Thanksgiving

My first real Thanksgiving holiday, yippee! I am looking forward to see what it brings and I am very thankful that I can be in the States to enjoy it :)
I am also thankful that I have had an opportunity to see what a computer addict I am. I don't have a laptop at the moment, and the whole day today I was just constantly brainstorming where I could go to access internet and who's computer I could use to do some design. I must say I don't like being so dependent on things, so I hope this weekend without a computer will bring me some freedom :)

Alright, gotta go back to stuffing envelopes, there are still a couple hundred left to go :P

Have a great day you!

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny…
because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment…
because you “deserve better than this.”
I cheat you of knowledge…
because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing…
because you are too full of you to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness…
because you refuse to admit when you are wrong.
I cheat you of vision…
because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship…
because nobody’s going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love…
because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven…
because you refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.
I cheat you of God’s glory…
because I convinced you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…
If you stick with me you’ll never know.

By Beth Moore (from her book Praying God's Word)

Mexico

Just about a week ago I had a wonderful opportunity to visit Juarez, Mexico (and El Paso, TX). M J was teaching the Word for a group of about 30 pastors and other church people. And in the evenings we were at the Reto Teen Challenge center for women with addiction problems.

Crazy things are happening in Juarez right now, a lot of threats, blackmailing and murders. We were safe though. I did not see anything that would reveal that such things are going on, except for many police and military troops.
But good things are happening as well. People are open for the Word and most of the pastors in the city have started to come together regularly to pray, fellowship and share testimonies. There are fruits already, as whatever is done in the spiritual, it will have a manifestation in the physical realm. I heard some testimonies even of people being raised from the dead recently. So, there is definitely hope for this city!
One day MJ gave me some time off and I got to see around the city a bit. As we walked into the city park, guess what, I saw ----- many cactus bushes!
Not a big sensation, well, actually I wanted to say that I saw a giraffe! I have never seen one before and Mexico was the last place I was expecting to see it ! They have loooong tongues, did you know that?

One night I got to stay in the Teen Challenge center and I slept in a room full of girls who did not speak any English. That was a lot of fun actually. One of them went to an English class though but I think she had just started. Anyhow, she had a some sheets of paper with sentences in English and Spanish on them. So in addition to body language we used that to communicate.

The program that is running there is very successful, mostly thanks to a godly woman Elena who is leading the program. The girls there don't just get out of their addictions and problems but they learn how to live their lives with God on their side. They are also taught many useful skills to help support themselves once they are out of the program. Part of the program is quilting and every girl sows their story and the new found hope into it. Beautiful stuff!

It was a great trip for me, not just because I got to visit Mexico and meet this wonderful culture and people there, but mostly because of what God did in me. I am not sure how it exactly happened- maybe it was through me sitting in teaching sessions for 3 days, maybe through meeting the people I met and seeing what God is doing in them and hearing their testimonies, maybe it was the Holy Spirit that caught me off guard because I was out of my comfort zone, and maybe it was all of it together.
I have more hope, the desire to know God through His Word is even deeper and I have this sweet assurance that God is with me all the time. And something is inkling inside, saying "greater things are yet to come".

Thank you, all of you who made it possible for me to go there! Thank you for your prayers and support!

To Mexico

From Tuesday till Saturday I will be joining MJ to a teaching trip to Mexico. She will teach in a rehabilitation center for women with addiction problems in Juarez. It is a great program with really good results and I am looking forward to see how they work and live. For I have seen some programs like this working in Estonia as well, but they have been in a very beginning of stage of their life, so I am curious how do they do it over there.
It will also be quite an experience for me culturally and I'm excited to see how it all turns out.

Keep us in your prayers though, as Juarez is little bit dangerous place to go to right now with lot's of drug wars going on. Pray that we would be protected from physical and spiritual evil, and that we would have wisdom to make right choices in staying safe.

I'll keep you posted on how it went when I get back as I am not sure how much if any access to the Internet I am able to have during those days.

Peace!

Ice blocking! Ice blocking?

Yes, on Saturday some of us went ice blocking. Yea, I know, I did not know what it means either. Well, basically it's like sledding, but just without snow nor a sledge :P (go figure).

Here is our 10 steps to a fun Saturday evening:
1) Gather together a group of enthusiasts, tell them to bring a towel
2) Pick a nice day and find a store that sells ice blocks ($2 per block)
3) While you wait everyone to arrive, get a cup of Starbucks coffee, and enjoy the scenery4) Buy each person a block of ice
5) Find a nice slope
6) Unwrap the ice from plastic and cover the block with a towel
7) Sit (or lay) on the block and enjoy the ride!
8) If you manage to stay on the block all the way to the end, get up and climb back to the top or try again until you make your way down.
9) Repeat points 6-8 until your ice block melts or your rear just cannot take it anymore.
10) Go to a friends place, enjoy lot's of candy and pizza, you have earned it after such a long exercise outside in the fresh air :)

Elevation and dehydration

Did you know that the elevation in Longmont is about 1500 m (4979 ft)? People have been asking me if it does affect me, and to be honest, I don't realize it at all. Up until last week, I got totally "out of order" by some severe headaches. And I think the cause is dehydration because of the elevation. Now I have to remember to drink more water. The catch is that i don't feel more thirsty, so that's why I wite this post actually - to help myself remember.

Other than that, it is much easier to jog here for instance. I remember the times of jogging with Erika in Norway, it was 20 minutes of pain grumbling. Here I just put on some music, enjoy the view and half an hour passes with no problem. I suspect it's the beautiful view to the mountains I see on my jogging route that just distracts me from focusing on myself :P

Go out, do something fun! I'm leaving to paint MJ's house now!

We talks!

Elevatio

Kentucky

Ok, Malin, here it is - an update.

Actually I apologize for not writing any sooner. Life has been bit hectic here and I don't have my own laptop yet (I'm praying for one though), which makes me really evaluate my priority list of things I need to get done over the Internet.

Anyhow, the trip to Linefork Kentucky some centuries ago (that's how it feels now) went really well. And I say that even though almost nothing was according to our expectations.
We were ready to meet a poor orphanage that runs on a shoestring budget, lots of material poverty and get connected with the local community.

A coal mine in Linefork

In reality the budget of the orphanage might still be tight, but the woman who is running it works on a principle of excellence and the Lord has honored that by providing with what they need. So the compounds look very nice. And we did not even have to stay in the bunkhouse, although half of us did but the nights were very warm. Thank you for your prayers for that, the weather was really favorable for us.


We ended up doing a lot of practical work though and we did actually build a bridge. And it was totally miraculous how we got all the materials and equipment for it and that we actually got it done.

We also did some tiling, made a walkway, put up a flag pole, played with the children, did some gardening and helped out other ways. And I believe that all the clothes, food, toys and books we brought will be a blessing to the local community.

On 4 days MJ was asked to teach at a local Christian school and I joined her on 2 of them This definitely was the strongest experience for me during the trip. We saw so much spiritual poverty in that school. It made me really see how big responsibility our educational system has. The effect on the lives of our youth is tremendous, and what you get (or in this case don't get) from school marks the rest of your life. This experience definitely gave me something to think about when it comes schools to Estonia. I have a vision about using my education as a psychologist to impact the area of education in Estonia, but it's bit too early to talk about that now.

Anyhow, although we did all those things, for me and I believe for all of us, this trip was much more about discipleship than anything else. Our evenings were filled with really radical Bible studies and God worked overtime on us during the days. MJ is one of the best outreach leaders I have ever worked together with, and I learned a lot about leadership and discipleship just by watching her.

Thanks for your prayers and support for making this trip possible! Oh, and I'm off to Mexico in a week! More on that later ;)

American soccer?

Yurope according to Estonians

A funny video with some interesting viewpoints :P
The disclaimer states that this video does not reflect the views of the educated people of Estonia.
Also a great opportunity to hear some excellent "Estonian English".

Pictures from Kentucky

Click on the image to see more pictures. The story is yet to come :)

Soon off to Kentucky

Hello friends!

Tomorrow early-early me and 9 others are leaving for a trip to the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky for bit more than a week.
It turns out to be one of the most poverty stricken areas in the United States with lot's of unemployment, low level of education and so on.
We will be working alongside a staff in an orphanage there by helping out on their compounds, help the children do their homework and also have some interactions with the local community. We are also taking with us a trailer load of aid. Things like children's books, clothing, school supplies, a stove, tools, kitchen supplies, etc. All of that was donated by friends and churches around.
I am very curious about one task we have, and that's building a foot bridge.

It shall be a great trip, I just know it! And I'm doing my best to see past the facts that we'll be staying in a tin bunk house with no heating and that there are snakes there. Instead I'm bringing my long johns and plan to enjoy the view of the mountains and not step on any snakes :)

Oh, and we get to visit an Amish community on our way back.
This trip will definitely be a cross-cultural experience for me.

Pray for us and bless you!