I feel like the past couple weeks have been chaotic. A lot's happened. And for some reason, I really haven't felt like writing. That sounds bad, I know, but that's how I've felt. The weird thing is that I don't know why I've felt like that. I'm not depressed or homesick or anything. I just haven't really felt like posting on the blog.
Despite all that, I'm back now. :-) And as I said, a lot has happened in the past few weeks, so I'll try to zip through and hit the high points.
*****
Mark, Karen, and I had a good trip to Cologne. We all agreed we were happy to live in Bremen because Cologne as a whole seemed grey and dirty. Even though Bremen has a lot of rainy days, for some reason it never seems as gloomy as Cologne did, and Bremen also seems to be much cleaner. I think all the trees also gives Bremen a friendlier atmosphere, even though it's still a larger city.
The one thing I did really like about Cologne, though, was the cathedral. It's a beautiful building. Inside is a sarcophagus that supposedly holds the bones and clothing of the three wise men who visited Jesus at his birth. While I don't believe that, it does make for an interesting story. Also in Cologne are remnants of some of the walls built by the Romans over 1,500 years ago. I never can get over how much history this country has endured.
The seminar as a whole was good. I enjoyed the time of fellowship and the chance to discuss the Bible in English. Americans working all over Germany were there, as well as a couple working in Zagreb, Croatia, and a man working in Albania. There were also a few Germans there, one of whom let me stay in her home. Barbara was very kind and apparently will be speaking at an upcoming ladies' retreat, so I look forward to seeing her again.
Since I was not there for the entire seminar, I don't think I got the full effect of the lessons and discussions. Friday, the first full day I was there, we discussed the book of I John. We spent a majority of our time talking about the different themes and literary structures used by John. Several times I found myself thinking, All of this is good stuff....Now how do we apply it to the work we're here to do? If I could have changed anything about the seminar, I would have demonstrated more of the practical application of the Word and would not have spent as much time on the literary structure of it. Other than that, I was glad I went. At one point someone used an illustration of a mountain lake drying up after there's been little rain. While the illustration was made in reference to what happens to full-time ministers when they spend all their time producing sermons, Bible studies, etc., and little time on their own walk with God, it also painted a picture of how I was feeling after almost 3 months of living in a new culture. I was craving the contact with fellow Americans and the chance for group Bible study in English. After going to Cologne, my "mountain lake" is not quite as parched as it was before.
*****
The Springers and I have been planning ways to make new contacts for the church. We hope to have an English movie night next week and to invite a few current visitors and to reestablish contact with a few others. They've had movie nights before and have found them to be good ways to get people further involved in the work of the church. Jim and Elsa always choose a movie with some sort of moral or life lesson, so the time serves not only as language practice but also as a chance for discussion of some aspect of the Christian life.
Our plans haven't gotten very far, though, because two weeks ago, Jim got a call from his mom saying that his dad had passed away. He and Elsa flew to the U.S. for the funeral, and they got back to Bremen late last Friday. Elsa and I met Tuesday (Jim was in bed with a bad cold) to continue our planning. I'm working on flyers to post around town advertising the English Bible studies, and Elsa will be posting an ad in the newspaper as well.
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I also have developed a cold over the past couple days. Sometime between Sunday and Monday the temperature here dropped 15 to 20 degrees (Fahrenheit), and it's supposed to stay cold the rest of the week. Anytime the weather changes drastically like that, my head pays the price. I think it may also just be going around because Jim and I are not the only ones at church to have colds right now.
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Speaking of the weather, last week Bremen (and all of northwestern Europe) had really bad storms. There were hurricane-force winds on the coast, but since Bremen is 50 miles or so from the North Sea, the winds here were closer to the 50 mph range. (I discovered just how many times my umbrella could withstand being turned inside out.) While that's nothing to joke about, that's obviously not nearly as bad as other places had it. Apparently during a wind storm a few years ago a child was injured by some roofing material that blew off of a building, so the public schools closed early on Thursday as a precaution.
With the colder weather that's moved in, though, we got some snow last night. As I walked out of church yesterday evening, I was greeted by lots of soft white flakes filling the air. The neighborhood was quieter than usual, making the snow all that much more peaceful. As far as I know, that's the first snow Bremen's had this winter. Only about half an inch or so accumulated, but I was excited nonetheless.
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I have not yet begun studying with Sylvia because she said she wanted to call me to arrange a time to meet but never did, and I have not seen her since Christmas Day. I called her, left a message, and never heard back. On Tuesday I was finally able to reach her. She still wants to study with me and seems to want to make it a regular thing. Elsa had expressed concern that Sylvia might want to begin studying with me but wouldn't keep it up, but I don't see that from Sylvia yet.
It will be interesting to see which direction our studies take. While it seems to me that Sylvia needs help seeing what it means to have a personal relationship with God and even learning who God is, her questions tend to bounce around to different subjects. The last time she attended a ladies' Bible study she asked questions about baptism, and on Tuesday she said she'd like to look at stories of Jesus' interaction with women. While I think the stories we've looked at in the ladies' Bible studies have prompted that interest, I think they could be a good segue into making Jesus more personal for Sylvia. Jesus' concern for the people of His day continues as a concern for us as well. If I can help Sylvia see that, maybe I can help her realize that Jesus loves her, and that's a greater story than any of the parables or miracles we may study.
*****
Also on the horizon are my German studies. Two weeks ago I took a German test at the Volkshochschule to determine which class I should take. I completed the 4 page, multiple-choice test in about 3 or 4 minutes and turned it in, only to be told that I did so well (I only missed one, and embarrassingly, that one covered telling time and not some aspect of grammar or vocabulary.) that I had to take another test. Let's just say I didn't do as well on the next one. Based on my scores on the tests, they recommended a class on the B1 level (it would be the third intensive class if I was starting from the beginning), after which I have the option of earning my Zertifikat Deutsch. I don't know what that would achieve for me in the grand scheme of my life, but it would say that I am competent in everyday communications in German. Future employment opportunities, perhaps?
Whether I earn the Zertifikat or not, I'm looking forward to getting back into German studies. Right now I feel like I'm grasping for anything. I learn a few words here, a grammatical structure there. Vocabulary is my weakest point; I never seem to have the words I need. It'll be nice to have someone guiding me through my language study again. I also look forward to getting to know the people in my class. It could be not only a way to meet some new people but could also serve as another form of outreach.
*****
The women in the congregation here are in charge of planning next month's ladies' retreat in Bergkirchen, and they've found a way to get me involved as well. I've been given the duty of writing cards expressing thanks and offering encouragement to some of the women who will be speaking at the retreat. I hope my broken German won't be a discouragement! I suppose I should have a German proof-read the cards before I send them.
*****
Two Sundays ago, Mimi and Rüdi invited me to their house for lunch after church. They have 2 kids: Rebecca, who's 3, and Johannes, who's 18 months. While Johannes is a very bubbly, friendly baby, Rebecca is more reserved and doesn't talk very much. She's been very clingy to her parents lately and doesn't really seem to like people she doesn't already know. As we walked to their house after church services, Rebecca kept looking up at me with a concerned look on her face. By the end of my visit, though, Rebecca decided she liked me and did not want me to leave. She and Johannes came with Mimi to the ladies' Bible study on Tuesday, and Rebecca asked Mimi to ask me when I could come visit again. I ended up spending several hours at their house that afternoon reading to Rebecca (good language practice for me!) and playing "house" with her. She was the mama and I was the kid, ironically named "Rebecca."
Mimi is an architect-turned-stay-at-home-mom and has been working on the plans for the new church building. The plans have to be drawn and offered for approval to a number of local offices, including the fire department. With 2 kids, Mimi's had a hard time finding the time to get all of it done, so she was more than happy for me to come over and play with Rebecca for a while. I have a feeling that babysitting could quickly become another way for me to reach out to the congregation here!
Something I learned that day: If you want to practice a foreign language, spend an afternoon with a 3-year old native speaker. Rebecca's German skills are much better than mine. I learned a lot of new words from her. For example, I now know that verstecken means "to hide," which is definitely a good word to know when you're hanging out with toddlers. Either a toy, the child, you, or perhaps all 3 will at some point be versteckt.
*****
I've said before that I've gained a lot from participating in the ladies' Bible studies here, and I thought this again recently. We started by reading in Acts of Paul's recountings of his conversion on the road to Damascus. Elsa said that each of us has a story of our own to tell, and she wanted us to get to know each other better, so she had asked Ingrid to tell us the story of how she came to know Jesus.
Even though I spent almost 6 weeks living with Ingrid when I first arrived in Bremen, I apparently did not get to know her all that well during that time. That night at ladies' Bible class I learned a lot about her and what's made her the person she is today. What really stuck with me the most, though, was one sentence: "Ohne Ihn kann ich nicht mehr leben." I can no longer live without Him. It was that one thought that tipped the scales toward personal faith for her. I love the way she worded that sentence. She could have worded it differently and retained the meaning, but by placing the "ohne Ihn" ("without Him") at the beginning she placed the emphasis on Jesus. For me there's even a difference in English. When you say, "I can no longer live without Him," I can hear your need for Jesus' presence in your life. But when you say, "Without Him I can no longer live," there's a deeper urgency. It sounds to me more like you're saying, "I'll die without Jesus."
In reality, isn't that the case for all of us?
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