We climbed to the top!

Clint and I climbed to the top of the Siegessaeule (Victory Column)... 285 steps!

Boy were we tired after we climbed all the way up, but the view was worth it!

Siegessaeule (Victory Column)

Siegessaeule (Victory Column)

Here are some interesting facts that I found out on Wikipedia. A Victory column is a monument in the form of a column, erected in memory of a victorious war or battle. The column stands on a base and is crowned with a victory symbol in the form of a statue. The statue may represent the goddess Victoria (or in Germany, the goddess Germania), an eagle, or a war hero. There is a lot more information on this specific Victory Column here.

In our hotel room after the Eric Clapton concert

After the Eric Clapton concert

I really wanted to take our camera to the concert but Clint had experienced that at some concerts cameras are not allowed and he was afraid that if we took our digital camera and they didn't allow it, they would take it. So we decided not to take it. However, as soon as we got there, everyone had their digital cameras and video cameras out taking pictures of everything and we regretted not having ours. Oh well, the memories will always be in our minds! The concert was awesome! I can't describe it in words, but he still has it, that's for sure.

Denkmal fuer die ermorderten Juden Europas

Memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe

Clint and I were able to go see the new memorial in Berlin that was just opened last year. It was very sobering to see all the information about some of the families and people who were killed during this unfortunate point in time.

Brandenburg Gate

Berlin- at the Brandeburg Gate at the beginning of The World Cup

Since this was during the time of The World Cup, Berlin was crazy during this time. There were so many people there and some kind of festival was going on... probably celebrating the beginning of the games. I have to say that you have not really experienced The World Cup if you haven't experiences it in Germany. I actually watched the games. I didn't see all of them, but I was rooting for Germany all the way until the end. I was sad that they lost, but I was glad that Italy won rather than France.

Our trip to Berlin--- and Eric Clapton!!

For Clint's birthday, I bought him tickets to see Eric Clapton in concert! Starting back in November or December they were advertising for this concert and Clint saw an ad. He didn't stop talking about it for weeks. However, I guess he looked into it only to find that it was sold out in Leipzig. I checked into it further in December and found that they had tickets in Berlin still available... so knowing that this would be the most amazing birthday present for Clint... I bought them! Not only that, but I kept it a secret for 7 months!!! He had absolutely no idea and he was ecstatic to get them.

Update Part II

Here are Karen, Natasha and Nichol making smores at one of the LST parties. Natasha and Nichol are the girls from Cascade that came to do the LST Program.









Clint and I had visitors at the end of May. We had two girls from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. The Harding Chorus was doing a European tour and came and did a concert in Chemnitz. It was fun for me to hear such a great choir singing beautiful music... sometimes I miss singing so much!






The weekend after Clint's birthday we had a game night/birthday party. We played lots of fun games and of course had a lot of junk food. :)












I made Clint a pineapple praline cake for his birthday! And no, I didn't put 29 candles on the cake. I actually shaped the candles into 29. :) I got the recipe from my Mom and last year it was a big hit with him since he loves pineapple.

Update Time

Ok, I guess it's time to do some serious updating. The last two months have been chaoticly busy (if that's a word). They were busy, but they were also really good. I will try to do an overall update with pictures and hopefully it won't be too long.

So here goes May:

One of my fellow HIM workers, Allison Hrezcuch got married! Allison and Grady got married on May 11th at a castle in Dresden, Germany. What a beautiful place to have a wedding! Grady is American and he works for a company in Dresden and has a contract to work there until December so I'm very happy that they will be in Dresden at least through December. Congratulations Allison and Grady!!


Here is a picture of Clint and I at Allison and Grady's wedding. There were beautiful lilacs that smelled so good in the background! I just love Germany!





One day several of us went to visit our dear friend and sister Gisela at a physical therapy/rehabilitation center. She has had several surgeries on her hip and I think she is finally feeling much better after her last surgery. Unfortunately she had some problems with her eye and had to have surgery on that so she could still use your prayers!



We had a Let's Start Talking (LST) Team come from Cascade College for 6 weeks to read with people who are interested in learning/approving their English. Spencer is the guy in the black and he is one of the members of the team. Every week they hosted an LST party and planned games and activities all in English and invited anyone who was interested.


The rest of my update is to be continued...

Trip to the States

I must apologize for my long absence from the blogger world. What can I say, though? I really have no excuse except for I just didn't take the time to post anything.

I thought I would try to get back into the swing of things with a post about our trip to the States.

The first picture is of Clint and I (and Clint's dad in the background) eating what is called an "Elephant Ear." It was a first for me, but it was really good and actually is pretty similar to a funnel cake.


This next picture is of me being not happy about the snow that was on the ground when we woke up on the 2nd or 3rd morning in Ohio. I was so ready for Spring weather and to get away from the long, cold winter of Germany and was very displeased to see this in the States.








We were able to be in Ohio for Clint's Mom's birthday. This is a picture of Hayley (Clint's niece) and his Mom, Sue. We had a good time with a lot of the family coming over for a really yummy dinner and of course there was cake and ice cream and presents!








When we got to Oklahoma we had a great time visiting with our families and I especially enjoyed spending lots of time with my nieces. This is Claire! She is 6 months old.











This is my sister Amy and my niece Ashlyn. She is 13 months old. I had a great time with the girls! :)











I just love this picture. :) It was taken at Applebees on my birthday. This is my sister-in-law Lana, my niece Claire, and my Dad. They all look so happy!











While we were in Oklahoma we are able to get together with Josh and Amanda Nichols, two of my best friends! We had a great time going to dinner with them and then just sitting around for several hours and talking. I miss them so much!









For my birthday, Amanda and April gave me this Birthday Princess hat. Ashlyn really liked it a lot, so I let her wear it later and play with it. She actually had one very similar to it for her first birthday! :)

Well, this is a glimpse of what our trip to the States was like. I hope you all enjoyed!

Prayer Request Update

For those of you that read my prayer requests below, I have an update to make. The nephew of my friends Steffen and Doreen, Kevin (who was 4 years old) passed away on Wednesday, March 15. I think we can be happy to know that he was an innocent child who is now in the arms of our Lord. However, this time is still very difficult for our friends and their family. Please pray that the family will feel love and strength from those around them and from God. Let us pray that this difficult situation can become a good opportunity for others to search for God.

Tag

I got tagged from my friend Amanda to do this survey.

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Assistant at an Orthodontist office
2. Eckerd Drug
3. Switchboard operator/ office assistant in Information Technology office at OC
4. Missionary

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. Funny Girl
4. Clue

Four places you have lived:
1. Yukon, Oklahoma
2. Edmond, Oklahoma
3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (I know, such a variety... but wait for it...)
4. Chemnitz, Germany

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. The Amazing Race
2. The Apprentice
3. American Idol
4. The X-Files

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Maui, Hawaii
2. Lake Tenkiller
3. Branson, Missouri
4. Nuerenberg, Germany

Four websites you visit often:
1. http://www.blogger.com
2. http://www.flickr.com
3. http://www.msn.com
4. http://dictionary.reference.com/translate/text.html

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. German
3. Italian
4. Greek

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. In bed
2. At my sister's house
3. At my brother's house
4. At my parents' house

Four people who are tagged to do this:
1. April Stephens
2. Monica Blevins
3. Courtney Cantrell
4. Karen Neel

Our Date to the Opera House

Our Date to the Opera House
Originally uploaded by Clint & April.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Clint and I celebrated on Sunday night. We went to a Liederabend (Song Evening)--Can't think of a better translation. We were able to hear Nancy Gibson, an incredibly talented woman who sings in the Chemnitz Opera house. She is Canadian and has been all over the world studying and singing. She sang songs from composers Henry Purcell, Hugo Wolf, Benjamin Britten, and Richard Strauss. It was absolutely wonderful and it made me want to sing again. Anytime I hear someone sing like that it brings back the passion and love I have for music and reminds me that it is something I will always love and makes me happy. I really hope to continue to sing in the future. We had a great time there and then enjoyed a very nice dinner at the "Opera Restaurant". This is a very nice restaurant next to the Opera House. I must say that we weren't quite sure how to act there at times... it was really fancy. It was a great evening, however.

Hope You Enjoy Your Weather

As I woke up this morning, there was a lot of bright-white fluffy stuff falling from the sky and covering everything in its way. Actually, since December there has been a little bit of the white stuff on the ground, but for the past couple of weeks it had turned into a nasty brown/black mixture that became very slushy and gross. However, this week God decided to shower Chemnitz with a brand new layer of the white stuff.

I then began thinking and wondering what kind of weather you all are experiencing and after my research was complete, I knew I had been correct in thinking that most of you haven't experienced anything close to this in a while.

I hope you enjoy your 60 degree weather in San Antonio and Houston, April and Amy...and your 50-60 degree weather in Lubbock, Monica...and your 40-50 degree weather to all of you Okies! I will try to enjoy this beautiful snow, even though it feels as cold as 20 degrees right now. It still is nice to look out my window and see this beautiful sight. I just don't ever want to drive in it or have to walk around in it for hours! God is good and he has created all the amazing things in the world... including snowflakes! They do bring about wonder to the world, don't they?

I hope you are all finding the wonders God has created around you!

"How to Get What You Want... and Want What You Get!"

I have been reading a very excellent book by Willard Tate. It's contents outline: "12 Steps to Christian Living at Its Best." I want to share a couple of excerpts that I particularly enjoyed.

"The Disciple's Charge"

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I am finished. I'm done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, or dwarf goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, platitudes, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my God reliable, my mission clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, meander in the maze of mediocrity!

I won't give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me--my colors will be clear!
--(Author unknown)

What a great message that is! I pray we can all have that determination for Jesus! Here is another great story I want to share...

"A Request of Mr. Lincoln"

During the Civil War, despite his busy schedule, Abraham Lincoln would occasionally take time to visit hospitals and cheer up the wounded soldiers. One time he came to the bed of a young soldier who was near death, and Lincoln said, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

The soldier, not realizing whom he was talking to, said, "Yes, there is. Would you please write a letter to my mother?"

So Lincoln sat down and wrote as the young man dictated. The letter read, "Dearest Mom, I was badly hurt while doing my duty, and I'll not recover. Don't sorrow too much for me. May God bless you and father. Please kiss Mary and John for me."

At that point the soldier grew so weak that he couldn't continue or even sign his name, so Lincoln finished the letter with this: "Written for your son at his request by Abraham Lincoln." And as he was going to put it in the envelope, the young man recovered enough to say, "May I see the letter? I'd like to read it once before you send it." When he got to the bottom and saw Lincoln's name, he was shocked. "Are you really the President?" he said.

Lincoln smiled and said simply, "Yes, I am. Is there anything more I can do for you?"

The soldier answered feebly, "Yes, Mr. President, would you mind holding my hand and seeing me through to the end?"

And so Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States and certainly one of the greatest ever, took the soldier's hand and held it all through the night until finally, as the dawn began to break, the young man's grip weakened and he died.

As we go through life, and then as we draw near to those chilling waters of death, Jesus will be there beside us, and He'll say, "Is there anything I can do for you?" And if we'll just ask, we'll get the best He has to offer, including His hand on ours as we finally cross over to heaven.

What great comfort Jesus is in our lives! I would like to share some quotes that I found really great...

"...Enjoying life--getting the most out of it you can--is not the most important thing. What is? Being rightly related to God through a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ in accordance with the Scriptures."

Chapter 1: Decide What You Want

"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In a sense, you see, it doesn't matter who Jesus is if we don't want Him. If we choose a life of independence from God, knowing the truth about Him won't help us."

A Mission for Life

"Yes, you can get a lot of money if that's what you really want and you're willing to pay the price. But in deciding what you want in life, make sure your choice is one worthy of your efforts, one that will bring you true happiness and no bitterness with it. I'm not saying you can't be well off and happy, but make sure money and things and ambition don't possess you. By themselves, they won't ever produce a satisfying life."

Golden Goals

"God made us to be goal-seeking creatures."

"...Life's mission around which all of our goals must revolve is to glorify God if we are to enjoy a fulfilled, abundant life."

Reaching Your Goals

"Whatever our goals, as Christians we want to commit them to God and pray for His wisdom and power so that, when achieved, they will help us to honor and glorify Him."

" I was like the old boy who said, "I had never seen an English teacher, and now I are one!"-- Ha! That one is just funny!

Chapter 2: Be Willing to Pay the Price

"Nothing of a worthwhile, durable nature in the world has been produced without sweat."
- Herbert Lockyer

Willing to Work

"The tougher we are on ourselves, the easier life becomes. The easier we are on ourselves, the tougher life becomes."

The Value of Work

"If you never do more than you get paid for, you will never get paid for more than you do."

Chapter 3: Ask for It

"If you are reluctant to ask the way, you will be lost."
- Malay proverb

Truths About Asking

"Receiving begins by asking."

Why We Don't Ask

"...You've got to learn to fail in order to succeed."

"You usually get what you expect."

"...It's the wise person who asks for help, not the weak person. When help is available and we need it and we refuse to ask for it, that's not strong but stupid. ...Such thinking is just plain un-Christian, because faith is based on admitting we're weak and sinful and in need of a Savior."

Chapter 4: Get Excited

"The simplest man, fired with enthusiasm, is more persuasive than the most eloquent without it."
-Rochefoucauld

"Without realizing it, many of us have got the brakes on our lives today. We may have some ambitions that put one foot on the accelerator, but we've got the other foot jammed on the brake of our emotions and enthusiasm."

"Make up your mind that nobody's going to hand you an exciting career, an exciting marriage, or an exciting life. If you want those things, you have to generate and maintain some enthusiasm yourself."

The Excitement Boomerang

"Whatever you get excited about--gets excited about you."

Staying Excited

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

Chapter 5: Expect to Get It

"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow."
- O.S. Marden

"Whatever the mind harbors, the body manifests."

The Power of Choice

"It is not the things that happen to us that make or break us. It is our mental reaction to those things that counts."

A Living Hope

"If we have hope, all things are possible, no matter what our circumstances."

"We who belong to Christ need never be without hope."

Chapter 6: Don't Demand

"The Christian understanding of power is that it is found most often in weakness."
- Charles Colson

Why We Do It

"Don't confuse privileges with rights."

No Way to Be Happy

"When you demand what you want, you're not going to be happy, even if you get it."

The Futility of Trying to Control

"The fact is that even when your needs are legitimate, people will disappoint and hurt you. Trying to control them is a sure route to unhappiness."

"Some will accept you, and some will reject you. You just can't depend on people every time, even when you have real needs. So trying to control them is a futile way to try to be happy. A better way is to realize that we can depend on God and His love."

Antidotes to Demanding

"As soon as we turn our preferences into needs, happiness walks out the front door."

"If there's no joy in your life, what appeal is there to a nonbeliever?"

"It's a good idea, too, to make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for, then carry the list around with you and review it every once in a while. Make a special point of looking it over whenever you start to feel down about some unfulfilled desire."

Jesus' Example

"...The most important approach to overcoming the tendency to demand is to adopt the submissive attitude modeled by Jesus Christ."

"...A life of submissiveness is the way you get the most that's gettable and enjoy what you're getting. Demanding what you want isn't the way."

"There's a quiet power in living a Christlike life. The French emperor Napoleon observed that he, Alexander the Great, Caesar, and Charlemagne had all founded empires based on force. Jesus, however, founded His kingdom on love and humility. Today there are millions who have committed their lives to Jesus and would probably die for Him. How many would die for Napoleon or Caesar? So which is the great power?"

"...If we understand who we are--children of God who will one day go to spend eternity with Him--what our great purpose is--to take as many others as possible with us to heaven--and that we have different standard--the words and example of our Savior--we'll be ready to live as He lived and we will overflow with joy."

Another Prayer Request

I have another prayer request. Recently, I received several e-mails from a friend whose son was in a very serious car accident. I would really appreciate your prayers for Jay, who will be going through months of recovery. God has already been at work by saving his life and by helping him with a positive attitude. Praise God! Please continue to pray for him and his friend who was also injured in the accident. I know he and his family would really appreciate the prayers.

Prayer Requests

I have two important prayer requests. The first one is the nephew of a friend of mine in the church in Chemnitz. His name is Kevin and he is 4 years old. He has been struggling with brain tumors now for several months. I am not sure exactly when he was diagnosed, but I know it all came on very suddenly. They have just discovered that he has more tumors in between his vertebrae. There have been many prayers said on his behalf and I think many people may not know exactly what to pray for. But I just ask that we pray now for the family. Let us pray that God will comfort all those who love Kevin and may there be some way that God's love is shown to them.

I also want to ask that you pray for Jan, an 11 year old boy here in Chemnitz. On Sunday morning he collapsed in the church building and was taken to the hospital. We are not really sure what happened or what is wrong, but please pray for the doctors, that they can treat him and help him with whatever is going on. Please also pray for his family at this time.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. God really is listening and I know he will answer!

Baby Shower Fun

So I decided that I need to write a real blog so that some of you stop wondering why I even have one. :)

Today was a busy day. This morning we had our Frauenfrühstück (Women's breakfast). We have tried to meet once a month and enjoy fellowship, singing and a short devotional thought with all the women in the church and any friends who are interested in coming. It it always a really nice time to get to talk to all the women and I must say the food isn't half bad either! :) I have had the opportunity to lead singing at this breakfast and I enjoy doing it since I love singing.

Also this afternoon was a baby shower held for Annette Rössel from Dresden. She is due in February and the ladies in Dresden planned a baby shower for her and I must say they planned a really great party! I'm sure Annette was very pleased with the way it turned out. We played several really fun games (with prizes, I might add). We also had some really great food too! Those Dresden girls sure are creative not only with their party planning, but their decorating and food creations! Good job girls!

In reference to the games that we played, I have a funny story to tell. One of the first games that was explained was the fact that pregnant women can't cross their legs very easily so we were all told that we were not allowed to cross our legs for the entirety of the party. Every woman had a ribbon pinned on their shirt and any time we caught another person crossing her legs we could take their ribbon. The person that ended the party with the most ribbons, won a prize. Well, to the dismay of Pam Sullivan, I won! :) (Sorry Pam!) We were just teasing each other the entire time and competing against each other. The funny thing was that I beat her at another game that had to do with ribbons. We were able to cut a strip of ribbon which we had to guess how big around Annette was and then measure it around her. I was the closest to her real size and therefore won another prize. For some reason Pam and I have just had a lot of competition with each other lately... ;)

All in all, it was a good day, but lots of activities. Hope you enjoyed hearing about some of it... and if you didn't... well then you don't have to read my blog! :) Just kidding...

Sweet Christmas Angels

Sweet Christmas Angels
Originally uploaded by Clint & April.

These are my two precious nieces, Claire (with her cute little tongue sticking out) and Ashlyn. They looked so sweet with their matching Christmas dresses! I miss them sooo much! I am, however, the proudest aunt no matter how far away I may live. :)

Our Christmas "Card"

Our Christmas "Card"
Originally uploaded by Clint & April.

Clint and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May God bless you in 2006!

Wir wünschen euch alle ein Frohes Fest und ein Schönes Neues Jahr! Gottes Segen in das neues Jahr!

Mit Liebe,
Clint und April Everhart

Our Trip to Nürnberg and Rothenburg

Self portrait of HIMers
Originally uploaded by Clint & April.

This week Clint, Amy, Allison and I went to Nürnberg and Rothenburg for a couple of days to have a short HIM trip. We thought it would be a good time of year to see the Christmas markets and also some cities we haven't seen before. We had a really great time seeing some beautiful cities, doing some shopping, eating great food, and having really good conversations about our HIM experiences thus far. I know we were all really glad to get to take this trip.

Kitchen

Here is our lovely, but little kitchen. We are now decorating it with a strawberry theme... "Oh wie süss ist daß denn!" :)

Bathroom

I'm sure you are really wanting to know what our bathroom looks like...

Hallway

Here is our lovely hallway and front door.

Our Apartment

I have been intending to post pictures of our first apartment! It is small, but good for us.

Here, you can see our living room. I have to admit that the apartment has come a long way since I moved in... No offense, Clint. :) Anyone who knows Clint understands what I'm saying. He's a sweet, sweet husband... however, we have completely different opinions about what is organized/clean. :) However, he has been incredibly understanding to my ideas and has helped me clean and organize. What a great husband!

The empty cabinet that you see is being saved for our set of pottery that we are hoping to buy in Poland soon. We are using some of the money we were given as wedding gifts to buy a complete set of Polish pottery in a design that we really like.

Here you can see our lovely windows (before curtains were installed). These windows really have been a form of entertainment for us because we can watch all the people over at the Mini Mal across the street. A lot of times there are big groups of teenagers hanging out there. Sometimes they can be loud and annoying but thankfully we haven't seen them as often lately.

Work on the Church Building

This fall several of the men (and some of the women) have helped do some work on the church building. The main reason it began was because there was a leak in the roof and a stain was discovered on the carpet inside. After checking out the damage it was determined that there must be a new roof installed. Larry, Ed, Clint, and several other people worked hard day after day to get the new roof put on. I even tried to help out one day picking up all the old shingles and throwing them in a big trash dumpster and Courtney and Conny helped out doing the same type of work. While the scaffolding was still up around the church, it was a good opportunity to repaint the outside. Many helped in this area and the result was very nice! Here are the pictures of the work up until now. I believe there are still windows to be painted and installed, which Clint is working on now. I think eventually we will also paint the other building to match as well.