Participant Blogs

The End

By: Marlene Putter

 

The end of the circle is usually also the beginning of the next one... depending on how you decide to view it.

The Bible can be a book or it can be God's living words... depending on how you  decide to view it.

A path leading up to a river can mean a dead end or the possibility of a future bridge... depending on how you decide to view it.

Death can mean the end of life or the beginning of eternity... depending on how you decide to view it.

 

God challenged me on the way I view things....

 

Expecting the unexpected is quite easy when you have no expectations to begin with. It also leaves a lot of room for you to be awed around every corner. And that is exactly what happened in Nepal. From the very moment we stepped off the plane the adventure of not knowing what would happen next, began. After we spent quite some time to sort out an unexpected visa situation, we were greeted by Pastor Padam and Rudra, our Nepali hosts, with welcoming scarves and big warm smiles- a taste of what would be two weeks of heart-warming hospitality. We really...

The word radical is defined as the relating to, or affecting of, the fundamental nature of something. Training has been exactly that. Radical. My understanding of God's love has been radically overthrown - actually my understanding of love in general to be honest...my heart has been radically taken over by a love that we as sinners don't deserve, I have been radically affected by grace, I've had radical encounters and I've been radically changed. The past 7 weeks can not be put into words. Mostly because my thoughts and ideas are all over the place, but also because they have...

                    Be still, and know that I am God! I will be praised among the nations, I will be praised in the earth. Psa 46:10 

Asking God what He wants for us can be dangerous. We create an illusion of what we think God has planned for us and then losing out on what God had initially planned.

B efore Luke 10 started, we talked in the big group with De Necker about misconceptions that we might have about the Luke 10. We realized that it is not to go out and see how God provides for us. It is to go out and to do God's will. It is to follow His instructions with out distractions and at any cost. It is to serve people and share the love that God put in us with the people on the way.  We started of at a town on the East coast. After praying, God gave us Deuteronomy 8:7-9...

We're staying in a quaint little town called Dahab at the Red Sea with small little restaurants all along the coastline. I's a touristy town with Egyptians bargaining for best prizes everywhere... "Welcome to Egypt!" rings in your ears every day and wtih that the sound of an Imam screaming towards heaven 5 times a day - the cry of Egyptian's hearts. In the longing of their eyes they cry out for love and forgiveness and most of all hope. Who will tell them of a living God that IS love? Who will be the messenger of hope? I had...

 Work-out in the garden! in Marrakesh!! Kabouters in Fes...                           And any shape, size or age of teapot you prefer                                                      Coulors, smells and sounds in the market of Tiznit!!!  I LOOOVE MOROCCO!!! 

    Our journey kicked off in Cancún, Mexico, where we had to travel for 10 days and meet up with the rest of the team in Guatemala. My group got a lift to Merida which is a big city in Mexico where we spent our first night sleeping at the bus station where we got chased away at 12pm. We found another bus station where they let us sleep.    Early morning we started hitchhiking towards Campeche. The lady we got a lift with was actually on her way to Cuidad del Carmen which was even better for us....

Detlef and myself were walking the streets of Marrakech yesterday when suddenly, towards my right, a young Moroccon man suddenly started beating a girl. He first hit her through the face with his open hand and then kicked her on the leg so that she buckled under the force. I was over there in a flash and pushed the guy away repeating: "You dont hit a girl like that." He kept on pushing back against me, saying something in Derija (the local Arabic dialect). Meanwhile the girl started crying. By then a middle-aged Moroccon lady and her husband arrived and...