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.