Seasons Greetings from Team Berlin

In my last post I referred to my teammates. Here is the 2006 Christmas photo of "Team Berlin."

Fröliche Weihnachten!

One of the greatest God-given gifts in my life is the ability to come "home" every Christmas. I love it and begin anticipating it in September. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my life and ministry in Berlin! It's the most fulfilling aspect of my life. My teammates, the Dyes and the Goods are also amazing gifts from God. I couldn't ask for a better ministry team. I am learning so much about ministry from these incredible ambassadors.

As much as I love life in Berlin though, it was so exciting to get on the plane December 11th and fly home, and it's been a whirlwind of activity since then. I was home 4 days before I got on another plane and flew to Indianapolis to be with my 18-year-old teammate, Breanna Good. She graduated from Army Basic Training on Friday, December 15th and I flew out to spend a couple days celebrating with her. I'm so proud of her! If you've been following my e-mail updates through 2006, you'll recall that Breanna was diagnosed last January with what doctors thought was a malignant tumor on her skull. It turned out that the tumor was benign and operable. Even still, her fear was that it would keep her from her dream of serving her country. Quite the contrary: she found out toward the end of basic training that she's been "invited" to attend West Point!!!! She is one incredible young lady! I stand in awe of her passion and determination to make her dreams come true. While I was in Indiana, I also got to see my friend, Phil Graf. I met Phil in Berlin when he was doing a study-abroad program with Purdue University. I'm mentioning him because it's been so good to see friends! There are so few people my age at my church in Berlin. I feel literally starved for Christian friendship over there! Every relationship in Berlin is a ministry project. I crave the times when friends visit or I get to come home and visit them.

Speaking of friends, 2 hours after I returned home from Indy on Sunday night, my good friend, Ben, arrived for a visit. We had a blast together Christmas shopping, hanging out and eating my mom's home-cooking. I praise God this year for friends and family. The last week has been rich enough to make up for the many previous weeks of loneliness and Christmas is yet to come! My brother, sister-in-law and niece arrive Thursday for a week. I can't wait to hold little Lana!!

More Pictures

Refer to the post before this one. These are a few more pictures of "was typische Deutsch ist." I'll just mention this too: I come home for Christmas on December 11th! The night before I leave Berlin though, I'm going to a Christmas Concert conducted by a man in our church at this cathedral!

'Tis the Season

I spent the day yesterday doing some things that are typically German. Some friends and I went to a Christmas Market (Weihnachts Markt) in Berlin and had some great experiences. On the way there we found a hot dog vending machine and a french fry vending machine in one of the train stations. I've included a picture of the french fry machine. In just 45 seconds you can have a cup full of steaming hot french fries! The salt and ketchup pop out of the second hole to the right. America is known for having it all, but I have to say that I think Germany has one up on us here. The fries were decent!

The other pictures are of the Christmas Market. Here's a description of German Christmas Markets that I found online.

"The streets leading to the market are attractively decorated with white poles bearing Christmas symbols, garlands of fir and pretty lights. At the center of the market there is a crib, its wooden figures telling the Christmas story. Every visitor to the Christkindlesmarkt pauses to have a look at it. The market stalls are decorated with branches of fir and lit by lanterns. Most sell Christmas decorations, gold-foil angels, little prune figures made of dried fruit and crepe paper - the famous "Zwetschgenmaennle", spicy Lebkuchen cakes and toys. The opening of the market is a very popular festivity. At dusk the Nuremberg "Christkind", who is newly elected every two years, recites a prologue from the balcony above the entrance to the Frauenkirche, accompagnied by festive music. Children sing carols in front of the church.
... Little booths are lined up, and sell everything from hand-made ornaments to musical clocks - playing slow, sad-sounding Christmas tunes. The crisp wintry air is filled with the aroma of Stollen (baked fruit bread), Bratwurst, roasted almonds, and Lebkuchen (gingerbread), a spicy cookie. Another favorite is Gluehwein, a red wine, which is heated up over fire and served in steaming cups. You can pay to keep the Gluehwein mug, and thus save the memory of the Christkindlesmarkt."

Thanksgiving 2006

This is my third Thanksgiving in Berlin. This holiday doesn't hold so much excitement for me anymore because I no longer get to spend it with family. I think, living in America, that we become convinced that God Himself recognizes Thanksgiving as a special day; but surely He doesn't. You realize pretty quick, if you attempt to celebrate it outside of the US of A that without football, it's actually a pretty lame day. We can get turkey here in Germany, but I really don't enjoy turkey, so for me it's a day to get together with a handful of Americans to fellowship - which I do often anyway.

Am I complaining? Absolutely not, and I'll tell you why. Thanksgiving Day has become less special for me, but giving thanks most definitely has not. Why? Because it is the will of God for me in Christ Jesus! "Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It's not so hard to figure out the will of God - the hard part is doing it. I can't think of very many people who are always joyful, always praying and always thankful. (If you want to find people like that, go where people are suffering and being persecuted for the Gospel. Ironic, isn't it?)

So what am I thankful for today as I look forward to a day without family or football? (By the way, I don't watch football per se, but no football means I'm not with the men that I love.)

I am thankful that 23 years ago yesterday, God saved my soul.
I am thankful that I have the privilege of, in turn, serving Him with the rest of my life. There is NOTHING else I'd rather do and I pray to God I never stray from that conviction.
I'm thankful that even though I am not with them, my family is happy (watching football) and healthy.
I'm thankful that my grandma did not have to endure lung surgery this month.
I'm thankful to have friends from home with me today.
I'm thankful that even though I have few friends my age here, God has allowed me to serve as a foreign missionary in a day in age where I can call people for 1 cent a minute and contact people instantly through a computer. Amy Carmichael served God in India as a single missionary for 56 years without one furlough (or e-mail)!
Following that thought, I'm thankful that I get to go home for Christmas. I'm thankful for ALL the times I've gotten to go home in the last 3 years, and thankful for all the times yet to come.
I'm thankful that in a few weeks I get to hold my niece.
I'm thankful for all the friends God's given me (including my parents and brothers - my four best friends!) that are serving Him faithfully. Keep going, guys! "How can I thank God enough for you in return for all the joy I have in the presence of God because of you?" (1 Thessalonians 3:9).

That's just a few. Hope your list brings you as much joy.
Kristi

Answered Prayer

If you know me well, you may know my grandparents, Jim and Louise Walker. Some fun facts about the Walkers are: Walkers have been members of Bridgewater Baptist Church in Montrose, PA for well over 100 years! If you trace my dad's side of the family back, you can't find the first generation of believers. My relatives have been born-again believers for farther back than we can trace. My grandpa, affectionately known as "Big Jim," passed away over a year ago. Up until his death, he served faithfully at the same church for all of his 80 some years before God finally took him peacefully home.

A few weeks ago, my Grandma Walker was diagnosed with lung cancer. This was hard news for me having lost my grandpa last year. The doctors decided that the cancer was localized and could be surgically removed, but we prayed that somehow she wouldn't have to go through this painful surgery at her age, having just lost her husband. Yesterday, my grandma received a call from the hospital saying she needed to come in. My dad took her and was pretty nervous due to the urgency of the request, but when they arrived at the hospital they were told that there was no longer any signs of cancer, but simply bacteria on her lungs that can be treated with medicine. We're praising God for this amazing answer to prayer!

"Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? The righteous who walks in his integrity - blessed are his children after him!" (Proverbs 20:6, 7). And we truly are blessed. Thank you, grandpa and grandma for your faithfulness to God and His church. May we live as faithfully as you have!

Baby Zach, allergic reactions, Christmas and podcasts

I'd like to thank Abby Amos for inspiring me to get a blog. I've never done this before so I'm just going to dabble in it for a while. So what's new with me? Well, as of this week, my pastor's wife here in Berlin had her baby and I finally got to hold him last night. I didn't get to hold him the first time I visited the hospital because I was having flu symptoms on top of an allergic reaction to something. My face was and still is swelling in different spots. (No picture available. Lucky you.) So, I'm inserting a little collage I made of Baby Zach in case you care. I guess my other two items of interest would be that I'm coming home for Christmas in 38 days. Also, (I realize this entry could not get any more random) my brother, Todd, made it onto ITunes! That's right! He has his own podcast. Feel free to look him up and listen to a little fantasy advice from the master. Search for "Fantasy Basketball Authority." He's doing this with Andy Hatfield and sometimes Phil Hansen. For those of you who know these guys, it's pretty funny. :-) That's all for now.