a THANK YOU to Travis

I write this to thank my friends Alexis and Travis Mielonen. During my stay in Oregon, Travis helped me to become better in the appearances of my Newsletters. I am really grateful that he helped me and things seem much easier for me now. I also like the new look of things.

Thank you Travis for being available for me in this. I am not really that inclined!

Travis and Alexis and their two girls are preparing to go on the Mission Field themselves in the very near future. My prayers go with you guys. Poland will be blessed to have you there!

To check out their wonderful journey with Jesus and the vision God has given them for Poland click here

Back in school ?

Oh and I recall another really great time during my trip. I was in Germany at that time.

I figured it would be a good thing to get some copies of my graduation diploma from 1997 whilst in town. So I went to my old High school (Friedrich-Ebert Gymnasium in Muehlheim) and was happy to meet some familiar faces. I 've always loved chatting to my teachers. I ran into my French teacher who accompanied and supported me throughout my garduation since French was one of my majors. We started chatting and soon she invited me to come and share a bit on South Africa and my work here with one of her graduation classes during an upcoming project day. It fitted in and so I went.

What a joy to be with my teacher in the classroom and speak French :)

I thank Elisabeth Varennes for a great morning - may her class do well and succeed in their graduation!

KPDQ 800AM - TRUE Talk with Kerstin - 16.03.2013

Add captionIn the studios where 104.1 The Fish records as well

What a great morning I had a month ago. On the 5th of February Leslie Nelson invited me to join her in a broadcast on her radio show on KDPQ True Talk. She wanted to interview me since I am living a life of a missionary abroad in South Africa. It was so much fun and such an honor!
I know Leslie Nelson from my time at the Bible college  Oregon College of Ministry back in 2004-2006. She was on the board then.

Here with Reverend Leslie Nelson after the recording

We were there in the morning of the 5th of February to record the broadcast that will air next Saturday the 16th of March 10:30 Oregon Time (Pacific Standard Time).
It will also be on the official website of her ministry on the radio: www.heartofthesaviorministries.org  .
If you click on KDPQ True Talk on the right side and then go to the drop off on the left side and click ListenLive, you will be able to listen in to her itnerview with me.
We had a lot of fun and this was my first time being on the radio. I enjoyed it so much.
 Here is a thank you to Reverend Leslie Nelson for such a great opportunity.




MY BE – My Brainstate Experience so far

Here I am again on 84 – this is the Interstate I need to take on my way to where the Brainstate is done. What is Brainstate? It is an awesome opportunity for me. It is a facility where brainwaves are read and replayed to the brain to optimize and balance it.

It was an adventure to find the place on Monday morning, Mapquest and Googlemap helped me again and I smiled triumphantly as I arrived on campus after a 35 minutes drive (84---I-05 and exit 293).

A nice recliner was going to be my home for the week, I was told. Sweet. I would sit in it during all my sessions. I would have a morning session with 5 increments of 8 minutes and an afternoon session like that. Once on the recliner, I relaxed. I was told to close my eyes for the first few increments and she put sensors on my head (see pictures). Then I got headphones and the sessions started. It was really something else. I could hear my own brainwaves interpreted as music or sound bits through the headphones. After a few times doing this with eyes closed, I had to do this with eyes open. That was hard – I just wanted to close them and had to order my eyelids to stay open.
During the day I drink a lot of water. I am supposed to refrain from alcohol (which I don’t drink anymore since November 2011 anyway - so no problem there- grin) and coffee (so if I really long for some good Northwest coffee, I do decaf). I am supposed to eat more Protein this week and drink a looot of water (which I do, hehe). On my first day in my lunch break I found a Mongolian Grill (CHANG'S) and I loved my lunch there with great meat and veggies.
Yesterday, she had me choose a background music that I favor (I could choose between chirping birds, ocean sound, rain sound, stream and wind sound. I picked the birds since I love them chirping an this is really a soft chirping.

Today will be my 4^th day of Brainstate. I have observed that my brain has become more focused, more present and IN THE NOW. I also realize that my brain is tired since it is adjusting and readjusting constantly. That is so amazing. I know I will write again as the week draws to a close. I am thankful and blessed to be able to do this and my prayer is that God loosens everything that needs to be loosened and that He brings my brain into a great new equilibrium.

Yes, only 1 day until I will be flying back to Frankfurt to spend 5 weeks with my parents. I am so so excited. 
----one day, one day, one day :)
This last 2 days I have been extremely blessed. I am still processing the goodness that comes from God through people.

I am very grateful and full of thanksgiving


and I am preparing my body for a shock of temperature

new post

I know, this title is not very creative. May this have to do with the hour of me writing it? It is 3pm and my mind is a bit fried after meetings and work. I am about to go into my 5th genesis session with a woman and I am so eager to see what the Holy Spirit is doing next.
I have been pondering about what I can blog on and there is a series I want to start next week: Memorable Moments. I will pick moments that I experienced here in my life...right now I think it will be from the last  few years here in South Africa. "Should be fun!"
Do you want to join me and write about your memorable moments? Think about it.
Last night, I watched the Chronicles of Narnia (The lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) again after a ling time. Oh how I love this movie. I never read teh books by C.S. Lewis though. I just loooove Aslan. They picked out such a beautiful tender male voice for him. As I watched, I actually made mental notes of teh scenes and a teaching that could go with it.
-like the enticement of Edmund by the evil white witch
-or when beaver tells the kids about the prophecy
oh there are so many great scenes it...such golden nuggets.

My favorite scene is when Aslan raises from death and he surprises Lucy and Susan, so so awesome. What is your favorite scene?

Multiplication

Multiplication is happening. I have had this on my heart for 3 years and it is so cool to see the beginning of it. Yesterday evening, my friend that I took through Genesis last year, started  her own Genesis group. I met with her last week to prepare her for the facilitation. She is ready and so eager.

Multiplication is happening.

2 thoughts: gold and trust

Hi everyone...or Hi to the one who actually still reads or follows my blog. I have not been really faithful to writing this year. I apologize. Today, I realized that I just have to MAKE the time and I will try to blog again for frequently. It will be a lot about impressions of my work here in South Africa, about thoughts and feelings and also about my walk with Jesus. Just as it has been.

Today I want to share 2 thoughts with you.

1) The first one takes me back to March of this year. I wrote in my journal that Jesus gave me a picture that morning. And here goes the picture..or scene for a lack of a better word:

I was sitting with Jesus and I had a pretty heavy heart. Jesus said to me: take your burdens and your fears and give them to me. Well, that was not a new concept to me and I gave Him my burdens and my fears. As I watched Him take them, they actually turn into golden balls in His hands and then I was so overwhelmed looking at HIS facial expressions. He seemed so careful with my burdens and fears. Unbelievable. Then Jesus said: My love, don't you know that even your fears and burdens are PRECIOUS to me? I have been meditating on that statement from my Lord this week. It is truly overwhelming but I am so thankful. From time to time, fears can overwhelm me and my heart is very heavy. I am so glad He reminded me this week of HIS love, HIS mercy and HIS favour over me. IN CHRIST I am the righteousness of God!

I did not want to make this blog post about me and yet I love to share what God is telling and how that actually changes something in my heart.

I have been on the mission field for 4 ½ years. This is my life and there are so so so many wonderful things about it. I hope I make a change in people's lives in touching them with Christ's love. And so often I battle with myself.

2. The second thought comes from my first year here in Cape Town. Jesus explained TRUST to me. See I love to make an acronym out of a word. So Jesus gave me the content to the word T.R.U.S.T. And here it goes: T. stands for TAKING A STEP back, R. stands for RESTING IN HIS PEACE, U. stands for UNDERSTANDING GOD'S POSITION AND MINE IN THIS, S. stands for STAYING AND MEDITATING ON THIS THOUGHT, and the final T. stands for TOTAL SURRENDER. Trust is a big issue and it comes back into my life again and again. Oh how little I trust God!

I am so glad that I can come to God with my burdens and fears...and I can come to HIM with my doubts. The battle is half won when I have identified what's wrong.

Dear friends, supporters and interrested,

I have been praying for a while about this trip and I am happy to say that I have the tickets for the trip. I will spend a special and significant amount of time with my parents over Christmas, New years & the whole of January (5 weeks).

The goal in Germany: to love on my parents, to care for my parents and also to see what God wants me to do to disciple them. That last point was part of God's challenge to me. My mom already asked me to read the Bible with her. I see that as a big part of my trip. It will be my mom's 60^th birthday on December 31^st. What a wonderful opportunity to be together!!!!! Likewise, I'll try to have some efficient time at my German Foursquare Church in Frankfurt.
Goal for Gresham (3 weeks): I was invited to be one of the bridesmaids for my friend Carina Austin. Then, I need to reconnect with donors. An important part of this trip needs to be some relaxing and peaceful time. I am praying about one more thing: I've been wanting to make usage of the Brainwave Optimization. This is Brain Mapping and Brain Training done at the Northwest Renewal Center in Gresham (www.nwrenewalcenter.com). It would be such a blessing to be able to do at least 5 sessions (incl.the training and mapping 1100 $). I have been suffering from bi-polar for 12 years and I came to understand that this brainwave program could be used by God in my healing process in a tremendous way. I would so love to be able to do this. I put this in God's hands.

For these next months, I don't dance and I don't go to the gym. I actually quit the gym to use the money for part of this trip. Dancing also contributed to costs. Thus I let it go for a few months until I come back.

Please give me feedback, let me know if you will be there at the time. I will have some gatherings planned and will tell you more as the time draws closer.

Be blessed today and may HE who put the stars in place bless you, set you free and guide you into all truth!

Kerstin, your Long Term Missionary in Cape Town/South Africa

Please pray and see if God puts it on your heart to support me especially for this trip.

The money needed for this trip has impacted my reserve fund. I do need to refill it with at least $ 1900. I already fundraised $ 250.

Every dollar would help me to come back to Gresham and bring stories, videos and pictures, to be with my parents over Christmas and my mom's 60^th birthday and it would help me to minister to my parents.

Let me know what you think!

Make checks out to East Hill Church, PO Box 650, Gresham OR 97030

memo line: Long Term Missions South Africa

Brainwave Optimization at NRC - wish/do

http://www.nwrenewalcenter.com/

As I am going over my list of things to do when I will be with my parents and when I will be in Gresham/Oregon again, there is one thing that is more on my wish list than on my to do list.
I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now.

When I came to Gresham in 2009, I heard the first time about the Brainwave Optimization. Through brain mapping and brain training, the brain can be positivly influenced and even behavioral structures can be altered. Back then I was too late to actually do it since you need to book in advance and I only had a small amount of time left to spend. When I came  back last year, I got more inforrmation on this. I am very interested since I have been struggling with bi-polar for over 12 years.
Brainwave Optimization is designed to balance brainwave frequencies through an advanced neurofeedback process. Dr. Ted Roberts, cofounder of Northwest Renewal Centre, writes about his personal experiences with taking these sessions: http://www.nwrenewalcenter.com/drted.htm


So now I know about it and it would be so great to be able to do it when I am going this time for 3 to Gresham for 3 weeks this coming Februray 2013.
I am praying about it and  let's see what what God has in store. I know that the sessions and the mapping cost money. However, I know that this money would be well invested.

1 mouth and 2 ears!!

In the book of James it says to be slow to anger and quick to listen. That means, slow to react and say something in anger than to shut my mouth and listen.

A wise man that I don't know the name of once said: "There is a reason why we have 1 mouth and 2 ears and 2 eyes". This means: rather lsiten and watch/observe more than speak.

I thought about this piece of advice this morning as I was praying over the day. It is true. I DO have 2 ears but do I actually use them as much as I use my mouth? I am thinking about my every day situations: at home with the neighbors - at the office with coworkers - then with friends.
It is a resfreshing thought, a refreshing piece of advice.

Dear Lord, help me today to speak less and listen more!


I have not blogged in quite a while. There have been so many times, where I had something on my mind to blog about but then I did not have the time nor the inspiration to blog.
I am now in the posession of my tickets and I started to plan. There are several things that are on my to do list. Let me tell you more about that in my next post. xoxo

I am coming in January/February 

I fly in around the 30^th January and plan to stay

until around the 19^th February - I am excited to be in my second home again.

The tickets including a time in Germany where I am able to spend Christmas

with my parents again after 5 years costs me around 1900 $.

My reserve fund would need to be refilled with this money.

I ask you humbly to consider donating to the Long term Missions account for South Africa

at East Hill to fill it up again.

ANY Donation would bless and help me go

back on the mission field in Cape Town

where God called me to be.

Any questions? kerstin.berthold77@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for praying about it!

I appreciate it lots 