Bringing You up to Speed

Hmm, couldn`t quite get the pictures after the writing like I wanted, so you`ll have to see the pictures first (or scroll down for the post).


A section of the remaining Berlin Wall.

Ben and Melissa while we were having dinner at the Sony Center by Potsdamer Platz.

Playing water games with the kids at the kids camp in Berlin.

Ben and Melissa`s church in Johannisthal, East Berlin. We set up the bouncy castle during our kid`s camp which proved to be a great in drawing kids and parents from the community.

Biking in the rain in Münich. Me in front of the Nymphenburger Schloss (i.e. castle).

My apologies to all and any of you who regurly check my blog. I`m aware that it has been several weeks of silence, but don`t worry, I`m still alive and well (mostly). I could give you several number of excuses why I haven`t written lately: mostly due to very full days, some inaccessibility to internet, and recently, an upset stomache. But please let me begin by bringing you up to speed on my whereabouts these last few weeks...

After leaving my "German family" in Giebelstadt, I headed to Berlin where I spent 12 days with Ben and Melissa who some of you know. Seeing some more of this historical city was great - everywhere you turn, there`s something to remind you of one of the many historical events that have taken place here. But the best part of being in Berlin was simply hanging out with Ben and Melissa and getting to know a bit of their life there. We had a pretty good rhythm going of staying up till midnight playing Ticket to Ride (a board game) and then sleeping in the next morning and taking time for devotions and breakfast so that we were ready to begin our day by noon. For four of the days that I was there, their church organized a day camp where they invited children from the community to participate. I got to be a part of the planning and the program which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not everything worked out exactly as we had planned, but we learned to be flexible and I believe God taught me some valuable lessons through it all. It was exciting to see how God is drawing children, with little or no knowledge of Him, from this East Berlin community into community with Christians.

My last stop in Germany was 3 days in Münich, visiting Anna Pabst, the daughter of my "German family." We rented bikes for a day and biked all over Münich, seeing some of the highlights of the city, including Anna`s university. Münich is a great city to see by bike: not only is everything close enough to bike to, but the city is all flat and they have wide sidewalks with bike lanes everywhere. Unfortunately, it decided to rain that day, but simply wore our raincoats and pressed on - and had a great time! The following morning (a Tuesday, I think it was), we hopped on the S-Bahn and met a group of twelve people for a prayer meeting at 6:30. Yes, a.m.! And what I found most impressive was that this weekly prayer meeting was started by a young person and that the majority of those present that day where under 30. Made me think about my attitude towards prayer meetings.

And then... I flew to Morocco and spent a week there. But all that, I will have to save for another blog post. For now, let me just say that it was a fascinating experience and I feel like I`m still trying to process all the things that I saw and experienced in the one short week. Unfortunately, I got sick the last couple of days (due to something I ate or drank that wasn`t quite clean, I assume), which made me grateful to come back to Switzerland on Thursday, where everything is clean and looks green and the temperature is bearable. In fact, it felt like coming home - it all looked comfortable and familiar, even the food. Right now I`m at my aunt`s house recovering and just about healthy again. And Sunday morning I fly back to Vancouver!