A very merry Christmas to all!! Gesegnete Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr! Here is the latest from Berlin…
My Roommate
It has been a joy for Robby and I to have had many more continued conversations with my roommate Pascal about Christianity. He has been wrestling through questions about Hell and why people go there, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the importance of scripture as the highest authority and something not to be added to, and may other topics. A few weeks ago I took him to meet with Timo, the German pastor with Reachglobal, to talk more about these questions in his native tongue. From what I could understand, the conversation went very well! Timo encouraged him to focus on what he knows to be true first, and then work from that. This was very encouraging for Pascal. Continue to pray for him, that he would grow in the knowledge and love of God, and would find a great and supportive Christian family as he grows in his faith.
My Placement
As of a week ago, I finally have an official (for now) placement in ministry! Starting in January, I will be working part time for Serve the City, the organization that is an organizer and activist for Service in the community. I will be responsible for Website upkeep, leading service teams, and possibly many other tasks as well. I am very excited to be a part of this! The leader, Christine, is a joy to be around. Pray that God would be working in me to be a good member of this team, and that this ministry would continue to lead to real fruit for the Kingdom. Here is the website (a new one is coming soon): http://www.servethecity-berlin.de/
What I’m learning
The other day I spent some significant time in prayer and in the Word, and realized that I was starved for time with God. Over the previous weeks, I realized that had neglected to really retreat and be with God, to remember His love, His promises, His strength, and His mercy. As I was reading, it was like eating food for the first time after fasting for a week. How quickly I can lose focus on Christ and the mission without even realizing it! Pray that I would continue in the Spiritual rhythms that will keep me in focus and filled with the Spirit each day.
Other fun Stuff:
- Last week our German teacher (the one who is Christian) organized Christmas Caroling at an elderly home in town. Diedre, Robby and I were the only ones who came, but we had a blast! Apparently this is a very abnormal thing to in Germany, so the staff and residents of the Home were so surprised and thankful for our willingness to come and sing for them. How fun it was to get to be a blessing for these people! I also learned some more German in the process!
- I have been helping my conversation partner with his Resumé in English, and hope to continue to get to know him more and have some good conversations.
- We have still not settled on a home Church yet, since a lot of that decision depended on our placements. Continue to pray for this process!
- I had a wonderful time getting to visit my sister Jenna and her husband Julio last weekend in Stockholm, along with my nephew Corbin and my niece Natalie. Natalie got a urinary tract infection so we spent a lot of time in the hospital, but made a miraculously fast recovery, praise God! They will be moving to the States in around May and Julio will be looking for work, so keep them in prayer as well!
Other Prayer requests:
- Continued relationship building and faith sharing with my classmate, E
- Guidance as we get involved with our new placements and churches
- Continued reliance on God and his power
- Homesickness during the holidays
Have a very merry Christmas everyone!!
In Christ,
Jeff