Hello, Everyone!
It looks like it has been two weeks since my last update on the 12th. I lost track of the time.
The past two weeks have been a picture of German travel...instead of planes, trains, and automobiles, it’s been Bahn, Bus, and Autobahn! I have had some lovely opportunities to sightsee, done a little bit of shopping, and observed wonderful pictures of how God is working here in Germany to bring people to Him. I will now commence a chronological description of my time here.
I had another opportunity to see a children’s play group, led by Doris Maul, the wife of the minister in Steinheim, Wednesday morning. Last time I told you how Silke Horst had led her play group with the story of Jesus and the little children using Lego people. This time Doris discussed the creation of fish and water creatures, using a big bowl of water and toy fishes. I’m sure you can imagine the fun that children under 2 can have with something like that on the living room floor! This group included a large majority of non-believing women, but love and joy were evident in the group. I was really happy to see that. While there I met an English-speaking woman that invited me to dinner Thursday night. How much I looked forward to that dinner!
Wednesday afternoon Rosi took me to see the Steiff Museum, which is a pretty important little shop in the area, in Ginghen. I felt kind of guilty about this, as it had nothing to do with church, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was very amused to see her two foster sons, Michael and Yalcin, who were 10 and 8, wide-eyed with amazement at the talking teddy bears and the animatronic stuffed animals. It was really very cute and entertaining, even though my understanding of what was going on was limited by my slow brain and tiny German vocabulary.
We were late getting back from the museum, unfortunately, and had a little bit of trouble figuring out where the scout troupe was meeting on the nature preserve next to the church. The scout troupe is an evangelical one, like a mix of Awana and traditional Boy and Girl Scouts in America. They have a regular prayer time and a bible story in each session. The kids do orienteering games in the woods and such. I was tried to play the last game with the kids. We were supposed to play tag with one arm wrapped around the other, outstretched arm... I mean, with our “trunks” out. I felt awkward running around as the momma elephant--which meant that I was “it.” At least I wasn’t “it” much! I have learned a new word in German that I have the opportunity to use a lot: Tolpatschig (awkward, clumsy)! Thursday after lunch I accompanied a church elder named Kalle and his wife Gabi to the “50 Plus” group meeting for coffee time. The German specialty of that meal was Quark, which is a cross between cream cheese and yoghurt. It is often replaced in recipes by ricotta cheese, I am told. They had a lovely presentation that afternoon on Elizabeth of Thueringen, who was big on starting hospitals and caring for the poor and imprisoned. I had a hard time keeping up again, because it was a presentation with no illustrations, spoken in German at a normal German pace.
That evening was the much-anticipated dinner. The host couple had spent a lot of time in the US and Ireland and speak practically perfect English in an accent which blended the two countries’ accents. Most Germans speaking English in class come up with an accent somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, never planting a foot on either shore!
After enjoying talking English all evening, it occurred to me how much I had been missing conversation. I had been trying to participate in everything I attended, but it was hard.Friday was wonderful but busy. The morning was spent with a member of the church, helping her as she taught classes in Grundschule (elementary). It was a Lutheran school, so she could pray with the kids in class. I was happy to see yet another place where God can get his foot into the door in this country! Her first classes were fourth-year English (kids aged 10 or so) and they did very well. I did a lot of explaining about Iowa in German because they are still beginners. I got asked a lot of interesting questions, my favorite being, "Are there lions on your farm?" I am not sure if this question was in earnest or just based on the need to ask a question with the vocabulary that the girl had! I also helped with a second-year class. They were doing crafts, and I had a hard time understanding their specific questions--no easy out there, because I could not switch to English with them! They were sweet though, and I did what I could.That evening, I observed youth group activities. First was the Bible instruction class, part of two years of special instruction. Young people are encouraged to make a free will decision in this church; it resembles Evangelical Free in most respects. It was similar to, but not quite like, Lutheran or Catholic confirmation.
Then I attended a girl scout group. They were teenagers, and just adorable. I find the German children to be very mature. A lovely 19-year-old believing girl led the meeting. She seemed to have a lot of concern over the politics and relationships among the girls in the group, and I was very impressed with her care.
The last event of the evening was youth group of about ten youth. We mostly played a game based on realizing the unity of the parts of the spiritual body. It was a good picture of what I am seeing in the churches over here, with many programs an gifts being exercised. I feel my best role is showing people that I love them.
Saturday was the day I went to the castles with Jessica, the teacher who took me to her classes, and her husband Sven. It was another opportunity to speak English, but I should have tried to speak German more, because they are truly German, and had wonderful accents. I did practice making German sounds and was quite happy that I was at least capable of them (although I rarely get them right the first time. I have to hear and repeat and hear and repeat).
We did go to Neuschwanstein, and the outside of the castle was stunning! The inside was decorated in great detail and beautifully. But it was sad to see evidence of the moral depravity and emptiness of King Ludwig, who died of a possible suicide before the castle was completed. The work on the castle was immediately stopped because of cost, so it is kind of like a snapshot of an empty, lonely, unfulfilled life.
We also visited a small castle near Oberammergau, and also along the Ammer River. It is called Linderhof. It was also very pretty, but so empty. The builder created a manmade cave with a lake inside of it, so he could be taken around in his boat there. There were many other things just for visual enjoyment in the garden--much to fill the eyes and bring pleasure, but nothing that could fill the heart.We drove through Oberammergau, which fulfilled my desire to see all those houses with the pictures painted on them. The next day I was also with Jessica and Sven, at Sven’s parents’ house, and we had a lovely, lazy, German Sunday afternoon. In the evening, Sven and his dad and sister Melanie took me to Neresheim Abbey, whose beautifully painted ceilings gave me pause to ask what kind of hope the artist may have had. I have never seen a more beautiful depiction of Jesus triumphing over death!That takes me up to Monday, when I had my first experience with the German train system and left for Berlin. I had a lovely conversation on the train with a minister who serves one of the state churches and who actually believes in God. He was amused that I asked him if he believed in God, but he knew why I asked. He was excited to hear about all of the things that I had seen in the growing and loving churches I have visited in Germany. He has a heart for seeing people believing in God, instead of in tradition, religion, and beautiful buildings. It was encouraging to talk to him.In Berlin, I didn’t go as many places and had more time to myself, because I was living in a guesthouse and preparing my own meals. I had a good time getting to know Dale and Barbara Mallory, who began serving in Berlin with EuroVangelism at the same time as Mom and Dad in 1972. I visited the areas where my family lived and where they held their meetings. Part of the week I was not feeling well, but I did get to help sort books at the Christian Resource Center that the Mallory’s are helping set up in Berlin. After several years of planning and fund-raising, a location has been found and furnished, and books and other media are being catalogued and shelved. The grand opening is scheduled for September.
While in Berlin I became acquainted with a guy who is considering work in the heavily Islamic areas of Berlin, and it was good to hear his perspective on the various people groups. I had to admit that I had no answer for him regarding where and with whom I want to work. I am keeping an open mind while I am observing the variety of work here.
Until later,
Liza
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Borrowed update
This is an update, with really great quotes, from Mark and Corrinne Wilson that came through when I was still on the go in Berlin... They added certain pictures, I might add some more just so that you can see more. I hope it works... If it does, it will be done after I resize them. Resizing them will be done automatically when I upload them to share with friends on Facebook. That will happen soonish, but not tonight, because this is Prayer Chat night on AIM for me. ;) ~L. (Written Aug. 14th)
June 15, 2007
Dear friends and family,
It has been an exciting month since we last wrote to you!
On May 30, young people with an interest in European missions began arriving from the U.S.
for Kontaktmission’s first annual Short Internship Ministry (SIM) program. Here in Wüstenrot
they met with KM leaders, church planters and European short-term workers for a 4-day crash
course on the desperate need for evangelism in Europe and Kontaktmission’s vision for having
Americans work directly with European church planters to bring this about. Afterward we spent
several days traveling to various locations and learned on-location about some of the works in
progress:
Steinheim: German church planters Karsten and Doris Maul – "We constantly keep our goals in mind … Reach out to make contact … lead people to a decision …draw them to a sense of elonging… guide them to maturity…involve them in service."
Prüm: German church planters Dirk and Annette Staudinger— "People’s identities are strongly bound to religion based on superstition and tradition. They are not open to change….Darkness rules. The church planter must cling to Jesus or go under!"
Peine: American church planters Randy and Katy Smelser—"The Great Commission flows out of the greatest commandment. We are love-oriented rather than project-oriented— committed to keep loving those who reject Christ. That is what has kept us here for 23 years."
Hanover: German church planters Eide and Helga Schwing--
"We depend on God to open doors … In small groups we promote the worship service. In the worship service we promote small groups … We have high standards. Everything must be of top
quality and never boring."
Wattenscheid: Brazilian church planters Kiko and Geisy Antunes—"It is especially hard for our children. They are used to a big church in Brazil with a busy youth program. Here sometimes
it is just our family on Sunday mornings." Monthly Saturday night international services in Portugese, English and German draw up to 60 participants.
The patient dedication of the church planters, warm hospitality of our host families and the
enthusiastic interest of the young visitors made these some of the most informative and
invigorating days of our lives! Please pray for God’s strength, encouragement and provision for
these and many other church planters working throughout Europe. Pray for the young people
who visited, some of whom are still traveling and working in internships. Pray for God’s
guidance concerning how and where they may use their unique gifts for spreading the good news of the Kingdom!
We will be in the U.S. June 21-July 10 for our daughter’s wedding. (Thank you to those who
encouraged us in this and are helping to make it possible!) Where we plan to be:
June 24 a.m.-
Calvary Christian to hear John Curry, SIM participant; 5-6:30 p.m. Capitol City Mission Supper;
July 1, Wildewood;
July 4, NACC, Kansas City;
July 9, 6:30 p.m. Mission Meeting, Stonebridge.
We look forward to seeing many of you in these events! Please pray that our minds
and words will be clear whenever we talk about the needs and opportunities for outreach in
Europe! (Being able to speak English the whole time will help immensely!) Pray that we will
have the energy needed to help with wedding preparations and to watch Blake a lot!
Gratefully and gladly in his service,
Mark and Corinne
(That last bit is a picture how peaceful it is for missionaries to come "home" and do support raising so they can get back out to their passion- the mission field. I'm interested in raising my own support, but we are praying for Mark and Corrinne, who have ended up spending extra time here in the states so that they can raise the support to live longer in Germany!)
June 15, 2007
Dear friends and family,
It has been an exciting month since we last wrote to you!
On May 30, young people with an interest in European missions began arriving from the U.S.
for Kontaktmission’s first annual Short Internship Ministry (SIM) program. Here in Wüstenrot
they met with KM leaders, church planters and European short-term workers for a 4-day crash
course on the desperate need for evangelism in Europe and Kontaktmission’s vision for having
Americans work directly with European church planters to bring this about. Afterward we spent
several days traveling to various locations and learned on-location about some of the works in
progress:
Steinheim: German church planters Karsten and Doris Maul – "We constantly keep our goals in mind … Reach out to make contact … lead people to a decision …draw them to a sense of elonging… guide them to maturity…involve them in service."
Prüm: German church planters Dirk and Annette Staudinger— "People’s identities are strongly bound to religion based on superstition and tradition. They are not open to change….Darkness rules. The church planter must cling to Jesus or go under!"
Peine: American church planters Randy and Katy Smelser—"The Great Commission flows out of the greatest commandment. We are love-oriented rather than project-oriented— committed to keep loving those who reject Christ. That is what has kept us here for 23 years."
Hanover: German church planters Eide and Helga Schwing--
"We depend on God to open doors … In small groups we promote the worship service. In the worship service we promote small groups … We have high standards. Everything must be of top
quality and never boring."
Wattenscheid: Brazilian church planters Kiko and Geisy Antunes—"It is especially hard for our children. They are used to a big church in Brazil with a busy youth program. Here sometimes
it is just our family on Sunday mornings." Monthly Saturday night international services in Portugese, English and German draw up to 60 participants.
The patient dedication of the church planters, warm hospitality of our host families and the
enthusiastic interest of the young visitors made these some of the most informative and
invigorating days of our lives! Please pray for God’s strength, encouragement and provision for
these and many other church planters working throughout Europe. Pray for the young people
who visited, some of whom are still traveling and working in internships. Pray for God’s
guidance concerning how and where they may use their unique gifts for spreading the good news of the Kingdom!
We will be in the U.S. June 21-July 10 for our daughter’s wedding. (Thank you to those who
encouraged us in this and are helping to make it possible!) Where we plan to be:
June 24 a.m.-
Calvary Christian to hear John Curry, SIM participant; 5-6:30 p.m. Capitol City Mission Supper;
July 1, Wildewood;
July 4, NACC, Kansas City;
July 9, 6:30 p.m. Mission Meeting, Stonebridge.
We look forward to seeing many of you in these events! Please pray that our minds
and words will be clear whenever we talk about the needs and opportunities for outreach in
Europe! (Being able to speak English the whole time will help immensely!) Pray that we will
have the energy needed to help with wedding preparations and to watch Blake a lot!
Gratefully and gladly in his service,
Mark and Corinne
(That last bit is a picture how peaceful it is for missionaries to come "home" and do support raising so they can get back out to their passion- the mission field. I'm interested in raising my own support, but we are praying for Mark and Corrinne, who have ended up spending extra time here in the states so that they can raise the support to live longer in Germany!)
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
June 12th
[The following came in a message from Liza yesterday. I've made some comments in brackets for clarity--I hope! If you would like to respond directly to her by email: (removed because I don't like it being online- Liza) From the editor, Liza's mother Margery]
Well, actually I’m having a blast but I miss talking to someone - outside of my body - in English. [That comment is only fully appreciated if you are familiar with Liza’s habit of talking to herself out loud.] It doesn’t help that I’m still in the land of the Schwaebish dialect. I can’t possibly keep up with their conversations.
Fortunately, everyone here, though speaking only German, seems to know how to explain things to me so that I understand them. They change words often enough that I finally catch one or two and then can understand everything else that was said. When they talk to me like a little kid and go back and explain stuff, then it’s okay. I’m spending so much time learning the mechanics of the German language that I have a hard time catching all of the subtleties of a conversation. It’s amazing what it feels like to suddenly be able to share with and understand those around you. I catch most things that are said to me…what a blessing! But it’s so frustrating when I can’t! I can hardly wait to get to Berlin and speak a bit of English again. YEAHHHHHHH!
Soooooo, this is an update about the whole week of trips up to Saturday night, and then about yesterday and today.
First we visited in Pruem, near Belgium, where Dirk and Annette Staudinger are church leaders. I will be staying with them when I go back there in July. Dirk didn’t want to meet with us last week without a translator, but actually he was more fluent in English than some are. One of the purposes of these mission visits is to learn what kinds of outreach various ministries use, such as coffee times and Bible studies used at Pruem.
We went from there to see Randy and Katy Smelser, who have notably American names, and are American. They told about their work in a northern region which has a relatively strong evangelical background (for Germany). Their programs include game nights, English/German classes held in the church, and a general willingness to be the quaint, friendly American Christians who would do anything for anyone. Randy said something really insightful about not trying to be too German, because people expect a certain open, friendly attitude from Americans. Essentially, we can get away with more because they already think we’re weird. I found that really encouraging, and it has helped me to open up to the German people I’ve met in the past week. Really, they are very formal but incredibly good, open, and giving people (at least, they are in the church circles).
From Peine we went about 47 kilometers west to Hannover to meet with Helga and Eide Schwing, who coincidentally know the Wollin family [Martin Wollin lived with us in Berlin in the 70’s]. Their perspective was especially interesting because they were German missionaries to the USA in the 80’s and 90’s, so they could tell us a bit about the differences between the churches in the US and Germany.
We spent the afternoon in yet another Lutheran church, this time in Hannover instead of Stuttgart. The Schwings told us about how they adapted a philosophy of building leadership into bible study circles so that people felt like taking on the responsibility for the growth of their church. We did not get to spend the night at their house, but went instead to the family of a doctor that goes to their church. We had a lovely time, but only in German, after spending a day taking a break and speaking only English.The next evening was Saturday, and we were finally at Wattenscheid, the end of our survey tour. It was especially nice to see that church, because they are working in an 80% Muslim area of Germany, and because they have a service for international people—in Portugese and in German.
It was nice to see the unity they had in Christ but also to see their willingness to share through this international service, because a lot of the people that go there aren’t really believers. They had a dinner afterward, and we went around and talked to the people that were there. I had the good fortune to get to sit with a few old gramma/grampa folks that were willing to repeat things five times in that loud room for someone that hardly understood what they were saying. The lady I spent the most time talking to might have spoken some dialect. She was from the Ruhr area as far as I could tell, and I didn’t think that area’s dialect was supposed to have been hard to understand. Maybe she was hard to understand because of her advanced age of 83. The timbre of her voice was not that clear. It was a great chance for me to sit back and listen to opinions, which I rarely take the time to do, because I absolutely couldn’t debate with my limited vocabulary on so little sleep (and didn’t want to in the position I was in with the church).So then we drove four hours back to Wuestenrot. After getting home at half past midnight we were up and on our way to Steinheim at 7:30 am. In Schwaebish Hall we picked up Heather Akers from Goethe Institute, the language school, (jeaaaalouuus me. I want to be fluent-er!). Then we went to whatever town I’m in now. Steinheim by Heidenheim, I think. I think that was yesterday, as I’m pretty sure I’ve only slept once since I got here.
Karsten Maul, the pastor here, interviewed me in front of the church yesterday morning. Oh, what horrors of grammar and vocabulary! I said something funny, but I think it was because I was trying to be funny. But I have not been too gehandicapped. I love the word gehandicapped! Karsten used it yesterday in the sermon. Heather and I cracked up because it was so... English? Well, maybe Ger-glish?
I got to meet a few members of the church afterwards at coffee time. Then Mark and Corinne and Heather, with their English speaking mouths, were taken away from me to Karsten’s for dinner, and I had to go all by myself to eat dinner with my hostess Christine, (Diddi for short, a name her brother gave her when he was very young). The dinner was cool. I got to know her sons and her brother and his wife that are only a few years younger than I. Her daughter was away on a scouting trip. We went for ice cream in the afternoon, and by the end of that outing I had exhausted my German.
It kicked back in sporadically last night when Karsten was taking me to see the church he preached at in Steinheim by Dilingen, in good old Bavaria. I got to know a couple of young girls and talked to them about their life goals and what our church is like at home. People are always very interested in that here. They want to know first how old I am, second how big my family is, third what my parents do, and fourth what my church is like. After they ask the church question we either switch to some sort of normal conversation or they continue the conversation and are completely surprised to hear that I, a 24-year-old, am not only already done with school but also have a job. They don’t expect that because of the differences in school systems here compared to the U.S.A.
Karsten had some good and encouraging things to say on the way home about what he saw in me during the worship service and in talking to people, because he thinks it’s good that I can show emotions so well. Apparently people in Germany are gehandicapped in that area, because he considered it a gift. I consider it a small amount of craziness. But he gave me some things to think about with my goals. And, yes, this conversation, like all but five minutes worth of conversation since the Americans left me, was in German. Apparently it’s easier for me to speak German than it is for them to speak English. I feel very sorry for them.Today I spent most of my time with the Hoster family. Silke Hoster hosted the play group that the church likes to do as an outreach program. Six mothers were there, five believers and one not. Silke did a really great job of telling the kids simple things like “God made you, God loves you.” She did a program and a Bible story using Lego people. It was so cute! She had a lot of great ideas. I can’t wait to see what the Wednesday play group is like. I had a hard time catching conversations between people but it really was a lot of fun. I just wish I had someone to share it with.
The rest of the day there were no church programs, but I had dinner and supper with Silke, and coffeetime [traditionally, coffee with sweets are is taken in mid- afternoon], and a bit of rabbit stew with a believing Russian girl who’s only a couple years older than I am and had a daughter in the play group today. Yes. I had rabbit for the first time, in the home of a Russian, in Germany—a truly international experience. Tonight we had choir practice for a program they’re going to present in a prison in July, and then I came here to try to remember all of this and write it down.
Now it is midnight, and I’m truly exhausted, feeling very much at home. At the same time, sometimes I’m lonely with no one to share my random thoughts with in a clear and straightforward manner in my mother tongue. But I’m not sad. Just really, really, really tired, like I’m on a week-long roller coaster. i.e.-- It’s exciting, but at times I feel as though I’ll die of fright as well. As for what is coming up, on Friday I’m supposed to go with the youth group leader to see her teach English to kids in Heidenheim. That’s going to be so cool!And then the people here are so generous that they want to give me a tour of Germany, and have no idea how exciting it is that they may be taking me to Neuschwanstein [the Cinderella-style castle] or to the Steiff teddy bear factory, and then the doctor’s wife fed us tiramisu
[an Italian dessert with coffee and liquor-soaked layers of sponge cake alternating with mascarpone cheese and chocolate]
again the other day... am I in heaven or what’s going on?!!
Liza.
Well, actually I’m having a blast but I miss talking to someone - outside of my body - in English. [That comment is only fully appreciated if you are familiar with Liza’s habit of talking to herself out loud.] It doesn’t help that I’m still in the land of the Schwaebish dialect. I can’t possibly keep up with their conversations.
Fortunately, everyone here, though speaking only German, seems to know how to explain things to me so that I understand them. They change words often enough that I finally catch one or two and then can understand everything else that was said. When they talk to me like a little kid and go back and explain stuff, then it’s okay. I’m spending so much time learning the mechanics of the German language that I have a hard time catching all of the subtleties of a conversation. It’s amazing what it feels like to suddenly be able to share with and understand those around you. I catch most things that are said to me…what a blessing! But it’s so frustrating when I can’t! I can hardly wait to get to Berlin and speak a bit of English again. YEAHHHHHHH!
Soooooo, this is an update about the whole week of trips up to Saturday night, and then about yesterday and today.
First we visited in Pruem, near Belgium, where Dirk and Annette Staudinger are church leaders. I will be staying with them when I go back there in July. Dirk didn’t want to meet with us last week without a translator, but actually he was more fluent in English than some are. One of the purposes of these mission visits is to learn what kinds of outreach various ministries use, such as coffee times and Bible studies used at Pruem.
We went from there to see Randy and Katy Smelser, who have notably American names, and are American. They told about their work in a northern region which has a relatively strong evangelical background (for Germany). Their programs include game nights, English/German classes held in the church, and a general willingness to be the quaint, friendly American Christians who would do anything for anyone. Randy said something really insightful about not trying to be too German, because people expect a certain open, friendly attitude from Americans. Essentially, we can get away with more because they already think we’re weird. I found that really encouraging, and it has helped me to open up to the German people I’ve met in the past week. Really, they are very formal but incredibly good, open, and giving people (at least, they are in the church circles).
From Peine we went about 47 kilometers west to Hannover to meet with Helga and Eide Schwing, who coincidentally know the Wollin family [Martin Wollin lived with us in Berlin in the 70’s]. Their perspective was especially interesting because they were German missionaries to the USA in the 80’s and 90’s, so they could tell us a bit about the differences between the churches in the US and Germany.
We spent the afternoon in yet another Lutheran church, this time in Hannover instead of Stuttgart. The Schwings told us about how they adapted a philosophy of building leadership into bible study circles so that people felt like taking on the responsibility for the growth of their church. We did not get to spend the night at their house, but went instead to the family of a doctor that goes to their church. We had a lovely time, but only in German, after spending a day taking a break and speaking only English.The next evening was Saturday, and we were finally at Wattenscheid, the end of our survey tour. It was especially nice to see that church, because they are working in an 80% Muslim area of Germany, and because they have a service for international people—in Portugese and in German.
It was nice to see the unity they had in Christ but also to see their willingness to share through this international service, because a lot of the people that go there aren’t really believers. They had a dinner afterward, and we went around and talked to the people that were there. I had the good fortune to get to sit with a few old gramma/grampa folks that were willing to repeat things five times in that loud room for someone that hardly understood what they were saying. The lady I spent the most time talking to might have spoken some dialect. She was from the Ruhr area as far as I could tell, and I didn’t think that area’s dialect was supposed to have been hard to understand. Maybe she was hard to understand because of her advanced age of 83. The timbre of her voice was not that clear. It was a great chance for me to sit back and listen to opinions, which I rarely take the time to do, because I absolutely couldn’t debate with my limited vocabulary on so little sleep (and didn’t want to in the position I was in with the church).So then we drove four hours back to Wuestenrot. After getting home at half past midnight we were up and on our way to Steinheim at 7:30 am. In Schwaebish Hall we picked up Heather Akers from Goethe Institute, the language school, (jeaaaalouuus me. I want to be fluent-er!). Then we went to whatever town I’m in now. Steinheim by Heidenheim, I think. I think that was yesterday, as I’m pretty sure I’ve only slept once since I got here.
Karsten Maul, the pastor here, interviewed me in front of the church yesterday morning. Oh, what horrors of grammar and vocabulary! I said something funny, but I think it was because I was trying to be funny. But I have not been too gehandicapped. I love the word gehandicapped! Karsten used it yesterday in the sermon. Heather and I cracked up because it was so... English? Well, maybe Ger-glish?
I got to meet a few members of the church afterwards at coffee time. Then Mark and Corinne and Heather, with their English speaking mouths, were taken away from me to Karsten’s for dinner, and I had to go all by myself to eat dinner with my hostess Christine, (Diddi for short, a name her brother gave her when he was very young). The dinner was cool. I got to know her sons and her brother and his wife that are only a few years younger than I. Her daughter was away on a scouting trip. We went for ice cream in the afternoon, and by the end of that outing I had exhausted my German.
It kicked back in sporadically last night when Karsten was taking me to see the church he preached at in Steinheim by Dilingen, in good old Bavaria. I got to know a couple of young girls and talked to them about their life goals and what our church is like at home. People are always very interested in that here. They want to know first how old I am, second how big my family is, third what my parents do, and fourth what my church is like. After they ask the church question we either switch to some sort of normal conversation or they continue the conversation and are completely surprised to hear that I, a 24-year-old, am not only already done with school but also have a job. They don’t expect that because of the differences in school systems here compared to the U.S.A.
Karsten had some good and encouraging things to say on the way home about what he saw in me during the worship service and in talking to people, because he thinks it’s good that I can show emotions so well. Apparently people in Germany are gehandicapped in that area, because he considered it a gift. I consider it a small amount of craziness. But he gave me some things to think about with my goals. And, yes, this conversation, like all but five minutes worth of conversation since the Americans left me, was in German. Apparently it’s easier for me to speak German than it is for them to speak English. I feel very sorry for them.Today I spent most of my time with the Hoster family. Silke Hoster hosted the play group that the church likes to do as an outreach program. Six mothers were there, five believers and one not. Silke did a really great job of telling the kids simple things like “God made you, God loves you.” She did a program and a Bible story using Lego people. It was so cute! She had a lot of great ideas. I can’t wait to see what the Wednesday play group is like. I had a hard time catching conversations between people but it really was a lot of fun. I just wish I had someone to share it with.
The rest of the day there were no church programs, but I had dinner and supper with Silke, and coffeetime [traditionally, coffee with sweets are is taken in mid- afternoon], and a bit of rabbit stew with a believing Russian girl who’s only a couple years older than I am and had a daughter in the play group today. Yes. I had rabbit for the first time, in the home of a Russian, in Germany—a truly international experience. Tonight we had choir practice for a program they’re going to present in a prison in July, and then I came here to try to remember all of this and write it down.
Now it is midnight, and I’m truly exhausted, feeling very much at home. At the same time, sometimes I’m lonely with no one to share my random thoughts with in a clear and straightforward manner in my mother tongue. But I’m not sad. Just really, really, really tired, like I’m on a week-long roller coaster. i.e.-- It’s exciting, but at times I feel as though I’ll die of fright as well. As for what is coming up, on Friday I’m supposed to go with the youth group leader to see her teach English to kids in Heidenheim. That’s going to be so cool!And then the people here are so generous that they want to give me a tour of Germany, and have no idea how exciting it is that they may be taking me to Neuschwanstein [the Cinderella-style castle] or to the Steiff teddy bear factory, and then the doctor’s wife fed us tiramisu
[an Italian dessert with coffee and liquor-soaked layers of sponge cake alternating with mascarpone cheese and chocolate]
again the other day... am I in heaven or what’s going on?!!
Liza.
Monday, June 4, 2007
June 4th- the weekend in Wüstenrot
My mother sent this update. Reading it again, it doesn't make much sense. I'll try to edit. Updating on the go was a real headache, even though I thoroughly enjoyed being able to share, because it was hard to manage the German keyboards and do the editing, etc. She also left in some cheesy personal notes, so you can see that I was getting excited and touristy. I really tried to keep that side of me down, because I know that there's a reason (missions) that I really want to be there, but it was really nice to see things that every German class talks about. ;)
Run down:
Emotional time came the first time the whole US group was together Thursday eve, and shared our purpose and hopes in missions. I've never felt more alive or called to missions, or seen at one time how many of the things in my life could prepare me for that. It was awe-inspiring.
Friday we went to Steinheim in the morning to see what Karsten Maul is doing in his ministry there. His church is considered firmly planted and will be breaking free from Kontaktmission. He talked about the various methods they've used in Germany to get people in contact with the church, and it was all very interesting.
Then we came back to Wuestenrot, where we learned about a German pastor, Artur Schmidt, who worked in Lithuania and had a very different experience from Karsten. He told about how God moved differently in his church.Both Karsten and Artur spoke in German, yay for practice, and then that evening our German, French and Brazilian counterparts, arrived at the hotel. The seminar had to be translated into several languages. Fortunately, there were only two people who didn't speak English or German, so it didn't slow us down too much.
Let me tell you something about the hotel, which has been owned for many years by the Trefz family. The European KM director, Dieter Trefz, is one of the family members. So, we got a very nice hotel with rooms to hold the conference in for a very small sum. It's hard to describe how nice it is, but they have waiters for the meals and I believe that my lunch yesterday included tiramisu, calamari, and some sort of raspberry mousse or something.They've been doing this with Kontaktmission conferences over here for years. They had had a hard time coming up with a place, and then realized that they would have the resources and space at the hotel which was then owned by Dieter's parents. What a blessing from God!
All of the conference things have been very challenging, but very encouraging. Herr Trefz tells us that he hates to hear of missionaries whining about how hard missionary life is; ministry is always hard. But we were made aware of the challenges in very poignant ways. One thing that was especially moving to me was hearing the story of another American, Rocco Panepinto, who has been planting churches in Germany for a couple of decades, and whom I will be visiting in a couple of weeks when I am at Jena. It is the second to last church I visit. Anyway, he told about going to several German cities, and how he went from learning the language and culture in one city, to thinking he was ready for the entirely different culture in another city and finding he was not. He described the pain and frustration that can come when you compare work in this country to work in other countries where people are hungry and ready for the gospel and fill churches from the beginning.
It is all SO thought provoking. We said goodbye to the international convention-goers yesterday afternoon and went to Schwaebish Hall and looked around, after our church service in the morning. Today was travel day. My American counterparts have all left me and I am in the hotel for tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday nights.
The only time I'll probably get to see any of the American young people again will be Sunday [6/3] (That actually wasn't correct, we did see the group a couple days later, because our trips converged in Peine, where Randy and Katy Smelser are). That is the day I go solo visiting individual mission stations on my own. I really miss my roommate because she was incredibly outgoing and cute.
Brenden Lang asked if his friend John was here, and you should tell him that he was. One of my acquaintances from Lincoln Christian College music ministry brought his girlfriend to look into ministry. They became friends of mine instead of acquaintances. There was a couple from Manhattan Christian College that was also here, and they are going to Austria for a 9 week internship. Then there's a 38 year old guy that just graduated from Ozark Christian College that isn't sure where he is going, so they shipped him off to see what is happening in Morocco and Spain. The girl who is coming next week to Steinheim is spending the next four weeks at Goethe Institute in Schwaebish hall, so we transported her up there today, and we also took the OCC grad to Stuttgart to fly to Spain. (augh. flying... I'm glad I don't have to do that for a few weeks yet. Tiring to think of at midnight).
I only am interested in serving in Germany right now, so I have a separate trip with Mark and Corrine. If you're confused, so am I. I do know I don't want to miss out on these people and I hope we form a missions team together someday. They really were wonderful.
Today we were tourists and went to see some local sites. We tried a castle, but it was closed, and then we had a couple of hours to spend at the medieval city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The city is medieval but currently lived in. It's soooo cool! So you can shop there.They didn't have much going on, but it was cute. I was too tired of sightseeing from yesterday, but I did find a shirt, mom, that is white with cute girly sleeves and ruffles to replace that one that is falling apart. :)
I'm sleepy and we're going to Stuttgart tomorrow. I could write tomorrow night but I might want to sleep... we're going to Pruem Wednesday and I want to be able to be awake enough to speak in German all day to the director of that ministry, who apparently knows no English (Edit added back home in America-- he speaks English, like most Germans... he only says what he knows how to speak perfectly) That's good, though, because it would be best to know now if I won't be able to communicate with the poor guy for the whole week that I'm there later this summer.
I'm tired. Bye. Love you!
Liza
Run down:
Emotional time came the first time the whole US group was together Thursday eve, and shared our purpose and hopes in missions. I've never felt more alive or called to missions, or seen at one time how many of the things in my life could prepare me for that. It was awe-inspiring.
Friday we went to Steinheim in the morning to see what Karsten Maul is doing in his ministry there. His church is considered firmly planted and will be breaking free from Kontaktmission. He talked about the various methods they've used in Germany to get people in contact with the church, and it was all very interesting.
Then we came back to Wuestenrot, where we learned about a German pastor, Artur Schmidt, who worked in Lithuania and had a very different experience from Karsten. He told about how God moved differently in his church.Both Karsten and Artur spoke in German, yay for practice, and then that evening our German, French and Brazilian counterparts, arrived at the hotel. The seminar had to be translated into several languages. Fortunately, there were only two people who didn't speak English or German, so it didn't slow us down too much.
Let me tell you something about the hotel, which has been owned for many years by the Trefz family. The European KM director, Dieter Trefz, is one of the family members. So, we got a very nice hotel with rooms to hold the conference in for a very small sum. It's hard to describe how nice it is, but they have waiters for the meals and I believe that my lunch yesterday included tiramisu, calamari, and some sort of raspberry mousse or something.They've been doing this with Kontaktmission conferences over here for years. They had had a hard time coming up with a place, and then realized that they would have the resources and space at the hotel which was then owned by Dieter's parents. What a blessing from God!
All of the conference things have been very challenging, but very encouraging. Herr Trefz tells us that he hates to hear of missionaries whining about how hard missionary life is; ministry is always hard. But we were made aware of the challenges in very poignant ways. One thing that was especially moving to me was hearing the story of another American, Rocco Panepinto, who has been planting churches in Germany for a couple of decades, and whom I will be visiting in a couple of weeks when I am at Jena. It is the second to last church I visit. Anyway, he told about going to several German cities, and how he went from learning the language and culture in one city, to thinking he was ready for the entirely different culture in another city and finding he was not. He described the pain and frustration that can come when you compare work in this country to work in other countries where people are hungry and ready for the gospel and fill churches from the beginning.
It is all SO thought provoking. We said goodbye to the international convention-goers yesterday afternoon and went to Schwaebish Hall and looked around, after our church service in the morning. Today was travel day. My American counterparts have all left me and I am in the hotel for tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday nights.
The only time I'll probably get to see any of the American young people again will be Sunday [6/3] (That actually wasn't correct, we did see the group a couple days later, because our trips converged in Peine, where Randy and Katy Smelser are). That is the day I go solo visiting individual mission stations on my own. I really miss my roommate because she was incredibly outgoing and cute.
Brenden Lang asked if his friend John was here, and you should tell him that he was. One of my acquaintances from Lincoln Christian College music ministry brought his girlfriend to look into ministry. They became friends of mine instead of acquaintances. There was a couple from Manhattan Christian College that was also here, and they are going to Austria for a 9 week internship. Then there's a 38 year old guy that just graduated from Ozark Christian College that isn't sure where he is going, so they shipped him off to see what is happening in Morocco and Spain. The girl who is coming next week to Steinheim is spending the next four weeks at Goethe Institute in Schwaebish hall, so we transported her up there today, and we also took the OCC grad to Stuttgart to fly to Spain. (augh. flying... I'm glad I don't have to do that for a few weeks yet. Tiring to think of at midnight).
I only am interested in serving in Germany right now, so I have a separate trip with Mark and Corrine. If you're confused, so am I. I do know I don't want to miss out on these people and I hope we form a missions team together someday. They really were wonderful.
Today we were tourists and went to see some local sites. We tried a castle, but it was closed, and then we had a couple of hours to spend at the medieval city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The city is medieval but currently lived in. It's soooo cool! So you can shop there.They didn't have much going on, but it was cute. I was too tired of sightseeing from yesterday, but I did find a shirt, mom, that is white with cute girly sleeves and ruffles to replace that one that is falling apart. :)
I'm sleepy and we're going to Stuttgart tomorrow. I could write tomorrow night but I might want to sleep... we're going to Pruem Wednesday and I want to be able to be awake enough to speak in German all day to the director of that ministry, who apparently knows no English (Edit added back home in America-- he speaks English, like most Germans... he only says what he knows how to speak perfectly) That's good, though, because it would be best to know now if I won't be able to communicate with the poor guy for the whole week that I'm there later this summer.
I'm tired. Bye. Love you!
Liza
Friday, June 1, 2007
Getting there--sent May 31
Hello, Statesiders (supporters, friends, family, Tuesday-p.c.-ers), from a (likely) German missions recruit!Thank you so much for your support this year... I've been so grateful, and will be contacting you soon by snail mail individually. Right now, though, I've been working so much on getting here that I didn't get done nearly what I thought I would before I left. I am always grateful to hear from you personally, and keep your personal notes on my bulletin board in my room. I've really been blessed with Christian friends who have wisdom and encouragement that they care to share! Be in prayer for all of us, as we are meeting with missionaries and potential missionaries in the European Kontaktmission team. As I'm here, I am realizing how vital it is that all of us come to understand each other and serve each other as one unit... as a missionary, I would not just be serving German nationals, but those who are working alongside me, and I personally pray for the wisdom to see and meet others' needs. I am still praying for wisdom in trying to find a place to serve in Germany, but I really, really feel excited to be here, like I've been homesick for it all my life and it's finally coming to fruition.Of course, there are three stages to the missionary life...
1. I LOVE THIS!!!
2. I HATE THIS!!!
3. "eh, this is life."
So, here is my first email, a full book because I'm incredibly excited and everything I do seems like a highlight, even exchanging dollars for Euros made with pretty colors and holograms.Feel free to browse or dive through. Mostly, I want you to have fun with it, and know that I am thinking of all of you behind me as I am here. I couldn't have done this without you all, and God has blessed methrough all of you.I was amazed, every flight was good and exactly on time, even through the rain, with hardly any turbulence.The train situation [crossing London between airports] was... "fun," but pretty easy... although once I had a flight of ... a hundred? ... stairs which was supposed to be an escalator and was broken down. A lady with two children kindly offered to help me carry the bag down the stairs, after being startled by the clunking coming down the escalator. Poor woman. I was glad, though. I really needed the help.I've never been in a subway system before, and a little girl that was on the other, working escalator, smiled at the awed American glancing down the escalator tunnel.
Almost everyone I met in London was excited to help me, service personnel there are apparently wonderful. The guy on the Heathrow train (Dad, I must confess that I disobeyed you... took the slow one because I had plenty of time) told me two different routes to take to my other city, ones that weren't on the city airport direction, and then the subway personnel had his own idea that meant less transfers. Less transfers, that is, unless you get carried away talking to other tourists visiting from Canada and miss your stop, forcing you to race up the stairs and across the subway at the next stop to get to the train on the same line going the opposite direction. oops. Everyone was pretty helpful, though. London must be a lovely city to live in.I haven't had much in the way of cross cultural witness opportunities on the way here... there was a Jewish guy (twenties, like me) who wanted to have a deep intellectual discussion about everything from here to the moon, but was friendly... not sure I had anything challenging to say but he was interested. More a confidence booster for me, because it was a good practice for telling people the gospel without overwhelming them.
I also got to have a conversation with a lovely old German grandmother before my flight out of London and found that my German is fairly workable. Yay. She was a strong Christian grandmother, and called God the love of her life as soon as I explained about how I felt God is leading me into his will in my life right now. She was very sweet and encouraging, I loved her at once. It was my first conversation in German where I didn't have English as a way out because she could not speak English. We talked until my plane was open for boarding... and of course I wasn't ABOUT to make the plane late to get to Germany.
So, I've been speaking in German to everyone that I can... some work with me in German and others in English. Some conversations are easier to understand than others. A more difficult case came today, when I was trying to explain in German to a woman that we needed help finding a non-oily shampoo for my roommate. I couldn't find "oil-filled" hair or anything like that... turns out they call it "fatty hair" because the oils are body oils. That's different.I'm very happy to be here, and ecstatic at any time that I feel rested... which, so far, has been three hours early this morning before I wiped out and took a nap at six thirty in the morning (German time). Sometimes I feel drunk and dizzy, either from jetlag fatigue or the joy of being here, but most of the time it is great. I was so tired coming in on the plane after six hours of sleep in the two nights, but it was all I could do to keep from screaming "Ich bin da!" (my Engleman version of, "I'm there!").
The early morning hours I spent after waking up today were awesome... My roommate Kelly and I spent the morning wandering in the woods and the town/village and it all looks as German as the picture books. It's not supposed to be a tourist trip, but I'm using lots of film throughout the lovely little town of Wustenrot.
Today is our last free day before we start visiting missions and meeting with other missions recruits from the US and Europe. Actually, we're also having a meeting in three hours with the director of Kontaktmission Europe, Dieter Trefz. Nice stout German name, yes? :)
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I lookforward to hearing from all of you whenever email is available and I have time for things.I'm really here. I'll gush less as I get used to it.Love you all, God bless, and may we all have hearts to serve Him.
Liza/Elizabeth
1. I LOVE THIS!!!
2. I HATE THIS!!!
3. "eh, this is life."
So, here is my first email, a full book because I'm incredibly excited and everything I do seems like a highlight, even exchanging dollars for Euros made with pretty colors and holograms.Feel free to browse or dive through. Mostly, I want you to have fun with it, and know that I am thinking of all of you behind me as I am here. I couldn't have done this without you all, and God has blessed methrough all of you.I was amazed, every flight was good and exactly on time, even through the rain, with hardly any turbulence.The train situation [crossing London between airports] was... "fun," but pretty easy... although once I had a flight of ... a hundred? ... stairs which was supposed to be an escalator and was broken down. A lady with two children kindly offered to help me carry the bag down the stairs, after being startled by the clunking coming down the escalator. Poor woman. I was glad, though. I really needed the help.I've never been in a subway system before, and a little girl that was on the other, working escalator, smiled at the awed American glancing down the escalator tunnel.
Almost everyone I met in London was excited to help me, service personnel there are apparently wonderful. The guy on the Heathrow train (Dad, I must confess that I disobeyed you... took the slow one because I had plenty of time) told me two different routes to take to my other city, ones that weren't on the city airport direction, and then the subway personnel had his own idea that meant less transfers. Less transfers, that is, unless you get carried away talking to other tourists visiting from Canada and miss your stop, forcing you to race up the stairs and across the subway at the next stop to get to the train on the same line going the opposite direction. oops. Everyone was pretty helpful, though. London must be a lovely city to live in.I haven't had much in the way of cross cultural witness opportunities on the way here... there was a Jewish guy (twenties, like me) who wanted to have a deep intellectual discussion about everything from here to the moon, but was friendly... not sure I had anything challenging to say but he was interested. More a confidence booster for me, because it was a good practice for telling people the gospel without overwhelming them.
I also got to have a conversation with a lovely old German grandmother before my flight out of London and found that my German is fairly workable. Yay. She was a strong Christian grandmother, and called God the love of her life as soon as I explained about how I felt God is leading me into his will in my life right now. She was very sweet and encouraging, I loved her at once. It was my first conversation in German where I didn't have English as a way out because she could not speak English. We talked until my plane was open for boarding... and of course I wasn't ABOUT to make the plane late to get to Germany.
So, I've been speaking in German to everyone that I can... some work with me in German and others in English. Some conversations are easier to understand than others. A more difficult case came today, when I was trying to explain in German to a woman that we needed help finding a non-oily shampoo for my roommate. I couldn't find "oil-filled" hair or anything like that... turns out they call it "fatty hair" because the oils are body oils. That's different.I'm very happy to be here, and ecstatic at any time that I feel rested... which, so far, has been three hours early this morning before I wiped out and took a nap at six thirty in the morning (German time). Sometimes I feel drunk and dizzy, either from jetlag fatigue or the joy of being here, but most of the time it is great. I was so tired coming in on the plane after six hours of sleep in the two nights, but it was all I could do to keep from screaming "Ich bin da!" (my Engleman version of, "I'm there!").
The early morning hours I spent after waking up today were awesome... My roommate Kelly and I spent the morning wandering in the woods and the town/village and it all looks as German as the picture books. It's not supposed to be a tourist trip, but I'm using lots of film throughout the lovely little town of Wustenrot.
Today is our last free day before we start visiting missions and meeting with other missions recruits from the US and Europe. Actually, we're also having a meeting in three hours with the director of Kontaktmission Europe, Dieter Trefz. Nice stout German name, yes? :)
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I lookforward to hearing from all of you whenever email is available and I have time for things.I'm really here. I'll gush less as I get used to it.Love you all, God bless, and may we all have hearts to serve Him.
Liza/Elizabeth
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