Page 9 of 17

Tailwind – when others support me

25. June 2013 / Kerstin Hack

When renovating.

My sister’s charity was recently a part of a competition, where the charity with the most donators, rather than the largest sum of donations, would win advertising resources for a campaign. One of the things that really struck me about this competition was the incredible support she received from other people.

Not only did over 120 people contribute financially to the cause, but many wrote about the charity on their own blogs and Facebook pages as well. I cried when I read the words of one woman in particular, who said: ‘don’t wait for a miracle, be one yourself’. She was writing about a group of great women who were trying to change the world and counted me amongst them.

She wrote about my ship, the pressure of the unexpected extra costs, how I was praying for a miracle and wasn’t afraid to be open about my difficulties. She then explained how €10,000 had already come together and that she knew the project was bound for great things.

Her words gave me so much hope and reinforcement. So, if you ever feel obliged to do so, please share my project with your friends and send a gust of tailwind in my direction.

God didn’t just hear my prayer…he exceeded it!

8. May 2013 / Kerstin Hack

If I’m honest, when I heard the news from the dockyard, that I needed to pay 20,000 euros more than I had orginally planned, I was just schocked. Then I cried and then I talked with my God. For one, I didn’t know how I should go about getting the rest of the money together. Secondly, the idea that I was going to have to pay off €20,000 extra over the next months or even year was a complete nightmare.

I prayed that God would present me with at least a quarter of the sum required -I asked for exactly €5555. I couldn’t really imagine any more than that. As I am writing this, we have surpassed the requested €5555 and I am completely overcome and crying with happiness. I did not expect or think this would happen. It moves me, that so many people (over a 100) have contributed to the cause, from as little as €1 to as much as €1000. Lots and lots of people have contributed 1,5,10 or 20 euros and together this amounts to a lot. Others could give more and they did that, which is also wonderful! It’s such a miracle how all the little donations add up to 1,000.

With the help of the donations and a loan, I was able to pay the dockyard. The ship is now free and we can start work again as normal, welcome helpers on board and so on. This makes everything so much easier!

Encouraged by the 100+ miracles I venture to ask my God, that the rest of the money that we need will come together, so that I won’t need to spend months paying off loans, but rather use the money for further rennovation work.

What you can do:

. Contribute financially: as much or as little as you can. The best way to do this internationally is via paypal. The email address is: info@down-to-earth.de alternatively you can click on the paypal DONATE link at the side of this blog.

. Make something: perhaps you could paint, bake or make something to sell in order to raise money for the ship. Eg. Sell homemade cakes after a church service.

. Sell something: you could collect old objects, books and items of clothing and create a mini-flea market with a group from church. Alternatively you could use web platforms such as EBAY (clothes, objects) or AMAZON (books) to sell your items, and then donate the money to the ship.

. Help on Board: this is particularly wonderful in the summer. We work hard during the day, and then enjoy a barbeque on board in the evenings. Previous handywork experience isn’t required.

. Donate materials: perhaps you have some things lying about that could be of use to us. We need a lot of stuff: wood, toilets, fireplaces, lea, paint brushes etc. If you have access to building materials – please let me know. I can give you a more specific list of things.
. Become a Partner: commit to being a Godmother or Godfather of the Ship projekt over the next 10-12 months through the following:

– Praying for 5 minutes a week
– 5 hours of practical help on board a month (if you don’t live in Germany, perhaps you could commit to spending a week helping out)
– Donating €5 or more a month to the ship project fund.

Godmothers and godfathers of the ship will be the first to know of any important developments.

I am ever so grateful for all the gifts and donations that I have received for the ship over the last couple of days. It’s so overwhelming!

As well as donations, there are other ways of supporting the Shipproject where you can get something in return.
I source my income primarily from the Down To Earth publishing house and coaching. At the moment, all the money that I earn that I don’t need to use for rent, food, health insurance etc. goes directly into funding the Shipproject.

You can support the Ship-project indirectly and get something in return!
– Why not treat yourself or a friend to a new book or leaflet from Down To Earth. The books are available from the Down To Earth website, as well as Amazon (although they do take a lot of money from us!) please choose whatever is easiest for you.
We currently have two English titles:
‘The Father’s Love’

Print DTE: http://down-to-earth.de/englische-titel/quadro-the-fathers-love.html
E-book DTE: http://down-to-earth.de/englische-titel/e-book-quadro-the-fathers-love.html
E-book Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Fathers-Love-Experience-ebook/dp/B00946R5MC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1368007236&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Father%27s+Love+Manfred

‘Learning To Forgive. The Art of a Life of Inner Peace.’

Print DTE: http://down-to-earth.de/englische-titel/quadro-learning-to-forgive.html
E-book DTE: http://down-to-earth.de/englische-titel/e-book-quadro-learning-to-forgive.html
E-book Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Forgive-Inner-Freedom-ebook/dp/B00946HK9K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368007912&sr=1-1&keywords=Learning+to+Forgive+Kerstin+Hack

– We are currently in the process of translating our LEA online training course. I wrote LEA in order to help people find freedom from their physical or spiritual burdens. It has been incredibly successful in German and we are looking forward to starting our first online course in English from the 1st July. The course lasts for 3 months and costs €99. More information coming soon, but if you are already interested please send me an email.

I hope that you will enjoy these products, along with the joy of knowing that you are helping to build something that many people will use and benefit from.

My Ship, Pirates and Ransom

28. April 2013 / Kerstin Hack

YES – this was the idea

To finish the steel works and to have a safe and secure ship! And a beautiful one, too. And we did it. The steel works are finished and the ship now is safe and more beautiful than ever. I am happy!

OH NO – that was NOT the idea

It is normal in building that in the end costs are higher than planned. I had planned for a few thousand Euro of extra costs. Two days ago I was told that I have to pay 20.000+ Euro more – in additon to what I had already paid. This is partly doe to the long and cold winter that delayed a lot of work and made it much more expensive (extra heating etc.) – and due to the flood we had that cost us a lot.I had not expected a sum as large as that. I am unhappy!

Ship held hostage

What is really bad: If I do not pay the money or at least a large downpayment in the next days the dry dock owners will hold the ship hostage until I pay. That means that we cannot continue to work on it. YIKES.

So I need a miracle

I need a huge miracle…or a thousand small ones. This blog inspires a lot of people. I figured out: If each person who reads this Blog contributes 10 Dollar or Euro to my paypal account (info(aaaaaaaaaaaaatyttt)down-to-earth.de) I can make it.

May10 $ or € too much for you – that´s fine. Maybe you can help with 1 Dollar or a few cents. That is great too. Maybe someone else can take on a bigger part so that we all together can pay the ransom money and keep the project going It is not about a ship – it is about creating a space where people can find help and orientiation.

And yes…feel free to tell your friends about it! Maybe they want to join in, too. And your God. Ask him for one big miracle. Or a Thousand smaller ones.

And yes – you are welcome to spend your holiday on board – and help us paint, repair and turn this ship into a place that will be a haven for many people.

Please comment if you want to be a part of making this dream reality!

A spark of happiness in the humdrum

24. April 2013 / Kerstin Hack

Now it is spring….I wrote this 3 weeks ago, when it was still icy and cold…it took a while to translate…the story is still good…

There are very few weather conditions that can deter me from cycling. Today was one of them. An ice cold wind was blowing, (it was minus 17 degrees centigrade yesterday!) and I knew that after 2×40 minutes of cycling I would be frozen to the bone. So I decided to take the tube for once.

On the way back I bumped into a homeless woman who I had met before. The last time I ran into her, she told me that she was in a lot of pain. We had got off at the same station and what I actually wanted to do was to offer to pray for her – but I was too cowardly. So I “secretly” prayed for her on the way home and one other time before the next time I saw her.

Now I’d runinto her again, selling the German equivalent of the Big Issue in the underground. I gave her some money and asked how things were with her pains. She said that everything was fine. I then actually wanted to tell her that I’d prayed for her, but by that time she had already turned around and got off. Maybe another time.
I’m happy that my God obviously answered my prayer – without me knowing it. I wonder how many other prayers there are that God has answered without my knowledge.

The Ship, Sacrificial Anodes and Easter

24. April 2013 / Kerstin Hack

The ship’s welding is done and dusted, everything’s waterproof and we now just have to paint the base coat, then the dock work is done. Unfortunately there’s no sense in doing any painting with the cold, wet weather we’re having, so for now we’re taking a break. A good opportunity to give a bit of background information.

The ship is made of steel. When water comes in contact with iron it forms a galvanic cell (just like a battery), whereby acid comes in contact with the iron and corrodes it and then the steel gets corroded and rusts. All that from water touching steel. Steel and water simply don’t get on; and then sooner or later, the steel is worn out.

To prevent that from happening, we’re attaching so-called “sacrificial anodes” to the ship. In plain English, they’re simply lumps of low quality metal. As the name would suggest, they sacrifice themselves. They get eaten away first and that means that the ship’s steel is protected.

Usually sacrificial anodes for sea-faring ships are made of zinc and for fresh-water ships of magnesium. Magnesium anodes can also be used in briny (salty) water. They offer full protection but are corroded faster than zinc anodes.

The sacrificial anodes (the grey lumps on the picture above) are going to be attached to the outside of the ship every few metres along. What’s more, we’ll be giving the ship a coat of a conductive underwater paint containing metal, so that the sacrificial anodes take the strain.

A few things have gone wrong with my ship. I suspect that the last time there were lots of people on the docks, a few new anodes were attached. It’s just that some heroes have covered the ship in a mixture of zinc and magnesium anodes. They counteract each other. What’s more, the ship wasn´t given that special coat of paint. The result: the corrosive process was in full swing.

The stern (rear part) of the ship usually suffers the most, and here the steel was fairly r

uined. Just a millimetre thick in some parts or completely rusted through – the simple act of hosing the ship down on the docks punched new holes in the steel. The stern was the area that was out of bounds when I went to visit the ship before purchase. Since the quality of the steel ranged from good to excellent in other areas, we hadn’t expected the extent of the damage and got a fairly nasty surprise.

Now everything’s been welded. Next on the agenda is a second coating of underwater paint. The paint has three layers. A conductive primer (first layer), then the paint itself and then marine anti-fouling paint, which stops mussels and algae from clinging to the boat. Then we’ll be attaching new, good quality sacrificial anodes to the ship – and then it’s Easter…

But in a symbolic sense too, for me, renovating the ship has become an interesting parable for life. All of us are sailing our ship of life and sometimes the waves we hit are rough, sometimes stormy. Now and then we spring a leak when we hit an ice-berg or ram against a cliff. But disasters of that scale are thankfully rare.

Far more often, our steel skin is attacked by inner strain. We’re hard-wired with stress, and if we can´t channel it off; it eats away at us. Sooner or later.

But then someone comes along who offers himself up as the sacrificial anode. I’m there. I’ll channel all your stress and pain, anger and frustration away from you. But we throw the sacrificial anode over board. We think we can handle things on our own… until our steel is attacked or corroded or, worst case scenario, our leaky tub sinks.

Redemption means…. that someone offers to repair the damage caused by rejecting the sacrificial anode. That can be painful. You have to cut, grind, hammer and weld, until the ship is ready to sail again.

Easter means: I’m given a new start. The option to be lovingly and protectively enfolded by the Holy Spirit (a new coat of paint)… the opportunity to have pain and strain conducted away by the redeemer (sacrificial anode)…and finally, with a good captain at the helm and a new ship-owner, to set sail once more.

Ship – First Testrun

14. March 2013 / Kerstin Hack

Yesterday we did a testrun – bringing the ship to water. The good news: We no longer have big leaks. The bad news: We have a few small ones. However they are not that bad. Here you see some great shots – thanks to Julius Bumblies for the great pictures – and for helping on board.

Karl, the ship builder – a man in his element.

Something is moving ….

The old lady is taking a bath!

The experts discuss the state of affairs.

The dry dock is by far the most expensive part of all the renovation work. I already paid a huge chunck, but by the end of March I will need to pay another 10.000 + Euro for the remaining repairs. If you can help and / or know people who would enjoy being part of this procect and sponsor it- please let me know.

Ship – state of progress

9. March 2013 / Kerstin Hack

Well – I finally paid the final part to the previous owners – so from now on I am the full owner of the ship! YEAH! We “only” need to finish the rest of the work.

Present state

We survived the flood. We dried the ship with pumps, vacuumcleaners and heat (I am NOT looking forward to my electricity bill). And we did not get frost, while we were flooded. Thankful for that.

Unfortunately more steel was damaged. So we need to put in more new steel to keep the ship safe.

Next step. Finishing the basics

We need to finish the Steelworks and the tanks.
The ship gets painted under the water level. To be beautiful and safe.
Insulation.
Filling the tanks with 2000 liters of Oil. Not for heating right now, but to have enough ballast to keep the ship in the water (we took out so much rubbish that it is too light now – and that is not safe!

All these things are basic to keep the ship and the guests and me safe. I do not want to drown.

Next steps

Painting and insulating the Engineroom and the Seminaroom.
Putting in wood pannells in the bedrooms.
Putting in Electricity

We hope to be finished with all of this by summer…and to be able to host the first seminars on boarde.

Interior construction

Plumbing, Showers, Toilets, Waterboilers and Watertanks.
Kitchen.
Heating
Cealings
Floor
Walls

We hope to be finished by the end of 2013.

All hands on board – help needed

We still can need a lot of help – both skilled (plumbers, carpenters, electricians) and unskilled – anybody with two hands and two feed. For shorter times (a few hours) and longer time spans (days, weeks, months). This would help us a lot to speed up the process and keep costs reasonable.

Materials

We need a lot of stuff. Wood, toilets, fireplaces, lea, paintbrushes. If you have access to building materials – please let me know. I can give you a lit of things.

Most of all – please keep praying for Karl (the shipbuilder and masterplaner), all the provision that is needed for the poject to succeed – that it will become a place of blessing to many people. I am looking forward to it.

Below you see me – after removing some of the rust….

Feeling Responsible

9. January 2013 / Kerstin Hack

To start off with:feeling respon 2013-11-04 17.59.58 sible is not a feeling. This might surprise you because “feeling responsible” feels like a real feeling. Yet, when we examine it carefully, this feeling is made up of two parts: -the thought: “I think I am responsible.”

-a feeling: pressure, anxiety,stress, excessive demand, sadness.

I am not a person who usually splits hairs, but in this case, this is important to me. This differentiation can open the door to freedom. When we realize, “I think I am responsible,” we can critically evaluate:

Am I actually responsible?
To what extent am I responsible?
Do I want to be responsible?
Who else is responsible?

This alone can take the pressure off. There are situations in which we are actually responsible. For example, parents are responsible for their children: more when they are small and less the more they grow. But what is with the feelings that we feel? In most cases, the “feeling” of responsibility is nothing more than empathy and resonance bound with sadness. We sense that the other person isn’t well. We feel it with them, and we have our own feelings about it as well: sadness, helplessness, pressure, or something similar (depending on the situation and thought patterns.). We then call this thought-feeling-conglomeration and hodge-podge “I feel responsible.” What can we do? In my opinion, adults carry the responsibility for their own lives themselves. I can’t and don’t have to carry the responsibility for anyone who is an adult. It is their responsibility. At the most, I can take partial responsibility – during a coaching session, I have the responsibility to create a good process. As a publisher, I have the responsibility to train my employees well, etc. Once in a while, it happens anyway that I “feel responsible.” A good friend is stressed; I perceive this and think that I have to help him. A good friend isn’t doing well; I slide into feeling responsible. When I notice myself doing this, I always do two things internally:

consider if and in which forms I would like to support the person and communicate this to him or her
say inside: “I put the responsibility for your life back into your hands.”

My friend, Rosemarie, recommended a third sentence that I find wonderful:

“I bless you that you can carry the responsibility well.”

I especially like this third step. I can and may bless, which strengthens and supports others in their ability to master their lives. I find this relieving and exhilarating. By the way, the photograph above is two barges from an aerial view. It is good when a barge only carries its own burden; otherwise, it would sink. – See more at: http://kerstinpur.de/besser-leben/sich-verantwortlich-fuehlen/#sthash.cvzs4ag9.dpuf

God and us – Ave Maria, Ave Kerstin, Ave Michael….

26. December 2012 / Kerstin Hack

In the last days two friends shared thoughts that moved me. Matthias shared a quote from Richard Rohr:

Reflection from Richard Rohr:

When God gives of God’s self, one of two things happens: either flesh is inspirited or spirit is enfleshed. It is really very clear. I am somewhat amazed that more have not recognized this simple pattern: God’s will is incarnation. And against all of our godly expectations, it appears that for God, matter really matters. God, who is Spirit, chose to materialize! We call it the Christ Mystery.

This Creator of ours is patiently determined to put matter and spirit together, almost as if the one were not complete without the other. This Lord of life seems to desire a perfect, but free, unification between body and soul. So much so, in fact, that God appears to be willing to wait for the creatures to will and choose this unity for themselves—or it does not fully happen. Our yes really matters, just like Mary’s did.

Adapted from Near Occasions of Grace, p. 5

Another friend of mine recently attended a protestant church service where an “Ave Maria” was sung. At first she thought “That is strange – we are no catholics”…Then she realized…God is praising the YES of a human being, Maria. The the YES to partner with HIS will, the Yes to HIM manifesting His will and plans in their lives. Without her he could not have made his plan manifest in this time and place. God and (wo)man working together.

This made me wonder if God and the angels sometimes – when I make the right choices and say YES to his will in my life also sing an “Ave Kerstin for me: ” “Well done, Kerstin – as you say YES I can fulfill my will through you.” I guess they do.

Step by Step….

27. September 2012 / Kerstin Hack

This is what the ship looks now….after 2 months of cleaning, renovation and removing rust and some fresh paint…

how to get your ex back

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This is what it looked like when I bought it….

We still need a lot of

… material

… money

… help (if you have time to come over to Hamburg to lend a hand…for a day or two or more let me know…..)

… patience

Heart of Berlin

Page 9 of 17

Tailwind – when others support me

God didn’t just hear my prayer…he exceeded it!

My Ship, Pirates and Ransom

A spark of happiness in the humdrum

The Ship, Sacrificial Anodes and Easter

Ship – First Testrun

Ship – state of progress

Feeling Responsible

God and us – Ave Maria, Ave Kerstin, Ave Michael….

Step by Step….

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