Brokenness

Throughout this semester I have been so overwhelmed with the brokenness in the world. I have literally wept multiple times. My heart breaks as I talk with family and friends about their struggles--financial issues, diseases, and deaths just being a few. Even as I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed I am bombarded with horrifying news that I would not wish upon my worst enemy, yet these are my friends' stories. I have no words. All that comes out of my mouth is, "I'm so sorry." I want so desperately to help, to heal the wounds.

Recently a Facebook page called Calvin College Confessions was created as a way for students to anonymously "confess" things they have done at/while attending Calvin. In regard to the page, a friend of mine said something like this--"Although it is not a good forum for discussion, a lot of the stories posted on the page were heartbreaking and are reminders that we really need to be reaching out to each other. We need to be doing so much more here at Calvin." We are called to love one another and must show this through our interactions within the Calvin community. We cannot judge each other or take pride in ourselves. We are all vulnerable human beings who need love.

All of the brokenness is a constant reminder to me how much we need God. He is the only one who can truly heal us. He is the hope in this constant flood of pain. At the end of the day, the only thing I know to do is pray. So that is what I do and will continue to do. And if anyone reading this is in need of someone to talk, pray, or just hang out with, Kalsbeek 205 is always open. I can't guarantee I'll know what to say, but I can try. Also know that God is here and He is weeping with you in your pain.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
[1 Corinthians 13:4-8]

Resting in God's Peace

So can I just say how happy I am that the election is OVER? Okay thanks. Whether or not we like the president and other election results, I'm just so glad that we can know that God is truly in control. I know that it sometimes doesn't feel like it, but in every time of peace and every storm, we can count ourselves blessed because we know that our Creator holds us in the palm of His hand. We truly can rest in His peace, praise God!

Throughout the semester, our professor has been sharing verses about peace before almost every class period. And now I am seeing why, at least for me personally. Within the past two days, the election has occurred and the results have been announced, my roommate had her appendix removed...while in PERU, and another close friend's mom is currently undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor. And I'm in Budapest, Hungary, unable to be there for any of it, feeling like I can do nothing to help. I start to worry, but then I remember that all I need to do is pray. God is truly loving and hears our every prayer. He hears our prayers for healing for our loved ones and hears our prayers for our nations' futures.

And now I am reminded of all the verses that our professor read about peace. Peace, that although I am halfway around the world, God is still in control. God is in control in Hungary, and God is in control in the United States, and God is in control in Peru. Praise Him. I know that He is in control of all the things that have me worried. He holds the president, my roommate, and my friend's mom in His hands. I know that I can rest in His peace too.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

[Philippians 4:6-7]

European Adventures

So, I'm pretty bad at keeping up on this blogging thing, but I'll keep trying. I got back from Fall Break on last weekend and before that explored some familiar places and some new places around Budapest and went to Romania on one of our group outings! I'll start in Budapest before Fall Break.

Temesvár utca. This is the street I live on...it's pretty cute.

Trusty ol' trams. 47 is the one we take to Pest, and 41 and 18 take us to northern Buda...or southern Buda (like Savoya Park for groceries).

LEVES. (which means SOUP.) and Yummy Noodles are two of our favorite places for cheap food to go.

Sugar! is this really, really, really yummy bakery/sweet shop.  Maddie and I shared three desserts between ourselves...oops.

There was a super cool design fair called WAMP...I couldn't resist buying the cute earrings.  Also, I like this picture because I unintentionally caught the typical Hungarian, well European, greeting of the double air-next-to-the-cheek kiss on camera.

And Gellert Hill is always beautiful, even if it is a pain to walk all the way up.

 And now for Lupeni, Romania.

Here's part of the little village on the mountainside that we stayed in...it was nice, even without electricity on the first night :P

A heard of sheep coming up the mountain as we were heading down.

Apartments in Lupeni.

SO MANY PUPPIES EVERYWHERE!

Not quite sure what he was doing...

The Bates' home where we were invited to dinner one night.

Romania was really quite beautiful :)

The icon tunnel leading to the Orthodox church.

And...a random bear that they keep on the mountainside. All of the Romanians are terrified of bears.

And Fall Break which consisted of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria!

Bavaria.

This church was SO TALL.

The Glockenspiel! We got to hear/see it play!

Neuschwanstein Schloss. This is the castle that Cinderella's castle was modeled after! It was beautiful.

We had to go to the Hofbräuhaus since we were in Munich! The Sauerbraten was DELICIOUS.

Eating ham/bacon and onion baked things in Friedrichshafen with Kathi!

Bodensee.

Super narrow alleys in Zurich.

CHOCOLATE EVERYWHERE :D

So I bought some :D

Innsbruck was so gorgeous and surrounded by mountains!

Innsbruck from up in the mountains.

The Mozart Bridge in Salzburg!

What a beautiful city.

Modeling shoot at the gazebo in the Sound of Music :P

The front of the Von Trapp family's home!

The back of the Von Trapp family's home!

And...taking a tour of the salt mines near Salzburg!

Croatia? No Problem!

So last weekend, 6 of us went to Croatia...it was just stunning. I am continually amazed by the beauty of creation. I'll just let the pictures do the talking here because I really can't do it justice.
But before I do, I'd just like to add that as beautiful as Croatia was, you don't really get the full experience unless you interact with some locals. I think that maybe 75% of the time they talked, all they said was, "No problem!" As funny as it was, it was kind of refreshing. Hostel owner driving us around the national park? No problem. Taxi driver taking us directly to where we need to go an hour away, going 100 km/hr in a 70 km/hr zone, stopping and asking at least five people for directions? No problem. Apartment owner calling his neighbor, taxis, and the bus company to help us get back? No problem. Why don't we all have this mentality that the Croatians do? Need help? No problem. What generous people.
So now you're probably saying, "Well, pictures then?"
No problem! :)

Sarajevo & Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Two weekends ago, our group traveled to the cities of Sarajevo and Mostar, which are in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I think Sarajevo has been my favorite city so far, outside of Budapest. It was such a diverse city in everything from religion to architecture. Sarajevo, well Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole, is predominately Muslim, with a large Christian population and a small Jewish population. I know that before the siege, the Sarajevans were known to be very peaceful, harmoniously living with neighbors and friends of other religious and ethnic groups. As an outsider, it feels that way now, nearly twenty years after the siege. I think we as humans, and as Americans, have a lot to learn from these people, especially about judgement, peace, and caring for one another.

Walking around Sarajevo and Mostar and learning about what happened in those cities and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole was really eye-opening. We always here about the atrocities human beings do to each other, but learning about it and then seeing the direct effects is powerful. We learned and read books about the horror and brutality, about how the Serbians cut off electricity, water supply, and food from the Bosnians, about how no one was safe--men searching for clean water, kids playing outside, families in their own living rooms...all could be dead in an instant if they were unlucky enough to be chosen as a sniper's next target. We learned about the rest of the world turning their backs, pretending not to know enough so they wouldn't be blamed for letting this genocide continue. We then saw remains of shelled buildings, bullet holes in stores and on the streets, people missing limbs, and other physical and emotional scars. Walking through the cemetery you could see inhumanity of it all. The sheer number innocent lives snatched away. How can we do this to one another? We're all people, I pray that we never lose sight of that, of the sanctity of human life. Do we not see how precious each one of us is? Christ calls us to love one another, we cannot lose sight of God's love for us, and of the power love has.

Bullet holes in the street were filled with red cement after the siege in remembrance of those who lost their lives.

Half of the city was built during the Ottoman Empire...

...and the other half during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 

Just some old guys playing chess and smoking.

THE BALKANS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. 

THE bridge in Mostar...21m high and people jump off of it for money. Crazy!

Delicious Bosnian coffee!