Tales from the Goethe Lunch Bunch

This afternoon is a RED LETTER day! When we came home from language school, our internet was working. We have had a borrowed wireless hook up since we have been here. For the past several weeks, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We Praise God even on the days that it is less than perfect! That is a large reason why we have been sporatic in our blogging. When I have the time, the internet is not cooperating. When it strikes my brain that we need to update our supporters and co-workers, the internet is not working. Our friends in other places will understand. Paula wrote to one of them and told them that we actually have a date for our service to be hooked up on the 12th of NEVER!

We are well past a month on the field and it is beginning to be a lot like Herbst in Germany. The weather here in the Drilaenderecke (corner with three countries) is better most of the time, but it has turned cold and rainy. It is supposed to snow sometime this week. Ah, just like we remember Germany in the Fall.

In the mean time, we have decided that we will go to the Baptist Church here in Lorrach as long as we are here. We have been Baptists for over 30 years and Baptists are the ones who support us through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Besides, this little church reminds us of so many to which we have belonged over the years. From time to time, we'll probably find ourselves in a different worship place, but "Es gefaehlt uns" (We like it).

Our ministry continues, even at our language school. We have taken to bringing a bag of crackers or chips or cookies to share with our group of Saudi Arabian couples. They are all professionals and are here to further their educations at the University of Freiburg. One will complete a surigical residency in Ear Nose and Throat doctoring and another will be studying prosthedontics. Even though we have learned a lot about Saudi culture, we are passing on things that trully matter. Today we learned that most of them had never seen snow! Our friend from Sri Lanka said, "You know, as a man from a tropical island, I always believed in snow, even though I had never seen it until I came to Germany. It is the same with God, even though I have never seen Him, I still believe that He sent His Son to take away my sin." This will be a topic for discussion on another day, but for today it was just the right illustration. Just as the bell rang to return to our classes one day last week one of the Saudi women asked "Why did God have a Son?" Paula answered as part of the discussion that followed, that we are not able to and have never been able to save ourselves. That very morning we had read that Jesus is the ONE and ONLY mediator between God and man. The Saudis agreed that man was definitely separated from God - even in Islam God is Holy and man is not. Hey, haven't we heard that somewhere before?

Please Pray with us about our witness to Saudi couples at language school. Pray that we will be bold in our witness and that God will create in them a need to hear more of our story. Pray that we will be able to continue our relationship with them even after we go our separate ways.

Please Pray with us for our friend Renate. Today she had to place her mother in a nursing home. She lives on a small pension and will need to ask for Social Assistance to be able to have her mother in the nursing home.

In early December we will be traveling to Munich for a meeting with our Team. We will also be visiting with Renate and other friends whom we have known for 30 years. Please Pray with us as we prepare for our Team meeting and for the visits with our long time German friends.