A day at the beach...

        
What was supposed to be the hottest day of the year, quickly turned into a sandstorm with chilly winds and rain!  But that didn't stop me!!! :)  The ocean was calling my name and it was my first trip to the North Sea.  As soon as Angella, the kids and I arrived at the beach, I took a few pictures and headed for the water with Gracie.  She tolerated the waves for awhile but soon wanted to run back to the shore and play in the sand so I happily splashed through the water and spent the next hour and a half diving through the waves.  
 

We were in a really cute town called Bleckenburg I think, and I couldn't get over the strange realization that I was in a very familiar feeling beach town but was surrounded by European architecture!  It was crazy.

I'm not sure if I can really put how I felt into words but I felt exhilarated in the water and free. I felt like myself which was nice because it's been hard to 'feel like myself' in a place that is NOT like myself.  I felt independent and intelligent, in a strange way!  You see, I've grown up near the beach and to reconnect with the tide, to know how to avoid being crushed, to understand how the undertoe pulls was important to me.  I know how to swim and feel completely at ease despite the fact that I'm being tossed by rough and intense waves.  I haven't felt like that since I arrived in Europe, partly because everything is new to me here.  I don't know how to speak the language, don't know how to drive my stick shift car, don't know my way around, don't understand the processes going on around me and certainly feel lost most of the time.  While I was in the waves, I didn't feel any of those things and it was nice for a short time.  Anyway, enough of my deep and yet insignificant ramblings! :)  It was a great experience for me and I can't wait to go back!!!

Happy and busy!

I know, I know!  It's been a couple of weeks since I've updated my blog.  What can I say?  Life is full and busy! :)  So let me catch you up!

My first event at SHAPE was the "Sweet Farewell" to the summer interns.  Both Sarah and Kristina were awesome assets to Club and as a way of saying thank you and farewell, we had a fun and STICKY goodbye!  Our theme was ice cream and toppings so...

 1. A game of 'topping twister.'  Each color on the board was a different topping (ie: chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup) and it led to a hysterical mess!  

2. "Affirmation smash!" Each student that wanted to encourage or affirm one of the interns would make a fun and disgusting pie out of whipped cream and toppings.  After they said their words of affirmation, they would smash the pie into the interns face.  Sounds affirming eh? :)   If the affirmation was especially awesome, we added some fun/secret ingredients such as sardines, split pea soup or tuna.  It made for a very smelly and disgusting treat in the face!

 

                    

3.  We created a large 6 foot sundae and the students finished off the event by eating from the 'trough' with no silverware!  

Although the event was smelly, sticky and messy, it was a great time and a sweet way to say farewell to our incredible interns!

Before Kristina and Sarah left, the girls had a chance to take me to downtown Mons.  We had a great time exploring, eating amazing frites (French Fries- and did you know that French Fries were invented in Belgium?  Not France???), window shopping, talking and laughing.  We found this incredible park that overlooked the entire Grand Place of Mons.  It was a beautiful park and incredibly serene.   It was a fun day and made me really excited to do a little more exploring in the near future!!!

 

The next weekend we took 11 people to Germany for ECYC (European Catholic Youth Conference). It was incredible!  The worship band and speaker were amazing and the times spent with the students were precious.  We spent the weekend listening to amazing teaching, feeling the Holy Spirit's presence during our worship time and I personally learned a lot more about the Catholic faith through mass and the conversations I had with leaders and students.  The experience is something I will hold on to for a long time and I believe the students were challenged and changed as well.

    

   

Our prayer walk              The Arch Bishop of Military Services

                                          visited us (he's the one on the right)

                         

Well, I know this was a brief 'catch you up' but I wanted to make sure I got it done and sooner rather than later.  I promise more details to come!

Please keep praying that I'll get my ID soon so I can look for housing and officially purchase a car as well as for continual healing of my sciatic nerve.  It's felt a bit better the last couple of days!  Praise Jesus!!!

Love always,

Megan