The Holla From Halle

Eric Roth
Germany YES Team
December 31, 2006
Team Letter #7

Our team's address:
3 Jacobstrasse
06110 Halle(Salle) Germany

This past week has been a very exciting, exhausting, and relaxing week. We haven't had a set schedule and have just been moving in and spending time with our host families. Val and I have also been doing a lot of running around trying to get everything together for the apartment. The team had a great Christmas together. We had a traditional Roth Christmas Dinner, lasanga, and exchanged gifts. On Thursday we had our first German snow. The flakes were as big as half dollars, but they tasted the same as US snowflakes.

The past few weeks have been a good time for me to start to feel like I can communicate in German. I have had many opportunities to communicate and have been able to stumble through German enough to begin building frienships. One such person is named Dilo. He owns a small Döner Kebab restaurant that Val and I frequent a lot. Val and I are Döner Kebab addicts. Through our frequent visits Val and I have been able to build a friendship with him. Please pray that Dilo would come to know Jesus. I would love to see him come to know the Lord, but if my job is to just plant seeds, pray that I would do all that God has planned for me to do.

Thank you for all of your love and prayers.

Eric

Praises:
-the apartment with all that we need
-week with less structure
-we are all growing in our ability to speak and understand German

Pray for:
-wisdom with finances (personal and team)
-learning the language
-safety
-a dresser for Val and I (we still have all of our clothes in our suitcases)
-Dilo, that he would come to know Christ
-us to be open to the Spirit's leading
-greater team unity

The Holla From Halle

Shaina Stutzman
December 23, 2006
Team Letter #6
Team Blogspot: http://germanyyes06.blogspot.com note: This has not been exactly right in the past, but this one is correct and will take you directly to our site!!
Team Email: germanyteam6@yahoo.com

1 big red rented truck
1 "L" shaped "camouflaged-looking" couch (it's great!! :)
1 cloths closet (that Jen and Janae later so expertly put together, with just a tiny bit of help from Eric)
numerous other chairs, coffee tables, bed frames, and boxes of random stuff
1 smashed, now fading purple, finger (mine..no hospital visitation required)
1 bruised finger/hand combination (Jen's)
3 bedrooms
1 kitchen
1 living room/dining room
4th floor
65 steps
13 trips up and down (i think, i started to lose track :)

equals..............1 apartment that needs an elevator


So by now I guess you've figured out that we have an apartment and have moved in a good portion of our donated items!! God has provided in so many ways I can't begin to name them all. From providing furniture to good parking spots for the big red truck we rented, God is so faithful!! Moving day was Wednesday and a tiring but fruitful day it was. The day ended well with the team and our outreach coordinators, Daryl and Miriam Weaver, eating pizza and attending "The Nutcracker." (FYI: For all you people who don't know what "The Nutcracker" is, it's a very popular ballet. :) I think we all enjoyed it and Brent's hilarious imitations of it afterwards!!
This week has been full of amusing/interesting/wonderful/scary times. They range from Janae's hair catching on fire (I can just picture all your shocked faces right now, fear not, she just singed the ends when she accidentally leaned her head back over a candle on a table behind her to adjust her hair.), exciting (scary for me) times of lighting/replacing the candles on Miriam and Darryl's Christmas tree while finding (and smelling) one that had singed a branch and (praise God) put itself out, having an amazing team sharing/prayer time, carrying a three part couch/bed from the old Soli Deo church building to our apartment around 3-4 blocks away (we had to look funny) and Val twisting her ankle in the process (you can remember her in your prayers as she is still in pain), cleaning/organizing some of the apartment, packing 62 (I think) bags of oranges, apples, nuts, and chocolate for the Christmas Eve service at Soli Deo, practicing for worship for the Christmas Eve service (Janae's singing -she even has a solo in "Silent Night!!"-, Jen's playing flute, Eric's playing guitar, Val's on the base guitar, Andi (the pastor of Soli Deo) is playing the accordion, I'm playing piano, and Brent will be gone that evening as he has the opportunity to visit some of his relatives in Leipzig, about 45 min away), to us girls making a friend named Francesca in our apartment building who invited us over for coffee later in the week (although we couldn't attend because we already had plans, but I'm optimistic there'll be plenty more opportunities to come seeing as we'll be there for another seven months)!!
And soon houses will be filled with laughter, squeals of joy, and the sound of presents being ripped opened as most people here in Germany celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. I truly hope your Christmas is a joyful time spent with the ones you love. And remember..... to remember why you do what you do for CHRISTmas.

Praises!!
-we have an apartment!!
-people have been unusually generous (according to Miriam) when it comes to giving us stuff for the apartment
-safety and not-to-serious injuries
-for us making one friend in our apartment building

Prayer Requests
-pray for us as some of us will start living in the apartment beginning on Wednesday and adjust to living together
-team unity in general and unity as we make decisions regarding duties and organizing the apartment
-for a computer with Internet access
-for good "see-you-later's" (not "good-byes" :) and pleasant feelings of departure between us and our host families
-continued generosity from the people here
-opportunities for us to connect and minister to the people in our apartment building as many of them are college age students and can possibly speak English

Thank you all for your continued support. I'm sure I can say a heart felt "Thank you!!" from everyone on the team to all those who have prayed for us and sent us email, cards, and letters." It truly is a blessing to hear from you all. And an "I love you and miss you!!" to my family, friends, and church family!!

In Christ and for the team,
Shaina \''/

The Holla From Halle

Dear Friends and Family,

We here in Halle have been getting ready for are German stile Christmas. Are team has exchanged names and so there is last minute shopping to do yet for some. We plan to have Christmas as a team on Christmas day.
A big answer to prayer is that we may have an apartment!! (Squeal of joy) If all goes well the papers will be signed next week, maybe Tuesday. This apartment has a kitchen and is in a good location for us to walk to the places we need to, like the church. God is so good and is always faith full.
On Monday us girls backed m&m cookies while the guys helped a friend from church set up his store he was opening. While the cookies where backing we made Christmas cards to hand out with the cookies. It was really interesting to see the different responses of people as we handed them a plate of fresh baked cookies and Christmas card. One young man was so surprised that he could hardly talk and stuttered a excited thank you. It was fun and meaningful to spend time as girls, but also to bless others.
Tomorrow us four younguns are doing a Christmas program for a rabbit breading club. We plan to sing some Christmas carols and Brent will read the Luck version of Christ berth. We are singing Silent Night in German and Brent is reading in German too. Janae has a solo and Shaina is playing piano. I will sign the Christmas Shoes song. We are praying that God's love will shine through us to these people who are not Christians, YET.
May the Lord bless you all abundantly this Christmas season. May He continue to draw you all closer to Him each day. God Bless, Jennifer Henson

Prayer requests:
Please continue to keep Janae's, Brent's, and Eric& Val's host families in prayer.
Please keep the signing apartment papers in prayer.
Please keep team unity in prayer as some have been feeling under attack as of late.
Prayer Praises:
We almost have an apartment!! :)
Language is going well and we all have been improving.
We are starting to get more involved on Sundays with church ministries.

The Holla From Halle

Dear Friends and Family,

We here in Halle have been getting ready for are German stile Christmas. Are team has exchanged names and so there is last minute shopping to do yet for some. We plan to have Christmas as a team on Christmas day.
A big answer to prayer is that we may have an apartment!! (Squeal of joy) If all goes well the papers will be signed next week, maybe Tuesday. This apartment has a kitchen and is in a good location for us to walk to the places we need to, like the church. God is so good and is always faith full.
On Monday us girls backed m&m cookies while the guys helped a friend from church set up his store he was opening. While the cookies where backing we made Christmas cards to hand out with the cookies. It was really interesting to see the different responses of people as we handed them a plate of fresh baked cookies and Christmas card. One young man was so surprised that he could hardly talk and stuttered a excited thank you. It was fun and meaningful to spend time as girls, but also to bless others.
Tomorrow us four younguns are doing a Christmas program for a rabbit breading club. We plan to sing some Christmas carols and Brent will read the Luck version of Christ berth. We are singing Silent Night in German and Brent is reading in German too. Janae has a solo and Shaina is playing piano. I will sign the Christmas Shoes song. We are praying that God's love will shine through us to these people who are not Christians, YET.
May the Lord bless you all abundantly this Christmas season. May He continue to draw you all closer to Him each day. God Bless, Jennifer Henson

Prayer requests:
Please continue to keep Janae's, Brent's, and Eric& Val's host families in prayer.
Please keep the signing apartment papers in prayer.
Please keep team unity in prayer as some have been feeling under attack as of late.
Prayer Praises:
We almost have an apartment!! :)
Language is going well and we all have been improving.
We are starting to get more involved on Sundays with church ministries.

The Holla From Halle

Janae Nolt
Germany Team
week # 4

Wow, it's already week 4. Amazing how fast time flys when you're having fun!
This week has been very fun for me. On Tuesday we, as a team, went to the Leipzig weihnacht markt( the Christmas market). We took a train to the Leipzig hauptbahnhof (the train station). The Christmas market there is so huge compared to ours here in Halle. We spent most of the day looking at all the stands and small shops along the street. It was a good day to be out too! It was beautiful! God blessed us with a great time.
On Wednesday was Nikolaus Tag!!! It was so awesome!!! So the 6th is the day that Nikolaus comes and gives the familys gifts instead of on Christmas day. Everyone in the house puts out their shoes the night before and in the morning they are filled with fruit and candy. Or if you are Brent...you get t-shirts, a hat and socks and a ton of candy. So my host siblings were up very early that morning.
On Friday we got our kitchen for our apartment!!!!! That is very exciting! We don't have an apartment yet but we have a kitchen and other things for it. It was completely free! Our amazing guys went and tore it apart and brought it back to Soli Deo for storage. They did an awesome job!
Prayer requests:
-Our biggest one is for an apartment. We still don't have one and we need one so we can get our visas.
-Learning the language.
-Team unity
-For the host families who are not Christians....may they come to be.
-safety as we go about our days.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really do appreciate them! Blessings as you go about your week!!
-Janae Nolt (for the germany team)

our blogsite. www.germanyteam06.blogspot.com check it out!

The Holla From Halle

Brent Linde
Germany Yes Team
December 2, 2006
Team Letter Number 3

Happy December and a Blessings to all who read and a blessing it is to write.

On the twentysixthday in November our group went out to walk the streets of Halle to see what we could find. So we started at he center of the city this is where the statue Handal is put. that was not alll except stores and of course the CHRISTMAS MARKET (Weihnachts Markt). We must have ended up in the right place there was plenty of crafts plenty of FOOD for me but you can`t forget the manger and the christmas tree at the center. We all have been anxious to see everything. As a group we went on a ferrish wheel. that was a good view down for me.

The next fun excitng thing that happened this week was a dance. we danced around inside the church and did a Hungarian dance and others that I don´t remember but they were fun after the church dinner or guess what a real Thanksgiving (in germany) it was fun eatting goose and turkey. we also had smashpotatoes corn green beans and then pumpkin cake for dessert. we joked around and played with the kids and have been having a good time with god and our host families and group: THE END!!!!

Brent Linde


PRAISE

(DEUTSCH)
proper german way to speak.
relationship with our gracious host family
good team relationship.


PRAYER REQUESTS

learn the language well and it will work out with our teacher it she gets frustrated.

for the unsaved host families and to know jesus better (Eric v´Val Janae and Brent

safety and health

bonding time with group and otherswe meet along our journey. the city Halle the people that drive ride tram and ride bike and walk.

our apartment we will eventually get into.

The Holla From Halle

Valerie Roth
Germany Yes Team
November 25, 2006
Team Letter #2


Greetings once again from Halle! We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were reminded of God's goodness.

Last Sunday (the 19th) was our first opportunity to attend church at Soli Deo. The church is set up kinda like a coffee house. Instead of pews or chairs all lined up in rows, there are tables that you sit around. From 3 pm-4 pm is "Kaffee und Kuchen" (coffee and cake) time, where there is lots of yummy treats to enjoy. The church service begins at 4 and lasts about an hour. We were able to introduce ourselves (in German!) and then the church prayed for our team. I have been very encouraged by the church and its leadership. Our team is going to have a great time serving and working with Soli Deo.

Yesterday I felt like I was in a dream. There was a huge cathedral and a large tower in front of me. The sound of accordian music was floating through the air from somewhere in the distance. Eric and I were watching the sun start to set, and it was quiet. Peaceful. No car horns, no people shouting, no music from stereos blaring. Where were we? We were sitting on a bench at Marktplatz--the city center. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people, all around us. Electric trams are coming and going. It was surreal. I've never experienced that before. So many things that could be loud, but all around us was peaceful. Amazing.

Valerie


PRAISES:

~for good host family relationships
~we keep learning more and more German
~good team relationships

PRAYER REQUESTS:

~Language Study (we have language study 3 times a week for about 3-3 1/2 hours each time. Pray that we would be able to focus and learn a lot in those times.)
~for our unsaved host families to come to know Jesus (Janae's, Brent's, and Eric and Val's)
~that we wouldn't be too homesick during this holiday season
~for health
~unity between our team and Soli Deo
~that we could find a suitable apartment for our team


To reach the entire team, our e-mail address is: germanyteam6@yahoo.com

The Holla From Halle

Valerie Roth
Germany Yes Team
November 25, 2006
Team Letter #2


Greetings once again from Halle! We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were reminded of God's goodness.

Last Sunday (the 19th) was our first opportunity to attend church at Soli Deo. The church is set up kinda like a coffee house. Instead of pews or chairs all lined up in rows, there are tables that you sit around. From 3 pm-4 pm is "Kaffee und Kuchen" (coffee and cake) time, where there is lots of yummy treats to enjoy. The church service begins at 4 and lasts about an hour. We were able to introduce ourselves (in German!) and then the church prayed for our team. I have been very encouraged by the church and its leadership. Our team is going to have a great time serving and working with Soli Deo.

Yesterday I felt like I was in a dream. There was a huge cathedral and a large tower in front of me. The sound of accordian music was floating through the air from somewhere in the distance. Eric and I were watching the sun start to set, and it was quiet. Peaceful. No car horns, no people shouting, no music from stereos blaring. Where were we? We were sitting on a bench at Marktplatz--the city center. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people, all around us. Electric trams are coming and going. It was surreal. I've never experienced that before. So many things that could be loud, but all around us was peaceful. Amazing.

Valerie


PRAISES:

~for good host family relationships
~we keep learning more and more German
~good team relationships

PRAYER REQUESTS:

~Language Study (we have language study 3 times a week for about 3-3 1/2 hours each time. Pray that we would be able to focus and learn a lot in those times.)
~for our unsaved host families to come to know Jesus (Janae's, Brent's, and Eric and Val's)
~that we wouldn't be too homesick during this holiday season
~for health
~unity between our team and Soli Deo
~that we could find a suitable apartment for our team


To reach the entire team, our e-mail address is: germanyteam6@yahoo.com