Getting settled into a new place is one of those things in life that is guaranteed to take a while. There are moments where all I want is for all the boxes and furniture in the house to organize itself and to be given a "Transition for Dummies" guide on how to say and do everything correctly in this new environment. I'm learning each day how deep my desire for control runs and how I need to learn to give it up and to just trust and not set unfair expectations of perfection for myself. What's life without some mistakes and messes?
Even when Jonathan and I are feeling swamped with newness God shows himself unchanging by bringing awesome experiences into our lives. Recently I got to help Karyn with a children's craft table at a local festival in Mauthausen. The focus and heart of the event was to create connection and understanding between people from different religious and cultural backgrounds in the town. It was simply a delight to watch the evening unfold. There was tasty food, like baklava and Turkish coffee, fun live music, and some stellar dancing! A darling group of girls had prepared two different traditional routines and they bravely performed them in front of the entire crowd. I was impressed. I think the moment that captured my heart and truly expressed what a success the festival was, involved the second choreography the girls did. At first it was a group dance where the little ladies interlocked pinkies and held a scarf together in tandem with some fancy footwork. After they went through part of the song a call was made over the microphone for others to come and join. Unsurprisingly the entirety of the crowd (including myself) suddenly was looking at their feet and twiddling their thumbs in a very focused manner. The girls already knew exactly what to do. Two cuties who had been at our table earlier grabbed Karyn and I and pleasantly forced us into the performance. We quickly got over embarrassment because it was such a sweet experience. I loved seeing folks from all different backgrounds linking pinkies, trying to not trip over their own feet, and laughing.
A new adventure that also recently began is Jonathan and I joining the Schwertberg volunteer fire department! We went to watch a training session today and it looks quite exciting. One of our incredible neighbors is a volunteer fireman and got us connected with the department and recommended volunteering. Jonathan of course was on board as soon as idea was mentioned. He's always been the adrenaline seeker :). I, on the other hand, had reservations. I've never had rippling muscles or nerves of steel but when I expressed those thoughts to members of the department they told me that is no reason to not join. They assured me there are other ladies in the group and what really matters is a heart for helping others and a desire to really invest into team spirit. We can't wait to meet all these new people and hopefully give something back to our little town.
Love you all!
-Rach
Even when Jonathan and I are feeling swamped with newness God shows himself unchanging by bringing awesome experiences into our lives. Recently I got to help Karyn with a children's craft table at a local festival in Mauthausen. The focus and heart of the event was to create connection and understanding between people from different religious and cultural backgrounds in the town. It was simply a delight to watch the evening unfold. There was tasty food, like baklava and Turkish coffee, fun live music, and some stellar dancing! A darling group of girls had prepared two different traditional routines and they bravely performed them in front of the entire crowd. I was impressed. I think the moment that captured my heart and truly expressed what a success the festival was, involved the second choreography the girls did. At first it was a group dance where the little ladies interlocked pinkies and held a scarf together in tandem with some fancy footwork. After they went through part of the song a call was made over the microphone for others to come and join. Unsurprisingly the entirety of the crowd (including myself) suddenly was looking at their feet and twiddling their thumbs in a very focused manner. The girls already knew exactly what to do. Two cuties who had been at our table earlier grabbed Karyn and I and pleasantly forced us into the performance. We quickly got over embarrassment because it was such a sweet experience. I loved seeing folks from all different backgrounds linking pinkies, trying to not trip over their own feet, and laughing.
A new adventure that also recently began is Jonathan and I joining the Schwertberg volunteer fire department! We went to watch a training session today and it looks quite exciting. One of our incredible neighbors is a volunteer fireman and got us connected with the department and recommended volunteering. Jonathan of course was on board as soon as idea was mentioned. He's always been the adrenaline seeker :). I, on the other hand, had reservations. I've never had rippling muscles or nerves of steel but when I expressed those thoughts to members of the department they told me that is no reason to not join. They assured me there are other ladies in the group and what really matters is a heart for helping others and a desire to really invest into team spirit. We can't wait to meet all these new people and hopefully give something back to our little town.
Love you all!
-Rach