The Adventure Continues

The first third of my time here is now coming to a close. We are doing the last few things before Christmas until we have a break for a few weeks with the ministry in the area. As you can imagine everything is Christmas themed lately. On Saturday I did an evangelistic outreach where we gave out small wrapped gospels of the Christmas story. We handed out many books to many different people from different backgrounds. We were in an area that there is a lot of immigrants. I kept going up to people and saying that this gift is for you in German. So many people looked at me very strange to only realize that they didn't speak German. Once realizing I switched to English and had many good short conversations with people. They were people from literally all over the world many who probably have never heard the Christmas story. My prayer is that God will use these small gifts to share the message to the people here.

Yesterday we helped out with the Albanian Christmas celebration. We ran the children's program which was crafts, games, time outside and just a lot of playing and showing how much they are loved. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to show the kids and parents Gods love through this time. Most of these families where new immigrants from Albania and were gathering together for community, to praise God and to hear the Christmas story. I don't know where these families are when it comes to their relationship to God but I believe that this time brought each of them closer to God.

Tomorrow we have our last time cooking for the seniors before the end of the year. It is going to be Christmas themed and I am excited to continue building the relationships with a couple of the ladies during this time again tomorrow. Ministry has been very good lately but I am looking forward to a little break and a change of pass over Christmas. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

A Change that Brings Hope

A couple weeks ago I met a lady who my supervisor has been working with for years. This lady from Albania has a mental disability but is married to a Swiss man which was most likely an arranged marriage. When we went and visited she was going through a difficult time because her husband was getting frustrated with her and they were fighting regularly. Culturally she was living up to the expectation of her family by being independent and married. In Albania it is very shameful to have a child with a disability so her family tried to give her as regular of a life as possible without really having to take care of her. In reality she really can't live independently and needs someone to take care of her. Until now this has been the role of her husband. When we returned from the visit we talked a lot about what would be best for her and why it was so difficult to bring change for the better. We prayed very specifically for change in her life. We went to go visit again on Tuesday and found out that her relationship with her husband had become slightly physical in their fighting and she was in a mental institute. This isn't where she needs to be but it is a step in the right direction and a chance to really talk about what is best for her. Please pray that everyone involved will make decisions according to what is good for their loved one. Also that she will not be in the mental institute for too long. Once again I have experienced how prayer is so powerful and that change can happen much faster than we often expect.

Christmas Project

      The last couple weeks we have started a new project for the Christmas season. It is tradition here that every year at this time people go and make a candle by dipping a wick into wax multiple times. Once the candle is fairly large, it is cut, cooled and decorated. Every day we have school classes, nurseries, or families that come in to participate in this tradition. This is not an outreach where we specifically teach or share faith but live it out and promote other ministries through this time. Each group that comes in the teacher gets a free coffee voucher for coffee and deeds, there are promotional flyers for other community programs, pictures from kids camps as well as the Christmas story up on the wall. Even without sharing the gospel ourselves it is amazing to hear the conversations as well as see the reaction of how welcomed the people feel who come in. This morning we even had a teacher that said she already has it in her plans to come next year with her class.  The other amazing thing with this ministry is it is raising funds for two ministries. It helps us in the community to run programs with funding but also raising money for Dalit children to go to school in India. It has been an amazing opportunity to be involved in this outreach at this time.

A Greater Understanding

       This week we went to talk with some missionaries who now work in Switzerland but spent many years working in Albania and Greece. We did this because every second week we run a kids program and have many children from immigrant backgrounds especially from the Balkon area. We were explained what their cultural values are, how they parent, religious values and much more. Often we associate religious beliefs from a Muslim point of view to people when really it is just cultural differences.
     
         I took a lot out of the discussion but there were two points that have changed the way I view these children. One is that when I work with them I thought why are these children so attached physically as well as always looking for personal attention. The last time I saw this was in the red light district of Bogata Colombia. I found out that in this culture adults don't play with their children, they do everything they can to provide physical needs and things to impress but don't really spend time with their children. The children reacted this way because they are not used to adults spending time with them. My heart just sank to hear this that parents are not instilling values into their children like they are loved, valued, precious or important.
     
        The second is that through this I recieved a great desire to show and share these values with the children. I am not sure exactly what this will look like in the many months to come but there is a definate need here in the community I work and live in. Please pray that God will make this clear to me and open doors in ways I can't even imagine. It is so good to see how God is continually growing my heart for the community here!

Senior Ministry

Once or twice a month we cook a four corse meal for the seniors in the community. This is held at the local church and about  thirty five people attend. This is an amazing time to connect with the people in the community, share a short devotion with them and to serve in a very practical way. They always really enjoy this and after you do this a few times you start to build a relationship with some of them. The first time that we prepared this meal I sat down with some seniors and basically sat in silence because I could only say about three sentences in German and they didn't speak any English. Now it is a lot more fun as there is a couple ladies that I like to sit with that speak some English. We speak half in English, half in German and have really good conversations each time. It is great to hear their stories, learn from them and laugh together. I think my favourite part of doing this is when you are out in the community often you will run into these seniors. They are always concerned with how you are doing, making sure you get on your tram or wondering when they will see you again. As these people are in their last years of life please pray that they will be confident in what happens after death. Also that those who know Christ will feel a need to share their faith to those who may not know the gospel or have not accepted Jesus as their saviour.

God's Love For His People

Last week I was doing street outreach and walked up to a man having a smoke on the side of the road. We started to ask some trivia about Halloween and very quickly got into a very deep discussion about God. The man explained that he loved his children so much that he would do anything for them. We talked about how this is how God sees him. God loves him so much that he would do anything even to send Jesus to die for him. We talked about how important it was to have a personal relationship with our father and to be in communication with God. After a long discussion we prayed for this man and he went home. It was an absolutely amazing opportunity to share the gospel, to speak truth into his life and to pray for him. We may never see him again but my prayer is that a seed was planted in this time.

Answered Prayers

       In the past couple weeks I have had two very specific prayers. One was that I would run into the lady that I talked about in the story Coffee and Deeds again. The other is that the teenager that I have been mentoring would open up more and feel more confortable around me. Both of these prayers came to be in the last couple weeks.

       Last Wednesday I ran into the lady in coffee and deeds again. She had come in with her two boys again. We were both very excited to see each other. We had a couple short chats between serving coffee and caught up on the past few weeks. She has decided to try out the Protestant church in the area! Our encounter was short but very positive and she invited me to come over to her house sometime soon. I am very encouraged to see this relationship start to really develope.

     Last week I invited the teenager that I have been mentoring over to my house. She was a little sky at the beginning and was displaying a lot of the same signs that I have been seeing in the past few weeks. We baked a cake and played some games and then I walked her back to her house. During this time she totally opened up to me. She talked way more then I have ever heard her, she was making decisions and even taking the lead sometimes. I also found out that she speaks a lot of English which is fairly normal for teenagers here but she had never shown this side of herself. All these things put together have shown me that she is becoming more and more confortable with me.

God is listening and moving in our work here.

My prayer for the next few weeks ahead are that I would start a couple new relationships like this where I could walk with people wherever they are at. As well as that these two relationships would continue to grow.
   

Coffee and Deeds

One of the ministries that I have been involved in a couple times and will continue to be involved in for the rest of the year is Coffee and Deeds. This is a volunteer based coffee house that is run by the church in the community. It is a place where people can come with their children or friends to share in community. As a volunteer we run the shop and also try to connect with people when they come in.  My job is usually to set the plates for coffee and to serve the coffee. I also help with preparing some food, wiping tables and doing dishes. With time as my language skills grow I may also learn to make the coffee and to take orders. My favourite part is when it isn't very busy we take the time to sit with people and have a conversation. My first time working there a woman who came in with her two young boys. As they played in the next room I had a long conversation with her. She is newly divorced out of an abusive relationship and now a single parent to her two boys. We talked about many things but the best part was that we got to talk about the church and what Christians believe. She asked questions like " Can anyone go to a church?  Or What value does Christ put on loving people?" Even though she had never been to a church she already knew that there was something different about Christians. At the end of the conversation she took my e-mail and said that she appreciated so much how real I was with her. My prayer is that I will meet her again soon and we can continue with this relationship. Friendship ministry takes time but I feel that this woman is so close to knowing Christ already. I am so thankful that I was able to meet with her at this time. Coffee and Deeds is just a normal, safe place for people in the community. It is a powerful tool to bring the church to the people.

Church Week Camp

Last week as a team we were in Tusin ( the Italian part of Switzerland) for a church camp week for people of all ages. As a team our job was to run the children's programs from 0-12 years old and to help out where there is need. It was a great week to get to know the community better that we are working with. One day I worked with the nursery children, two days with the 4-6 year olds and three days with the 7-12 year olds. We did many crafts, played games, told stories, prepared a treasure hunt and sang silly songs together. Each child was taught that they are precious to God, that others are precious to them and that God is precious to the children. This week was very good for practicing German and I am starting to feel that I can at least communicate on a basic level and give simple instructions. I also really enjoyed getting to know some of the youth in the church. It was great to talk to them and to spend time playing games and sports. I also got to know some of the families and elderly as well. It has been great since coming home to see these people in the community and to be able to reconnect. God really showed me once again this week that I am an example even if I can't communicate well, or I am not in a major leadership role he is still using me to reach people. He showed me this by comments like " you are so natural when you are with the teenagers, it seems like you have known them for a long time. They are all focussed on you." Or as I observe the people seeing that some of the younger girls are watching me, barely taking there eyes off and when I smile at them they light up with such joy. It is such a little thing to have a conversation, play a game or give a hug that changes a persons day or week or maybe is a memory that that young person will have for a lifetime. I am very blessed to be able to be apart of this community for this year!

A Daily Purpose

This week we spent the majority of the week wrapping up the bulk of the training as well as preparing for the family week coming up on Saturday. It has been a really amazing month that I have been able to learn and review many things and take this time to refocus on God as well as the  purpose he has given each of us on earth. It is so easy to look at all the problems of the world and think there is no point to even trying to make a change in our world. As believers we know it is not up to us. God is the one that is in control. We have the amazing privilege to walk along side and see the little things that make such a difference. One person, one situation at a time is what we are called to take on. As a team our goal is to bring hope to the next. This might mean doing some gardening, taking the time to have a conversation, preparing a skit to trigger emotion or walking beside someone who needs a friend. What I am learning this year is not to just have a work or ministry life between 8am and 5pm but to live in a missional way as Jesus has taught and shown through scripture. 

 

I feel so blessed to have this opportunity at this time in my life. Thank you to everyone that continues to support me through prayers as well as financially. 

Mentoring

I had another really positive week. I am starting to really get connected with the community. My Swiss German is starting to come together and I am able to speak a little in it. My routine is starting to feel normal and I found a church that I plan to make my home church here in Zurich. This week I was privileged to meet a beautiful young lady and start to get to know her. This teenage girl comes from a broken home with divorced parents and a mother with some mental illness problems. She needs someone to come along side her to build her up, mentor and just spend time with her. I have the opportunity to be this person for this year. This week we just met and spent about an hour learning a few things about each other and playing ping pong. Coming into the meeting with a little bit of knowledge on her situation I was so pleased to see her being so open even with a language barrier. She spent pretty much the entire time smiling and even laughing a little bit. I am very excited to see where this relationship is going to go over this year!

I thank God that he is using me in an area that I am very passionate about and there is great need. I thank God that he is using me at this time and in this place. I am thankful that everyday is a new challenge and adventure in my life following Jesus.

Street Outreach

Last weekend we joined a local church to go out on the streets in the evening to talk to people about Jesus. There were two types of groups one with a contest to see who knows that it says in Italian on the  five frank coin which lead into conversation about God. The other was a questionair about faith and where people are today. I went with a younger male from the church to do the questionair with people. The first group of people we saw was a group of about 15 teenagers. We went up to them and they completely surrounded us, so curious about why we had walked up to them. This was an amazing time to answer questions, connect with these young people and see where they were at in their lives. Some of the boys talked for a long time asking questions about how life should be and some of the girls talked with me for a while as best as we could communicating in two different languages. These teenagers came from many different backgrounds and home environments. The ones that stayed and talked the longest where a few boys who came from Muslim backgrounds. After a long time we moved on to talk to a few more people. The evening concluded with a sharing time and a time of prayer. It was so encouraging to see people talk about God and think about the meaning of life. 

Over all my time here the past few weeks has been really good! I have had many good experiences, tried many new things and I am really starting to settle in here. My prayer requests are that I will be able to find balance and routine with work, friends and time with God. As well as that I would be able to connect with people in the community on a deeper level. 

May you be blessed in your week ahead. Love Melanie 

First couple weeks

The past two weeks I have now officially been living in Zurich. This means learning my new position, figuring out how to get around, meeting many new people and really focusing on God and what his will is for this year. I have mostly been in a training stage with lots of teachings and getting to know the team that I am working with. I have done a little ministry work including sitting in on a bible study, playing with some children and preparing for the family camp day this Saturday for Albanian immigrants. It is looking like it is going to be a really good year!

Prayer praises is that my visa officially went through so I am able to stay for the year! That I am settling in well and that I already feel that I have a good support system!

Requests are that I find a church to have a home base. That I start to really grasp Swiss German. I got a little behind when I switched from high German to Swiss German. That I will start to make really good connections to the people in this area.

OM Go Conference

I got back a few days ago from the Go Conference in Holland. It was ten days of learning how to be culturally sensitive, how to work among other cultures, a time of teaching, prayer, worship and fellowship. My favourite story was about a man who walked past a homeless person and felt that he was suppose to buy shoes for this homeless man. He bought the shoes and gave them to the homeless man. After a short conversation the man left. When seeing the homeless man again about three months later he was wearing the shoes and said that he had become a Christian and felt that his calling was to minister to the people on the street. Such a little thing as buying a pair of shoes changed the life of this man and maybe even others in his situation. I heard stories like this over and over again as well as felt so blessed to be among over 200 people who were being sent all over the world. It was a really good beginning to my year here in Switzerland.

While at the Go Conference I was asked many times four questions. What is your name? Where are you from? Where are you going to? And why did you pick to go to Switzerland? Switzerland is a bit of an unusual place to think about a mission field but in reality there are very few that know Jesus as their personal saviour. As I have visited several times over the past few years I have seen the need in this country. I have seen people who are lonely, suicidal, lost in the pressure of their world. I have heard even more stories of the need and how few people there are to spread Gods word among the people here. I know that through this time God has been preparing me for a very difficult mission field to be in. As all of you should know I have really good friends here in Switzerland. I did not pick to come here because of these relationships but they are an amazing blessing to have. They have made my transition a lot easier as I already have a friend group as well as a small group. It has also been wonderful to have their continual love and support through this time.

Praise God that the Go Conference was so successful. That I am really getting along great with my team and my house mates. Praise that my visa is officially done and ready to be picked up.

Requests include for cultural integration. That I will learn Swiss German quickly, that I will feel culturally aware of what is around me and that I will start to live in the country with less minor difficulties.

Thank you for your continual support.
God Bless Melanie

New Beginnings

I have now been in Europe for about a month. I was able to spend a couple weeks in Ireland and Scottland as well as getting settled in a little bit here in Switzerland. It has been wonderful to have such an extended break and time to prepare, reflect and pray about what is to come. I have had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I have settled into an international small group where everything is in English and I am learning more German with every day. I start training in the Netherlands on Tuesday for ten days before returning to Switzerland to officially start at the beginning of September. Financially I am at 100 percent support for about the first three months and I am sitting at about 75 percent support for the rest of the year at this point. I feel ready and most things have fallen into place. A couple things that I could use prayer for is that my visa would come in soon with no complications. That my training in the Netherlands would go well and I would be prepared for the year. As well as that I would be able to build a strong support base here in Switzerland.

Thank you for your continual support.
God bless Melanie

Getting Started

I arrived in Switzerland a couple days ago and I am starting to get a little bit settled. I do not officially start until August 18th but there is still lots to do before then. I am starting to build a support system here in Switzerland, learning my way around Zurich and really starting to learn German. I am continuing to raise financial and prayer support as well at this time. Thank you to everyone who is supporting me. I will be continuing to update this blog when I officially start at the end of August. God Bless Melanie