I'm not soft!

Well maybe a little. I pulled my adactor muscle in my thigh playing touch rugby. It wasn't even dramatic, like I was tackling a guy, but I must have twisted it dodging. So now I am getting physio and so far have had two sessions of ultrasound. And I have 3 bruises which are kinda purple now. The physio's advice was no running and no touch rugby. So I just went to laser force against Joe and Justin's life group today. There was no way I was going to miss it!

It's been a pretty cool week including including good times several 'study dates' which have actually been quite productive. I realise that all I needed was someone to hold me accountable and vice versa. It's really encouraging cos I feel like I am getting back on track with the final goal of carving exams, yes Chris even Econ 302. But in saying that, I had an oral last monday which I spent an hour only preparing for...on the day. And it wasn't even on an easy topic. I chose to do a presentation on the brain development in young children. Somehow, my German got me through, a skill I definitely wouldn't have if not for the exchange! And I wrote my 1500 word essay on friday (the day it was due). Oops!

On another note, I am excited for my grandma. I never really knew whether she believed in God because she grew up in Guangzhou, China and she has this small buddha on her cabinet in her house. But since my aunty and uncle have been following Jehovah's Witness, a chinese lady comes to see her a couple of times a month to share the good news. And it's cool cos it's just stuff about Jesus and how he loves her and has a place for her in heaven. My grandma had a really tough life, and for that I have always admired her courage for leaving China without saying goodbye to her family, her hope despite never knowing what happened to her younger brother who disappeared, and just this inner strength and determination and sometimes stubborness (which could be a family trait haha). And what is awesome is that God has really been with her the whole way and provided her with an amazing chance to escape to a better life in New Zealand. Reminds me of this psalm:
Psalm 18:34-35
He trains my hands for battle
my arms can bend a bow of bronze
You give me your shield of victory
and your right hand sustains me.
You stoop down to make me great.

Anyway, this lady from JW told her that when the world ends, she will be young again and will be able to run. She will see her family. My grandma told my mum that she can't wait for that day. And it makes me so happy that she has been given this peace and something to look forward to.

Well, I am off to bed. Hope everyone remembers to put their clock forward an hour.

For those of you who haven't seen my photos...

...here's a preview
These are some of the exchange students studying in Cologne. In the last week of February there was a MASSIVE carvival, where every person young and old, german and non-german, dresses up in wacky clothes and lines up at beer gardens at 10am in the morning. It was pretty much party hard day and night!!

Trusting God. Do I really?

I can't sleep. It's 4.26am. I thought that after exerting a lot of energy at Ceroc tonight I would hit the pillow and be out like a light. Didn't happen. I lay in bed and thoughts were just running round in my head: praying for an email from my best friend (on exchange) who is currently in Bangladesh working for YMCA, to know how she is doing, struggling with study and motivating myself, plans for summer, life after dunnaz, decisions, relationships, and trusting God, I mean really trusting God with everything.

I have been challenged recently about lifting stuff up to God to sort out. I get scared. And I become selective with what I ask God for help with from my heart. Maybe because I think if I surrender it all to God, I cannot control the outcome, or rather manipulate the situation to my favour. Or I fear that God wants me to do something I don't. Make sacrifices. But then that's the whole point isn't it? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. The greatest sacrifice of all.

Trust is a precious gift. How is it that I can trust people sometimes more than God, the one who is strong, unyielding, constant, faithful.

Trusting God is about loving Him more than my own selfish desires.
Trusting God is to wait patiently on Him while he moulds me and prepares me for greater plans. Trusting God is to trust in Him at all times instead of trusting in myself.
Trusting God is to Be still and know that He is God.
I long to make my heart steadfast. He will make my paths straight.

Isiah 26:3-4 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

There's a new blogger in Blogville...

Hi everyone!
I decided to create a blog to share my thoughts, dreams, passions, frustrations, experiences and photos. Its quite exciting really. But I can't promise regular blogs and knowing me I will probably forget I've even created a blog. I'll see how it goes.