Friday, February 29, 2008

Happy Leap Year!

So, once again, I didn't get a post finished "tomorrow" as I'd hoped. Oh well.

Things have stayed busy lately. I spent some time last week visiting Kirsten, who recently had surgery and is now recovering at home, and helped her with some cleaning. Last Tuesday evening I met with Ingrid and Michaela for our biweekly Bible study together. At our previous meeting we started a study of the book of Malachi after having completed James, and it's turning out to be really interesting. None of us has spent much time studying the minor prophets, so we're all learning something.

Last Friday night, as I was coming home from working at Elsa's, I walked by the cathedral on my way to the streetcar and noticed a sign advertising a free organ concert that happened to be about to start in 10 minutes. Back in November I went to a concert in the cathedral which I also had learned about a few minutes ahead of time as I happened by, and I had enjoyed it, so I decided I'd step inside for Friday's concert as well. The man played 8 pieces by 7 different composers on 2 of the cathedral's 3 organs, and I have to say it was an almost other-worldly experience. The large, round stained-glass window on the front of the cathedral serves as a backdrop for the pipes of the largest organ, and there was just something about the lighting, the sound of the organ, and the realization that I was sitting in a building dating back to the 800s. It verged on becoming eerie. The picture below is one I took last summer.


Saturday was the ladies' tea at church. Friday Ingrid and I spent about 4 hours setting the tables and decorating. I learned several interesting ways to fold paper napkins. :) Around 35 women had RSVPed (is there a correct way to write that?), so we set places for 40 people. We ended up having to add extra chairs and dishes to the tables as the seats filled up and people continued to walk through the door. In all we had 44. We had quite a few guests, and several women from the congregations in Hamburg, Kiel, and Braunschweig came, and it was so good to see them again. I see the ladies from Braunschweig once a month when a group of us from Bremen travels there to worship with them, but after first meeting the others at one of the ladies' retreats last spring, I've only seen them a couple times.


The afternoon went really well. Uschi, the speaker, talked about the differences between women of the various generations living today, using examples from her own family, and how we all together serve a God who doesn't change with the times. While I've heard similar presentations in English and from an American point-of-view, it was good to hear this one in German. It gave me a better understanding of the German culture of today and how it's become what it is. For example, I knew of course that World War 2 (termed "The War" by many here) had a tremendous impact on this country, but I don't think I'd ever thought about how it shaped the lives of the children growing up during and directly after that time and how it therefore determined how that generation would view life. That in turn impacted the Boomer Generation, or the Generation of 1968 in reference to the reform movement among university students that reached its culmination that year.

I could go on, but it fascinates me how political and social happenings affect the evolution of a people's worldview and culture. I am reminded again and again how important it is to understand those things in living here and trying to bring the Gospel to these people. A Mr. Murthi, who worked as an evangelist in India, said it the best: "Do not bring us the gospel as a potted plant. Bring us the seed of the gospel and plant it in our soil." I first heard this quote in the Missionary Anthropology class I took years ago at Harding, and I've seen it several other places since. It's stuck with me because it's so true. The core of the Gospel will never change, but the "soil" in which it's planted will vary depending on the people and culture of that place. You have to understand the composition of the soil and adapt accordingly if you're going to successfully help a plant to grow.

*****

I continue to spend quite a bit of time working at Elsa's house. I'm still working to organize Jim's books, and Elsa and I have gone through some of them and sent some to be recycled that are either outdated or not of interest to anyone we know. We've also been trying lately to get more people from church involved with the work. Yek Len, Ingrid, and Jutta have all come to help. Mark has also been coming at least once a week to look at the Bible books, primarily the commentaries so far, to determine which would be most useful in a future church library. We are very glad to have the help, and it's nice to see others "experience" the books and be able to use and appreciate them. So far no one who has come had seen the library previously, and they are amazed when they come in and I show them around. People have heard us say for a while now that "Jim had a lot of books," but that means nothing to them until they actually see them. Chins usually drop when I say that Jim had 4,274 books cataloged on his computer (though I've now deleted records for about 140 that we've gotten rid of), and there are probably at least that many that are not in the computer yet.

Mark and I have also helped Elsa with some other things while at her house. She's been trying to organize some things in Jim's office, so we carried out two bookcases so she will have more space to work, and I did some cleaning for her. Sometimes I just sit and listen when she needs to talk. Especially as we sort through books together, she tells stories about Jim and shares some of the emotions she's experiencing through the grieving process. We rejoice together at the small successes as she finds herself able to accomplish more and more each day. She told me recently that since Jim's death, I've spent more time than anyone else with her. This past week alone, I ate dinner with her three days after having worked at her house. I feel bad that she feeds me, but she insists she enjoys the company and having someone to cook for. For those of you who receive Elsa's email updates, I know she said I've become like family to her, and I'd say the same about her. I'm continually blessed by the fact that God gave me a year to spend working with and learning from Jim and that I can now be with Elsa through this time. And the best part is that through the happy times and the struggles, they each have helped me grow in a myriad of ways that I probably will not fully comprehend until I leave Bremen.

*****

I hope you are doing well wherever you are. Thanks for continuing to check in on me and for praying for me and for the work for the Kingdom here in Germany. To my family and all the others participating in Bible Bowl this weekend: I wish I could be there with you. Bible Bowl experiences are some of my favorite memories. Have fun, and remember that Scripture is the focus. Gott mit Euch.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

All in a day's shopping....

I hope to post a longer update tomorrow, but for now I thought I'd share a humorous cultural experience.

To preface this story, you have to understand that some grocery stores here require that customers weigh their own produce before getting to the register. You put the fruits or veggies on the electronic scale, push a button that corresponds to whatever it is you are weighing, and the machine prints a label that you're supposed to stick on your zucchinis, apples, etc. The label tells what kind of produce it is, how much your items weigh, the price per kilogram, and how much you owe, with a barcode to be scanned at the register. Many cashiers become quite irate when customers try to buy produce that has not been weighed. Ingrid told me about this procedure the second day I was in Bremen, and I've been so terrified ever since that I'm perpetually paranoid about inadvertently skipping the weighing process.

And no, this is not a story about me finally forgetting. Sorry to disappoint you. So....

Yesterday I stopped at the grocery store to get a few things, and as I was bagging my groceries, the cashier began scanning the next person's items. The following exchange between the cashier and the customer caught my attention:

Cashier: "Oh, you didn't weigh these bananas. You need to go weigh them."

Man (probably in his 70s): "No, I did weigh them. I know I did."

Cashier: "But there's no label. You need to go weigh them."

Man: "But I know I weighed them."

Cashier: *gives him directions to the nearest scale*

Man: *starts to walk away grumbling*

Cashier: "Oh! Wait a second! Come back!"

Man: *walks back*

(At this point, I have finished with my groceries and am blatantly standing there watching the scene unfold, thankful it isn't happening to me.)

Cashier: "Turn around. Here's the label after all."

Somehow the man had managed to transfer the label from the bananas to the back of his jacket. The cashier was kind enough to remove it for him.

Man: "I knew I'd weighed those bananas."

Cashier: "Honestly, I didn't believe you."

Me: *laughing*

Man: "She's laughing at me."

Cashier: "But I'm not."

Me, suddenly very embarrassed: "I'm sorry. It could have happened to me, too."

Man, to the cashier: "She was laughing at me."

Cashier: "But she said the same thing could have happened to her."

Man: *grumbles something I can't understand*

Me, muttering, while inching toward the nearest exit: "I'm sorry. Have a nice day."

I have to applaud the man for successfully deflecting the attention away from himself. By the time I left, I think I was more embarrassed than I would have been if I'd forgotten to weigh the bananas.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Another week behind us....

Not a whole lot has happened this week.

I worked at Elsa's four days and learned once again that I have to pace myself when working on the German books so my brain doesn't turn to mush and block out anything non-English. Plodding through the uncatalogued books and deciding which category in Jim's system they best fit is a tedious task that occupies most of the time I spend at Elsa's. I try to pepper that time with organizing shelves, preparing tasks for others to do when they have time to lend a hand, and trying to figure out exactly where all those books are going to go. To put it simply, Jim had more books than he had space, both in his library and in his office. That is probably the biggest challenge Elsa and I are facing. She often says things like, "Well, if we move those things there, that will clean off another shelf for us to use."

Though Elsa's ideas for what to do with the books have ranged from renting a Dumpster and trashing them all to keeping most of them in her home and organizing a lending system, she and I are in agreement that as many people as possible should be able to use the books. It looks like down the road at some point there will be a small library at the church building. For now, we're setting aside books that might be of interest to individuals. Elsa's not opposed to giving them away, and that's seeming like the route most of them will eventually take since the public library will not take donations.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the work, despite some of the headaches it brings. I can see more and more progress being made. Things are more organized, and people are beginning to use some of the materials Jim had collected. It also helps that I'm just a book nerd. I've liked to read since I first learned how. I also enjoy working in libraries. For me it brings a sense of being able to share the knowledge you have with other people and to help them find the treasures of information they're seeking. Okay, so I'm not just a book nerd but a nerd in general. I freely admit it. :)

*****

I'm also trying to finish my application for ETM (Evangelism Training and Media), the program developed by Jim about 8 or 9 years ago to offer further training to German Christians. Jim and Elsa had encouraged me to participate in the fall course, but then Jim got sick and the course was canceled. We're excited that Larry Sullivan, an American working in Chemnitz, has agreed to teach the course again using Jim's materials. ETM starts in late March, and the intensive week will be held at a camp in Gemunden northwest of Frankfurt Am Main. The other nine weeks of the program will require daily activities at home. Elsa said there will be 15 participants (I believe 9 from around Germany and 6 from Switzerland), more than any other year so far, which is exciting. I'm a little worried about the German (so what's new?), but I'm going to give it my best shot. The Christians here in Bremen who completed ETM in past years have had nothing but positive things to say about it. It's not school, so there are no grades to worry about, but I do want to get as much out of it as I can. More info to come as ETM approaches.

*****

I'd like to take a moment to brag on Mark. Since he and Karen arrived in Bremen 17 months ago (has it really been that long?!), he's gone from being able to say just a few words of German to being able to carry on basic conversations. This week I was especially proud of him on two occasions. Last Sunday during Bible class, he made a comment during our discussion of the birth of Samson in Judges 13. He spoke only in German, made a good point, and was understood by the rest of the class. That may not sound like anything big, but every success in learning the language means progress, and progress is what we're aiming for.

Then, on Wednesday evening after Bible study, some of us stayed for the monthly evening potluck dinner. As we sat down to eat, Wolfgang asked Mark in German if he would pray with us in English. Mark's response: "Nein. Auf Deutsch." Then to everyone's surprise and delight, Mark prayed in German. It was great. For me, praying is one thing I can't yet bring myself to do in German. My heart talks to God in English, and I find it difficult to translate. But Mark chose German over English and did so in front of a group of people. I was really proud of him.

*****

I've been happy to notice over the past few days that the amount of sunlight each day is steadily increasing. In Bremen there's over 9 hours difference between the amount of daylight in December and in June. Over the past month and a half, we've gained about 45 minutes in the morning and close to an hour and a half in the evening. Definitely no complaints from me, though I'm sure someone will need to remind me of that in June when I start whining about the sun rising at 4:45.

I know many of you in the U.S. have had to deal with a lot of snow and bitter cold temperatures recently. Here in Bremen, though, the weather's been pretty mild of late. Today it got into the mid-50s, and the sky was clear with lots of sun. I noticed yesterday while walking from the streetcar stop to Elsa's house that the crocuses are blooming, and the daffodils are starting to pop up as well. People at church keep saying, "Just wait. The frost will come again." I guess we'll see.

Until then, I'm enjoying the springtime.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Now that it's been over 2 months since my last update and I've broken my longest previous record for time between posts, I guess it's time to write a new blog entry.

There are excuses I could give for not posting, but I'm trying to get away from making excuses for things I do and instead to accept them, learn something new, and move on. I apologize for worrying you all, and I really do appreciate you reading the blog and offering your support and prayers for me and for the work here in Bremen. I couldn't have made it this far without you. And yes, I know that sounds cliché, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Several of you were concerned that Christmas might be difficult for me, especially since the previous one was a bit rough. I also worried about the holidays. The arrival of Christmas decorations in stores in early November was a bit depressing for me. I decided, though, that I had to let myself be sad about not being with family for Christmas because not doing so in 2006 just caused things to bottle up and get worse. Slowly, though, as people at church began making plans for how to spend the holidays, and as the Abercrombies and I talked about days of working jigsaw puzzles and watching movies when the stores would be closed, I started looking forward to Christmas.

Then, in about mid-December, my dad out-of-the-blue offered to fly me back to the States for Christmas. I was shocked. As odd as it sounds, deciding whether or not to take him up on the offer wasn't easy (sorry Dad). Who wouldn't want to be with their family for Christmas? I know I'm definitely not on that short list. But I really felt a need to consider how leaving for an unplanned trip to the U.S. would affect the responsibilities I have here in Bremen. I also was concerned about leaving Elsa during the holidays. After much prayer and discussion, though, I decided to take Dad up on his offer. Elsa assured me she would be fine (Her daughter, Karin, and her family were coming from Switzerland...and, after all, there are other people in the Bremen congregation besides me who can help Elsa.) and that like any "normal job," I get vacation time that I can choose to use in whatever way I wish.

So, it was off to the U.S. for Christmas, and I'm very glad I went. I got to see most of my extended family, which was especially nice considering that my grandfather and one of my uncles have been dealing with some serious health problems lately. I have to say, it was strange to realize that my younger sister, who got married last July, no longer lives with my parents and instead has her own home with her husband. Weird, yes, but I guess that's what happens when you've been away.

Since coming back to Bremen, I've continued to help Elsa. My primary project is organizing Jim's library, but I basically do whatever Elsa needs me to do. Sometimes that just means lending an ear when she wants to talk. I really enjoy our time together. We've gotten to know each other better, and I think it's good for both of us to spend less time alone.

Elsa spent three weeks in January visiting her daughter, Diana, in Florida. When she came back a week ago, she seemed so much more relaxed than she had before, and she even said the trip had been one of healing for her. Since Diana was 9 months pregnant when Jim died, she was not able to come to Bremen for the funeral, so I think she and Elsa both needed the time to grieve together. Plus, Elsa always enjoys playing Grandma. She did nothing but rave about 3-month old Davey. :)

Last Saturday, the day after Elsa got back from the States, she and I attended the symphony here in Bremen at the invitation of Wolfgang and Helga. They have season tickets and invite two people to join them for each performance. This particular concert included three pieces by Beethoven and was really good. I am by no stretch of the imagination a classical music connoisseur, but I do enjoy listening to it and watching the orchestra. Wolfgang plays the violin and knows much more about music than Elsa or I do, and he tried to explain some of the pieces to us, hoping to help us understand the different movements and therefore the stories and emotions Beethoven was trying to convey. Nevertheless, we didn't understand much, but we did enjoy the concert and the fellowship together.

Over the past few months I've been on the planning committee for the ladies' retreat in Neckarzimmern in May. Congregations take turns organizing the retreat, and this year is Bremen's turn. The theme is "Your will be done," and the Bible class topics and teachers, keynote speakers, and afternoon workshops have been chosen (not an easy task) and confirmed with those who will be helping. The retreat is always held during the week of Pentecost, and because the holiday is in mid-May this year, there seem to be some questions as to how many will be able to come. Invitations should be mailed out soon, so we'll see how many responses we receive.

We've also decided to host a...well, I guess the closest English explanation would be "a ladies' tea." A woman named Uschi will come from Augsburg to speak, and then we'll do what German women do best when they get together: enjoy cake and coffee. Apparently it's been a while since the women in Bremen last hosted one of these events, and we're hoping we'll have a good crowd from congregations in surrounding cities as well as friends and neighbors here in Bremen.

A couple weeks ago, while Elsa was in the U.S., I cleared another hurdle of life here in Bremen: I taught the evening ladies' Bible study. While I have taught children's Bible classes many times, including a few here in Bremen, I had never before led a women's class in English, let alone in German. Quite frankly, I was terrified. I think I could handle delivering a speech in German because I could prepare everything ahead of time, but the prospect of leading a group discussion practically nauseated me. The perfectionist inside me struck again, despite frequent attempts to vanquish her once and for all! I suppose Elsa wouldn't have asked me to teach if she didn't have some confidence in my language skills, but I still have trouble trusting her assessment of me on that front. I made it through the lesson, though, without vomiting (thank goodness) and without
being corrected too many times. The ladies were very patient with me, and several even said afterward that our study of the book of Esther had been interesting and enlightening. While they knew the basics of the story from teaching children's Sunday school classes, they'd never read the narrative very closely and so had not noticed many of the intricacies of Esther's life or how the events recorded in Esther fit into the larger history of the Jewish people. I was happy to hear that our study had been beneficial, but probably more than that, I have to admit, I was glad that it was over.

Other news of late:

- Simone, one of Rüdiger's co-workers, was baptized the day after Christmas. She spent about 10 months last year reading the entire Bible and looking for a church family. In October she came to church with Rüdi and his family and then decided to come each week, despite the fact that she has to spend an hour and a half in a car, a train, and two streetcars to get there. She's been a tremendous blessing to all of us, and her exuberant young faith and excitement about serving the Lord are contagious.

- Glenn Jones came from Kiel to teach a seminar on "the basics of the Christian faith." We had visitors from Hamburg, as well as one young woman from Mannheim. With people there from so many backgrounds, we had some healthy discussion throughout the day, and Glenn handled it very well. He was extremely patient, and whenever someone asked a question or wanted to begin a debate, he calmly pointed us back to Scripture.

Thanks again for continuing to check the blog. I PROMISE to update more often (I feel like I've said that before). While I know people like to know what's going on here, updating is also good for me. It's therapeutic, helps me recognize accomplishments and struggles, and makes me feel a little less alone sometimes.

I hope you are doing well wherever you are. Gott mit Dir, and have a good rest of the weekend.