quick update

ok, so i have been neglecting to write. sorry! i have had a lot going on..

ministry wise, our outreaches on werder platz were really difficult the past few weeks, but tonight we saw a breakthrough. we stayed out an hour longer than normal because the conversations were sooo good. i had a great drug counseling conversation with one guy and another good one about God.

personally, i am again facing that pesky little task of fighting the german authorities for my visa. i have already been in and working on it, and i go in again tomorrow again. the tasks of this week are: 1. get my residence changed (finally got my rent contract! i moved in in sep..) and 2. get the foreign services office to request my paperwork from bremen. my visa is good till april 30, so i thought i am fine time wise.. they aren't as sure. they said it will be a tight fit. please pray they get it fast enough and can process me by april 30.

also.. as always.. i do not exactly qualify for a visa. now i am in a new, more conservative city... so speaking in human terms, i am in trouble. i guess that's where it's good to have God on your side. i am still kinda scared, though.. it would NOT be good to have to move to switzerland at this point (nothing against the swiss.. it's just soo far away...)

the other personal thing is, andreas and i have been dating for two years now!! yeah! to celebrate (and....?!?!) he has invited me to go to paris over easter weekend.... *hope*

back from borgentreich

this is the building that the Jesus Freaks rent.. it is part of an old military base that the coptic church rents. if you don't know who they are... well, neither did i. apparently they were the first believers to split from the catholic church. you can wiki them for more info. the place is a real mess.. it stood empty and unrenovated for a decade or so. so the freaks are fixing it up.. and since the guy doing most of the repairs, bernd, is from karlsruhe, i went along a week early for the counseling seminar to help. i kinda figured i would be just hanging out with God, since i am not really the most knowledgeable person when it comes to water, gas, and heating issues. but bernd is a very, very good teacher. he was able to explain things to the point where i felt i was able to help out and not just be in the way. and when he was doing things i couldn't be of help on, i cooked. (yeah yeah, gender roles and all..) it ended up being a great week, and i was almost sad when the other freaks arrived. next time we will be installing some showers.

the seminar was great, too, though, and it was good to see some old friends and make some new ones. the topic was psychological disorders.. we focused on an overview (a lot of people had no previous knowledge) and then did a more intense study of five disorders. of course we were looking at it from a non-professional standpoint. it was rather interesting. i went into the group on schizophrenia since i have had rather a large amount of contact with that particular disorder. it was a great and motivating review..and now i am quite tired, but back home. oh.. and here's bernd with the chili sauce we made from rubish (we ate all week from thrown away vegetables)