2009

ok, anothor year has passed.. so get ready for a series of long post dedicated to analyzing it and summing it up. this is primarily for the missions committee, since i know you guys want to know what i do ;-)

in 2009 i set the following goals. the goals will be in italics, and the response underneath:

ministry:

~to host on average one guest a month for months spent at the hope house
technically, yes, we had more guests than that even. i spent 4 months at the hope house, moving to karlsruhe on may 1. in march we made the decision to end our contract on the house due to the circumstances at that time. we still managed to host a few guest, even if they weren't homeless.
in february for the jesus freaks bremen 10 years party we had a full house.
march saw the russian girlfriend of our matze-replacement come to stay.. and stay.. and stay... trying our patience a bit, and forcing us into hospitality more than we expected.
march brought us sibe, from switzerland for a few days.
i won't count andreas, but he was there a few times, too.

~to get involved with a missions organization
yes.. in fact, with two! starting in may i began volunteering at steiger and getting to know them and the city. i taught german and englisch classes for the staff, cooked many a meal for the house, went on outreaches to the party-szene at euro- cafe, joined in for evangelistic oriental-styled tea parties, and met with a staff mentor for the rest of the year.
towards the end of the year, i met a group that is very similar, called gospel tribe. i was able to join them for street work at werder platz and the market place for a few months starting in november.
and does the salvation army count in this category? i have some new ties to them..

~to revive the street group Bible study
i guess not.. since i am not in bremen, i am obviously also not still leading the street group.
in karlsruhe i am part of a steiger bible study (and so is andreas!!)
i got a surprise in karlsruhe, when i met the sister of an old street group member. it was very encouraging to hear that she knew who i was, and had heard very good things about me!

~to preach on average once a month
no.. 3 times is all i was able to manage. my last month in bremen was too hectic. and i am too new in karlsruhe to be preaching. still working out what church is the best for me. there are a few options. steiger meets too early ;-) (but i went there mostly) and kubik is awesome, but meets too irregularly. this comming year i may be able to start preaching at the salvation army though, christine's mentioned it twice now.

~to make a new film for PBS
alas, in karlsruhe i don't have any film contacts yet! but.. i was able to get final cut studio (it should arrive any day now by mail..) so i can start editing the film i have. it won't be for pbs, probably just for church or maybe a no budget festival.


personal:

~to start a masters of theology program through distance learning
nope.. still just doing the free courses that i have gotten off the internet/ itunes. the "real" programs are all quite expensive. anyone want to spot me tuition?

~to read through the Bible chronologically
yes- and in german! finished it at thanksgiving. ben from bremen was my reading buddy.. we challenged each other to stay on course, and both made it through.

~to find a mentor
yes and no... kate from steiger international was my mentor through the end of the year. for the new year i will be looking for a new mentor.

~to do more athletics for health (swimming, biking..)
yes- i got a bike when i moved to karlsruhe and it has been my sole transportation this year. (even the time i spent on crutches.. although i got funny looks for it) i even raved the route to andreas' village a few times in the warmer weather- either through the woods or fields. swimming is still too expensive in the south, and i didnt even find a nice lake this summer.

~to get married! (is that a goal?)
closer..?