they are HERE

My parents arrived safely on saturday and now they are here and celebrate Christmas with me. It is amazing and breathtaking for me as well as for them.

We celebrated Christmas this morning , for them it was the first time the American way and it was a loooooooooooot of FUN.

My God, I am so thankful to you for making this possible. You are woeing for their hearts, I know and I trust you my dear God thqat you have the best timing and the absolute control in all this. Please protect my parents, bless them and show them YOUR unfailing love!

Your sunshine K!

Guys, I am abslutely happy, this is the biggest blessing of my life so far (the only thing that can top that is when they become Christians!) Please pray for them! Thank you!! What an absolute new way and uniting way to celebrate Christmas!

my parents...are coming

...in 4 minutes, no in 3 minutes I will go to the airport. My parents are flying in, I am soooo excited! I am sooo excited. It is a dream come true! thank you God!!

HISTORYMAKER

I just came back from watching HAPPY FEET and it was really wonderful. One thing that I wanted to share was: It really touched me how Happy Feet DAVE went totally out of his way to change the world for his whole flock of Kingsized Penguins. I had a thought right then and a little prayer:

God, let me be a historymaker, let me be a worldchanger!

HOPE is the name of this ship

As you may have realized by reading my blog, I love images and I am inspired by the really good ones like this one: A ship setting sail in the morning, full of hope....where is its destination? What is its fate? Do you see it? Share it with me......

God the MASTERPAINTER

This morning, I went out to the car only to be so amazed by the sky. It was pink and orange and purple and all so bright and beautiful. God is the best artist, the best painter in the whole universe. It is really stunning how He paints the skies always so beautiful. Why don't you stop today and look at the sky and see for yourself how marvellous our Creator is :) A public admirer of His beauties Sunshine K

My coat of many colors

This week I got a very unique present and I want to tell you about it. I call it:

MY COAT OF MANY COLORS and it reminds me of the blessing that it was to Joseph in the Bible. It is a blessing to me, too.

One morning I came in to do the mail at East Hill and Karen from staff awaited me at the door. Totally excited, she pulled me aside and said: "Ok, this might seem weird but I've had this coat from my great grand mother. Every time I wore it, I felt this was not for me to wear! So I stopped wearing it asking God: well whose is it then to wear my Lord?"

The day before I had shown her one of my pieces of art, a watercolor picture of a Lighthouse in Greece, and she was really amazed and asked me a lot of questions and I told her my story how I came to the States and how God convinced my fearful heart to risk and come to East Hill which had had a prophecy of being a Lighthouse to the nations.

That morning Karen told me: "Kerstin, at that moment I knew that this was to be your coat so here it is!" She showed it to me and it was a coat with lots and lots of lighthouses on it!!!! My heart leaped. I have worn it ever since, it is I guess two sizes too big but I feel so alive in it, it is amazing.

This is my coat of many colors!

Thank you Karen, Thank you my dear Father in Heaven :))

The cave of wonders :)

A butterfly is beautiful, would you agree with me? A butterfly is so special for each one looks different. A butterfly never has an easy way coming to life. It goes through excrutiating pain and sweating. The time the canterpillar is in the cocoon is a time that does not seem to end. YET, when we see the butterfly crawling out of that cocoon, the cave of healing, the cave of growing, the cave of wonders (for ALaddin fans), then we witness a real miracle, real beauty being displayed and heaven and earth rejoices all in unison!

cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute

accepting my limits

I have not been writing for a while. I hit complete exhaustion and am now back on track. From this week on I won't have to work 2 to 3 jobs. They found a new copy lady and I am relieved. I am so tired all day and go to bed really early. I try to get along with myself and accept my physical limits but it is not easy. I cancel a lot ot social life these days realizing how tiring that is for me.

I am glad for what I have though... in 10 days my parents are flying in and I think that this is such a miracle in itself. My emotional world is kind of topsy turvey right now.

I am working on my water color passion more and more. I am so alive when I can paint and so alive when it turns out well :)

I think I will have some good creative time until Christmas (cards etc.)

I want to be able to know myself better, to accept what I see in me so I can be the one God created me to be in a successfull way :)

A new game

I want to start a little fun game here. Get on the internet and find a funny an adorable picture, a picture that makes you love or touches you in a special way and then write why and how. Here is my picture: I looove this one. WHY? It made me laugh and think of the cat I am living with, Cheddar wants to lick my face when I let him on my lap, then he comes closer and closer, it tickles and I start laughing. What is your picture and why do you like it? SHARE....

COUNT your blessings

Counting the blessings!

So often I see myself running through a field of total beauty without even looking at the beauty. I see myself walking past a Chistmast tree full of lights and going on my way. I want to see the blessings that my Father has for me every day, I want to feel my Father's hands on my cheeks blessings and anointing me telling me how precious I am to HIM, I want to see the roses on my stony path, every day. I start counting the blessings and I know that my heart will be filled with joy once I start. Count your blessing today!

My special place...

Here is where I find my Jesus. Our date place..that is what I call it. I see HIm sitting there waiting for me with open arms, I see myself running towards Him with the rest of strength that I still have. I loose myself in HIs arms and I cry, I am relieved, HE is here, my Savior, my Friend, my Soother, my Jesus. I look around and see all these beautiful green and tall trees, they seem to go right into the sky. I love nature and I love this place. I am here with Jesus, we are having a date and my soul starts to calm down. (sigh...)

exhausted on a monday!!!!

oh man, I am really exhausted, the new job challenges me and the fact that I still work in my old job doesn't make things easier. I have a desk now, a computer and I try to rememeber when I am supposted to do what. I wan tmy bed, I want a good massage (which I will have soon because I got a free one for my b-day...cool !!) I need a break!!!!!!!!!

Lord, please give me the strength I need to not only survive today but to live today, live in abundace, help me dear God, I sooooo need you!

Kerstin, your Goldschatz

wanna sleeeep and rest.....

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh

changing hats makes me TIRED

Hi there, it is friday, the end of the week and I just got a real desk and computer at work, this is sooo exciting! These days I move between three positions back and forth, right now I am the lady on the phone , later I will distribute the mail to the Children Center (Kids church!!) and the Youth center and so on. However, inbetween I change hats again and I will be the copy lady, binding books and copying handouts, cutting papers and such. So today I wear three hats!

I am tired and I feel it hard to breathe, I just want to relax and sleep, take a deep breath.

I am thankful for this job though! Really thankful!

Sunshine K.

open doors...closed doors

Open doors, closed doors.... are the doors of your heart open or closed? To whom are these doors opened and why...and to whom are they closed? I was inspired while I was browsing through pictures on my favorite sight (gettyimages.com) and I found this picture. The keys are there to either open the doors and that is a rather positive perspective. However, you can also look at it from the other end and say, these keys are there to close the door. Mmh, on which side are you? I am in different seasons with different people and my heart is closed to some and open to others. It is exciting what God is showing me and how HE guides my heart. So long and stay warm on these cold days :) Kerstin

...MY MOM....

This blog is dedicated to my mom! I love her and she has a hard time right now, she works her tail off and I hope everything will go well so that she can come with my dad together and visit me at the end of this month! My mom is the cute woman on the right side with the beautiful white hair. I need a better picture of her..... Please pray for her with me. Her name is Andrea Berthold Andrea comes from the GREEK and means : the bold one Pray that she will be bold as God has named her like this.

celebrate

I celebrate Jesus today

I celebrate Jesus today

I celebrate Jesus today

He is my biggest present of all time!!!!

will you celebrate with me?

THANK YOU LORD FOR 29 YEARS!!!!!!!!

DEAR LORD

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LIFE YOU HAVE GIVEN ME 29 YEARS AGO. I FEEL HONORED AND PRIVILEDGED TO KNOW YOU NOW. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE LIFE THAT I AM LEADING RIGHT NOW, THE FAMILY YOU PUT ME IN HERE.

THANK YOU FOR MY FAMILY IN GERMANY, YOU HANDPICKED THE MOM FOR ME AND THE DAD. WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS WHAT I FEEL INSIDE: TONS OF GRATITUDE TOWARDS YOU LORD. YOU MADE ME IN MY MOTHER'S WOMB, YOU GAVE ME THAT BUBBLY NATURE , THAT LAUGHTER AND ALL MY TALENTS AND GIFTS. YOU HAVE PROTECTED ME GAZILLION TIMES AND YOU WILL PROTECT ME! THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO MY CREATOR, THELORD ALMIGHTY, MY SHEPHERD AND BEST FRIEND, MY SHOULDER TO CRY ON, MY LIGHTHOUSE!

ALL TO YOU MY GOD ALONE

EVERLASTING ON THE THRONE!!!

PRINCESS KERSTIN SONNENSCHEIN BERTHOLD, DAUGHTER OF THE MOST HIGH!!!!

my conceited self...

...still being humbled....man, it hits like a thunderstorm being confronted with my conceited self, with my pride and all that stuff. I am hitting a thorough brickstone wall .Wow, it goes on and on......................... .................this is one humbled daughter of Abraham right here :) cherio Kerstin

I am living Romans 7 :(

Yes, I am living Romans 7. I knew that I was living Romans 7 in some special ares: doing what I don't want to do and not doing what I wanna do kind of thing. But today it hit me real hard: I saw another area where I do what I don't wanna do. Man, I want change, I want the Almighty Father to change and purify my heart to a heart of gold and silver. Only He can do that and only He can help me to be in tune with myself so that I actually start doing what I want to do!

I am living Romans 7 once again. It does not feel pretty, it is actually nasty and really hurtful. It reveals my fears and pains. With my God I can do all things, so I stand on Pilippians 4:13 in light of all that Roman 7 business!

cherio,

a humbled princess of God

Happy TURKEYday

So, it is Turkey day... and I made my first Turkey!!!! Man, it was delicious. My hostmom gave the directions and I stuffed it and cooked it just right!! I was a bit nervous cuz I know what a big thing Thanksgiving is here in the States. I am tired because of some good amount of Turkey in my belly (grin). I love this laziness and the good food! We had Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn in sauteed onions, broccoli with melted cheese, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, bread rolls, sweet potatoes (I am not taht fond of those...) and stuffing, then pumpkin pie with whip cream.

What did you have today? tell me!!!!

exhaustedness...and 7 days

NEW, NEW, NEW, everything is new, it is exciting, it is tiring. BUT 7 days until my BMB (Big Milestone Birthday). 7 days, a week, fun stuff! My new job is fun but it is really tiring at the same time. I fall in my bed every night. Gosh, and that is at 9 or 10pm. Do I have a life now? kind of but I am looking forward to the end of this transition..when I will be in the new job without getting trained while still trying to do the old job: mail and copying= a lot. My Supervisor told me today that I worked in three days as hard as in a normal week, no wonder that I am exhausted!!! In all this, though, I choose to praise God Almighty who made it possible for me to have more provision.

Thank YOu oh dear God,

I love you so much. YOu are giving me the full strength I need every second of the day.

Thank you for letting me vent during the day!

Thank you for loving on me in every moment, especially in my exhausted moments!

Your Sunshine

9 days...

9 DAYS UNTIL MY BIRTHDAY......counting down

NEW JOB

So this is my first day of a new job. It went well and I am really excited to get an hour change from 10 hours to 20 work hours a week. It is a 100 percent increase which is such an awesome thing. I am the mail lady instead of the copy lady now. I am tired though. Getting trained is draining. Besides, I am finally pretty much over my sinus infection!!!!!! I am glad and ready for this new job. I am ready because distributing the mail I get to see more people of East Hill's staff. I also get more hours which means more money and that is a good thing.

My new job is a blessing in every aspect! Thank you GoD!! I did not see that one coming :)

May God bless you and guard and guide you this week, may He show you His love and kindness through His grace, amen!

what is new in MY WORLD?

It is sunday...but hey, WHO said that it can RAIN then on a SUNday? I take this litterally, so now I have a problem. It is raining and raining and that makes me wanna curl up inside with a nice blanket, a hot tea and a good book.

What is new in MY world? mmmh, I will start my new job tomorrow that will provide me with the double amount of income which is a huuuge blessing from God. I still have this stupid sinus-infection and that is getting on my nerves.

10 days until my birthday and I think this year I will be a bit more excited than the last 2years. 29 on the 29th, good stuff. Hey what is new in YOUR world?

my parents...

I am thinking a lot about my parents who will come to the States this Christmas to visit for 10 days total. I am excited but also have mixed feelings. I am actually very concerned about my mom's health. She is currently working more than 10 hours a day at her job. She even works on saturdays. One sentence that she wrote in her last email really brings the urgency of prayer up for me. She said: I have never been this exhausted in my life, I hope I can make it utnil Christmas and not collapse in the States!

Please join me in prayer for my mom:

1. I want her to know the gentle strength andlove of Jesus, 2: that He pulls her through and gives her eagle strength! Thank you!

This would be the first time my parents really come into MY WORLD and stay for a while, no short visit. I have mixed feelings and am preparing myself spiritually and emotionally. But most of all I want them to be able to come, no job situation or health problem should hinger them!

cats cats cats

this one is all about cats. I love cats although people would say that I am a dog person. I love how cats move, I love how they are so elegant. I love the cat in the house I live although he can be so annoying. Cheddar is his name and he is not like a real cat, the personality does not fit. He is always around me, he wants attention and he wants to snuggle and be as close to me as possible for as long as possible. His motor is the loudest I have ever heard and it puts me to sleep pretty much immediately! Cats are fun. Well here is a funny story about Cheddar: He wanted to be in the bathroom right after I took a shoer, well I let him in and what does he do? He jumps carefully into the shower and licks the water (knotting my head at it) what is your cat story?

dancing in the SUNlight....

I love this picture, it is me at the beach last year, I was dancing and humming good songs, being completely happy and satisfied in nature. That is an awesome picture of where I can be, want to be and will be again deep down in my soul!

Dancing in the moonlight, everybody.....dancing....

MY walk

This is me, trying to walk step by step on the road of rocks in my life. The rocks are put there by my God and sometimes I see them, sometimes I don't. I have spent a lot of time on my homework today. It was homework for one of my healing classes that I attend here at East Hill. I found a lot of painful things while jumping from one rock to the next. This is how I feel: I need to be careful to catch every rock right, I am afraid to slip and get hurt. I am afraid to discover the hurt and pain that is underneath a lot of me. I know, this is the road I am on, the road God has me on in this season of my life. When I saw this picture with the woman carefully jumping from one rock to another, I felt reminded of my walk right now and all the time I invest into my healing with Jesus at my side. These were some insights into my soul, I guess....

Kerstin

this is me Kerstin from Germany

By the way, this is me, have a nice day!

OuuuoPPPPA!!!!

My Big Fat Greek Wedding....do I have to say more? Gosh I love this movie, here is a tribute to my greek friend Aris (ouuuopppa!). I so enjoy this movie. It is full of good music, full of really funny lines and it makes me laugh until I cry. "Give me a word, any word and I sshow you that it is Greek!" My friend Aris can do that to the T, he is famous for his impersonations of Tula's dad who heals everything with WINDEX and loves talking about Greece.

Have you seen the movie? Do you know what I am talking about here? Go and give me some quotes.....portokali means orrange!! Eventually, we are all fruit!!!

I also enjoy the dancing to the good music, I looooove it, anyone with me here?

Which movie have you seen recently that made you happy to laugh?

OUUUOPPPA!

weeeeek-end

Weekend in Oregon, weekend in Portland, weekend in Gresham, weekend on Linneman Street, weekend in this house with a dear and lovable long-haired black lab named BUDDY and an annoying Garfieldlike cat named Cheddar. Weekend. What does a weekend look like to you?

To me it is sleeping in, reading, painting, taking a walk (maybe not these days cuz it is raining and it is cold), having some good coffee and journeling (did I forget something?)

Yes, and on weekends I have time to meet withmy friends.

Weekend also means to connect with my friends and family around the world via email. I have more time to read my mails and respond more excessively. Weekends have this aroma of FREIHEIT (the German word for freedom) and I love this aroma. this aroma brought and drew me to CHrist himself.

Weekends, the finishing time of every week, the time to rest and relax, to expand and discover. In every language, I know, this time is called: the end of the week,

BUT TO CHALLENGE OUR THOUGHTS HERE A LITTLE BIT....ISN'T IT THE STARTING POINT, ISN'T IT THE NEW BEGINNING OF THE WEEK?

WHAT DO YOU THINK??

Sunshine Key

Friday night-painting....

It is friday night and I am doing nothing and that is fine with me. I just got done with my job. I just got done with my day and I am energyzed because I drank green tea and a lot of pumpkin spice coffee from Coffee's on. It has been raining like as if there was no end. A lot of puddles on the street and stuff. So the weekend starts right here, right now. When I am home I probably will paint a little bit. I just picked up my long term hobby and I love it. What is your long term hobby?

What do you like to do when you are just with you yourself and you? be blessed this weekend, may you experience JOY and LOVE,

Sunshine Key

Welcome to MY world

Welcome to my world! My world is full of life. My world is deep. My world is colorful and my world is emotional. My world can help you to breathe or will take your breath away. My world is personal and really tender. My world is bold and vivacious and strong , too. My world is an oximoron in itself. I think that is good and I do not deny it: my world is crazy. Why crazy? I am a child of God fully dependant on and living by the Holy Spirit who already helped Jesus come back to eternal life. Cool stuff! I am figuring out what it means to live by the Spirit and not out of my own wounds circeling around myself. Feel free to comment if you'd like. I love comments.I really enjoy blogging. When a very good friend of mine told me, she started blogging, I was not that much into it. But things change, right? Yes, they do. Have a nice evening and again: WELCOME TO MY WORLD! Sunshine K.

GIVE ME LIGHT, GIVE ME DIRECTION!

It is Tuesday and it rains like cats and dogs. In German we would say: Es regnet Bindfaeden! Today has been a hard day emotionally. I woke up in a good mood, later the roller coast ride began. It is hard for me seeing me weak for I am weak quite a bit and I’d rather seeing me strong. It is even hard to love myself in this time, grrrr. I am faced with anger and a lot of emotions coming to the surface. “At least you deal with it”, people say, yeah, they are right but it is painful and ugly. I am glad my BIG DADDY is here with me. I am glad He loves me no matter what and I am glad most of all that He does not love me less when I mess up! I try to wrap my mind around that- Go figure :) I might be able to work more and get more money but this, too, is totally in God’s hands. I will sit on my Daddy’s lap now for a while, being the weak self that I am, only to be and be alone!

still the same day

Man, this is the same day and I am at school right now. Don't get me wrong, I am not in school anymore, hahlleluhja! I graduated this summer. Tonight I attend a healing class, it is a really good one, intense and all. I have been in bed all day long, how boooooooring. What do you do when you are sick and in bed? Do you count sheep? Do you daydream or do you just sleep away?

Anyway (this is one of my most favourite American words), I try to pep up this site and if I don't succeed, I will cry out for help!

Sincerely,

Kerstin

Monday morning

Good morning,

this is my first blog entry, I am excited and try to be fullof energy. I figured this morning that I am sick again which kinda sucks to be honest. At least I do not have anything to do until this evening. The weather tells me to stay in my bed with a good hot coco. I will do that.

My blog's name is FREIHEIT which is the German word for FREEDOM. I am not referring to Mel Gibson or William Wallace or any scene of Braveheart although this movie is a very good one.

I am referring to the FREEDOM I find in CHrist and the FREEDOM I strive for on a daily basis.