Thinking about living overseas can be exciting, but it might also be a little nerve-wracking. What if you’ve never been to the country you’re thinking about going to? It can be really hard to imagine what it would even be like! In this series, we’re going to share creatively written journeys through different cities where we have GoCorps placements to help you imagine what it might be like to live in these places. As you read them, use your imagination to really picture yourself there. Pay attention to what you feel, what you notice, and what stands out to you; God might just be trying to get your attention!

As you begin to read, I invite you to pause for a moment to be still. Close your eyes and take a deep inhale and a full exhale. Clear your mind and invite the Lord into your imagination. Now, open your eyes…

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Imagine Berlin, Germany.

This city is in the center of Europe and is home to people from more than 180 nations. Imagine you’re standing in the heart of the city. You can hear at least four different languages. You smell cigarette smoke and roasting sausages. The brisk breeze blows your hair back as you hurry to get to your subway stop. On your left are coffee shops, an electronics store, and a shopping mall with tall apartment buildings in the distance. On your right is a 100-year-old cathedral, its dome showing the scars of war.

Statistically, Berlin is only about 2% Christian.

As you meet a friend and board the subway, you look around and realize there are probably around 100 people riding with you. Chagrined, you reflect on the fact that you and your friend are likely the only believers on this train. Statistically, Berlin is only about 2% Christian. On the train are posters for an upcoming orchestra concert, advertisements for language schools, and crude graffiti of English curse words. The people riding with you are every age, from babies to elderly men. Some women have their heads covered while others wear tiny crop tops. One disheveled man is shaking a paper cup and asking for money while teenagers laugh in the corner.

You get off the subway and walk the remaining three blocks to your ministry place. Yesterday, you worked on updating the social media pages and editing photos from last weekend’s open mic night, which means today is a rehearsal day. You and your partner work for several hours on a new duet that you’re planning on performing at the Saturday street market. You already have a pointe duet in your repertoire, so you’ve decided to do something different and work on an upbeat tap piece that will hopefully get people interested and willing to talk.

You sit in a circle with fellow American ministry workers, native Berliners, and expats from three other countries and discuss the week’s Scripture.

After rehearsal, you prepare to teach your preschool creative dance class for a group of rambunctious three- and four-year-olds. After teaching, you eat dinner with your ministry leaders and then set up for the evening creative Bible study. You sit in a circle with fellow American ministry workers, native Berliners, and expats from three other countries and discuss the week’s Scripture. You read the poem that you wrote during the creative reflection time and get excited about the similarities it has with the painting someone else made. Your friend who works with an anti-trafficking ministry shares about the connections between the Scripture and what she experienced that day.

That night, you walk home with a new friend who has just started coming to the Bible study. She’s still exploring faith, but asking a lot of questions. After a quick stop for ice cream, the two of you talk about whether Jesus truly loves everyone, no matter their past, and you reassure your friend that nothing she could do could separate her from Jesus’ love. Before you each get your subways to go home, she asks you to pray with her.

Before you each get your subways to go home, she asks you to pray with her.

After your train, you ride the bus a few blocks to your apartment building. Walking up the three flights of stairs you’re tired but grateful for a fruitful day. Some days are exciting and full of ministry, while others are quiet and focused on language study or connecting with your supporters and friends back home. In your apartment, you chat with your housemate about her job with at-risk kids while you both make tea, then retreat to your room. Though you can still hear the distant sounds of the city, you fall asleep quickly, excited for what tomorrow will bring.

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Does the idea of living in Berlin excite you? Does doing arts or anti-trafficking ministry in a busy modern city quicken your heart rate? Would you thrive working independently while being mentored by a large team that has your back? Check out our Berlin placements here or talk to a coach!