Just a story

So my friend emailed me this story and I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy!

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a
studious man who taught at a small college in the western United
States.   Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in
Christianity at this particular institution.  Every student was
required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of
his or her major.
     
    Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of
the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon
the course as nothing but required drudgery.  Despite his best efforts,
most students refused to take Christianity seriously.
     
    This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.  
Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going
onto seminary for the ministry.  Steve was popular, he was well liked,
and he was an imposing physical specimen.  He was now the starting
center on the school football team, and was the best student in the
professor's class.
    One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
could talk with him.
     
    "How many push-ups can you do?"
     
    Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
     
    "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said.  "Do you
think you could do 300?"
     
    Steve replied, "I don't know...  I've never done 300 at a time."
     
    "Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.
     
    "Well, I can try," said Steve.
     
    "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I
need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work.  Can
you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.
     
    Steve said, "Well...  I think I can...yeah, I can do it."
     
    Dr. Christianson said, "Good.  I need you to do this on Friday. 
Let me explain what I have in mind."
     
    Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of
the room.  When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of
donuts.  No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the
extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.  Everyone
was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they
were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr.
Christianson's class.
     
    Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and
asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"
     
    Cynthia said, "Yes."
     
    Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you
do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
     
    "Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten.  Then
Steve again sat in his desk.  Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's
desk.
     
    Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and
asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"
     
     Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten
push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"
     
    Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.  And so it went, down the
first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got
their donut.
     
    Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. 
Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. 
He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.
     
    When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"
     
    Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
     
    Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
     
    Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
     
    Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and
asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he
doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.
     
    Scott said, "Hey, I said I didn't want one"
    Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my
desks, and these are my donuts.  Just leave it on the desk if you don't
want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.
     
    Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little.  He just
stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be
getting up and down.  You could start to see a little perspiration
coming out around his brow.
     
    Dr. Christianson started down the third row.  Now the students were
beginning to get a little angry.  Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny,
do you want a donut?"
     
    Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
     
    Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more
push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did
ten....Jenny got a donut.
     
    By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room.  The
students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten
donuts on the desks.  Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra
effort to get these pushups done for each donut.  There began to be a
small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow
were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
     
    Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in
the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full
ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's
work for all of those uneaten donuts.  He sent Robert over to where
Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.
     
    Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.  During his class,
however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down
on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. 
When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now
there were 34 students in the room.  He started to worry if Steve would
be able to make it.
     
    Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the
next.  Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. 
He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.
     
    Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on
each one?"
     
    Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your
pushups.  You are in charge now.  You can do them any way that you
want." And Dr. Christianson went on.
     
    A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the
room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one
voice, "NO, don't come in Stay out!"
     
    Jason didn't know what was going on.  Steve picked up his head and
said, "No, let him come."
     
    Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in
you will have to do ten pushups for him?"
     
    Steve said, "Yes, let him come in.  Give him a donut."
     
    Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out
of the way right now.  Jason, do you want a donut?"
     
    Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on.  "Yes," he
said, "give me a donut."
     
    "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"
Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort.  Jason,
bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.
     
    Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those
visitors seated by the heaters.  Steve's arms were now shaking with
each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of
gravity.  By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face,
there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye
in the room.
     
    The very last two students in the room were two young women, both
cheerleaders, and very popular.  Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the
second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
     
    Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
     
    Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-
ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the
effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
     
    Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan.  "Susan, do
you want a donut?"
     
    Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry.  "Dr.
Christianson, why can't I help him?"
     
    Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do
it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that
everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. 
When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked my
grade book.  Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. 
Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior
work.  Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up
he must do push-ups.  I told Steve that none of you could come to my
party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups.  He and I made a
deal for your sakes."
     
    "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?" As
Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that
he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350
pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.
     
    Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said.  "And so it was, that
our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy
hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done
everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life.  And like
some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk,
uneaten."
     
    Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat,
physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.
     
    "Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor,
adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words."
     
    Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you
might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy
that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.  He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him
up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever.  Whether or not
we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."
     
    "Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the
desk?" 

Suffereings...

So it's been about 2 months since I've been here. And I've now graduated to doing 3 jobs instead of just the cafe. I can now successfully check you in and out of the hostel, tell you how to get to the airport, where the train station is, and if you're looking for a fun free something to do on a Tuesday night I can recommend a great little jazz place. Thats reception. The other job is cleaner supervisor, which basically means I oversee the cleaners as they clean the hostel. It involves a lot of climbing the stairs, folding laundry, cleaning drains, inspecting beds/rooms, and leading bible discussions. They say is it's the worst and best job in the hostel. After a week I have to say I agree.

You're working one on one with our cleaners, who come from all over the place, from different backgrounds, different beliefs, and different struggles. Most of them are searching for a safe place in this world.

This past month we had a young man from Romania who has had some terrible things happen in his life. He has no where to go after this, no job, no family. It can break your heart, because you want to help them so much, but what can you really do? Just because you introduce Christ into their life doesn't guarantee that they'll accept Him or believe. You can pray and pray and pray and continue praying.

We expect immediate visible answers all the time, that I think we sometimes forget (or at least I do) that God is working everything out on His timetable not ours. He is the one that changes hearts and minds. Just because you accept Him doesn't mean your life is going to all of a sudden be perfect. He says we need to rejoice in our sufferings.

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." 
 - Romans 5:3-5

But who wants to suffer, much less rejoice in it?! It's something that non-believers don't get, heck, even christians don't always get it. It comes down to the age old question: If God is so great, wonderful, and all powerful why do bad things happen? Because of sin. But why does sin exist? There's so many questions so many thoughts. In the end  I believe it all comes down to faith and the hope we have in Jesus. The hope of a new life in heaven, one that is eternal, one that is with God.

What a promise that is.


Anywho, I kind of went off on a tangent there. Hope you were able to follow it.


Love always,
Eliza :]

Hanging Out

 So... have you been wondering what I'm up to? Here are a few pictures of stuff thats going on in the house this past month.

My friend Rachel and I watching soccer

What a normal conversation looks like between the 2 of us.

View from the roof 

just hanging out on the roof taking pictures 

The street below us 

Dutch houses 

Me, jeff, rachel, josh trying to figure out
 if we can stand on the ledge to take a picture...

No, we're not praying, just looking at some funny pictures 

A cool shot.
Chris holding the camera, then Rachel, Kelsey, and Jeff 

Playing charades after a Valentine's Day Dinner 

For Valentine's Day the Girls cooked a dinner for the boys 

Most of the staff 

Brownies I made 

Some yummy vanilla cupcakes I also made! 

Me, Jeff, and Bjorn 

Getting Dinner prepped 

The boys bought chocolates for the girls! 

The Valentine's Day table 

Me, Kelsey, Kim at Kelsey's Bday celebration 

Working in the Cafe. 

I hope to have some pictures of March soon! 

Deutschland (aka Germany)

So it's been awhile since I've written and for that I apologize.

However, I do have an exciting tale of trains, buses, random car rides, and lifts!


 It all starts with four young adults with a dream of fresh powdered snow and the thrill of going down the Alps.

After several weeks of deliberation we finally came to the decision that we were going to go skiing in Germany. Our plan was simple get there the cheapest possible way. This meant first traveling by bus for 5 hours to Cologne, Germany from Amsterdam. Then taking a train or rather several trains until we finally arrived in Garmisch. The way back, we planned to take trains all the way to the Netherlands border then hitchhike back to Amsterdam. So here is a photographic diary of our trip!

The Gang  (from left to right Josh, Kelsey, Me, Jeff)
" Forever Young" was our motto

The food we took with us on our adventure... PB& J yum!

The first train ride

from Amsterdam Centraal to Amstel Station to catch our bus! 

First German bread...

The Dome at Cologne
We were so surprised to see this site 

I felt like I was really in Europe when I saw this

Standing in the front 

Cuddling in Mickey D's at 2 am

Sleeping in McDonalds at 2am 

One of my many falls 

Skiing in the Alps 

About to go down the mountain 

So much snow

The Alps 

Houses at the bottom of the mountain 

The trail we walked to the Ski Resort

The day after skiing - we could finally see the Alps! 

Garmicsh - walking to the bus station

A German bakery

The Alps - yes we were skiing down those! 

What we looked like the day after skiing - so tired 

So pretty 

Taken from the train 

Starting our train ride back

So we made it back safe and sound with a once in a lifetime experience under our belts. Some might call us crazy, but to us we're just adventureres