A glance into Alicia's mind....

Yes, I know that title sounds a bit scary. It sometimes scares me, too.

I thought I'd share with you a few thoughts I've been mulling over lately:

1) Many of the people who have called about the English studies have asked what "kind" of Christians the students are or which church their university is associated with. I've explained to a few people that the church of Christ/Gemeinde Christi is similar to the Baptist church in many ways, but I keep asking myself why there even ARE different churches. Why are there different "types" of Christians? I know, I know, there's 2,000 years-worth of church history filled with people parting ways over human (often petty) disagreements that can answer that question, but it still doesn't make sense to me. Scripture talks about Jesus building only one church, and if there's only one church, there should be only one "type" of Christian. Can't we all just get along and get back to the Bible and the business of winning souls for the Lord?

2) On Sunday while sharing his thoughts before the Lord's Supper, Wolfgang talked a bit about freedom and love, and I really liked what he said. While not verbatim, here's how he put it: "Love requires freedom. Without freedom, it can't be real love. That's why God HAD to give us free will. Otherwise we would just be robots or marionettes. But by giving us freedom to choose, God takes a risk that people might choose AGAINST Him."

God wants so badly for us to return the genuine love He showers upon us that He sent His son to die for me and for you even though we might decide not to accept Jesus' sacrifice. God paved the way to Him, fully knowing that some would select another path that would lead away from Him. I don't believe it is possible for anyone ever to do anything MORE SELFLESS than what God did through Jesus on the cross. God gave all of Himself while risking everything.

3) By sending Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, God was protecting humans, not punishing them. Had they been allowed to remain in the Garden, they could have eaten from the Tree of Life and lived forever. Humans, though, weren't ready for eternal life at that point because it would have meant an eternity with a broken relationship with God due to the sin they'd committed. By expelling Adam and Eve and keeping them from eating from the Tree of Life, God allowed for the possibility of reunification one day through the blood of Christ. From the beginning God had a plan. How cool is that?

And now that my brain has been at least partially freed from its burdens, perhaps I can sleep. Süβe Träume....

Assorted busyness

Now that I've spent about four days trying to get this post finished, here it is. :)

Life continues to be busy.

Elsa left last Thursday for the U.S. On Friday she's speaking at the Pepperdine University lectureship on planting churches in Europe. If you happen to be going to the lectureship, please sit in on her presentation. She's gained a lot of wisdom throughout 35 years of mission work, and she has some things to share that I think can benefit those involved with foreign missions as well as those simply trying to stay the Christian course. Plus, she has the idea in her head that she's not interesting enough for people to come to hear her speak, and I'd like to prove her wrong. :) Please also pray for her nerves to settle and for her to stay healthy. When she left she was battling a sore throat and was worried she might lose her voice. Not good when you have to speak in front of a group.

*****

I spent a couple days last week helping Elsa get ready to leave and working more on Jim's library. There are around 8,000 books, and Jim had assigned numbers to a little over half of them and entered them into a database. Another 2,000 or so had been given partial numbers (based on the classification system Jim designed) and are not in the computer. So far I've been working to assign partial numbers to the other 2,000 or so books. I've got about 80 left, and I've come up with a game plan for how things should proceed:

1) Finish assigning partial numbers.

2) Help Elsa choose books to keep for herself and to use with counseling clients.

3) Set aside books for a small collection at the church building.

4) Create a very basic database of partially cataloged books.

5) Send databases to other missionaries in Germany (possibly throughout Europe?) and ask which books they'd like to have.

As for whatever is left after that:

6) Take them to a used book store OR

7) Pull a large Dumpster up to Elsa's house.

A couple of times already I've actually had to talk Elsa out of going ahead with step 7.

I don't know how long all of that is going to take, but I'm happy to have a plan and to know what I'm working toward. We're also at a point where other people are able to use the books, which makes my heart glad. Rüdiger came over recently to get a few books of sample sermons, and Elsa let one of her neighbors borrow a few books last week. We're also sending a Hebrew Bible to Larry Sullivan in Chemnitz. I know Jim enjoyed using his books regularly, and I'm thrilled to now be able to help others make use of them as well.

One of the continuing challenges for me with the books is dealing with multiple copies. I regularly stumble upon a book I know I've seen before, and sure enough, I find its twin on a shelf in another room. I think sometimes Jim either really, really liked a book and bought several copies to give to others or he just plain forgot that he already owned it. I think the latter is probably the more likely answer.

There are also many books that Jim owned both in English and in German, and I try to put those together when I find them, though it's more complicated than matching identical copies. Many books translated from English into German are given completely different titles, and unless you do some investigating you'd never know from the cover that they were the same book. For example, Jim owned Joshua Harris' book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and I finally figured out one day that Unkissed But Still Not a Frog is its German counterpart. The sequel in English is called Boy Meets Girl and in German it's Frog Meets Princess. Does all of that say something about the German language and culture? I don't know.

*****

Last weekend I went to the European Singles' Retreat in Gemünden, Germany (yes, the same place I went for the ETM intensive week). There were about 30 of us there, and while we all currently live in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, or the Netherlands, the nationalities also included Syrian, Russian, American (several besides me), and even one woman from Curacao. Just like with ETM, I really enjoyed meeting other Christians from so many other places. I think it reminds me how truly global God's family is and should be.

The whole weekend was in English since the participants come from so many different places. While I did speak some German with people who struggle a bit with English, it was nice to speak in English for a while. One of the big highlights of the weekend for me was getting to sing in English. Saturday evening a group of us sang for over two hours, one song after the other. Many of the songs I remember learning around the campfire at Fort Hill Christian Youth Camp during summers growing up or in chapel services at Harding. While I've learned to enjoy singing in German and find it uplifting, there's just something about singing in your native language with other Christians that can make your heart smile.

Another highlight of the weekend: s'mores! We weren't able to make them over a campfire because it had rained all day, but they turned out pretty well in the oven. I asked one of the retreat organizers where she found graham crackers, and she said she got them in the commissary on one of the military bases in the Frankfurt area. She even sent a leftover box home with me. I never cease to be surprised at the weird things I suddenly miss from the U.S.

*****

Another BIG project I've been working on lately has been responding to the calls about the ads for the English Bible studies with the campaigners who are coming next month. I spent almost the whole day last Monday on the phone returning calls from the weekend and fielding new calls. So far, though, we only have 9 people committed to meeting with the students and a couple others who aren't sure yet. I don't think it's helped that the 2 newspapers in which we advertise didn't get published last Wednesday due to a fire in the print shop. I have gotten calls, though, from people who have seen posters we've hung around town, so that's been good. PLEASE PRAY that God will open people's hearts and will send us the people we need to be meeting with.

*****

Today I spent the afternoon visiting Julia. She and her husband, Herbert, both met with the campaigners who were here in 2004, and I met her in 2005 in Searcy when she came to visit Mark and Karen (she'd met them while they were also in Bremen in 2004). The last time I saw her was the day before Jim's funeral in October when her son, Marcel, was just under four weeks old, so when she called me last week to ask an English question, we decided I was overdue for a visit to her house. Marcel is now seven months old and, needless to say, looks just a bit different than the last time I saw him. Julia works as a translator between Russian, German, and English, and I helped her this afternoon with some English grammar and translation.

We also had an interesting conversation about faith. She talked about how religion was forbidden while she was growing up in Russia, so faith is basically nothing more to her than a tradition that some people practice. I explained to her that even though my parents are Christians and I grew up going to church, I was the one who had to decide for myself if my faith was my own rather than just something I inherited as a tradition from my parents. I've made my faith my own and am trying to live it in my daily life. I don't know if she understood what I was trying to say or not, but Herbert later told me that he and Julia wanted to know if I would meet with Julia's daughter, Vladislava, to help her with English and to "teach her about religion and what her life means." I told him that I should be able to do that after the campaigners leave in June. It should be interesting to see what comes from all of it.

Thanks for checking in on me and life in Bremen and for your prayers. Please continue to lift me, the Bremen congregation, and the upcoming campaign up to the Father. Gott mit Euch!

ETM in Gemünden, Part II

I guess I should have said, "Part II coming the day after tomorrow." :)

So, the week in Gemünden went well. I went for a hike one afternoon with my roommate, Barbara, and I managed to get her and several others addicted to the card game "SET". I learned how to play about 10 years ago, and because it's not really the kind of game that appeals to everyone, I usually play by myself. The deck in Gemünden was the first I've seen in Germany, and I was surprised to find that a few other people there already knew how to play. It was fun to teach Barbara and others and to then see them teaching still more people.

Each of us during the week had to give a 10-minute presentation to the group based on an article we had read. We were supposed to describe the principle discussed by the author, how it is useful, and how it can be applied in the church. All of the topics had something to do with self-improvement, communication skills, or time- and priority-management. I chose the article on the "Pareto Principle," which is named after the Italian sociologist who discovered it. It basically says that 20% of your expenditure is so important that it will achieve 80% of your goal. I think in English it's known as the "20:80 Rule." I had volunteered to present on Friday along with three others, and as we were about to begin after our lunch break, I realized that some of the visitors (ETMers from previous years) had come in the room to watch the presentations. I was already extremely nervous (about the German, not about getting up in front of people), and seeing the new people sent my blood pressure soaring. I looked over at Elsa with what I guess was panic etched across my face, and she laughed and said, "That's what you get for going on the last day." *Sigh* Somehow I made it through without passing out.

Last weekend was spent as an ETM reunion of sorts. Participants from previous years came, some with their families, and we discussed how ETM has benefited our lives; what things can be improved; and possibilities for future advanced courses, which are ones that can be completed after finishing the basic course, the one I'm doing now. I enjoyed meeting new people from all over the country (and at least one from Zurich, Switzerland) and seeing Elsa's daughter, Karin, and her family again. I know Elsa really enjoyed getting to see her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters (or at least the ones who live in Switzerland) again, too. The last time I saw them was at Jim's funeral, which wasn't exactly the ideal situation for socializing. I got to spend some time last weekend playing with Karin's daughters, Alicia (uh-LEES-ee-uh) and Liliana. There are times when Elsa pronounces my name like her granddaughter's and vice versa. I think with both of us there she had even more trouble keeping straight which of us is "uh-lees-ee-uh" and which is "uh-lish-uh." :)

As for ETM, it continues until the end of May. At that point we'll get together again for "regional meetings." Until then we have a couple of assignments to complete, including reading Ordne dein Leben (the German translation of Ordering Your Private World) by Gordon MacDonald. At the meeting each of us will present a Bible study or some other formal presentation on a chapter from the book. Those of us from "the north" will get together in Chemnitz, with the men and women meeting separately.

This weekend has gone well. I'm doing some organizing in my apartment and trying to get caught up on some things after being gone. I've had one other person call in response to the ads for English studies, so we've got a grand total of 2 so far. Please pray that God will work in the hearts of the people of this city and that He'll prepare people for the campaigners to study with.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and have a wonderful start to the week. Thanks for checking in on me and for your thoughts and prayers. They keep me going. Gott mit Euch.

ETM in Gemünden, Part I

Now that I'm much more awake....

I first want to thank the ladies from Mothers of Missionaries (MOMs) for the nice card they sent me. The card arrived sometime last week while I was gone, so it was a welcome surprise waiting for me when I got back. Thank you for thinking of me and for praying for me and for the work in Bremen.

It's hard to believe it's already been five days since we got back from Gemünden. This week has flown by. The first ads for English conversation (part of the campaign that starts next month) were published in a couple of the newspapers here in town on Wednesday. I'm the one taking the calls for the next couple weeks, and I'll admit the past couple days for me have been nerve-wracking waiting for someone to call. Elsa gave me a "script" that she used in previous years, and I tweaked it a bit to better fit my personality and the circumstances of this year's campaign.

And...I'm thrilled to announce that about 15 minutes ago I hung up with the first caller, and after talking with me he is still interested in participating! Yay! :) Since the Munich congregation had success with a similar program WITHOUT initially telling callers that the Bible would be used as a text and starting point for the English conversations, Elsa and I debated about whether or not to do the same with our callers. I decided to go ahead and tell them so as to be totally up-front and honest with them and to avoid later surprises and frustrations. I figure that we're offering a free service, and if they have an issue with the Bible, then they can say "No thanks" and that's that. They haven't lost anything but the few minutes they spent calling. We've been praying that God will prepare the hearts of those who call and that He will send us those who need to participate in this program at this time. The man who called a little while ago said he went to a Catholic school and had no problem with the Bible. Whew! Thank you, Lord, for hearing prayers and making the first call an easy one.

I've also spent time this week working at Elsa's. I'm slowly working my way through the books, deciding to get rid of some and assigning the others to broad categories within Jim's classification system. Last week I told Larry Sullivan, the American missionary who taught the ETM intensive week, that Elsa does not want to keep all of the books, and he asked me to look for a few books that he is needing for his work in the congregation in Chemnitz. Yesterday I found a Hebrew Bible, which Larry is needing, so Elsa said we can send it to him along with other books he might be able to use. My hope is that we'll be able to supply other missionaries around Germany (and maybe in other countries as well) with resources they might need for the work in their respective cities. 8,000 books can stretch a long way, and I'm sure there's something for everyone among them.

Now, to the ETM intensive week. It was stressful at times but overall wonderful. After doing projects at home for two weeks, I enjoyed meeting the other people who had been doing the same work I had. Of course I already knew Sergej and Liesel since they live in Bremen, but of the other 11 participants I had only met two of them before at the ladies' retreat in Neckarzimmern last year. Members of 3 congregations in Germany and 3 in Switzerland comprise the group, and, probably more surprising to me, 6 nationalities are represented: German, Swiss, American, Russian, Czech, and Hungarian. We range in age from 23 to 69 with a wide variety of education levels. This year's group is the largest they've ever had, and I don't believe the group has ever before been this diverse.

Basically we spent 6 to 7 hours a day in a lecture format and doing small group discussions. Before arriving we had done assignments that I talked about in a previous post, and we discussed those together. We spent a lot of time elaborating on the importance of prayer and then walking step-by-step through the Lord's Prayer and fleshing out the details of each of its six components. The prayer notebook project is meant to continue for the next 6 weeks, but the ultimate goal is to help us become a people of prayer who daily devote time to prayer, making it a priority in our walk with the Lord.

We also spent a great deal of time discussing talents, interests, and spiritual gifts. Before we went to Gemünden, each of us gave a copy of a survey to three different people. Each of those people answered the questions as they applied to us, and they then sent them to Elsa, who entered them in a spreadsheet. At the beginning of last week, each of us then filled out a similar but MUCH longer survey about ourselves. All of the questions required us to rank either how much we enjoy; can see ourselves participating in; or already do a certain activity. Elsa then entered those results in the spreadsheet, and the resulting printout was very interesting. During the week we discussed 11 different "non-miraculous" spiritual gifts as described in the New Testament:
1) mercy and compassion
2) serving
3) encouragement and counseling
4) evangelism
5) giving
6) helping
7) shepherding
8) teaching
9) leading
10) speaking
11) differentiating between spirits (i.e., good and evil)
Elsa's printouts included a graph showing which gifts we possibly have based on the answers we and our friends gave on the surveys. It was fascinating to see some of the differences between what we thought and what our friends thought. For example, my answers indicate that I think I have the gift of "helping," but answers given by those to whom I gave the surveys scored highly under "serving." Elsa's explanation for this: they're all seeing the same things that I do, but we're categorizing them in different ways. While I tend to see my activities as helping someone else accomplish something, other people see them as taking responsibility for serving others. The point was to help us all examine ourselves and identify the gifts and interests God has given us and then to see how we can better use them to serve Him.

Probably the hardest discussions for me were about setting goals and creating a life vision, all of which should be based on implementing our God-given gifts and interests. I think I had such a hard time with it because that's exactly what I've been working on lately with deciding whether or not to stay longer in Germany. Disassembling your life and taking a critical look at the pieces and then putting them back together to decide where you're headed and if it's in the right direction is not always a pleasant experience. As a matter of fact, it hurts. But it's necessary if we're going to make the best use of the time God's given us on earth.

Part II coming tomorrow....

Trying...to stay...awake....

I'm way too tired to do a full post tonight, but I wanted to go ahead and let you all know that we made it back from Gemünden on Sunday evening. We had a great week, and tomorrow (I PROMISE!) I'll post more about it.

I think I got behind on sleep last week, and I'm still not caught up. Last night I got almost 10 hours of sleep and still fell asleep on the streetcar on the way to Elsa's this afternoon. I probably would have missed my stop if I had not heard my name and opened my eyes to see a woman from church sitting across the aisle grinning at me.

Okay, I've made it to 10:00, so I think it's safe to head to bed now without risking waking up at 4 AM.

Gute Nacht und süβe Träume.