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. :)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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