You can tell... I'm catching up on my blogging, friends, from the Fall time. Thanks for checking back in! :-) It was a costume party for well over 40 students, in Kris and Sörens apartment, so look and see how creative my friends are...Anja...
Lars, Kris (as Waldo), and Ollie...
me (Shaun the sheep!), a friend of Jacky, Jacky, and Alejandro

Our wonderful staff- team

Well, it looks like lots of workshops...brainstorming, prayer and sessions...
and it IS! But we're still sort of silly... about the light stuff....
We're the European Connexxion staff- team! (shown at our September "summer" training retreat). THANKS for your prayers and support, especially at this holiday time!

Dad in Germany

This was our Connexxion winter retreat in November -- the largest attendance ever with almost 50 in attendance! Dad spoke on the "The Power of One" about committing to Christ as Lord and mentoring others to follow Him.
We were invited to a great breakfast with Anja G. (leads Connexxion in Braunschweig) and Lydia R. (getting her doctorate in nutritional sciences) in their 6th floor or so apartment!
Here is Dad sharing in my apartment with the discipleship group on giving away your faith from the book of Acts.
A lover of history, we went to a special library in Wolfenbuettel, near me, which had some very rare books. This is a Wittenburg edition of Martin Luther's translation of the New Testament.
Visiting in Jena, Dad shared with 2 groups from Connexxion, and enjoyed fellowship with the Staff. Stefan (on staff with Connexxion) & he are (by now) "old" friends and Dad loved meeting his wife Antje for the first time at a favorite German restaurant.

the power of one

This is the fun logo for our Connexxion Winter Retreat... THIS weekend in Germany! My dad Waylon B. Moore is the main speaker- it's been great having him here... He spoke last night to a group of 14 students & staff in Braunschweig from the book of Acts.

sites of new semester

I wanted to share a few recent views of life here... but I have been borrowing Anja's camera so haven't quite got the knack of things with the photo downloading, etc. Above is Anja and Inma, my good friend from Sevilla. She is doing an exchange semester in London & we got to visit her for a fun weekend!
This is how full the main campus building in Braunschweig got with all these freshmen in their orientation day!
Handing out flyers and hundreds of Welcome Packets (in blue on right) for the semester start day at the Technical University! (a few other students came as well to help out!) A huge THANK YOU to all those who donated pens & candy & toothbrushes & post-it notes, etc. & money for this. We immediately have been able to meet new students through this day!

"Stell dir vor..."

Our newest look & year's theme for Connexxion Braunschweig came from a German song that touched Birthe's heart, called "Stell dir vor" ("just imagine..."). Thus, the bright stripes of ideas streaming into the little cloud of imagination & thought. On the back is a bit more detailed information about our campus group. (if you give to missions with our organization, a giant THANK YOU for budget monies that provided this advertising product- 2,500 of them!)

The song talks about imagining a world that is really different, where there is hope and forgiveness and changed relationships, etc. Yep-- that's what I'm imagining and believing for students in Europe, because we have a really BIG God who can do just that! What BIG stuff are you imagining now for your life, your city, your church, your family....?

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! (Ephesians 3:20, The Message)

Welcome Packets!

Our fall semester begins next week & it's official-- in Braunschweig at the TU there will be 33% more incoming freshmen college students this year. That means a total of 3,000 freshmen. Why? Because of 2 factors: 1) Germany's obligatory military service for young men (or civil service, for conscientious objectors) is being done away with; & 2) in states where there used to be 13 grades for high school, it's changing to just 12 years; therefore, 2 high school classes graduated this summer simultaneously. (above are Sören, Henning & Nikola, our 1-month intern who is graduating & from our group)

One of my long- time dreams became true. We had friends donate various practical items to create student "welcome packets" -- including a mixture of things such as post-it notes, highlighters, erasers, pens, gummy bears. We also put in a new Connexxion postcard that advertises our group, with a new theme: "Stell dir vor" in a cloud of thoughts... (below I'm with Lars, Dodo & Steffi). This means, roughly, "just imagine..." Last Friday 10 of us stuffed 1,000 welcome bags-- they will be

handed out this Monday on campus! THANKS & danke for your prayers & to all those folks who contributed-- truly a HUGE help!

It's all gonna work out

Don't you hate it when people give an easy answer to your big-time heartaches or difficult questions? I saw this T-shirt in a shop a couple of weeks ago. There's a German saying that means, in essence: "all will be good."

"Alles wird gut!" = Everything will turn out ok.

While this could be just one of those trite expressions, in real life, this "goodness" actually can take place because we know the Creator & Master Builder, God, who turns rough places into smooth paths. Who makes the big "ouch's" in life have a new significance, far from simply a mediocre happenstance, or a meaningless catastrophe. Existence and circumstances on earth now aren't always fair. But in the end, Life does make sense. And some day, even if we have to wait until heaven, God will bring on the (truly) good stuff. Isn't that a relief?

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,8 for those who are called according to his purpose. " - Romans 8:28
"...and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things1 that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed." - Joshua 23:14

What is one Good Thing that you've seen God do this week so far?... even if it started with something that didn't look that way...

Moin, moin

This past week we had our annual summer (staff) retreat. This time it was in a village on the North Sea, about 4 hours from where I live ... with 11 of us living & worshipping in a 3 apartments together (sigh- we were missing 3 staffers this time).
Anja gives me SOOO Much support and wise counsel. And is a great friend. When we were all exhausted from the meetings, and had waved good-bye to the other 3 cars, I still wanted to enjoy the surroundings (without the pressure of getting back to a meeting). She & Kris agreed so we walked into the village, strolled into shops & had ice cream.
No, this is not Holland, but has a similar landscape in north- western Germany.
The small pillars are to break up the waves if there is a storm, so the dike will hold up. Where you see the water is NOT beach... it's a concrete shoulder.
More photos to come as soon as I can get them from our staff friends... my camera battery got left in our living room in Tampa re-charging when I flew out-- whoops!

gwendolyn takes the cake!

Here are a few shots of the summer related to my precious niece, Gwendolyn! Her birthday was spent at Disneyworld nearby.
Bruce's birthday treat was a family time & lobster dinner, a la Maine-style (but in Tampa)!
with her little princess wand which I got her in Sevilla!
reading a Bible story book to her- in SPANISH! "The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes" was a favorite of my mom's which she read to us.
having fun playing dress up, here with Mommy Heather!

baptisms in 3 countries!

What a fun, memorable day at the beach! Here is my friend Beth & darling niece Gwendolyn!
Here's my dad, ham-ing it up, in a pavilion at Ft. Desoto Park where my family's church, Christ Fellowship, had a beach baptism yesterday! My 3rd outdoor baptism of the summer- super exciting, I can tell you!
Here I am with Heather, my sister in love, and Gwendolyn, my niece.

Melissa got baptised; I'm so proud of her. I used to speak to her girls' missions' group on visits home, on Wednesday nights. Once she and her mom donated some goodies for me to take back!
Here is my brother, along with another staffer, Matt, baptising a couple. It's cool when families follow Jesus together!

Braunschweig outdoor baptism

My good buddy Jake came for one Sunday the end of June, to visit me in Braunschweig (here we are outside a hospital). He is doing a study abroad this summer (we'd originally met in Sevilla, when he studied there 1 year). Well, God worked in some amazing ways thru hardships. He got very sick, suddenly, with some sort of virus, & couldn't keep anything down that day. This was especially bad because he is diabetic, so he landed in the hospital for 2 nights!
Photos from 2 days before the above shot: this Sunday in June our church had a lakeside baptism, and here I am with Anja's mother, Renate.
That day about 13 people showed their commitment to Christ by baptism! Very special! (the ministers are Baptist, but for some reason they wear a collar, ONLY for baptism!)

just add water...?

Two weeks ago was a really GRAND day, in Spain! My super good friend, Abraham, got baptised at the beach near Matalascanas. He was baptised by a mutual friend, Jake (normally does not have a beard), who was a key student in our group from 2009-2010 while studying abroad. He attends Moody Bible College.Anja G. from Germany was with me to celebrate this event... and we got to share some seminar time with our Connexxion team serving there.
Here is the whole group from Connexxion that attended Abraham's special day.

David is the church starter, in the middle, who has devoted so much blood, sweat and tears over the years to make a difference in this city! Here are the 4 who got baptised: Abraham (2nd from left), Olivia Acton, Carlos (by Hendrik, serving with youth at the church & on Connexxion staff), and Carlos.

extravagant

Today I was pondering the idea of "extravagance" ... showing people you care, even in small ways, can truly make a difference. We usually don't have enough hours in a day to do things up BIG. I'm not saying I'm good at going beyond my "duty" or the smaller things that people should expect, to really FULLY and GRACIOUSLY show love .... but I applaud and notice it when someone does acts of extravagance-- I think this reflects the character of God-- his love, his mercy, his forgiveness, his kindness, his generosity, his "attention to detail."

What about when we really "go for it" and mirror the profound depths and breadth of God's love-- by going out of our way for someone... Doing something that normally is not "necessary." Beyond our duty. Not playing it safe. We could even "waste" perfume (like the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus).

• a kind word said in passing is lovely & can hit the spot -- but what about if you mailed a super, creative card with 10 lines of encouragement? extravagance.
• the value of a gift does not matter. We say: "it's the thought that counts." But what about if you gave a really generous gift (monetarily speaking, if you have the funds)? Or one that showed you had to plan to get it more than a couple of hours ahead? extravagance.
• it's truly nice to send a text message, just to show someone they were on your mind! - What about if you offered to skype, and give the gift of extravagant time? (Hmmm... after all, it's not that convenient, is it?) Or take them to dinner and coffee for a few hours? extravagance.
• asking "is there anything I can do to help?" is a gracious offer. How about the next time asking probing questions or observing this friend's life, and noticing something they need-- then meeting that need in a timely fashion?! extravagance.

Whether it be words, gifts, time or acts of service -- I think God really smiles when we sacrifice and imitate Jesus.

"Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

My bike has been in the basement "out of commission" because I don't know where my bike lock's KEY is. Ugh! I was fully surprised today when Anja told me, beaming from ear to ear, that she'd asked a friend of ours, who is good at fixing things, if he had some bolt cutters. Basically, she was giving me a heads up, "We may be coming over on Saturday, to free up your bike!" Now, that is the definition of extravagance, on the part of both of them!

Another example-- last Saturday (June 11th!) when I came into breakfast, the whole room of retreat participants stood to their feet, sang "Happy Birthday" & then greeted me with handshakes & hugs. extravagance-- even in standing up versus singing while seated. I was led to a special birthday seat decorated with balloons & a "Snickers" cake (made by Anja & transported by car to the retreat center!). extravagance. Then I was asked to unwrap a box, in which were several smaller boxes inside each other ... (extravagance.) ...which finally opened to a tiny red (how fun!) iPod! It was the size I can use to work out at the gym. The group knew I had been missing mine; I lost it on the plane in February. extravagance. If that were not enough love, hugs, attention, honor and fun-- on the iPod was the engraved word: "gomartha," as well as the reference for a theme verse in my life:

"Das Volk, das im Dunkel lebt, sieht ein großes Licht. Die im Land der Finsternis wohnen, Licht leuchtet über ihnen." - Isaiah 9:1 (in English verse 2)

being team

Do Anja and Vera look like they're UP to something? They are--UP-- like dozens of meters up in a small cable car!
Ahhhh.... this was over the city of Thale, in the Harz Mountains...
I think Kris was excited and Birthe was trying not to rock the cable car! In addition to the crazy times of fun-- it is truly a privilege, in every sense of the word, to serve on a TEAM with great leaders and special friends in Connexxion, who lead students in 3 cities.

After having our student retreat, our Germany team stayed at the center for a mini- retreat together...

Our fantastic Germany Connexxion team:

Front - Antje, Birthe, Anja, Vera, Martha

Back: Stefan, Thomas (Anja was with their 2 kids in another city-- we missed her!); Kris

During our meetings, we talked about ideas such as fall plans & exchange trip ideas ... also about various concepts, such as the benefits of TEAM-- and how to think more "We" than "I." We also had a Bible study on how to pray better to stay strong in our walk with God despite the obstacles. Of course, we did exactly that-- prayed together for our campuses & each other.