What do you do?

We get asked this question alot: What do you do? We explain to folks that we are military missionaries. We provide a home away from home to military personnel and their families, lead Bible studies in our home, meet one-on-one with people, basically, we just do life with folks, and pray that our lives glorify God in the process. After we answer, people look at us very strangely.

The next question, as they wrestle with trying to understand what we do, comes quickly. What does a typical day look like for you? Boy, that's quite a different question. It's different because it's not easy to answer. Lou was home in Colorado this summer for a family celebration and he was asked this question a lot. So, we have been pondering a good response.

The bottom line....we don't have a typical day. We study for four ministry nights. We study for our discipleship and mentoring relationships. We maintain a home that averages 100 people a week through its doors. We cook meals for our ministry nights. We have commitments for the military chapel that are part of our weekly tasks. To facilitate getting to know people better, we lead off-base excursions. It's amazing what you can learn about someone on a 2 hour car ride to see a church in a cute German town.

We then move into the non-recurring type of activities. Things that just crop up. Sometimes, they are major things -- like our basement flooding or rushing to the hospital to be with someone after their child has attempted suicide.

Two weeks ago was a perfect example. We got home from our vacation to learn that there was a going-away ice cream party for one of our guys who was deploying - THAT NIGHT! We spent some time eating ice cream and hanging out with Chris.

We woke up the next morning to have an email waiting for us from an old co-worker. Her son-in-law had been injured in Afghanistan and was at Landstuhl. We were able to visit him and meet with him a few times that week before he was sent back to the States.

We capped the week spending some time with some friends who were having some struggles.

We experience many joys, lots of laughter and some sorrows in our job. But, it is different every week, every day. We are so grateful for the opportunity do serve our U.S. military and the Lord. It is an honor and a priviledge. All we know is our lives are fun and fulfilled and NEVER DULL!

Cathy turns 50!

Unbelievable! Where does the time go? 50 years!! When I turned 40, I remember thinking "I can see myself living longer than 80, so I'm not middle aged yet." Now that I'm 50, I can't really see myself living to 100, so I guess I'm officially middle aged.

I must say turning 50 has been great. I have enjoyed a month of celebration. So, I guess this is a big deal. I really don't feel much different than when I turned 30, despite when I look in the mirror and I see some affects of aging (wrinkles, some gray hair, more aches & pains).

My birthday has been celebrated in many fun ways. The people in our ministry threw me a surprise party. We had a fun BBQ, played some softball, volleyball, and corn hole. We ate good food and had super conversations. Of course, no 50th birthday party should be without a pinata! [Don't you just love the great form I had swinging the stick to break the pinata?!]

I was blessed with some fun and special gifts. I received many birthday cards in the mail. I am the oldest grandchild on both sides of my family. My mother decided to remind all of my cousins, family and close friends that I'm the first to turn 50. So, I received several cards from folks that I typically don't get birthday wishes from. It was really special!

My dear hubby took me on a 50th mini-moon to Slovenia. We spent 2 days exploring Lake Bled. A quaint town with a beautiful lake and mountains. It was wonderful to have a few days to totally relax and be together.

I wish I could say that I have great words of wisdom as I begin this new decade. I have learned that relationships matter most...not my job or my ministry. Relationships are what gets me through the joys and sorrows of life. My relationship with God, my amazing husband Lou, my daughter Katie, my friends! So, as I begin this next phase of life, I look forward to many more years growing deeper in my walk with Christ, loving my husband and daughter more and strengthening the bonds of friendship that I have been blessed with over the years!

4th of July Reflections

What does patriotism mean to you? Don't we usually think of that on the 4th of July. Patriotism, fireworks, freedom, independence -- these are the thoughts & ideas we reflect on this special day. Webster defines patriotism as love for or devotion for one's country. I love my country, I love what it stands for, I love the hope it gives me and others. I appreciate my country more now that I'm living in Germany. My pride for my country has deepened since I've been serving the military. Our freedom does not come without a price and I hope we never forget that!

As a child, my parents hung the flag on every national holiday. This was a family tradition and it instilled in me a sense of honor for our country and its flag. Here in Germany, it's very different. In the two years we have lived here, the only time we have seen flags flown is during the Soccer World Cup. Right now, the Womens World Cup is going on in Germany. Now, I must confess we don't know much about soccer. We are a baseball & football family. [I know my brother Chris would be very sad -- since he played soccer.] But Germans love their soccer! They love their teams and when the soccer tournaments are going on -- their patriotism shines.

Here is a picture of one of our neighbors cars. Bob & Liz Motley live right across the street from us. Bob is a retired Army servicemen and Liz is a German national. As you can see, two flags -- American & German -- being flown to show their allegience to their country soccer team.

Yet, it has caused me to think why this is the only time that their flags are flown. Outside of this sporting event, there doesn't appear to be the same love of country among the Germans. So, today as we celebrate our independence. Reflect on what our freedom means to you, reflect on what our freedom has cost others and be proud to be an American!

Fun adventures

When we decided to move to Europe, one of the things we evaluated was our savings. We decided to set some money aside to be able to enjoy some special trips while we lived here in Germany.

One of those trips of a lifetime was golfing in Scotland. A few weeks ago, Lou got to experience that with some very special friends. Roger Nielson (Spangdalem House Director), Marko Gittens (friend of ours) and Lou tackled three courses at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Roger really was instrumental in getting this trip off the ground. He found a nice bed & breakfast, worked the tee times and was able to get them on the "Old Course". For those of you who aren't golfers -- this is a really BIG deal.

The weather in Scotland can always been a little iffy. They enjoyed golf in cool, primarily sunny weather. But, they did have to dig out their rain gear for a few holes and when it rained -- it really rained!

We are truly blessed to have a good family, special friends and to be able to explore Europe while we are working with Cadence!

Missing family!

It's been a few weeks since my (Cathy) family has left. We enjoyed three weeks with them. The weather was absolutely amazing -- sunny & warm. The Spring time in Germany can be hit or miss. So, I'm thrilled that they experienced lots of unusual sunshine.

We did do some fun sightseeing and exploring. We nursed my mom's foot back to somewhat normal health. (Long story -- if you didn't hear, let me know and I'll fill you in). But, what was most significant and special to me is what I miss most about not living in the States. I truly miss our talks.

I am very fortunate to have a truly wonderful relationship with my parents -- frankly my entire family. I love the fact that my husband is treated like their son/brother not an "in-law". When I get caught up in my day-to-day routine here in Europe, I don't appreciate this truth. But, after spending those three weeks with them, I was reminded how much I truly miss my family.

Here are some fun memories from our time together. This picture is us exploring Worms, where Martin Luther stated his infamous "Here I stand, I can do nothing else."

We spent some time exploring Bastogne and learning more about the Battle of the Bulge. Here are the "band of sisters" [Aunt Penny, Aunt Mertie & my mom] checking out the actual foxholes that were used during this significant and very difficult battle.

One challenge we had was determining where we were exactly. Sadly my father wasn't a navigator for the Air Force and I'm very directionally challenged. Because of these factors, it made for some fun and interesting days together.

I'm grateful that we had such a wonderful time with them and I can't wait to be reunited again. Looking forward to more special talks and memories!

What a way to start a week of vacation!

It has been an enjoyable week with my family, but it didn't start out that way. My parents (Cathy) - Chuck & Pudge Collins - along with my two aunts, Penny & Mertie arrived for a vacation in Germany. We were excited to show them some sights in Germany, as we continued to run our ministry. On Monday, we woke up to my dad washing the kitchen floor. When asked to explain why he was washing the kitchen floor, he stated "I'm cleaning up your mother's blood." What?!!?

As the story unfolded, we learned that Pudge fell down the stairs. She cut her foot and was extremely bruised. All this started around 4:00 a.m., I had arose at 6:15 a.m. It's amazing all the stuff that was going on while I was sleeping. We convinced my mom to go to ER, because we were pretty sure she needed stitches.

What I have learned is that it is true - It's much harder to watch someone you love go through pain that to go through the pain yourself. We were at Landstuhl - where most of our military personnel are cared for if wounded in combat - waiting to see the doctor. My mom was truly hoping that she would get a pass on the stitches.

Needless to say, the doctor agreed with the rest of the family. The hardest part was washing out the wound and getting the foot numb. It was really hard for me to see my mom so uncomfortable and in pain. Fortunately, she only brused up her legs and received five (5) stitches. We were grateful nothing was broken or fratured.

This little "trip" cost us a delayed start on our sight-seeing; but Pudge has been a trooper all week. She is a little slower than normal, but we have been enjoying many spiritual, historical and fun sights.

Favorite Night of the Week

We truly enjoy our Sunday nights! We host two different studies. On the first and third Sunday's of the month, we are studying The Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas. We have 8 couples that are involved in this study. On the second and fourth Sunday's of the month, we are facilitating The Truth Project. We have about 20 folks involved in this study.

What we love about our Sundays is that we have a great time of discussion and learning, followed by a yummy meal and then dessert and fellowship. We get to connect at a deeper level with the folks that attend these studies. We get to love on our kiddos more. We have so many little ones that have grabbed our hearts: Kaden & Noah, Adde & Micah, Meadow, DJ, Joy, Greta, and so many more.

The folks that participate get more opportunity to get to know one another and develop some strong Christian friendships. Plus we have fun!

It is amazing the type of conversations that happen over a game of Rummy Kube, Hearts, or Telephone Pictionary. Where else can you go from having a discussion about Intelligent Design and then enjoy a game of Spoons? Only at the Rozmiarek's on Sunday nights!