Day 86: Long, but entertaining =)

So Saturday turned out to be very good. This morning started off just the way I like it: with ministry. We had the Servolution kick-off, and we had a blast. My particular placement was in the Towers (the usual awesomeness). I spent most of the morning with friends Sarah and Becca going door to door through about 8 floors, inviting every person that answered to come and join the barbecue we had going on downstairs. It was great to see all the wonderful faces I usually see during Street Teams mornings; since we had the conferences and Justice Projects going on the past 2 weeks, we haven't gone to the Towers as often. The general reception of the barbecue was fantastic; this kind of thing is what many of the tenants consider the highlight of the year, since they tend to not get as much activity over there. It brought back memories of when I first came to Australia, but more importantly when I would serve with my parents and sister in C.P.O.M. It was just so refreshing. Plus, I got to practice my Russian in a bit, which was sweet; turns out Becca really wants to learn Russian, so we're going to be Russian language partners. We even spoke to a lady from one of the Towers that enjoyed the fact we were learning her language so much, she offered to help teach us; how cool is THAT?!?! God is so good, I tell you. I spent the afternoon in the flat, relaxing as I usually do when I'm in need of rest after serving. (Mom, you're going to be very, VERY surprised at this next part; esta lista?) With the help of my good friend and flatmate, Anders, I made my first self-cooked, self-prepared meal EVER: spaghetti with beef and mushrooms and some romano cheese tomato sauce. Of course, with Anders being Norwegian, he gave me tips on how Norwegians normally make spaghetti, so it was a learning experience as well as a cultural one. Believe it or not, I actually didn't do a half bad job on my first try, but it didn't come without some sacrifice:

Now, let me explain that this burn was NOT my fault. It was a complete accident from my other flatmate Erik, who set down the lid of the pot of boiling hot water on my arm without noticing I was there. I'm alright, but I have to wear this mark to remember my first time legitimately cooking (unlike just putting rice in a rice cooker and letting my mom do the rest). It was fun; I might have to do this more often! Tonight's church service was awesome; it was a prayer meeting, and it was phenomenal. Lots of movement from the Spirit! Afterwards, I was randomly invited by one of the guys to hang out with several other students that were going to have dinner and chill. So we ended up having some pasta (more noodles, oh yeah), observed the guys play Halo 3, and watched the movie Hot Fuzz (more British comedy awesomeness that I'm sure my sister might like). Overall it was a good day; tomorrow should be even better.

God bless,
Steven