Tuesday 10 August 2010

The First Day

Yesterday (Sunday) was the first day of lectures. I really enjoyed them!

Arrived at Weimar on Friday at about 11:30. There was no one to meet me or show me where I was supposed to go. I ended up chatting to the head of house keeping for half an hour - she is very nice, and has a lot to say! Then I started knocking on office doors in the AFCOE building and managed to find a person who actually knew what was going on. (Erik Flikenger, who is the assistant director of the program.) He found out what my room number was and showed me where my dorm was - also acquired to  promised bedding and towels etc and the name tag - which is important because you don't get into meals without it!

My room mate is called Heather, she is very nice and also talks a lot. At Friday night vespers they were trying to figure out who had come from the furtherest away, I won (but I think that Norway might actually be further away than New Zealand) anyway I got to choose the next hymn, so I choose a Christmas Carol. Funny thing is that the next person who got to choose a hymn (the oldest person) also choose a Christmas Carol. I am not the only one who loves them and thinks we should sing them all year round!

First Impressions of Weimar;
1. Run down and untidy - but you can see that efforts are being made to repair and improve the place.
2. The bread is a little stale ...
3. Some of the people here are weird/intense - but I thought the people at BHHEC were weird when I arrived there too - and I came to love all of them, lol!
4. Lots of trees! and not just pine trees.
5. The lectures are very good!!!
6. I am missing the beans at breakfast, so far every breakfast has had porridge (oatmeal) I HATE oatmeal!!! With a PASSION!!!!!!! They also have other stuff, but I am missing my breakfast grains as well, am getting hungry before lunch time, will see how it goes for a couple more days and then see if I can find someone to talk too if nothing changes.

I like Sacramento - what I saw as I drove through on the Supper Shuttle (which is like a cross between a taxi and a bus), Sacramento strikes me as a cross between a New Zealand city and an Australian city, lots of trees!!!! including gum trees. All the grass is brown and dried, and things are a little untidy. But the houses seem more like the ones at home and lots of the houses have fences around their front yards. Still no grass verges between the footpath and the roads though.


Notes from one of My Lectures Yesterday:


The Sanctuary Prayer

When your prayer has structure you tend to be more able to keep on focus and not drift into random even sinful things.

1.       The entrance way; Psalms 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
·                    Begin with thanksgiving and praise.
·                    Thanksgiving is for what God has done.
·                     Praise is for who God is. (e.g. Look at God’s names, characteristics, singing,

2.       Alter of Sacrifice; 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
·                    Go through the Ten Commandments; have I done ______ this week...?

3.       Laver; Jesus says I am the living water, asking Jesus to give us a thirst for His righteousness. Ephesians 5:25 – we are made clean by the washing of the word.

4.       Table of Shew Bread; promises that are in God’s word that apply to my life, claim them. And look for the conditions of the promises and make sure I have met them.

5.       Seven Branched Candlestick; Holy Spirit and witnessing, ask for the Holy Spirit and for people to witness to.
                                                    
6.       Alter of Incense; praying for other people – intercession.

7.       Ark of the Covernant; ‘Be still and know that I am God’ stop talking, be quiet and listen.

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