Since Yi borrowed something from me yesterday, I'm borrowing this from her. She is right. It is addicting. My score was 86%. Average error is 25 miles and it took me 328 seconds.

I have a friend. Her name is Kate. Kate is cool. Way cool. She makes me laugh, a lot. This is Kate's daughter, Ruth. A couple Sundays ago, I saw the Mazurs on the other side of the church. I thought Ruth had little pig tails in but once we got closer, I realized she did not. I told Kate this and she said, "Oh, I don't know Holly, I might need your help with that." Last Sunday, I stood with the rest of the Germany team to recount our mission trip. As I was speaking, I saw the Mazurs, in their usual spot but I almost lost it because I saw not only the daughter wearing mini pig-tails, but the mother, too. Only Kate could convey an inside joke to me the way she did. Love it, Kate!

Ruth and her big sis, Amber. Isn't Ruth's hair cute!

Kate and Luke

Luke and Ruth

I'm posting this because it is oh, so cute. I used to have this blanket I carried everywhere. Couldn't sleep without you (yes, that is a cat and yes it is alive (in the picture, that is)).

Ha! Some things never change... My mom still has to steal it on the weekends to wash it.

Recently, my friend Chuck posted pictures of the little girl he sponsors. I, too, have a little boy. His name is Melvin and he lives in Honduras. I've been sponsoring him for about a year and a half. Here's the story:
I was driving into work one morning, listening the D-town Christian radio station. The announcer said they had a little boy who needed a sponsor. I listened, intently, because I had been wanting to sponsor a kid for awhile. The announcer said the boy's name was Melvin (that's cute), he lives in Honduras (never been), he is 4-years-old (ohhhh), and his birthday is August 17th. "Stop. Hold up. August 17th? That's Kim's birthday. Is this a sign, God? Should I sponsor him?"

I never really test God like this but I said, "okay, Lord. You and I both know how bad the parking sucks at work. IF I get there and there happens to be a front row parking spot available...I'll know this is the kid for me. I'll take it as a sign" I got to work and call it coincidence but there was a front row spot open. I raced inside, called the station, and sponsored Melvin.

This picture is of Melvin when he was 4-years-old. Krissie said it looks like he is wearing a Tommy Hilfiger shirt. I doubt it. I write to Melvin and his family but the boy cannot write back, yet. I sent him some stickers and coloring books for Christmas (we have a limit on what we can send). I received a letter from Melvin's dad about a month later:

Blessed Sponsor,
Everyone is in good health. The boy is fine and starts Kinder soon. Thank you for the stickers. Our crops are failing.

Whoa. Wish I could send them some fertilizer...or food but hey, stickers and my monthly check will have to do. God bless them.

Melvin 5-years-old

My step-mom and I after the 5k. I've got an 8k coming up on September 18th. Going to try to get my friend Suzanne in on that one (come on, Suz. One lap around Lake Lansing...no big deal).

After the 5K hanging at Ohhh La La.

I know I've posted this before but I just wanted to share the difference between my baby dedication and my adult baptism: I remember it and I went under water.

I never posted pictures from my baptism. Here are a few. I'm still waiting for the really good ones (ahem....Noel?). This is me telling why I was going to be baptised.

Scary Pastor

Noel, Steve and I before they held me under. Why am I laughing? Because one of them (Noel I think) said, "Holly Beavers..." and I said, "yeah?" like I didn't know they were about to baptize me or something. I guess you had to be there.

I'm baptized!

American German Missionary

For those that don't know, we left someone behind on our trip. This was done on purpose of course. Her blog is so cool. It shows so many struggles of living and adapting to a foreign country. Also, it reveals the glory she finds in God. She has managed to meet many people and follow up on the some of the people we met while we were there. Recently, Brandi posted a list of differences in living a German life. These difference are also what I experienced while there. I even added some more in the comments.

Spartan Stadium was ranked 5th in this poll. Do you agree with the other standings?

Honesty and Kindness

I just read something cool in my little Daily Bread booklet:

Honest people can be cruel. Kind people may be soft and not concerned enough about righteousness. But when you put honesty and kindness together, you have a wonderful pair that honors God and blesses others. Tact is the ability to make a point without making an enemy.
–Herb Vander Lugt

It reminded me of Saturday at Riv. Someone snapped at me. I’ve always viewed this person as harsh though others have said this person is just “real” and “honest.” Still, even the person next to me said, “whoa. He just yelled at you.” Yeah, and it hurt but the next day I just smiled at him.

This statement by Herb also reminded me of the times I snapped at people. Yes. It happens. I think we should apologize right away for doing it, though. Funny how you think Christians are supposed to be nicey nice all the time. I’m not. But I need and appreciate this reminder.

What is desired in a man is kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar. Proverbs 19:22

There is a thunderstorm outside. I love it. Everyone is complaining about the weather. I love it. It surprises me when I hear the weather forecasters say, “Unfortunately, we are going to have some major storms today.” Give me a good, dramatic storm over a boring sunny day anytime. Unless I have plans to be outside of course.

On another note, I am finished reading “You: The Owner’s Manual” written by two doctors. This book has been sweet and has helped me make some healthy changes. The book is full of awesome facts, too. Here are some:
The secret to being young is having young arteries. They list many ways on how to maintain healthy arteries.
Training for marathons is not healthy.
High protein diets can accelerate bone loss. So does caffeine.
Men have an enzyme that metabolizes half the alcohol they drink before it even hits the bloodstream. Women don’t have as much of that enzyme in their gut wall or blood.
We all produce one to three pints of gas daily.
Stop ingesting High Fructose Corn Syrup—it confuses your stomach into thinking it is hungry so you overeat
Flossing is a pain so to keep things easy, live by this rule: only floss the teeth you want to keep.
Vegetarians who haven’t eaten meat in a long time don’t like it if they try it again because they don’t secrete the right mix of enzymes from the salivary glands to help it digest. If feels heavy, doesn’t digest as well so you don’t feel good and don’t enjoy it.
Stop eating white rice and white bread. Switch to whole grains. Be smart about your carbs.

I’ve been doing a pretty good job at maintaining a healthy diet. I ate an egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread and drank some water. Then I drove to Akasaka and ordered some white rice with soy sauce. I suck.

A story from Dana:

“So I went to Kohl’s on Friday and I saw this Asian woman in the parking lot. She was tiny, maybe 100 pounds but the reason I noticed her was because she was dressed in pink…from head to toe. She had on a pink shirt, pink pants, pink rhinestone glasses…all pink. Anyhow, she ran up to me and I thought she was going to ask me for the time or a question about the store. Instead she said, ‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ?’ I was a little stunned but I smiled and said, ‘Yes, I do.’ She looked at me, surprised. ‘Well, He died for you sins, you know,’ she went on. ‘Yes,’ I said confidently with a smile, ‘I know.’ ‘Oh, ok,’ she said as she scurried into the store. Holly, I don’t know why but I thought about you and your friends on the mission trip."

Everyone has their own mission...which is why I bought this shirt.

Dan has really got me thinking about missions. I made some commitments on Sunday, knowing that just because I did this mission trip doesn't mean I'm done. My mission is to be a missionary every day should the opportunity arise. Wearing pink from head to toe and approaching people isn't my thing but living by example, Christ's example, and serving others is my approach. I really have to pay attention and know that non-Christians are watching me, waiting for me to slip. I went to a party in Charlotte this weekend and they all teased me about being a Christ Follower. I smiled and gently teased back. Standing your ground is tough, maybe the most difficult mission of all.

My Church Is Cool

I say that too much, probably but really it is something so simple. Riv has 5 pastors. I know two pretty well, one kinda sorta, and the other two hardly at all. Let’s just say three of them would know my name. The other two could pick me out of a line-up. Right now, Riv is doing a series called Re-Direct. Usually, only three of the pastors do the teachings. For this series, each pastor is teaching and I really dig it. It’s cool listening to them and getting to know them better. Rob taught yesterday and I felt more enlightened on how to handle tough decisions. Want to be enlightened, too? Oh, I don’t know if I want to share. Most who read this site go to Riv anyhow (read: I’m lazy). What is even cooler is that I saw one of the pastors sitting in the crowd with his wife. I’m not sure why but it made me feel so good to see them there, learning, listening, and worshipping together. I guess it is because they are the leaders of Riv. They set an example for the rest of us and it’s just comforting to see them in the crowd with us once in awhile. Before I left for Germany, Steve taught. I sat in the back and saw a couple of the pastors sitting with their wives and Steve’s wife sitting with them. It made me feel good knowing that they, too, still need to listen and learn together. They are not above sitting through the service themselves. It reminded me of something I heard Joyce Meyer say, “God is working through me while He is working on me.”

Yup.

The Hostel

People have been asking about the place we stayed in Germany. Here is a link to it.

Me: Look at this picture. There is a ghost in it.
Step-dad: A ghost?
Me: Yes, an aberration.
Nephew: You mean an apparition.
Me (confused): uh...do I? Yes, yes that's what I meant. Thank you 13-year-old nephew.
Nephew: Anytime.

This would be a good gift for me. I think I would take a small or medium.

This and That

Valassis is offering a six week class on how to speak German. Wonderful.

I want to travel...a lot. On a whim, I booked an Amtrak ticket to Chicago for the end of the month. My parents would freak if they knew I was traveling alone. Yes, I'm 29-years-old. When I go to Chicago, I will be going to Cereality. Can't wait. I'll also be going to a Cubbies game (I hope), hanging out at the beach and just relax.

In August, I'll be traveling up to Pretty Lake for the annual family reunion. Fun times on Pretty Lake. Last year we almost sank the pontoon. I think I'm also going to Mackinaw Island with my mom, step-dad and the kids. I flew there when I was about 8 or 9 but only remember lots of horsey poo. One last thing I want to do this summer is get myself to Cedar Point. Perhaps I'll take the kids. Perhaps I'll go alone. Just kidding about going alone. That would be seriously wrong.

29:28

That was my finishing time in the 5k on Saturday morning. What an experience! I started out really slow and was being passed by everyone including dogs and strollers. I hung in there and kept my pace, only walking once near the end of the race to get my breath for 30 seconds. What kept me going? My MP3 player and Romans 5:3. I had read that verse in the morning, wrote it down on a little piece of paper and had it in my pocket during the race. I also prayed non-stop and could just feel God smiling on all of us. It helped that people were encouraging us as we ran. What really got me is when people would thank us for doing it. This brought me back to the point of why I was running in the first place: not for me but for Max. A picture of us was taken at the start line. I'm right under the sign in blue shorts, white shirt and sunglasses. Christine is next to me.

Can't wait for the next one!

British Airways (we're almost home!)

Before boarding the plane...

Heathrow for 5 flippin hours. I know, I know...it could have been a lot worse.

The Get-Along Gang

Meg and Martin. He was a really awesome guy/pastor. He made fun of us for going to bed early every night and not staying up to party.

Joe, Bjorn, Clark

Martin grilling in the rain. This was just before I walked to the street to see if I could spot three lost, little kittens.

A real smile from Sally.

Yes! Another Christian! Good to see you, man.

Our Glamour Picture in front of Dom. Silly...

Pete had something deep to say about this picture but I forgot what it was.

Waiting for the tram. "Joey, how easy would it be to get a bomb on this thing?" "Very easy."

The Three Wise Men (in the box). Whatever...

In Dom before Clark passed out. You can see the hostil we stayed in.

Joey and Peter entertaining the youth.

Pete taking lessons from the German kinders.

Brown and the best Italian wine we had in Germany.

Pete and Joey invited us to their coming out lunch.

Our day trip to Linz, Germany (Clark, either smile or get out of the way).

Clark in the torture chamber (Linz, Germany).

The lobby where we stayed (and where Joey mostly got into trouble).

The night we were denied. The three of us seemed to be together a lot.

Yi, Joey and I in front/above the Rhine River

Tour of the city. This is the outdoor mall. We must have walked through this place 10 times during the week.

Yi and Joe on the airplane.

Before we left. Meg has just said, "everyone, show me your passports."

5k

I'm running in Max's Race this Saturday on the campus of Michigan State. This will be my first 5k. I'm a little nervous. I hope I can finish decently. Of course, I haven't trained, unless you count walking all over Cologne, Heathrow and climbing Dom. That was all excellent exercise (not to mention the Ultimate Frisbee). I'm also worried about...fashion. Here is a conversation between my step-mother and I:

Holly: Yes, I know you shouldn't change shoes but mine are bright blue and ugly. Yes, I'm concerned about fashion. If/when I pass out at 2.6 miles, I want to look good. I don't want people saying, "look at the girl laying on the pavement with those ugly, blue shoes." Still, I'll probably be wearing them to protect my toes. Perhaps after I'm released from the hospital, we can go to Lady Footlocker. They are having a sale on running shoes: two for $90 (about $45 a piece). Or there is always DSW. I saw many pairs there.

Christine: While those shoes may be a drawback, I will, when I pass you, rip off my shirt, wrap it around your feet than continue to sprint to the finish line in my sports bra. They will pick you up and never notice the shoes until you get to ER. I will come down and quickly wisk you away to Lady Footlocker (after a crepe stop) to the applause of rescue workers. It sounds like a plan to me.

Yes, I know it's shallow but it made me laugh. Focus on the shoes, not the race, then you will be less scared.

East or West

My father was so grateful to be home, he kissed the wall of our apartment. We had been traveling all day from Canada but hit a major storm when we entered Detroit. The rain, wind, and flooding was so bad, we had to pull over. My five-year-old self was terrified. I just wanted to be home. Apparently, so did my dad. I remember him kissing the wall, thanking God for getting us home safely.

This memory came to my mind as I stared out the airplane window watching the greyish blue below me: the Atlantic Ocean. I smiled as the ocean suddenly began to change over to tiny brown and green islands. We were finally in North America. We were almost home.

I had an awesome time in Germany. I learned so much about a culture different from my own. I learned what it was like to stand apart, to be rejected or snubbed because of my nationality. I learned how much I loved my home and I was glad to be back. Several other questions filled my mind as we flew over Canada: why did God choose for me to be born here? Why did He pick the parents I have? Why did He make it so obvious that I had to go on this mission? The Bible says he did all of this so I would have the best opportunity to know and love Him. The mission trip reinforced this and gave me many God moments.

Moment #1
Someone from Riverview donated a Playstation 2 they had ordered off Ebay. They couldn't use this Playstation because it was European (this is the way I understand the story anyhow). We didn't know what we were going to do with it but took it along anyhow. On Monday, we played Ultimate Frisbee on the Koln Campus. It was my turn to hang out and invite people to join us...but I couldn't. I felt shy and awkward. I didn't want to bother these people. Finally, I saw a young man sit down on a bench. I approached him and asked him to play. He did. We had the best time with him and ended up hanging out with him several times that week. Sometime during the week, our new friend mentioned that he loved to play video games. He explained he did have a Playstation but sold it to help with the family farm. Bingo. We had a connection. We were supposed to bring that Playstation 2 for a reason.

Moment #2
We were playing volleyball and frisbee on Tuesday. We tried to talk to people by asking them to play. Two girls we asked seemed very unnerved by us. They wanted nothing to do with frisbee or to have any type of discussion. They laid down in the grass to sun themselves. A half-hour later, one of them sat up suddenly and started screaming. I ran to her to find out the problem. She had been stung by a bee. I called Joey over to pull the stinger out. I ran to my bag because for some reason, I had packed an anti-biotic cream and an Itch Eraser stick for stings and bug bites. Meg also had a frozen cappuccino which we held to the sting to prevent swelling. The girls were so thankful to us. It wasn't really us, though.

Moment #3
Martin, the pastor we visited and worked with in Koln, had a bar-b-Que for us on our last night there. He gave us directions but never told us his house number. Most of the group had been there before so we found it no problem. Joey and Pete were meeting with our new German friend to bring him to the cook-out so they had no clue where they were going. I became nervous and worried as we finished eating dinner. They still hadn't arrived. I went out to the road several times and checked to see if maybe they were in sight. Nothing. The rain came and I turned my worries into prayers. Please let them find this place. I gave it one last try as the rain poured down. I looked down the road and my heart fell. Nothing. I turned the other way and leapt for joy. It was them! They had passed the house. I yelled to them and they came running my way. Pete said they had gotten lost but took a taxi to the correct street. Still they had no way of knowing which house it was and were trying to follow the smell of the food. "Did you see us walk by, Holly?" Peter asked me. "No," I said. "Then how did you know to come out then to see if we were there?" he asked. "God told me," I smiled.

Maybe I didn't plant any seeds on this mission trip. Perhaps I only plowed the ground or changed people's perceptions of a Christian or American. Maybe I went to learn more about myself. Whatever the reason, I know I had to go and am so thankful for the time I had. Still, the best feeling of all was drinking a Vernors, surrounded by my family, telling stories from the past week. East or West, home is best.