It's been 3 weeks since I flew into Innsbruck for the summer.
My initial thought was that this would be in my comfort zone since I'm dealing with youth but I was totally wrong.
Moving into someones home the same day I met them was slightly uncomfortable.
Going places and not knowing what any one is saying is strange.
Sitting in German class and being the only one who speaks English/ is from America is intimidating.
Not knowing this city and getting lost everywhere I go is frustrating.
Not working at a regular job or having school gives me this feeling of laziness.
These have been my struggles so far but let me tell you what God has done through those.
My family is amazing! They are fun and very generous. I feel at home all the time. Ritha just took her English test we've been studying together for and we will get the results on Tuesday. We are hoping for a 1 or 2! This weekend we are doing a family bike ride and they love hacky sack...SCORE!
Not being able to communicate is actually really nice. I've been learning to listen and to shut my mouth. It's crazy how much I missed because I was focused on what I was going to say next. The day after I got here we went on a youth retreat and I understood nothing the speaker was saying. As I sat there reading my bible I couldn't help but be focused on the bigness of God. He can understand everyone. It still blows my mind that while I'm talking to Him in English, the guy next to me is speaking in German and a girl on the other side is speaking Italian, God can understand us the same. Amazing. Makes me excited for heaven when we all understand each other.
This week was the first week of German class. At the school (BFI) people come from all over the world to learn different languages. In my class I happen to be the only American which means the teacher is always calling on me because she thinks I understand. She asks me what the German word means in English and 95% of the time I just throw out a word because I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about. There are a couple relationships I hope to pursue in that class so we will see where those go.
Getting lost almost everyday turns out to be good sometimes. I've find lots of cool places and get tons of exercise! Because I ride my bike and walk everywhere, I pray more frequently since there's nothing else to do. Praying for this city is one of the most important things I can do and what better place to do that then the streets they walk on.
Not working was fun for the first 3 days then I started to miss it. I knew that would happen. Dave (my team leader) has given me a couple projects to keep me occupied which is great! God is still trying to teach me that I don't always need to have every hour of the day filled with things to do. If my day is filled with things I have to do, that means God doesn't have room for what He wants me to do. This is the biggest struggle for me and I get so frustrated. Running, biking and playing sports help me to feel accomplished so doing those things with students is what I'm working towards. My dad is totally the same way so thanks for that one daddy ;)
Getting to know the youth is just awesome. God is doing big things throughout this group of students. Love it.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
guten Tag
