(Almost forgot) Valentine's Day!

Hello!
Today was my last FULL day in Innsbruck! Which means that tomorrow I will be leaving for my two weeks of travels! I will be in Austria for one, staying with my grandmother who is so kindly hosting my friend and I. Then we are continuing northeast to Poland, where we'll be staying for one night in Bielso-Biala with a friend from Innsbruck. The next day we continue to Warsaw and stay another 4 night with my other friend who I met in Innsbruck. THEN after that, my travel partner flies home to Finland and I'll be flying to England for 6 days to visit my dear Canadian friend, Amy! I am very excited for my travels, but at the same time it makes me look more forward to being home and not living out of a suitcase. But, I am certain that my travelling will be fun, and I am so excited for whatever adventures God may have in store for me and my friends.
I just ask you to pray for safety for wisdom for us as we travel. I always get a little nervous before setting out on one of these journeys and to a new country that I have never travelled through.
Love you all, and may God bless you today!
Christi

P.S.
And how could I forget? HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
I did nearly forget because it is not huge here in Austria, like it is in Canada. But it is a good day to think about and be thankful for those we love!

P.P.S.
I will be returning to Innsbruck for one more night, at the end of my travels, just not a full day! But it's not quite goodbye Innsbruck just yet...

 We had a lovely walk in the falling snow- look at those blue eyes of Finland, America and Canada!

And Thursday morning was my last 'full' day in Innsbruck. What a sunrise!

 And what a beautiful day! Doesn't this look a little bit like lego?

And to top it all off, a gorgeous sunset!

Of the comings and goings of people...

Good morning, good evening, where ever you are!
I am down to my last few nights in Innsbruck, and I can count them on one hand, which is a little saddening!
On Friday I will be leaving for 12 days of travelling (as I have previously mentioned) and after that I will in Innsbruck for only one more night! This past week has been full of goodbyes and spending time with each other.  And the rest of the week will continue to be the same! Slowly, the internationals are going back to their countries, and the full-time students are going home for the semester break (or travelling). And this is what it is all about: people.
My time in Innsbruck has been what it is because of the people that I met and become friends with. I have met so many amazing people, through school and through church, and through clubs. Everyone is in Innsbruck for a different reason, but God has all brought us here at the same time, for a season. I so strongly believe that every relationship I encounter is from God. He is in them all. And that's what will make it so sad to leave Innsbruck. But then again, if I were to stay in Innsbruck many people would be gone in their own countries, or if I were to come back in a few years, my Austrian friends would be graduated from university and likely have moved on. It's also the reason that I am looking forward to going home. I am so excited to see so many people in Kamloops, but it's exactly what makes it so hard to leave.

Today is also the first ever Family Day in British Columbia. When I first heard about the holiday, I was quite amused. I thought it was funny that there is now a specific day to celebrate families. But really, it is a great day because it gives us all a chance to humbly remember our families, who we so often take for granted.

Relationships are also a living reminder of God. People give us different glimpses of who God really is. I heard once that we each have different abilities that God has given us, but all of these abilities together give us a larger glimpse of who God is as a whole!
Relationships are also a reminder of the frailty of life, and the comings and goings of people humbly remind us to make the most of what we have each day.

So, as the days go by of the rest of my time in Innsbruck, in Poland, in England and in Austria I will praise God for the people that he has placed in my life and I will praise him for the relationships that I have.

Christi

Enjoying the beautiful sun in Salzburg, with my soon to be travel partner (we're going to Poland together!)

  All ready for the  Wonderland party, can you guess what each of us are supposed to be!

We attempted to go sledding in the afternoon, but unfortunately, it was closed. This cheese (and the chocolate) Fondue was a good alternative!

AND it's the season of balls in Austria! Ready for the Feuerwehr Ball with my cousin, Anne, and some other family! What fun we had together!

Making cookies with Mr. Moose (who has travelled all the way from TRU with me!)

I Don't Want to Come Home...

Happy Sunday Everyone!

So, off course this blog post goes along with my last post. In the last post I explained a moment I had where I just wanted to be at home. But... today I had an experience of NOT want to come home at all!
This morning was my last day at the Baptisten Gemeinde, the church that I have joined while being in Innsbruck. At the end of the service I went up to the front and told everyone that it would be my last Sunday attending this church and singing with the worship team. It was sad, very sad...
God was at work when he led me to this church. It has been a great family for me while being here in Innsbruck. I met many wonderful people and built some meaningful relationships.
Through the church I was able to join an English speaking bible-study group in which I found much support and love.
I have had the great opportunity to sing with the worship team, and they took me on, even though I had such an irregular church attendance from travelling so often on the weekends.
And by the end of the semester, I was able to listen and find meaning in the sermon WITHOUT taking notes!
The church was so welcoming on my first Sunday in Innsbruck and it was such a blessing to be a part of the family of God, across the world.

This is likely going to be just one of the wonderful things that I am going to have to say goodbye to here in Innsbruck. Oh yes- and my roommate flies back to S. Korea tomorrow, and we had to say goodbye this morning...
Oh the ups and downs of an exchange student at the end of her semester!

Blessings!
Christi

I Want to Come Home

I just had an 'I want to come home' moment!
The difficulties in having a cup of tea here are:
I have a nice, cheap Ikea mug for tea. Except it's more like a porcelain glass, because this mug doesn't have a handle.
I also have to carry this hot mug without a handle, from the kitchen to my room, passing through 2 doors which  have handles you must actually push down to get the door open.

So I made myself a nice cup of tea and had apples cut up on a plate. On top of the mug (which I was holding with a tea towel) I had the plate nicely balanced- in order to open the door.
Somehow, as I opened the door, the plate began sliding and I must have reacted in right the toppling plate, only for it to fly off and the fresh-boiled water from the tea jump out of the mug and onto my arm.
It's a miracle I didn't drop the mug!
But OUCH! That was hot, and now my arm is really red and hurts and.... I want to come home, where there are no silly doors between the kitchen and other rooms and the mugs have handles.
THE END.

The now infamous mug.