Three mornings last week I met with the Harding students to talk about German culture and life in Bremen and then discussed the first studies (from Ecclesiastes) they will work through with people. Then on Friday and Saturday evenings we had "get-to-know-you" parties so that the people who had called about the English studies could meet the students and they could arrange appointments. On Friday 10 people came, and everyone seemed to have a good time. A few people came in saying they were nervous about speaking in English, but they all overcame their jitters and were able to talk with the students. On Saturday we had expected 7 or 8 to come, but only 2 showed up. We made the most of it, though, and still had a good evening.
On Monday I went through the beginning of the second series of studies (from John) with the students, and later that day the first studies took place. Aside from the very first appointment not showing up, as far as I know all of the other people have come and are doing well with the studies so far. The students also seem to be handling the varying English levels well.
Please continue to pray for the campaign. We're asking that God might open hearts and prepare the harvest. Right now we only have 15 people meeting with the students, which is a far smaller number than during past campaigns, but "quality" is more important than quantity, so perhaps these studies will prove to be more fruitful since the students will have more time to meet with each of the readers.
*****
Tomorrow morning Liesel, Sergej, and I leave for Chemnitz for the ETM regional meeting. Elsa took the train to Bern, Switzerland, yesterday for the regional meeting that will take place there. I have to say, I'm ready for ETM to be over, just because of all of the different things that have been going on lately. Between the ladies' retreat, the campaign, and finishing ETM, May has been packed full for me. All of these things have been wonderful; I know that ETM in particular has helped me grow in a number of ways and has given me the opportunity to get to know so many different people whom I'm looking forward to seeing again. But I'm simply in need of a break.
*****
And now for the part I'm sure you've all been itching to hear about....
Nine of us from Bremen took the train down to Neckarzimmern on May 12th (3 others went by car). The trip was going very smoothly until an announcement was made saying that we would arrive in Würzburg (where we were supposed to change trains) about 30 minutes late. A couple of weeks earlier a train tried to go through a tunnel at the same time as a herd of sheep. Apparently there was a big mess to clean up, including the derailed train. As it happened, we were supposed to go through this same tunnel but had to take a detour because of the on-going clean-up and reconstruction project. Hence the delay in getting to Würzburg.
The delay, though, caused us to miss our connecting train, giving us a 2-hour stay in Würzburg until we could catch the next one. We made the most of the time, though. As we wandered around in front of the train station, a kind man directed us to a nearby park , and we headed over there. We spent some time practicing the skits we were scheduled to perform that evening (I can only imagine what passersby thought of us!), and then I took the opportunity to go for a walk, camera in hand. After sitting in a train for about five hours, it was nice to move around, and I always like to explore new places.
And now for the part I'm sure you've all been itching to hear about....
Nine of us from Bremen took the train down to Neckarzimmern on May 12th (3 others went by car). The trip was going very smoothly until an announcement was made saying that we would arrive in Würzburg (where we were supposed to change trains) about 30 minutes late. A couple of weeks earlier a train tried to go through a tunnel at the same time as a herd of sheep. Apparently there was a big mess to clean up, including the derailed train. As it happened, we were supposed to go through this same tunnel but had to take a detour because of the on-going clean-up and reconstruction project. Hence the delay in getting to Würzburg.
The delay, though, caused us to miss our connecting train, giving us a 2-hour stay in Würzburg until we could catch the next one. We made the most of the time, though. As we wandered around in front of the train station, a kind man directed us to a nearby park , and we headed over there. We spent some time practicing the skits we were scheduled to perform that evening (I can only imagine what passersby thought of us!), and then I took the opportunity to go for a walk, camera in hand. After sitting in a train for about five hours, it was nice to move around, and I always like to explore new places.
This, oddly enough, is a giant sequoia. (No, I'm not a botanist. There was a sign nearby.) I've never seen one in the U.S., so it was especially weird to me to come across one in the middle of Germany.
This is the Würzburg Residence, a palace built in the 1700s which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Like close to 90% of the rest of Würzburg, it was heavily damaged during a British air raid in March 1945 but has been restored.
I think I'll visit Würzburg again when I can have more time to see things. As it was I got a lecture from Rotraud about making her nervous that I wouldn't come back in time to catch the train. :) She was afraid I'd gotten lost and wouldn't be able to find the train station again.
We did make the next train connection and arrived safely in Neckarzimmern. Since we were in charge of planning the retreat, we had a number of things to do that first evening, but everything went smoothly. Elsa said she was surprisingly relaxed in comparison with other times she's helped plan retreats. Our skits the first evening humorously introduced the week's theme of "Your will be done" and were a big hit, as was the mixer we played to help everyone get to know each other.
One thing I noticed right away was how much more comfortable I felt this year than I did last year after first arriving. I think there are several reasons for that:
1) My German is better. Last year I could hardly understand the Swiss women, even when they spoke in High German; this time I rarely had problems. I think the fact that I spent the ETM Intensive Week listening to the accents of four different Swiss helped a lot. I also understood a lot more during the Bible classes and speeches than last year, and a number of people told me my German had improved.
2) I already knew many of the women. When we arrived last year, I only knew the four others from Bremen, a woman from Augsburg whose husband speaks in Bremen a couple times a year, and one or two women from Hamburg who'd been at a different retreat a couple of months before. Last year's retreat was even the first time I'd met Elsa's daughter, Karin. Because most of the women come year after year, this time I got to see again most of the ones I'd met last year. It's easier to feel at ease when you're not walking into a roomful of complete strangers.
3) I have more self-confidence. My German skills contribute to this, but in general I'm more confident than I was even a few months ago. I think ETM has helped. I've gotten to know myself more and accept who I am. I'm trying to apply my strengths and work on my weaknesses. When you're comfortable with yourself it's easier to be comfortable around other people.
Okay, that's enough for this installment of the Retreat Report. More to come after the weekend in Chemnitz....
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