Last week Paul turned 28!!! Oh, how the years go by….One thing the birthday boy got was an ice cream cake. Not as good as Baskin Robins but hey, it’s the thought and effort that count, right?

WE Learn is a conference for newbies in Western Europe that is held outside Frankfurt, Germany. It was a really great conference and seeing as how I don’t like conferences, meetings, or anything of the like, that’s saying a lot. Seriously, it was great and we were able to listen to some great people who have been doing this a lot longer than we have. It was a good opportunity to learn from them. After the conference Paul and I spent two nights in Frankfurt, and I have to say that is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen in my life. A stark difference to our city. So, what did we do with our time in Frankfurt, Germany, a place we have never been to??? Well, we saw a few sights, but we spent most of time in a movie theater watching movies in English. It was a great day and a half. Money and time well spent. Just a side: Bolt is a great movie and you will laugh the entire time.

One of the theaters we went to…it was usually small…so I took a picture.

Paul getting ready to sled down a hill.

A great speaker and one of my favorite people just to sit around and chat with.

I have never quite understood the concept of humility. I know that Christians are supposed to be humble but I have never heard it explained in a way that is practical. One day last week my devotion was about humility, and I am not saying that I have it figured out (because that would be unhumble) but I think I am closer to understanding what humility looks like on a practical level. I think it is not just one thing, like “don’t be proud”. It encompasses many things.
In Deuteronomy 8 God is telling the Israelites not to forgot Him. It was God who led them out of Egypt and gave them bread their forefathers had never eaten and gave them water from a rock and never let there clothes or shoes wear out. It was God who provided. And I couldn’t help but wonder if God didn’t pick the place of the Promised Land so that the Israelites would have to cross the desert. Because in crossing a barren, dry land they would have to depend on God and they would know that God had provided everything they ate, drank, and wore. It was God who blessed them. Maybe God was preparing them, teaching them dependence on Him and that all blessings come from Him so that when they arrived in the Promised Land they would not grow proud and think that all they had was by their hands. So, I think part of being humble is knowing that all I have God provided and that He keeps providing, even when I am at my worst.
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble comes wisdom.” Psalm 25:9 speaks of God leading and teaching the humble in His ways. I think another part of being humble is being able to learn from others and God. It’s not thinking that you know everything there is to know about everything but being open to learning and growing in all things.
I also think that being humble means that when others insult or slander you, you don’t get offended. As I was having this devotion I realized that I can get offended pretty easy at some things. That stems from pride. It is saying that “I am so wonderful and great that nobody should ever think anything else.” On the flip side being a person who talks about others and puts them down comes from pride as well. People will always criticize and gossip and just be plan mean. That’s just part of life. But I don’t have to be one of them and I don’t have to get upset when others do it to me.
MacKenzie

So, I feel the need to share a few things about our evening with everybody. We went with some friends to a bowling alley/arcade. We only bowled one game but out of five people I came in second. This isn’t saying much since three of the four people had never bowled before. But, I felt good about it.
While at the bowling alley/arcade we saw two strange sights. Strange sight number one: a grab-a-cigarette machine, you know those games with the big claw where you usually try to win a teddy bear or something that won’t give you lung cancer and others around you won’t breathe in second-hand smoke.
Strange sight number two: There was a Dance Dance Revolution game, this in itself was not strange. However, there was a guy (and I am not making this up) who came over to the game with a backpack and towel. He was dressed to go workout. He begins to go to town on DDR. He was dancing on the HEAVY level. I had never seen that level before, but let me tell you, the arrows are going so fast you can’t even see them. This guy was nailing it. He would finish a dance, towel off, stretch, and go for another dance. Paul and I both agreed we wished my brother had been there….he would have found it quite humorous. Oh, the things you see at a bowling alley in Italy.
MacKenzie

About two weeks ago we had a Christmas party for the people in our building. It was a good chance we thought to get to know them better. We knew them enough to say hello but not enough to know everyone’s name. Well, at the party we learned everyone’s name but since we couldn’t go write it down immediately we forgot a few. But, we know them better and feel comfortable enough now to invite them over for dinner. Thanks to Kosciusko First Baptist Church WMU for all the supplies you sent. Without them the party, and thus new relationships, would not have been made.

Umberto eating a candy cane

Me, Umberto, and my friend Ivana

Last week we were blessed to have the company of a team of university students from Anderson University in South Carolina. An added bonus was that we went to seminary with the team leader. It was great to catch. These students explored neighborhoods, did language exchange with Italian students, and learned a little bit about how Italians spend their days.
A big thanks to students of Anderson University. You were a joy to be around and a huge blessing!

Paul and I journeyed to Prague this past week for a few days of relaxation. And relaxation it was. Cold it also was. You’ll notice there is no snow. How disappointing.
If any of you know our usual vacation stories, you know that they are usually a great big disaster. This however was a great trip and Prague is one of our favorite cities. I have tons of pictures to share and will divide them among several posts.

In front of St. Vitus’s Cathedral

Same place, different look

Beautiful

St. Vitus’s Cathedral