Donna and Nikki in Frankfurt.

Donna, Crystal, and Nikki on the old iron bridge

Crystal met us our first day in town, showed us around old town, and brought us to a Persian restaurant for a very colorful dinner. The restaurant is owned by one of Crystal’s friends, a refugee from the Middle East. Apparently Middle Eastern cultures are one of the most dominant cultural groups in the city. Crystal works in a church called Mosaic. The point of the church is to be multicultural, which is not common for churches in Germany, even though their cities are extremely multicultural. Mosaic was planted by pastors and disciples related to GEM. They have a membership of about 60 people, and 25 to 30 people attend Sunday services. Crystal says a good portion of their members are refugees who only belong to the church to help fulfill visa requirements. Because of this, the church does not get many volunteers and does not receive much tithing income. They actually share a building and Sunday services with another church. They rotate weeks so one church is in charge of running every other Sunday. Crystal says that situation is working well and they don’t feel God leading them to merge churches. 

Prayers are requested for Crystal, her health, Mosaic and its members, and Middle Eastern refugees in Germany. 

https://www.unrefugees.org/news/syria-refugee-crisis-explained/

Donna, Ginger, and Nikki

Prayers are requested for Ginger and Alan’s continued servant hearts, for wisdom in their counseling, and blessings for them in Frankfurt. 

Ginger recommended that we check out the Jewish Museum (Museum Judengasse). It was so interesting to learn about the history of Jews in Germany before WWII. The museum was built around the foundations of a few buildings in the old Jewish Quarter. 

Remaining foundations of a portion of the old Jewish Quarter.

As we were walking through Frankfurt, Ginger also pointed out “stumbling stones” (Stolpersteine), small bronze plaques commemorating victims of the Nazi regime. We saw many plaques throughout the city, and they were common in Berlin too. I’ve been impressed by the Germans' willingness to confront their dark history. They have many reminders of the consequences of hate and war in their daily lives, like they are intentionally trying not to forget. 

Please pray that all of us around the world have the wisdom and courage to stand against hate and “motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24) as Ginger and Alan do every day. 

The teens.

Besides being obviously smart and cultured, these kids were hilarious. They were telling me about how dark Germans can be, sharing fairy tales about kids who died or were dismembered because they didn’t obey their parents. They each wrote down their favorite German sayings. Three of the five were related to the weather and how common rain is (example pictured below). 

One of their favorite German sayings.

Over the weekend, we prayed together, had some Bible lessons, walked and played outside, and did a diamond art craft. There was lots of time to chat and hear about their lives. They mostly have similar interests as American teens - Taylor Swift, virtual games, candy - but one consequence of their missionary lives is a dampened sense of belonging. These “third culture kids” don’t have a strong sense of community because they are considered outsiders in both their home country and their current country of residence.

Prayers are requested for Will, Elise, Toby, Micah, Eve, Kathleen, Hayden, Briana, and Kayla. May they know God well and receive wisdom and direction in their lives as they grow into adults. May they feel a sense of belonging in Christian community where they live and/or with other third culture individuals. 

Chris actually reminds me of Bonhoeffer. He’s German, studying theology at the Giessen School of Theology. He had a gift for mentoring teens and he obviously loved those kids. One of Chris’ professors, Joel, is a GEM missionary. That’s how Chris ended up helping with the kids program at the retreat two years in a row. Joel and his wife, Tatiana, are the ones responsible for helping Kate get involved with GEM. 

Chris and his new wife, Kelly, are in their early 20’s. Kelly is from Northern Ireland and is now living in Giessen with Chris trying to figure out her next career steps. She’s passionate about children and family rights and considering a PhD. In fact, the day after the retreat, Kelly was flying to Slovakia for a conference with an international, Christian-based non-profit advocating for families around the world. 

Praise God for Chris and Kelly and how He is using them! I pray for God’s continued presence in their marriage and careers. Chris requested the following prayers: “that (they) would be continually overwhelmed by God and filled with awe by him. It’s so easy to lose sight of Him in all the theological dispute and in the worries of normal life. For sweet communion with God as individuals and as a couple.”