Here I Go...!

So, they all speak English as their first language... that's a plus.  However, I feel just as much a fish out of water as I did 6 years ago (the last time I was involved in a church youth group) living and ministering in the Alps of Austria.  I just got back from the first youth group night of the year.  Can you say energy?!  

I'll be helping out with junior high this year and while I'm excited to be involved again, I have to admit that junior high is not my favorite age.  I didn't even get junior highers when I was in junior high!  There were many times tonight that I wanted to bolt out of there and get away from the awkwardness.  And what kept me there was remembering two experiences from my time in Innsbruck:

1. It was that completely awkward feeling standing in the youth room for the first time. not knowing anyone. not understanding any of the language. not one word. feeling completely stupid. uncool. feeling American. having thoughts like - what the heck am i doing here? and when can i leave? inability to remember names (or pronounce them sometimes). it seemed like this went on week after week with no end in sight... that struggle to engage instead of fleeing.

2. It was 10 months later, at a birthday party for one of my now dear friends, Judith.  The room was filled with oodles friends and acquaintances from the city.  Laughter and German chatter abounded and I was home.  I sat on the couch, surrounded by some of my best girls... girls I had gotten to know (in German and in English) in the past year.  Guys that I had hiked and biked with... students that had poured their hearts out to me because I had the time and desire to listen.  It was my little corner of Austria... in that room. I remember sitting on that couch surrounded by completely familiar... and be incredibly overwhelmed and grateful at God's working.

Those two memories made me glued to my seat tonight.  And I'm thankful for that glue.

Whoop whoop for junior high youth group!!

Just like that!

Just like that, my trip to Austria ends and I am hit with responsibility back in the States.  Pair that with disorienting jet lag, pictures to download, a trip to process and a bum knee to get checked out, one can imagine why writing here isn't the top priority - though perhaps the healthy one!

The last days of my time in Tirol were just stunning!  More beautiful weather, a church retreat and just oodles of time with friends.  It was literally as if I had never left all of those years ago.  Innsbruck will be my vacation spot in years to come.  I found that it was so easy to get there.  I mean, when I left for Innsbruck the first time, it felt pretty laborious... I was moving physically, emotionally and mentally for a whole year. There was a new language, transportation system, city, and culture. It just seemed like a big task and it was!  All I had to do this time around was pack a bag (full of way too much stuff!) and hop on a plane for a few hours. Yes, some have vacation homes on a lake... my vacation home is in the Austrian Alps with some very dear souls :)

A lot of people have asked me what the highlight of my trip was... It's hard to pick just one experience since they were all so special and varied.  Each could have been my favorite in a different category.  However, a big highlight for me was being able to share a story of God's provision in prayer with the Baptist Church at a retreat, speaking in German!  I was completely terrified by nerves, but I knew that I wouldn't have this opportunity often so I challenged myself to share in German.  There were about 80 native German speakers in front of me as I got up to share about what God had done.  As soon as I got up there, I knew I was among friends and family.  They had to shout out a few words (in unison even!) when I was a little stuck, but honestly, to be able to share in a language of another truly left me... well, speechless, I guess. Language is such a connector!

I'll leave you with a few pictures from my travels.  I hope to write more soon about some family history, life in my now, and the next big adventure for this lady!

On top of the Hafelekarspitze 2234 m

Julia, Lydia and me

In the old city of Innsbruck

On a hike above Rum with Julie

With Judith in Munich

Halltal

Yesterday, I was up on the top of a mountain (2200 m) via cable car.  Today, I was at 1500 m with my feet... and my good friend, Christoph!  We began at about 8a.m. this morning in Absam, maybe 700 m.  As we entered the valley opening to Hall in Tirol, it looked and felt like spring.  The flowers were in blume, the air smelled warm, the trees and everything was alive with energy.  We continued up along the way and as my energy ended quickly, we had to stop for some little breaks.  St. Magdalena was one place we sat and enjoyed the aussicht (view). 
Just above St. Magdalena, we began trudging through snow, and it smelled like fall/winter... the air was cooler too.  The Weißenbach (the creek I "bought" last time I was here becuase I loved it so much!) was running really fast down into Hall/Mils.  There was SO much snow in Tirol this winter, and a lot of it is still there in the upper parts of this valley.

We reached the Herrenhäuser (1500 m) and I was ready for a long break.  It was pretty cool that even though I was tired, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, and then it got easier.  I guess I got my second wind or something.  The Herrenhäuser was a hotel/restuarant that has been closed about 12 years because an avalanche destroyed part of the hotel.  Because it has historical significance when the salt was mined in the valley, there is no possibility to rebuild it.  There is also not really a road that would support all of the machines needed to repair or rebuild... so, there we sat, by the old and dilapidated Herrenhäuser and enjoyed the most wonderful view of the whole valley.


After a bit, we "skied" down the snow with our feet and then walked a long way before we hitched a ride with a government vehicle to get us back down to Absam.  That little hitch hike cut about 1 hour off of our hike.  SWEET deal!  My feet are truly grateful!

Tonight: The Avengers in English!!

Daily.

Normal, daily life has kind of set in here in Tyrol.  I have one or two people that I meet each day.  Today, I am meeting one of the youth (now all grown up and married!) that I knew well when I was here.  In the evening, I will go to the family that I lived with when I was au-pairing.  It will be a sweet reunion, as I am sure that all of the boys have grown so much!


Tomorrow, I will get to ride up the mountain I lived on in a cable car... For all of those months that I saw people going up beside my house, I never had a desire to go up there.  But, this year, I do.  So, my friend from Luxembourg and I will go up to see the Inntal in all of its glory!  I also hope to make it to a special forest tomorrow with Fabian.  It is the National Holiday tomorrow so many people have off.  These next few days will be rather full of meetings, a BBQ, a movie perhaps, and lots of friends.

This update is nothing super special, but I just wanted to let you know what I have been up to.  I have been so enjoying the language and culture again.  I think this might have to be an annual visit in the coming years!  More stories to come!  And hopefully pictures too!

The Valley at Night

Even as the wordsmith that I am, I cannot begin to put into words the beauty of this night in the Inntal. I sat for awhile with Mum Grander as the night crept in. Houses across the valley turned on their lights like we had. The snow-topped mountains shown brightly, even with the dim moon. She with her sudoku and me with my journal, we sat in relative silence for a little while. As twilight hit the mountains, epic-ness ensued. We began a long conversation (spoke primarily in German) about ancestors, letter writing, and the activities of our days. It was during this time that I realized the reason I (and I think many people) get such a rush from language learning. There is some sort of unspoken awesomeness that comes with speaking a different language and being understood. Being able to share thoughts in a way that the other is completely comfortable with... it is truly stunning! Do you know a language that well? One besides English, I mean? I am completely grateful that God gave me to opportunity to undertake this language... because of the people it allows me to know and be known by.


Tomorrow, there is more bopping about Innsbruck. Sunday is church and hopefully more people. more German. Gotta soak it up while I can!

Transplanted from Tyrol

Greetings out of Tirol!

I arrived yesterday in the early afternoon, but I don't remember much about yesterday except for the two Austrian meals I was fed and the wobbly bike I was put on!  Talk about an adventure... it felt like it was going to fall apart at any moment, but it was just a warpped wheel or two.  It will get me around town for sure.

After 15 hours of sleep, I woke up to the most beautiful view...



This is the view I am seeing right now from my computer!  The Bettelwurf in all of his glory.

It is rather strange to me that this does not feel like a vacation to be here... it feels like home... or like, just another day in Tirol.  I do not feel a rush to go out and see a bunch of things or anything... I just like to relax on the veranda, see the mountains and enjoy breakfast (or as it is, lunch!).  I will go out later to meet a friend or two, but I don't see my time here as limited... it is simply a stop of many stops in my life as a transplanted Tyrolean!

The Now

Some of you probably thought that I have been sick or dead or unable to type in these last months, but alas, that is not true.  I've found other outlets for writing, but some big news has prompted me to fire this baby back up!  I'm heading back to Austria for a visit this next Tuesday!!

I'll be spending about 15 days in and about Innsbruck, seeings lots of old friends, visiting old haunts, hiking, traveling with friends, etc... I'm SO excited!  It will be the first time that I'm back in the country since I left it 4.5 years ago!  My hope is to be able to blog some stories of the adventures either while I'm there or very soon afterward.  The plans for the trip are coming together and I'm filling every moment I can with people.

Be praying for me as I go.  My goals are to encourage each person that I see as well as be rejuvenated myself by being back in this place that I've spend a very impacting year of my life.  Thanks! 

Pictures and updates to follow... :)

Best Christmas CD EVER!

If you are looking for a great Christmas album for this year's season, I highly recommend Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God. It tells, not only the story of Jesus' birth, but begins at the beginning... of the universe, of time. It tells the whole story of Jesus. It is amazing. This album brought me triumphantly through my first Christmas without family, in a strange new land. Now, I listen to it remember it while I praise God's amazing plans! Buy it and love it!

Also, a small book-keeping note, I've updated blog tags so that you can search by topic. I encourage you to take a moment and enjoy some of my favorites.

Welcome to the Christkindlmarkt!

My new header picture was taken in the Old City section of Innsbruck during the annual Christmas Market festival. There is nothing like it in all of the world. I urge you all to get to a German-style market at Christmas someday. The lights invite and the community connects. Make sure you try the Glühwein!

This time of year always makes me yearn for Tirol. Two years ago today, I first set foot in the States after my au-pair year. What a difficult homecoming it was... and still seems to be. I am a zwischenmensch... a "between person." I still feel between to worlds - both I love so much. I don't know how to come "home," or if I want to.

The lights. They're just magical.

A Reverie

Forests draped in snow remind me of an enchanted forest… One where it is never too dark to explore. It is full of Christmas trees and new places not on any map. It is on a hill, this forest, a foot hill, of the mighty Bettelwurf – a giant just east of Innsbruck . There are deer tracks marking the primitive path up toward the clearing over the ridge. The snow is often knee deep up there even if it is dry in town. My guide knows all of the ways and doesn’t get lost – at least most of the time. But being lost in this magical forest is really a blessing. This forest is enchanted.

The spell that this forest casts is to forget. There is no time in this forest. No deadlines, financial worries, responsibilities, stress or troublesome thoughts cloud the air here. They are not allowed in this forest. These are driven out be the peace that comes from the Creator of this special sanctuary. There is another forest, just off of Rosnerweg, but the effect is much less calming. There are people in that forest, but in this forest, our forest, it is me, my guide and calm. It is very easy to forget here.

The crisp air in this forest greets my nostrils and wakes up my lungs. The invitation to this place is always anticipated by my soul if not by my weary body. It is an invitation to forget my age and fly down the root-laden path on a bicycle or sing a song at the top of my lungs to the birds. Come to forget, this forest says, not forever, just while I have you. This place is not an ultimate escape from life’s issues, but a temporary forgetting so that I might actually remember who I really am for the Creator of all this created me as well.

There is a saying printed on the cross at the top of the Thaur Zunterkopf that states: There are many ways to God, and one of them is over the mountains. There is one way to God, that is through faith in Jesus… but there may be many ways that God uses to stir my soul to believe this Truth… I may not find God in an empty dank church, riddled with religious artifacts. I may find Him in my enchanted forest calling me to retreat.

Stopping to smell the memories.

As summer starts to leave central Wisconsin, I am overloaded with memories of my first months in Austria. I wander through this field of wild flowers, stopping to smell these memories, trying to hold them awhile longer. I invite them into my cave of now.

I walked the streets of Innsbruck this week. In rain, snow and sun, I bopped in and out of shops in the Altstadt. I expertly wove my way through heaps of tourists from Japan, Europe and the States. I visited the familiar places: Tom's Gelateria, Tyrolia, Müller in the Rathhaus, and Katzung Café. I waited at bus stops, calculating stop times and planning routes between friends' flats and home. I felt every turn and bump on the J Line as it climbed toward Hungerburg. I listened to my Europe songs, in minor keys, as I bundled up once again to hike up the last 10 minutes to home: Rosnerweg 14. I sipped sour tea as I reached the Kaiser Saule, goal #2 on my first mountain trek. I overheard German, lots of it. I stumbled through some conversations myself. It was all so... so present, like I was experiencing it now again for the first time. This field of memories was sweet to meander through, to receive therapy in.

And then this morning, I woke up to rain on the roof. For a split second, I thought that I was in Innsbruck again, with the rain splattering up against my window on my basement apartment. I nestled further into my comforter and dreamt of slow mornings at the house, ironing, washing the dishes and cooking for 7 at lunch.

I finally pulled myself out of bed to make some hot chocolate [Austrian style] and then curled up with my journal and Bible. I sipped the Psalms in, settling in on chapter 10, 16-18. The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. [v.16] his land... All of the land I see is God's. I thought of this book I'm reading, The Kite Runner, and the oppression that Amir and his Baba faced, not to mention what Ali and Hassan met, during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan in the early 1980s. I could write for ages about how this ugliness makes me feel and think about my apathy [and the apathy of others], but the Psalms reassured me this morning that God hears the cry of the oppressed and he will defend the fatherless [10,17-18]. This earth belongs to Christ, the King, My King. I loved God then, I mean, even more [or more clearly], that He cares the most and in the best way. He cannot be apathetic.

It is these mornings, the slow lingering ones with God, that I miss most about my Austrian year. I grew so much in my dependence on Him and in realizing the humility it takes to learn life in a foreign land. God enabled each move and memory.

Thank you, LORD, for each flower in this field that I've been exploring lately!! You are so good