praise God! after just 2 days. we have our new pope! the 265th pope of the Catholic Church!

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany has taken the name Benedict the 16th.

So we have a new Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Benedict the 16th.

may he guide his flock just closer to the Good Shepherd with all the challenges of the times.

Currently Watching Lost - The Complete First Season By Matthew Fox see related

this is a great piece and promise from Saddleback Community... the community behind Purpose Driven Life..

The Angel Stadium Declaration: April 17, 2005
by John Fischer.

have been pretty busy lately and quite lazy to put in some entries here. but great things have been happening. God is SOOOO GOOD!!!!

i am in stockholm now and ill be staying here for about 2 more weeks as i need to wait for the release of my resident id. yup!! you read it right!! i am officially a swedish resident now and i can get an id that would give me some privileges. if im not mistaken, its like having the equivalent of the US Green card. and this will be a big help for the missions! i need not fear immigrations and borders now. i have dreaded them for 2 years and i havent been caught. all the memories of being able to escape authorities has made my stay here more adventurous and meaningful. but the Lord wants me to have peace of mind and i can now plan with greater assurance of continuity as my stay has been fixed already.

the precon season is over. i finished the last one yesterday here in sweden. it was all good. praise God! it was just like yesterday when i first blogged here about my 6 nation tour. its all done!! people have set their sights on Rome now for the Megacon. i thank God for the beautiful experiences and the wonderful people and His amazing grace that i was able to conduct everything from the directing to giving talks, to sharing, to praisefests to eveb video editing and shooting! i have learned a lot and it has greatly enriched my missionary life.

i am taking a 2 day breaka nd i will visit my family and friends in oslo norway. im taking a 7hr bus ride just to be with my peeps there. i miss them. we had a great time during the precon preps there and during our mission to iceland.

if u wanna see how crazy we got... go to http://homepage.mac.com/andreios/PhotoAlbum33.html 

and for the videos... go to.... http://homepage.mac.com/andreios/FileSharing37.html

thats it for now!

this has been a crazy week for me. i had 4 different hosts, in 3 different countries all in a matter of 7 days! talk about adjusting to different hosts, cultures and languages. I was in 2 cities in Germany (Frankfurt and Essen) and in Copenhagen, Denmark and i just came back from Malmo Sweden. Im back in Copenhagen now.

and all these time, my hosts have been feeding me so much and i couldnt say no so im having a hard time fulfilling my lenten sacrifice. guests cant be choosers and i can´t be ungrateful by not eating what they serve me. i do hope God understands me. He knows in my heart how i want to fast from eating. i cant think of anything else to fast. i dont drink softdrinks anyway, i dont eat much chocolates, i dont have any vice. so what else can i sacrifice?

well i have decided to just spend more time in prayer and not ask too much from God for myself but intercede more for other people this Holy Week. that´s all that i can do as i cannot do any other sacrifice.

have a blessed week everyone!  

Currently Reading Come Thirsty : No Heart Too Dry for His Touch (Lucado, Max) By Max Lucado see related

this work definitely makes you a better person. i have always believed that i need this work more than this work needs me. i do have certain skills and talents which are very useful for mission work but i am greatly enriched by the work. i have learned so many things through the years and have gained so much experience. i owe so much to this coz  wouldn´t have experiened or tried out things if not for this work which pushes you to your limits and beyond.

i have given talks, written talks, shared to a group of 2 to a crowd of a million, danced, sang, acted on stage, acted on tv, hosted a segment on a morning show, guested in different tv programs, marched the streets, hosted rallies, built houses, taught children, do some farming and fishing, made presentations to different people, travelled Europe alone in a backpack, lived alone, lived with different families, made people laugh, made people cry and just today.. i learned how to edit through Pinnacle! isn´t it amazing?

and i haven´t mentioned yet what the Lord has done for me through this work. and i know that the list would be 10 times longer. God has dome so much more for me in this work than what i have done for Him and can ever do. He cannot be outdone in love and generosity.

i need this work to help me be a better Christian than this work needs me for YFC to be better.