Heritage Tour: Assisi

I finally am making time to blog about our trip around and across Europe.  Our first stop was Assisi.  We drove 1200km the first day from Banska to Assisi.  And slept in tents. The tents that are already set up for you.

And inside the tents were four cots with mattresses. So we had some insulation... but it was by far the coldest night we endured. It was very chilly.  

But the next day was beautiful.  We had breakfast together in the sun with two stray cats and tea and coffee made from water boiled with our kettle in the bathroom.  Oh, I forgot... that was the coldest shower of the trip as well.  The bathrooms essentially were open air.  I expect they don't get many people at the end of October.

But then we headed into the town of Assisi, and we were amazed by the beauty.  We stopped on this driveway to take pictures of the city on the hill ahead of us. But really the best part was the driveway with olive trees on both sides!  FYI: Olives are not tasty right off the tree. Everyone else tried one, but I learned my lesson from watching their reactions!

So we first wanted to go to some monastary or something... but on the way we got lost and ended up at the absolute top of this mountain. Which turned out to be great fun. Saw some Italian cows.

But the whole reason we were in Assisi was because of Francis.  

That is St. Francis to you.

We actually had learned his story before we left on the trip so we really could enjoy Assisi.  He began the Franciscan monks (funny how names are so easy in the Catholic church) and St. Clare began the Poor Clare sisters.  So we visited the church the St. Francis rebuilt because God told him to, we visited his "cave" at a monastery, and we visited his "grave" under a big basilica that they built.

This is the church he repaired. Which was really cool because we understood why he did it (God told him too) and the attitude of the people around him (they all thought he was crazy, not to mention the fact that the only people who used the ruined church were lepers and he was hanging out with them too).  Essentially the story of Francis is of a guy who God has a call on, he gives up his earthly inheritance to love the lepers, help the poor and sick, and live the gospel.  Some other guys decided that they wanted to do that too, so they gave up everything to be part of his group, and they helped with the church. He also walked to Rome and EGYPT! without wearing shoes.  CRAZY!  

But today the church doesn't allow anyone to take pictures inside. Its obviously a pilgrimage place. And there is an active monastery connected. Which was pretty cool.  St. Clare actually lived with her "sisters" here, and they have different rooms significant to her as well.  

I'll let you look up St. Francis' story for yourself. There actually is a very good movie called Francis and Clare that we watched. But I'm sure Wikipedia will do as well.  If you don't know their story, it will inspire you to live for God, and listen to his calling.

So this is the Basilica in Assisi:

 It is another church with no cameras. So I don't have many pictures inside. But it is a two story church! I don't know how architecturally that works but there is an entire huge sanctuary at the bottom, which is full height with frescos on the ceiling and everything, then you go upstairs and there is another one! They could have two mass services going at once!  

But Francis is buried with some of his other "companions" in the basement. He has his own room kinda. Very obviously built because of Francis. The church actually has frescos all around the top floor of Francis' life, so that was really cool. According to the pictures, he drove all the demons from some town. That wasn't in the movie, but it is a really cool supernatural feat in my mind!

Francis and Clare probably will continue to be some of my favorite saints (as canonized by the catholic church) and examples in going against the grain in order to follow God.  

Assisi is such a pretty place. I don't even have room for all the pictures and to describe all we did. 

Heavenly Thought

God's idea of Heaven is spending time with you.

Meditate on that.

New Week

So although I haven't posted all the amazing things I learned on my trip yet, I want to post on things we learned in the last twenty four hours here!  Today was our first day back in lecture after the tour, and the transition was seamless. But I think its all because God got us ready for it.

Last night three of us went out for hot chocolate (which is different here. Its like drinking chocolate but not that either... Like warm/hot chocolate pudding?  That sounds gross but it is SOOO good) and we talked about how we are feeling. What God is convicting us of, what God is teaching us, how our spirits feel.  And we felt like we needed to repent for not being more focused on Jesus during our tour. How we didn't have enough quiet time and didn't listen to what he was saying and didn't pay attention to what he wanted us to do in each city.  Maybe we did sometimes. But we feel as though we were distracted from that goal.

So when we got home, they went upstairs and started praying and seeking God. I had a skype date with my parents so I joined them after that. And we just prayed. And sang. And soaked in God's presence.

And this morning we had amazing spontaneous worship.  Then our speaker began.  We are talking about the Holy Spirit. And this guy is so amazingly filled.  I feel like I'm just experiencing what living completely surrendered to the spirit is rather than just learning the theory.  I'm just watching him live his life and saying "I want that".  So this week should be good.   Actually, I know that it is going to be amazing. I'm sad that it is already 1/5 done!

Back From Heritage Tour

We are home, safe and sound from our tour.  Ten days seemed like forever and no time at all at the same time.  I feel like I know so much more about europe now.  I'm not sure if I actually do know that much, but it seems as though I learned a lot. Even in the simple experiences of being in Europe you learn something.  I'm going to leave the deep things that I've learned for when I have my pictures ready to go with it.  So instead I'll kinda explain the trip for you.

So this was a Heritage Tour, which essentially is a tour to explore and learn about our Christian heritage.  And because we are in Europe, that works great because so many things happened here!  It is where most of the interesting stuff happened right?  Well, maybe not, but I know alot more about Christian history in Europe than anywhere else so I'm going to say it is very important!

So some YWAM groups go on Reformation tours, just to see sights and learn about the reformation, but I think they are totally missing out.  We have a group of Catholics and Protestants so we were sure to see historic sites from all eras in Christianity.  And we looked at the history in a very even way... It wasn't about bashing the Catholics because of indulgences or the Protestants because they did such dumb things themselves. And I appreciated that so much. 

So to recap: We drove from Slovakia, to Assisi in Italy, then to Rome, then to Switzerland, South and Eastern Germany, and through the Czech Republic.  Eleven Days. Many kilometers.  But we are all closer because of it.  We actually only had five of us in a van for seven, so that made things easier.  So there were five students and Steve, our very brave DTS leader.  It worked out really well with Steve and Art driving us and taking turns.  I was in charge of finances of the trip.  I don't think I have a very good understanding of the worth of a euro right now after seeing how expensive everything was in Rome and Switzerland.  I can't believe how much money I was often walking around with to pay for our accommodations and food and tickets for museums.  

So what kind of general things can I type now? Well it costs alot to drive around in Europe.  Gas is not cheap.  It makes Alberta seem very cheap.  1.24 EURO for a liter of Diesel! But that isn't all.  The roads are toll roads. So we would pay up to 50 euro for a day of driving.  In Switzerland they have a sticker that you buy to have the privilege of driving on the motorway or whatever they call it.  40 Euro minus 8 swiss francs... (a Swiss Franc essentially is a Canadian or American Dollar in value).  See I told you I understand european economics better now!  I also had to deal with Czech crowns, which are four Euro cents each.  So that is much more mental math.  I actually broke down and got a Starbucks coffee in Prague.  It was 99 crowns for a Grande... Which is roughly four euro. That is pretty steep for a latte. Even for Starbucks.  But I hadn't had Starbucks in a month and a half, so it was a little gift to myself.

And for all my dutch friends, they sold Stropwaffles in the Starbucks! I even took a picture to prove it.

But those aren't cheap... 60Kc is more than 2 euro.

So I'll sign off for now and hopefully be able to share stories of martyrs and other important people and moments to Christianity with you over the next few blog posts.

Heritage tour half way update

This is going to be super short because I want sleep but I want to fill you all in. So right now I'm in Switzerland. We visited Assisi already and spent two days in Rome. I love Rome. I know people who probably wouldn't be fans but I love it. So today we drove from Rome to Geneva. Europe may be smaller then we think... But that still is a long drive. So we ate still all getting along. We haven't gone crazy so your prayers are obviously being honored. Pray also for safety, peace, and that what we are learning wouldn't only be head knowledge but also heart knowledge.

I hope you all are enjoying the snow. We have gotten a taste of it up in mountain passes but we actually had 20 degree days in Rome. God is good. I will obviously post more when I am home on a real computer not my little iPod touch ( which is the most amazing traveling companion even if it is a pain to type on).

I Spy With My Little Eye

Does that face look familiar?  No?  Maybe you don't live in Alberta?  What about you Albertans?  Look like someone?

There is an election coming up in Banska, and there are tons of these billboards.  Every time I walk by one I think that it is Ed Stemlach. And it gets me EVERY TIME!  I double take EVERY TIME!

If you don't believe me, google it.

That is all.

Heritage Tour!

We are leaving at 4am tomorrow (Wed) morning to start our Heritage tour of Europe.  We are visiting significant countries to learn about church history.  Its is very exciting.  We have been looking forward for this for quite a while.  So tomorrow night we are sleeping in Assisi, Italy (think Francis of Assisi). Then two nights in Rome. Then to Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, then home to Banska.  Ten days...  Five people... One Van... Many Kilometers.  Should be interesting.  

So I'm asking for your prayers. That we would be safe. That we won't kill each other.  That we would learn what God wants us to learn on this trip.  That we could be open to each others beliefs.  We had a Catholic vrs Protestant moment today, where we figured out that we had different beliefs and sometimes those can be difficult to overcome.  So prayer for those moments would be very, very welcome.   

What else...

I'm not taking my computer on the trip.  I was planning on doing it, but I realized that the backpack I have is not made to carry a laptop, and I don't want to break it or anything... So there will be no updates until I get back on the 6th.   So have a good halloween (they don't celebrate halloween here so no need for a costume for me) and enjoy the snow (depending where you are I guess).

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your prayers. 

Why Not To Get Into Arguments

Okay, I wasn't planning on writing on this first, but because of what I talked about at the end of the last blog entry I feel like I should.

One of the things I've been learning is the significance of being right.  And the effects that it has.  Because being right always comes at a price.

When you are right, it means that someone is wrong.  It means that you have come against them. That you have accused them.  Maybe this doesn't apply to all things, but I think in our Christian lives this has the potential to happen a lot.  I am right, and you are wrong.  I have the right view of God and you have the wrong one.  I have the right interpretation of that scripture and you have the wrong one. I do the right things, and you don't do them...  You get the idea.  And up till now I think that every time I told someone they were wrong, I thought it was in their best interest. But I recently had another way of looking at it explained to me. And it makes WAY more sense.

When we are being argumentative, we are accusing each other. We are tearing each other down. We are attacking each other.  And those are all things satan does.  He is the accuser. He attacks us.  So why would I do that?  Why would I act in a way that leads to satan's end?  I'd much rather act in a way that is consistent with the nature of God.  To act in love is to act like God.  Holy spirit is our comforter.  He comes along side of us.  So rather than going against someone, I want to come along side them.  I want to not be adversarial in my disagreements.   And I will still have disagreements.  But I want to act in a different way towards them.

And the more I think about this, the more it makes sense.  If I say "no, you are wrong" to someone, what is their first response? To dig in their heels. To get defensive.  They might not even really believe what they just said, but your adversarial stance made them believe it a lot more!  So even my amateur psych mind agrees with this.  God obviously knows what he is talking about (doesn't he always?)

So this is why I don't want to argue about all the things I'm learning and will be posting on my blog.  I would much rather simply explain myself and answer questions, as that leaves you to choose for yourself if you agree or not.  I think questions are great, because it forces me to think through these things that I'm learning, but I don't want to get into some huge debate about if the book "The Shack" is harmful to Christianity or not (it isn't, you are over reacting). Okay, that was just for fun.  I do hope that if you are reading my blog you will get something interesting from what I'm posting, and I am so thankful for your prayers.

Blessings.

How to Read My Blog and Not Get Upset.

Do you know how hard it is to explain five weeks of learning? SO HARD!

So I'll start with a short explanation to hopefully get everyone on the same page.  So our DTS is run in an ecumenical manner with both Protestants and Catholics.  There are three Protestant students and one Catholic.  So in the first week we needed to put effort into learning about each other's beliefs.  I think that most Protestants have a skewed idea of Catholicism and most Catholics have misunderstandings of Protestantism too.  So that was a hurdle that we had to overcome.  And I think one of the most biblical ways to describe the differences is to talk about the men walking to Emmaus. (For those of you who want to follow along in your Bibles it is Luke 24).

So these men actually knew Jesus.  They were walking and Jesus shows up. But they don't recognize him. And they don't recognize him the whole time they are talking and walking although it says later that their hearts were burning as he revealed things from the Scriptures.  But they don't recognize him until he breaks bread with them.  So if they knew what Jesus looked like before he died, Jesus obviously looked differently to them after he had risen. But Jesus could have chosen to look exactly like he did before so that they would easily recognize him, but he didn't.  So we can say he disguised himself.   And the same thing can happen today.  Jesus can give revelation in a way we don't recognize because we aren't used to it. And because it isn't "normal" we are in danger of dismissing it.  But if we listen with our spirit, our hearts will burn like the men and we will know that it is God, even if it isn't what we expect.

So from this we can say that Catholics and Protestants (and even different denominations of protestants) have different revelations of God and how he works and wants to commune with us, but we can't reject each other's understandings simply because they are not our own.  God can reveal himself differently to different people, and we probably have more to learn from each other than we are willing to admit.  Just listen with your spirit, not with your mind which wants to make everything fit into the system you have created.

It has been a process to learn to listen with my spirit or heart.  Coming from a very academic outlook of research and being able to prove who is right makes me very careful and critical.  I want to see three academic papers on anything before I believe it is true (okay, that might be an overstatement, but you all get the point).  So I think the first big thing I've had to learn is to listen with my heart first and then with my brain.  To let God confirm to me in my spirit if a teaching is true to his nature, his intentions for me, his love, before my brain has a chance to automatically reject.  And some things I do have to put on a shelf and leave it for me to kinda mull over for a while.  And thankfully, God realizes that I do really like evidence and he does give me supports for everything we are learning.  In lecture we might hear two verses to support a concept and an example, but then God will know when that isn't quite enough for me and give me some other kind of confirmation.  And I'm so thankful for that.

So my goal is to share some of the things that I'm learning. However, I am fairly certain that some of these things will bother some people. They might not sit quite right with you.  But I hope that you can at the very least keep an attitude that is inspired by the men on the way to Emmaus.  That God might reveal himself in different ways that you are used to.  Maybe some of the things I'm learning will speak to you.  But maybe others you will just have to put on the shelf and God can give you more revelation on the topic in the future.  But I'm very excited to share some of these teachings with you all.

Note: I love hearing your feedback, but I would rather not get into theological debates on my blog. Please do comment, even with questions so I can clarify.  But please refrain from attacking other people's opinions.  I think I might actually make my next post an explanation on why I think that it is important.

Request for More Information

So I've been getting a lot of requests for more detailed information on what I actually am doing in Slovakia.    And I will admit that I have been taking the easy way out on this blog.  It is so much easier to post pictures of what we are doing on the weekends than to describe in many many words the things I'm learning about God and what he is doing in my heart.  I also selfishly kinda want to come home and preach a couple hundred sermons on this stuff, and if I just post it on a blog I don't get any of that.  :) But selfishness is the enemy of godliness so I'll give you some "teaching" for free this weekend.  I'm going to spend some time myself going over my notes from the last five weeks (especially this last week because it was stuffed full of information).  So while I'm doing that I plan to pull out some major points that have made an impact on me, and convict me (and hopefully will be used by God in some of your lives also).

So stay tuned for the multiple posts that I'm expecting to come up over the next few days.   But until then I'll give you an example of how learning Slovak is going for me.  I was at Mass with Janka last weekend and this was written at the front of the church:

The service was in Slovak so it wasn't overly stimulating for me ( I actually felt like most Catholics who went to Mass back when everything was in Latin).  So I was looking around at the beautiful church and realized that I knew what this means!  In English we would say "My Lord and My God".  But literally its something like "Lord Mine and God Mine".  (Pan is Lord, Boh is God, Moj is mine, and "a" is and).  So I obviously am learning something even if I feel light years behind everyone else. 

Have a great weekend!