separated by water, but it was quite the experience taking a train across part of the North Sea. Despite not knowing Danish or Swedish, I wasn't have issues traveling because literally, even the Grandma on the train spoke English with me. But you cannot imagine my shock when I saw the principal from my school at Capernwray, England on the same train as me going to Holsby as well to lecture my first week! It was a huge relief especially as we missed our last train by like 2 minutes. Derek was great though, "There's a bus leaving in about 15 minutes - our train passes will work for our ticket."

So that is that. I have been at Holsby since Saturday evening and have felt very blessed by all the people here. Some of you know that I was hoping that I would find a Mary to balance my Martha personality. I didn't meet someone who I would say is definitely a Mary, but I think she's a more mature Martha working a good balance of human being-ness and human doing-ness.

Highlights:

1. Every night, a group of Interns gather and say 3 things they're thankful for and then we pray. It is such a good exercise to "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done," everyday. It gives you such a heart of thankfulness.

2. There is a Swiss family here and their two children speak French and only a very little Swiss German (which apparently, is almost impossible at their language level for the German speaking Germans to understand). There is one other intern who is fluent in French, and then there is me who speaks enough French to speak to children. It has been really fun. I bet I sound so strange to them, but I love it when they respond to me.., in French!

23:48

3. Some of you also may know that I love the cello. ;) While the school doesn't own a cello, there is a family with four children (all good soccer-lov'n kids) in which the oldest daughter does play the cello. I was never told the mom's name, but she said they could look into renting one from a guy in their church. I think I will like this family.

4. Seriously, I have felt really blessed by these people here. I was really kinda surprised at how quickly they welcomed me into their group - into their family. They've all been working with each other for about a year.

San Jose

Happy Fourth of July, y'all! Love this place so much and am so thankful to call the USA, PNW my home.

Great Grandma Nancy 

I got to come down to San Jose, California on Saturday to visit Ben, Bethany, and my nephew, GRANT. It was lovely to be able to see them in their new home where the sunshine on your shoulder makes you happy.

Grant and I got to spent a lot of time together and I wouldn't exchange my clothes getting wet due to his spit-up target practice for anything. We also started learning lots of songs that Grand-Keri taught Ben and I when we were kids. I think he's getting used to them. ;P

Last night we went to Hot Pot. Ben had told us about it when he came back from his trips to ChongQing, China. I had no idea how good it was nor that I really would love it so much. But hey, first time for everything.

I was super thankful and surprised that there was actually a good deal of down time between feeding Grant and running around San Jose. If I had stayed home for these past five days, I think I would have felt kinda weird having nothing planned, but it was good to just be still for a bit.

Yep, he has the cutest Elvish ears
and I hope he always takes good care of them. :)

It's really kinda strange that I'm about to start another adventure. I knew when I came home that time would go quickly, but I am still shocked at how quickly it went. I leave soon, not a couple months, not a couple weeks or even a couple days. How 'bout a couple hours? Craziness! Can't wait to start!

"I'm leaving on a Jetplane! Don't know when I'll be back again." 

Ok, I have a general idea. :)

Enjoy the fireworks, all! Happy birthday, USA!!!!