Well, it's been a while since I last wrote here. My brain is full, body exhausted and I think I might be ready to crash.
A quick summary of all that has happened in the last week:
We went back to the Kaiser Wilhelm Friedrich church on Sunday for the Pentecost service. It took me till about halfway through the service before I finally figured out what was going on. It was meaningful in that it demonstrated the different tongues that were spoken on the day of Pentecost.
Monday was spent sanding and priming the door frames and floor boards of a building for a ministry site. It was probably the hardest physical labour we've put in all trip, and when I woke up the next morning, I realised that even all the walking we've done in the last couple weeks didn't match up to the labour we put in on Monday. Or maybe I'm just really out of shape. Who knows :)
Monday evening we had dinner at this place called Matthew's Table. It's kind of like a steriod version of what I would like to do eventually. Basically, the idea is that they host meals and parties for anyone and everyone in their neighbourhood, and over the dinner table, conversations happen so that these people experience the love of a Christ community.
Tuesday was kind of a free day until the evening when we went to visit Klaus' Abendbrot. This place functions as a cafe, bar and almost like a home where people can come in to relax, get creative, or use the workshop space to fix things. Daniel explained that one of their main values is in social justice and standing up for the ones who have little.
Dinner on Tuesday was A-mazing. We went to a Thai and Sushi place and I had some of the best Tom Yum soup and green curry.
Wednesday was a free day. Dan and I spent most of the day exploring and trying to find our way around the city. But he also got some of his souvenir and Christmas shopping done which turned out perfect since the group here for the Urban Ministry class left this morning.
In all, I'll have to say that the last couple weeks have been stretching, tiring but also I'm not sure when was the last time I've laughed as much as I did. Between the hysterics of the guys and the girls egging them on, it was laughter to no end.
Today was kind of a quieter day. We got up early this morning to send the group off to the airport then came back for breakfast. After that we all crashed for a couple hours before getting up to do laundry. I also moved my stuff down to the Philips' apartment and unpacked my stuff into the room where I'll be for the next two months. It's kind of a nice feeling to finally be able to settle in.
Unfortunately, this is also when the other pieces of crossing culture will come in. Tomorrow evening, we will be hosting a group that will be here for Teenfreizeit, which is the summer camp for the teens of the Church of God in Germany. This will be when English will be the minority language (and Mandarin even less) and I'll have to force myself to remember as much from Deutsch klassen as I can and hopefully find enough stamina to keep up for the entire weekend that the group is here.
Also, with the group gone now, this will be me living in a new culture by myself again. Even though I really needed my personal space while the group was here, they were at least a little more familiar to me than being in Germany by myself is.
Hey, if you think of it, here are a few things I would really appreciate prayer for for the next few days...
1) Teenfreizeit group:
Pray that everything will go smoothly and for the training pieces to come together.
2) Language:
I don't think I really understood how mentally exhausting it is to try to listen to a conversation in German and try to catch as many words as I can possibly understand, then try to make sense of what's going on. Pray for the mental energy, and that I will not get too frustrated with myself for not being able to understand more.
3) Well-being:
The last three weeks or so have been exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally. I'm not sure I would really call this homesickness yet, but there's definitely a longing for something familiar. Pray that I will be able to find joy in simple things as I adjust to living here.
And in returning thanks, here are a few things I've been really thankful for:
1) Kelley, Rhonda, Christian and Aaron for their hospitality and the way they simply opened up their lives to not only our group, but also the people at the ministry sites we've been to. There's nothing more inspiring than watching the smile light up the faces of the people you're working with, knowing that they're not just doing that because God or the Bible said so, or because it's the "Christian" thing to do - but because they REALLY care.
2) For people who continue to pour out their lives not simply into ministries, but into other people. For the reminder that people are ALWAYS more important and valuable than things.
3) The group from AU here for the Urban Ministry class, for the reminder to laugh with others and at myself.
I'm also thankful that my window is right by the main street so I can fall asleep to the sounds of the city again like I had the first eighteen years of my life :)
And of course, I'm thankful for you, for your prayers, and for taking time to read this and to keep up with my journey.
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