Herrnhut Christmas Market!

Today was the big day I have been waiting for--my first German Christmas Market!!! Not only was this my first Christmas market, but also it was right here in Herrnhut, my home.

In Herrnhut, the Christmas market is very special because the whole thing takes place on one single day. So that day, the population is multiplied and the usually quiet streets become packed with vendors and shoulder-to-shoulder shoppers winding their way amidst the crowd.

Although there was no snow, the Christmas spirit has definitely settled on this town. With the beautiful Herrnhuter stars hung above the streets and candles illuminating the windows, the early dark nights just got a little bit brighter.

A Little Local Culture: the Apprenticeship

So recently I have been able to immerse myself in a little local culture here in Herrnhut. I am über excited about taking opportunities to appreciate the many wonderful traditions of my new home, especially those related to this holiday season of cheer!

Apprenticeship in crafting hand-made Herrnhuter/Moravian stars:

Our dear friend and native Herrnhuter, Barbara Haupt has graciously offered to teach us the very special and unique skill of building these stars from scratch. It may sound like a nice little craft; but let me tell you, this is no small task.

First of all, the usual stars that are manufactured here in Herrnhut have 25 points. (These are beautiful. My family has one and we hung it up last year in Texas during Christmas and LOVED it.) We, however, are jumping straight in to the deep end by making stars with 50 points!! This is a multi-week project, and we are hoping to finish before Christmas :).

I'll let you know how the progress goes. We began the first week by cutting out, folding, and gluing our round base.

Week 2 in star-crafting:
Last week, the fun continued as we moved on from the round bases to the actual points--well, almost. We actually learned how to use the pattern to cut out and crease the paper for the points and prepare the tabs for glue. Most of us only just got started on the cutting and have quite a ways to go yet.

Precision is key because each paper has to fold into a point and have tabs at the bottom for the glue. This was my challenge, I kept tearing the tabs as I was trying to cut them. I would cut out a perfect point and then ruin it in the end after tearing off the glue tabs by accident. I got the hang of it though.

Now I need to finish cutting out all 50 pieces so that next week hopefully I can start the folding and gluing process. We shall see! I am going to be so proud of my very own hand-crafted-by-moi star.

Filen Dank Reinhold unt Barbara!

an evening poem

Night falls early and I sip a cup of tea.
A quiet room, a peaceful heart, a few hours free.
Winter comes surely, though slowly on its way;
A gift of time to write and read, a special hour to pray.

When daylight becomes bashful and is early to retire,
A softer brilliance warms your heart as you sit before a fire.
You must indeed be careful lest sleep comes too early on;
Unless it suits you pleasantly to be up before the dawn.

"The night is long and dreary," is what many would complain,
But if you see it differently, cheerfulness you'll retain;
When others become weary of darkness out their door,
You'll find within your hearth and heart treasure, love, and lore.

My first week in Germany--time with my German family

Beyond expectation and hope, I arrived in Germany to a welcome of such warmth and love that I could physically feel God smiling. I spent the first almost two weeks with dear friends in the Erzgebirge (the Ore Mountains) before joining my team in Herrnhut on September 13th. I stayed with my friend Katharina and enjoyed some quality time with what I truly feel is my German family. This time was a gift of God to restore my soul in a place of peace and beauty.

My friend and her sister both work during the days, so it was a perfect opportunity for me to spend some quality time with the Lord in the midst of His majestic creation (their house is in a beautiful valley surrounded by national forest. Their family has classical music on much of the time, so I was also inspired to spend a lot of time playing the violin. I also had meals with her parents and went on walks with her mom. These were some of my favorite moments because I got to practice a lot of German, and because I grew even closer to this amazing couple who have so lovingly extended their family to me and drawn me in to feel at home in Deutschland.

This was just one aspect of what made this time so great. I also got to see another favorite family of mine, the Mehner's.  I had so much fun visiting the fish farm of my friends' father and received my most unique gift as of yet--a delicous smoked trout to take home and enjoy. I had so much fun with Kristina looking at the sheep and walking all around. I also enjoyed visiting the young adults group and reconnecting with people I have met over the last few years.

The best part was that I did not plan any of this, but the Lord planned it for me. It was a gift from my Father for this specific time of transition in my life, and I am so thankful. Below are a few more pictures of my time in the Erzgebirge.

He restores my soul: a reflection on this season of the year

Dear friends,
my how long it has been since I have written anything. I have been in a season of transition and moving, and my personal blog has been way too far down on my to do list. I mean, I love writing and sharing with my friends, so why is it always the first thing to suffer? Well, for now, I wanted to just post a link to an article I wrote last month for Gateways Beyond International--the ministry I work with overseas. It is the type of thing I would like to share on my blog; but rather than doing all the work twice of uploading the pictures to go along with it, I thought I would just give you the link. Enjoy! I hope you are encouraged in this season of your life.
Click here to read my article
Blessings,
Hannah

You can help Somalia

Dear friends,

My heart is breaking for the suffering around the world and in our own neighborhoods. The world is definitely shaking and groaning. With so much grief swirling around us, it is so easy to get caught up in two opposite responses: coming under the spirit of defeat and letting go of hope, or ignoring everything and filling our thoughts with entertainment or just the day to day concerns. But there is a higher way, a greater call. There is a God of Hope and we are His children. That means we have the capacity through Him to walk in the greatest levels of both compassion and victory--to allow the light of God to shine on us and then shine out into the shadows of this earth. 

There are countless ways to help and make a difference, and I encourage you to follow through with your own unique opportunites where your heart is pricked. 

I specifically want to plea with you to consider Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa during this drought crisis. Those of us in Texas should be able to realize the reality of drought, but imagine our discomfort and inconveniences multiplied by a million. Instead of thinking to go out and check on neighbors or homeless in our area, what if we were confronted by starving children and adults and a quarter of our population displaced from their homes? What if we had to move to a foreign country to a refugee camp bursting at the seams with over 4 times its capacity? What if we had to lead our starving family and fainting children to walk accross country fighting for survival? These are dramatic images that are easily put out of mind, but what if we could make a difference? What if one small donation could save a life? What if a sacrificial gift could pull a family up from their grave and give them hope to cling to life?

Governments have a role to play for sure, but they can be so limited by guidlelines and protocalls. Private donations can do so much to get immediate help to suffering people. 

Here is my plea to you. Would you consider one thing that you could sell, one thing to sacrifice, and use the money to sow into LIFE? By all means, if you have money and want to simply donate an amount on your heart, then do that. But many of us in this economy have our own needs and families that we are trying to provide for and may not be sure how we can give anything more. But let me encourage you that you CAN. You CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Maybe you have a bag of clothes or an old computer. Maybe you even have an old car.  Whether it is something small or something big, what a privalege it would be to let go of an earthly possession to gain life for someone we will likely never meet. How freeing would it be in a society ruled by consumerism, to make a choice to put our heart and treasure into saving lives? 

I propose that everyone finds at least one possession to sell and, in turn, sow that money into providing relief to those who are desparate for help now. Take time today to read from the Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7) and ask the Lord how we can live them out today.

I am in the process of researching reliable and effective ways to give. Please contact me if you are interested in giving through a trusted, reliable organization already making a difference on the ground. Or you can do your own research and give where you are led. 

PRAY: this is the vital response that all of us must be doing. There is power in prayer, and we must actively give of our energy to lift those suffering up before the Lord. Don't just say that you will be praying, PRAY. Fast, petition the Lord. And listen to what He is saying. Somalia is under Muslim control, but many refugees are fleeing to neighboring countries that are more open to the Gospel. Ask the Lord to raise up a bold witness and that many might come to know the truest and greatest freedome through Jesus Christ. 

Outreach in Europe

Hi everyone,
I am currently in Geneva, Switzerland on outreach. I am travelling with Cas Cordova, and we will be in Geneva for two weeks serving the Gateways Beyond Geneva team. We have been travelling for just over a week and it has already been such a rich and blessed time. We began in Herrnhut, Germany where we joined with the larger group from Cyprus. We then moved on to Dresden for two days before travelling by train for 16 hours through beautiful countryside, past villages and towns, lakes, and mountains. We are so happy to be here in Geneva for two weeks and we look forward to all that God will do.
I want to give you the link to Cas's blog so that you can see some pictures and read about what we have done already. Hopefully I will be able to post my own blogs, but since we will have a full schedule, if we are only able to keep one blog, then I will continue to post links to her blog whenever she adds new posts.
Many blessings!