Happy New Year!

since we are already leaving Altensteig at 7 am tomorrow morning and I doubt that the first thing we'll be doing is looking for an internet cafe on tuesday...;-)
thats why I want to wish you all

A Very Fantastic New Year of 2008!
Because I live, you also will live.
John 14:19

yours Hanna

countdown to India

only 1 day to go!
20 hours to be precise...

back in the Black Forest

christmas break is over and we are back in altensteig at least for a couple of days...
some more teaching (on discipleship),
some outreach prep. (like rehearsing dramas, practicing to teach/preach/lead bible studies)
packing down our rooms
cleaning the base
packing our suitcases/ backpacks
and then it's arrivederci altensteig, adieu germany and hello India! Yippie!
only 3 days to go!

love, Hanna

Merry Christmas!

currently I am back with my family in Mainz for a couple of days: December 22nd - 27th.
Its good to see and spend some time with the 'old gang'.
Also in church on Sunday and today I had a chance to meet with some friends and to just talk to different people.
Inbetween there is plenty of time to relax and chill and to get ready for the coming time...

Time to invest

Now we are asking you to invest in this project – in prayer or financially
Prayer: Both India and Sri Lanka are no walk in the park spiritually, quite the contrary they are ‚front line’ that’s we really need your back up in prayer – for spiritual protection, Travel Mercies, protection from mugging, sickness… a clear guidance of the Holy Spirit especially for us as staff and spiritual discernment of situations and circumstances.

Finances: all costs and fees for the students are covered and also a major part of the travel expenses for us four staff is paid for. Thank you, Jesus! But us four staff are still trusting God for 925, - Euros to cover the rest of our flight and another 1100, - Euros per person which we will need for food, accommodation, transportation in India and the flight from India to Sri Lanka.

Of course we will also need some money for everyday items like shampoo, soap, etc. and especially us ladies will have to buy some native clothes, to make sure we are dressed ‚appropriately’ – we are estimating about 150,- to 200,- Euro per person. Anything extra will be used to bless people in India and Sri Lanka.

Donations can be forwarded through paypal by using the following e-mail: hanna@be-hisheart.com

May God bless each and every one of you and may you have a wonderful Christmastime,
for the team,
yours Hanna Petermann

Info about our outreach in India and Sri Lanka December 31, 2007 until March 16, 2008

Our Team:

f.l.t.r. back: Nik, Daniel, Eric
front: Jackie, Carolin, Hanna, Nica, Myrna und Katharina

Locations:
Delhi: January 01-15, Mumbai (Bombay): January 15 – February 12, Chennai (Madras): February 12-26
Colombo (Sri Lanka): February 26 – March 15. These are only approximate dates since both our journeys from Delhi to Mumbai and from Mumbai to Chennai will take about 38 hours (by train).

Ministries:
Our outreach is focused on: preaching/teaching, evangelism, prayer & intercession, mercy ministries and practical work.
India: church ministry – preaching, teaching, bible studies, small group, Sunday school, dramas, evangelism, tract distribution, Slums – HIV, leprosy, Moslems, prayer & intercession and college/University ministry (only in Chennai)
Sri Lanka: church ministry – home groups, youth camp, adults, orphanage, preaching, teaching, prayer & intercession. Unfortunately due to the current political situation in Sri Lanka we won’t be able to do much open evangelism and street work.

We are full of anticipation and expectations fort his time and are excited to see all the wonderful things God has prepared for us. We want to see people coming to Jesus, how they are healed and set free. But more than anything we want to see Gods name glorified.

one week with Gaby Wentland

another long road trip lies behind us. To Norderstedt which is about half an hour outside of Hamburg in the Northern part of Germany. We are joining the Hamburg DTS for this weeks teaching - Gaby Wentland on Missions and passion for Jesus! The teaching is great and challenging. Also simply listening to this great woman of God and how she has and is experiencing God. WOW! Her family & her were missionaries in Africa for 16 years and now they have been back in Germany for about 13 years continuing their missionary work here! Absolutely amazing! It makes me hungry for so much more of God in me, my life, my ministry, my everything.
I am tired of this mediocrity in simply everything - I want so much more and I also believe that God has and is so much more than what I have experienced so far. I want, I am hungry for everything He is, everything He has to give. I want to see it in my life. I want to see, experience and facilitate the things I hear others talk about...
love ya,
Hanna

How long Oh Lord?

Once again these words of the psalmist speak from the depths of my heart:
O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

By now its December and in four weeks from yesterday I will be sitting in a plane heading towards Delhi. Although as to how this is going to happen that's way beyond me! For as far as finances are concerned nothing much has changed and I am still completely broke.

Honestly, there are moments where I get the chills just thinking about it, where everything inside of me wants to run of screaming or simply faint.
But then I remind myself of what a great God I serve! Nothing is impossible for HIM! And where my possibilities end, HIS are only beginning.
I have experienced it time and again, how many times was I found empty-handed with nowhere to go and yet every time HE made a way (where there seemed to be no way!)! That is what I hold on to and what I believe!

That my God is a Good and Almighty God and that He has good plans for me!
love, and btw have a wonderful season of Advent everyone!
yours, Hanna

back in altensteig

hello there,
we made it back to Altensteig safe and sound, although we are all a bit exhausted, still we are excited about the good week behind us ...
On both Thursday and Friday morning we got to hold two consecutive periods of RE (religious education). It turned out to be only two different groups (one on Thursday, one on Friday) and not four groups as we thought. But yeah, it was really good, especially on Friday.

Also, on Thursday we took over three different confirmation groups, because their Pastor was gone for the week or something.
The first two groups were really difficult. I was sharing in the first group and I felt like talking to a wall. Well, you what confirmation class is like, the majority of the kids don't want to be there in the first place. By the end of the second group I was on the verge of tears, simply because by heart and spirit were breaking for these kids and we couldn't get through to them. So in the ten minutes break we had before the last group came we just got together as a team and cried out to God. Cried out for mercy, heavenly mercy on these kids. We stood on the word God had given us earlier that day that His word would not come back empty. And I myself was reminded of the scripture in Ezekiel 22, where it says that God was looking for someone, He was searching the land for one person who was willing the stand in the gap - but He found no one. Then the Holy Spirit led me to symbolically and prophetically stand in the gap on behalf of these kids. To beg and plead and cry out for God to have mercy on these kids, to meet with them, because only He can touch and change hearts.
And I believe it was a result of these honest cries that in the next group we had three teens who said "yes, I believe in God and I want to have a relationship with Him!" And I was the privileged one who got to pray with them!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus!!!! WOW!

Later on Thursday night we briefly visited a TEN SING group (YMCA/YWCA)... to encourage them and to quickly share who we are, what we do and where we come from...

Friday afternoon we took a little road trip across the border to Holland and spent the rest of Friday saying our goodbyes and thank yous.
Well, and yesterday we hit the road again. Thank God, we had a very smooth trip home and managed the return trip in even less time than our trip to Bollingen.

Revelation 15:3 fits really well:
Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.

hanna

greetings from east friesland...

well, we are halfway through our midterm outreach by now and all I can say is GOD IS GOOD!!
It is so amazing what he can do through a bunch of simple people who are willing to step out and to go where he sends them...
'up here' we are working together with a dutch couple who came here as missionaries about two years ago. it's really amazing to see how God has been preparing our trip/ our time here.
Like we have been invited to a school to take over 4 lessons of RE (religious education) -4 different groups, 2 tomorrow (thursday) and 2 on friday.
so we went there yesterday to kind of check out the place and do a prayer walk through the school. as we were walking along the hallways a teacher came out of one of the class rooms and invited us in - just like that. she wanted to know how we are, where we come from, what we do... complete openness, we ended up sharing for ten minutes! we had barely left this class when we ran into another teacher who knew our dutch friend btw. his name is André. He also wanted to meet with us and ended up inviting us into his class for this morning. So we spent almost 1,5 hours in his class this morning just talking about who we are, what a dts is, where we come from,playing games with them, sharing testimonies and we were even allowed to pray with them! It was simply awesome! Or rather God is awesome! And everything really fit together. We could literally feel God's presence and the Holy Spirits guidance among us.

To be honest I feel a little spellbound and overwhelmed by what God is doing here in this nation - in MY nation! And also just this sincerety and openness we meet everywhere we go...
cause I mean I have been to a lot of schools in Norway e.g. but there we were always cautioned to be careful with what we say and with our wording and such things....
but nothing of that sort here... just open hearts, open doors...
we could also sense this in our intercession+ worship times here at the house or like yesterday afternoon where we took a 'prayer drive' through the area, stopping at different places in between to really pray and intercede for this area, this nation and for europe... the spiritual hunger and thirst of this dry dry land.

we still have some more program and also intercession today, tomorrow and on friday before heading back 'home' on saturday. which is about 8 hours drive - not including lunch break or hopefully non-existend traffic jams...

so what to say? except for SOLI DEO GLORIA!!!
(this is latin and means to God alone be the glory)
hanna

the secret is out...

about outreach...
if you guys remember I mentioned earlier we'll be going to India for our major outreach and that there is a chance that we might visit a second country.
Well, now it's confirmed... the second country is Sri Lanka!
So far it seems that we'll be spending four weeks in New Delhi and Bombay each.
Followed by three weeks in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
I can't tell you how excited I am about this news... Sri Lanka or Ceylon is one of the places I've always wanted to go to.
Don't get me wrong, I love going places no matter where we go and I am very much excited about India.
Sri Lanka is just one of those places that for some inexplicable reason has for a long time already held a certain fascination for me.

Please, keep praying for finances!... As of now I am officially broke.
So, believe me when I say - I need a miracle!
God Is good! He has pulled me out of so many tight spots before now that I know that I know that I know that He will come through again...

Love ya and have a blessed good nights sleep.
Hanna

a day in town...

yesterday Jackie and I took the team
-that is Katharina, Carolin, Nica, Nik, Daniel, my sister Damaris who came down for the weekend to visit me in my new 'home' and two girls whose parents work at the base -
on a day-trip to Karlsruhe, which is about 1,5 hours northwest of Altensteig (at least in theory).

We had a lot of fun just exploring the city a bit, visiting the castle, hanging out at starbucks... ;-)

Here are some pics I took:

and.... our staff

since we are already in the middle of introductions, I might as well introduce our staff:

Jackie, 35, Philippines - DTS-leader

Myrna, 35, Philippines

Eric, 35, Nigeria

and myself, Hanna, 27, Germany

There is also Francis (Nigeria), unfortunately I don't have a picture of him, since he isn't around much, due to him and his wife teaching in other schools...


so far for the introductions...
Hanna

our 'students'

Today I want to introduce to you our lovely students:


Katharina, 20, from Markt Heiligenstadt (SE Germany)

Carolin, 23, from Rottgau (Central Germany)

Nica, 3?, from Bern, Switzerland

Daniel, 21, from Schwäbisch Hall (SW Germany)

Nik, 18, Northern Virginia, USA
(45 min to Washington, D.C.)

the first four weeks...

have passed and hardly a day goes by without me thanking God for bringing me here. I'm feeling right at home here - like pigs in clover. :-) (I read that expression somewhere once and thought it was funny) ... and this in a double meaning.
For one thing that I can really serve here be it with the cooking, the interpretation, in praying and interceding with and for the students... there's always things to do around here...
At the same time I can tell how I am healing more and more on the inside and this in an entirely unspectacular way... most of it happens my times alone with God, but also in the community and fellowship of the others where I can learn to be myself again, to take off my false identity and take on my real identity anew. It's... I'm at a loss for words. All I can say is: our God IS so so so so so good!
I'm experiencing in a most real and personal sense Isaiah 43:18-21:
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

But there is also one big PRAYER REQUEST:
Finances. This isn't a supplication or a begging 'post', that's not what this is about. I know that my God is good and that He will come through, I myself have experienced it countless times. No, it's about being open with you, about being transparent so we can stand together in prayer in this.
The current status is that I've had a cutback of about 50% in my monthly support when I left Thailand, contrary to this is that my living expenses are slightly higher here then they were in Thailand.
Also, January through March I'll be joining the DTS outreach. Both the leadership here and I felt very strongly from God that I was to join the team, that I was simply a part of it.
We are headed towards India for 3 months and possibly a second country - which I can't name her, since we are still praying about it, which also means that the students don't know anything about that yet! ;-)

Have a wonderful & blessed sunday everyone...
yours Hanna

How I ended up in Altensteig...

It seemed like God had only been waiting for this (my decision) all along, because four days later I received a phone call from the leader of this base here, asking me whether or not my offer was still valid. He was referring to an email I had sent out to all the German bases about a month previously asking if they could do with another staff for this fall.

As it turned out he had been trying to contact me ever since then but very “mysteriously” none of those emails ever reached me. He ended up google-ing me where he found my blog and through that one of my previous YWAM-bases which he rang up and they were able to give him my parents home number!

From that point on everything simply seemed to fall into place. Within three days I was packed and on my way to Altensteig. I’m staffing a Discipleship Training School (DTS), which started two weeks ago today (which was three days after I got here). To begin with only for during the lecture phase and I might join for outreach. We’ll see!

I am very much looking forward to these coming months; I’m positive that it’s going to be a great time. Simply knowing that I am needed wanted and welcome here, that not only were my prayers answered, but that I myself am one miraculous answer to prayer to the people here is pure medicine for the soul!!

So far for now, until next time

Be blessed and sunny greetings from the Black Forest,
(although it's presently only shining in my heart, since it's been pretty clouded and dull for couple of days already)

Hanna

about my summer...

As some of you may already know I was not doing well at all during this summer – emotionally but mainly spiritually. For the longest time I myself had no idea what really was the matter with me.

All in all I guess it was a bunch of things coming together. For one thing I believe that a part of it was a delayed response to things that happened during the counseling school. You know where I had dealt with things in my life, my past and where the enemy was now putting up a real fight for it. Of course, it didn’t help either that I left Switzerland with no idea of what to do or where to go from there, for the one thing I truly felt and believed I was supposed to be doing I was denied. I was completely lost. Another part of it was me beginning to deal with some of my experiences in Thailand on a deeper level. You know, where at the time I had been simply too close to the situation to really be able to deal with them properly.
I don’t know I had just become so tired of it all, I was tired of my life, my ministry (not the ministry itself – more with the fact that there was so little happening), my church + church in general and I had become tired of God, or to be more accurate I had become tired of waiting on God, of having to learn everything the hard way. ;-)

I guess, it was a process that had started a long time ago and it had been bubbling underneath the surface for quite awhile and now it was finally surfacing. Throughout the entire summer I was seriously doubting and questioning everything, most of all God and my belief, my trust in Him.

But what can I say? God simply wouldn’t let me go… He never gave up on me. He reminded me again and again that it was He who called me that He has good and great plans for me, plans that no one else could ever fulfill the way I can. Around my birthday I came to realize more and more that God was waiting for me to make a decision.
Was I willing to once more place everything on one card and trust Him blindly and 200%. To set aside all the unanswered questions and insecurities and to simply stand on His Word, His words and promises to me and all the good years I have already had with Him.

I heard someone say once that sometimes when everything is taken and stripped away all that is left to do is to believe. Well, I have made my choice and I said YES! Yes, I want to take the chance, the risk. I want to believe and once again put all my trust in God, in Jesus!

By now a month has passed since the day I said YES and I have been getting gradually better. And I don't only mean somewhat better, but actually good or more than good!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Hanna

birthday...

no... not mine...
it's tobyMac's birthday today... as far as i know he is turning 43!

Happy Birthday to you, mate! ;-)

first snow...

no kidding... we had our first snow this morning... i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw it... i mean at the beginning of the week we were running around with short sleeves! anyway, it's gone by now... still it was cool.
dts is still going great - we just had our fatherheart of God-week which was nothing like any fatherheart of God teaching i've ever had before. although i have to admit that i didn't get to hear it all due to me being in the kitchen part of the time preparing meals... but the parts i heard were more about God's character in general than his fatherheart... well, it was still very good and God has been revealing things and speaking into our lives. it was great.

God is good!
luv ya,
i'll try to get you a summary of this summer some time this week... it's all a bit complicated and this last few weeks were simply too busy, plus everything is quite flexible and at times quite last minute around here... ;-)

goodbye for now
hanna

after a long intermission...

warm greetings from Altensteig in the Black Forest.
What I'm doing in Altensteig?

Well, I am staffing a dts (Discipleship Training School). My main responsibilities are the kitchen/cooking and interpretation of teaching sessions (English-German, German-English). And of course to simply be there for the students to talk, to counsel, to pray...

I gotta say, I'm having a great time doing it, especially the interpretation which is something I've always wanted to do and liked doing, but I really had an opportunity. And now I have almost daily opportunities. It feels wonderful to be able to use my brain again! :-) Well, you know what I mean, to be challenged intellectualy and let me tell you, you know what you have accomplished after interpreting for 2.5 hours straight!

I'll get back to you soon.
Hanna

Graduation Day

It's hard to believe, I know... but today is already Graduation Day!!! How crazy is that? It seems like only last week or so that we all arrived here at beautiful Châtel and now we are about to leave again already.
This morning we will have a time of evaluation and sharing of what God has been doing in our lives during these past 12 weeks.
Then tonight we will have the Graduation ceremony and love feast.
Tomorrow is big cleaning day and Friday is already departure day. I'll be leaving after breakfast on Friday first to a friends place for two days -in Karlsruhe- with a stopover in Lausanne for a couple of hours - I'll also have to buy my ticket there, since it is not possible to get the international ticket online. And on Sunday late afternoon I'll be headed for Mainz again!

Have a great day in Jesus!
Hanna

A day in Geneva

On Saturday me and 4 other girls went to Geneva for the day.
It was beautiful - wonderful weather, nice company...
We just took it very easy, visiting 2 churches (Notre Dame and St. Peter, the floral clock and Jet d'Eau - a fountain situated in the harbour with a 460 feet(140 meters) high water column! There is a walkway that enalbes you to walk right past it, naturally we couldn't resist the temptation and got all soaked! We sure had a blast...

You can find a bunch of pictures from that day in the PHOTO GALERY!

be blessed,
Hanna

last full week

yep, it is hard to believe. it seems like only yesterday that we all arrived here and now we only have this week with lecture and next week is already graduation and departure. it is unbelievable. but on the other hand i can tell that i am coming to the point where i need to get out of here. not in a bad way or anything... it's simply time to get back in 'the real world'. Although i have no idea where it is going to take me after this. i will keep you updated... it is almost time for class. love ya, Hanna

my sacred romance

Hello everyone!
Only three weeks to go (2 weeks and 6 days to be exact), which is why I am headed out for Geneva in about 15 minutes. It's kinda my last chance to see Geneva, cos next weekend we'll be writing our Final Exam and the weekend after that I'm guessing we'll be busy with other stuff since it'll be our last weekend here.
Well, by now it is set that I am not going on outreach - which is qutie a bummer! I was so excited about going to Amsterdam, but my leadership here had the sense or feeling that is not the right time for me to go. well it's long story and i will spare you... ;-)

Last night we had our personal "Sacred Romance" presentation. It was really exciting to hear everyone's little story (everyone had only 5 minutes) of how God has been pursuing them all their lives.
My Sacred Romance is all about music. I mean, God has been pursing me in many different ways, but music is definetly the strongest. It is the one thing that speaks to me the loudest and clearest. But it is also an area where I have been hurt a lot. Both in the way of simply never being in couraged in it and the one time I actually dared to step out in spite of the lack of encouragement I was put down for it. So I stopped singing (at least in public). And it was not until three weeks ago when we had Paolo and Paola Bigoni speaking at our school - that it came up again. When Paolo was praying for me he felt something rising in me (I was like what is that going to be?!?) - a song. Well, you can only imagine in that moment I became a river (of tears).
It was so powerful and it went so deep. So he continued to really pray into that. It was amazing.
So for My Romance last night I sang the song that caused me so much heartache 10 years ago!
It was great! It was like something was being lifted off me... more later...
my "taxi" is waiting to take me to the train station.
love you all, God is good.
Hanna

cultural night

About 2 weeks ago we had a culture night, where each of us was given the opportunity to present his/her culture a little bit. Since I didn't really have any pictures from Germany (only of friends+family), I did my presentation on Thailand.

If you go to the picture gallery you will find some pictures of that night.
be blessed, Hanna

Rainy days...

It's been a week since our gardening day and all we have had since then is rain and more rain, mixed with fog and lots of mist, even hail one day...
which makes it really nice to have a warm home to stay in... :O)

this weeks lecture is on development of children... very interesting, I'm learning a lot... although a lot of it is not entirely new (after all I am the oldest of 6 kids), it is still very good to be reminded and to go into a little more details...
It is really amazing to see how uniquely and detailed God has created each one of us.

later today we (or at least some of us) are off to Lausanne where Brian Doerksen will be having a concert. Yeah! music! This base is way to quiet for me... ;-)

In Him,
Hanna

Gardening Day!!!

today we had a gardening day... where our entire base was out in the grounds cutting hedges weeding beds, turning to compost....
I actually enjoyed it... I mean, sometimes to smell was really bad... ;-)
but it was nice to do something practical for once compared to all that lecture, studying, journaling, etc.
God was kind to us... because the entire last week it's been raining cats and dogs and today it was beautiful sunshine... we could even see Mont Blanc today -> for the first time since I got here. It is absolutely breathtaking.

Well, I'll get back to you soon... I will go and try to take a picture of Mont Blanc so that I can show you afterward. get back to you soon.
Love, hanna

Topical Study

Hi there...
well, what can I say? These last two weeks have been so busy... so tiring and exhausting... I don't mean to complain... and it was all very good and very blessing, but still I can feel the drain from it.
During the Plumbline Ministry week we had three meetings every day!!!! Morning, afternoon and evening and in between we still had to do our work-duties and other practical things...
and last week too... the times we were not in the class room or busy with work-duty we had to prepare and read up on the topic we had chosen for our study...
btw, I did a topical study on the gifts of the spirit (spiritual gifts)..
Thank God, this week the topic is not quite as intense!

Otherwise I'm doing good... learning a lot... and also God doing a lot in my life...

Luv ya,
Hanna

God IS Love

Hello there,
at the beginning of this week it was my turn to hold a 15-20 devotion for our class. This is part of the required academical work for this course. At first I had no idea would in the world I should talk about, until God kept reminding me of the Story of Hosea. Even though I knew the story I had no idea what He was aiming at. So I started to read it again and this is where it hit me - the whole story is about God's love for His people and for us.

I have to admit I was a little unsure about it, but at the same time I felt very strongly that God wanted to remind us of His love for us. I know that this can be a bit of a cliché or stereotype sometimes, but the doesn't change the fact. Not one iota! Because the fact is that God doesn't only love us, but He IS love itself. It's His very essence.

I don't know about you, but so many times I get caught up in daily life or even doing things for God, that I completely forget to do those things with Him and through Him. You know, to love Him and to let myself be loved by Him.
Also, I think, God's timing for this reminder was perfect. Cause the day I held this devotion was the first day of our 'Plumbline Ministry' week!
I think it went kind of ok... I'm not sure... it's a little funny to get graded on it. (I haven't gotten the results yet)...

I started out with a song 'I AM LOVE' (Michael W. Smith) - see next post.
Then shared a little bit of what I shared with you earlier and some more, you know, scripture references... (1 John 4, Romans 8)
Then kind of in the middle I showed a powerpoint presentation of Psalm 139 that I had put together for this devotion (I've been trying to put it up here, but it just won't work. I can email it to you if you want-it's just a little big...)
Then I told the story of Hosea and we read parts of the story together and I explained a little more and I ended with another song 'I'll lead you home' (Michael W. Smith) - see next post as well....

Love, Hanna

I AM Love/ I'll lead you home

I Am Love

I am not passers by I am not a white lie
I am not left to die I am love, I am love
I am not feeling sad I am not the new fad
I am not quickly mad I am love, I am love

You can try to hide You can try to run

But You'll never run far enough

This is my flesh, this is my blood
And I am love
You can fly up high You can dig down deep
You can flee to the west You can flee to the east

But you can't escape what I've done
'Cause I am love

I am not standing by I am not letting go

I am not leaving you I am love, I am love

I am love My blood fell like rain
I did not bleed in vain But from my veins
I am love

I’ll lead you home

Wandering the road of desperate life
Aimlessly beneath the barren sky
Leave it to me - I’ll lead you home
So afraid that you will not be found
It won’t be long before your sun goes down
Just leave it to me - I’ll lead you home

Hear me calling
Hear me calling
Just leave it to me - I’ll lead you home

A troubled mind and a doubters heart
You wonder how you ever got this far
Leave it to me - I’ll lead you home
Vultures of darkness ate the crumbs you left
And you got no way to retrace your steps
Just leave it to me - I’ll lead you home

Hear me calling
Hear me calling
You’re lost and alone
Leave it to me - I’ll lead you home

So let it go and turn it over to
The one who chose to give his life for you
Leave it to me - I’ll lead you home
So let it go and turn it over to
The one who chose to give his life for you
Just leave it to me - I’ll lead you home
Leave it to me - I’ll lead you home

Words & music: michael w. smith and wayne kirkpatrick

a quick hello

I have little time between dinner and community meeting so I thought I'd drop by for a couple of lines. I don't know about you guys, but over here the weather has just been wonderful these last couple of days or weeks actually! Today we can even see Mont Blanc from here... it's absolutly beautiful and I also learned today that we can see the fountain of Geneva from here. Which is really unique since Geneva is half-an-hours drive from here halfway around the lake. Well, not halfway, but you get the point... isn't that cool?

Other than that we are having the 'divine Plumbline' teaching this week. Which is kind of dealing with our past so of course it is very personal and emotional. Next week we have an entire week set aside for us to share and get prayed for, so we can actually deal with our past and receive healing...
I'm excited and scared at the same time..

Blessings, Hanna

more pics

of Switzerland at
http://be-hisheart.dotphoto.com
there is a new folder 'switzerland' with lots of photos from the area here and from our outing to Gruyère and Montreux yesterday.

By the way- we are getting funny sky-tans. Since the sun is so bright up here and we always wearing sunglasses outside, so that our faces get a lot of color, except for right around the eyes where we stay white...

L&B,
Hanna

the wonderful cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but lost
And poor content on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
or thorns compose so rich a crown

Oh the wonderful cross
Oh the wonderful cross
bids me come and die and find
that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful cross
Oh the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near
and bless your name

Worth of all realm a nature mine
that were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
demands my soul, my live, my all

Oh the wonderful cross
Oh the wonderful cross
bids me come and die and find
that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful cross
Oh the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near
and bless your name

Love so amazing, so divine
demands my soul, my live, my all

In the Beauty, in the shame
In the Glory of his name
of the wonderful cross...

beautiful Châtel- Switzerland

I made it! I am here in beautiful Châtel, Switzerland.
I still can hardly believe it. Only very slowly is it sinking in the fact that I am really here.

No, I still don't have all the finances for the course, but the leadership of the school strongly encouraged me to come anyways, to take this leap of faith:

"...we really sense that you have a place for this coming IBC.
Hanna,
I am wondering where you are at but I feel to stand with you in faith that God will provide what you need for the school as you step out in faith…
So, I want to encourage you to trust Him that He will provide what you need and we will stand with you in faith….."

So after this email and another phonecall from the base I decided that I wanted to trust Him, you know, really take this step of faith... and here I am.

I've gotta tell ya, it truly never ever gets boring... serving God on the missionsfield. I mean, I've been in this situation of 'living out of faith' for a couple of years now and still everytime God chooses to surprise me, by finding new and different ways.

So far for now, I will keep you posted.

Until then I wish you all a blessed Easter. May you get the chance to really take some time to think about, to ponder what Christ did for you and me on that cross, so many years ago.

Hanna

Time's flying...

or so it may appear these days.
It seems like only yesterday that I got here and yet it's only 9 days left until I leave for Switzerland. Wow!
That is, of course, if it'll ever come to that. Cause so far I still don't have a clue as to how to finance the whole thing. So unless some kind of miracle happens within the next week I will have to postpone this is school indefinitely. You know, spend some time working, making money...

To be honest that would be a major blow for me. I was and still am looking so much forward to this school. I'm so sure that it is Gods way, His next step with me and I can feel that the time is simply ready, maybe even a little overdue...
Well, I guess, I will have to wait and see. I still have little bit of trust, faith and hope left, although they are really being put to the test at the moment.

Please, pray with me and for me. That I won't loose heart or give up. But more than anything, pray for God's will to be done.

Love&Blessings,
Hanna

new pics!

Hi!

I just posted a whole bunch of new pics into my photo album at http://be-hisheart.dotphoto.com the other day.
You will find them in the category Thailand - the entire album Nov'06-March'07 is new
and in the category Home - there is an album with pics from my furlough during Christmas/New Year's...

Enjoy!

Love&Blessings,
Hanna

Future plans...

If you're wondering where I will go from here, so do I!
At least to some extend. Here is what I know so far.
I will be in Mainz, Germany for the coming 3,5 weeks before leaving for Switzerland on April 1st.

In Switzerland I'll be attending a school called 'Introduction to Biblical Counseling' or IBC for short. The school takes place in Chatel, a tiny village situated 740 meters above Lake Geneva, halfway between Lausanne and Geneva, overlooking the French and Swiss Alps!
School dates are from April 1st until June 22nd. Followed by a 3-month-Field Assignment.

And I am as excited and curios to find out where God will lead me both for the Field Assignment and after completing the school.

so far for now.
Love, Hanna

Home sweet home

I'm back in Germany even if its only for a short few weeks until the beginning of April.
Which means its about time I got you guys filled in and up-to-date on things.
Well, first of all I won'T be going back to Thailand - at least not anytime soon. As strange as it may seem and it still does to me sometimes, I know that my time there was/is up. I mean from day one my stay in Thailand turned out to be completely different from what I had expected.

I came to Thailand wanting to serve God, love the people, preach the gospel, heal the sick, ... you get the idea. God had a very different agenda on His mind.
His first priority in bringing me there was Me! He wanted to work on and in me. Little did I know that I was about to face the hardest year of my life so far. A time where a lot of old wounds and hurts were brought up again. All those things I had been running from for so long and all of a sudden I was brought face to face with them again. Including some of my worst fears and nightmares. Believe me I wasn't very appreciative at the time.

But looking back today - I truly am grateful!
Because the Holy Spirit has opened up my eyes to see all the valuable lessons I learned during this time of constant tests and trials. Lessons unfortunately no classroom in this world will ever be able to teach us, lessons we can only learn by living them.

At the end of the day all that is left for me to say is that God is God, that He will always come through to matter what the odds, that He is the only one worthy of all our praise. He is the God I love and the God I trust with my life!

Just reach out

Here are the lyrics of an old PETRA-song I 'stumbled' across the other day

Just reach out

And He'll reach in

Take your broken heart

and make it whole again.

It don't matter who you are

Or where you've been

Just reach out

And He'll reach in...

Hope you'll find these as encouraging as I did.

Love, Hanna

busy days...

Hello there...

No, I haven't forgotten about this blog. I know it may have seemed that way during these past weeks. The truth of the matter is simply that I have been very busy these last 3 weeks, running around and about town all day, all week long. But it's been fun, too. The teams I got to work with were really great. A great bunch of people. So if any of you are reading this right now. Thanks! For everything. For making my 'job' so much easier. There are a lot of changes about to happen during the upcoming weeks. But I don't want to give anything away yet, before my newsletter which will be out some time next week.
Cause then I will have time again, since today is my last official working day at Tamar!
Crazy, ha? Oh, about that... seems like I gave something away anyhow...

Well, talk to you next week.
Love & Blessinx,
Hanna

Back in Thailand

Hello everyone!

I don't have a lot of time, since I'm due in English class any moment. But I simply wanted to let you know that I arrived save and sound in Thailand. So far nothing exciting has happened. Besides that I had to reformat my computer. So there won't be a new newsletter until I get office back on.

It would be great, if all friends, supporters, churchpeople could send an email to following address, so I can put you right back in my addressfolder... THANKS!!!!! hanna@be-hisheart.com

Love&Blessings,
Hanna