spills and thrills

If you have known me for very long, you probably know that I like to run or do something active on a day to day basis. Maybe it is because I've been running since I was 11 so it feels weird not to, or maybe I just have a lot of pent up energy. Regardless, if I am completely sedentary for too many days in a row I start to get that itch to get out and move. Not to say I dont have my lazy days (especially when its raining!) but I hope I can stay active for a good long number of years.

I'm so thankful that there are places to run in Berlin that are safe enough (as long as I don't go alone at night!....oh wait, sounds like I'm back at Bradley, mmmm....) and not full of cars flying at me. While it is sort of hard to escape the "city" feel, my mainstay route for running has been this path that runs along a canal just a few blocks away from my apartment. Its cute, there are swans and other various birds hanging out in the canal and plenty of trees. Though our neighborhood tends to be on the dirty side - trash in the streets and graffiti everywhere, the running path is a nice little escape.

A word to the wise - watch out for the bikes. While the moving ones, with riders, are definitely a concern, recently the parked bikes have posed the biggest threat. A few days ago I was running with my entourage (aka teammates Dan & Dave) along the canal. As we're running I am completely not paying attention and suddenly I get clothes-lined in the side by a bike that is locked to the railing that separates the path from the water in the canal. This girl went all the way down...there was no graceful falling here. Luckily I had great guys there to comfort me in my pain....and then we ran all the way back, sometimes stopping to wipe the blood off my leg with leaves. (desperate times, desperate measures!) So no worries, I will heal...but at this point I have a large paper-towel bandage taped to my knee. Ah, life in Berlin...always interesting. Especially when you're like me, and you fall a lot.

Today was the national day of Prayer for CCC, so people all over the world involved with different ministries were praising God for who He is and asking Him to do big things in people's lives. Our team here in Berlin took time to pray together for the upcoming year of ministry and that students' lives would truly be transformed this year by Christ. Then we all kind of went off in separate directions to have some concentrated personal time with the Lord. I spent my time at this coffee shop called Balzac - which is nearly literally the Starbucks knock-off of Germany. I'm not kidding - not only is the atmosphere and decor nearly exactly the same, but the logo and signage is scarily similar to the 'Bucks. My drink there was deliciooooous - dark chocolate hot chocolate mmmmmmmm :) That together with a comfy chair, God's Word and my journal = delightful hang-out time with Jesus. Then a few of us rendezvous'd at a delicious Indian restaurant in that neighborhood. More delicious food. I think I'm liking ethnic cuisine more and more each day I'm here. Then we met with allllll the CCC staff in Berlin at the Keltner's (an amazing CCC staff couple who work with the FamilyLife) to pray for Berlin as a city, worldwide concerns, etc. And naturally, there was more delicious food there.

In addition, today was the inaugural use of our coffee pot in our apartment....finally, I can make coffee for myself in the mornings. mmmmmyes. Life is good :)