Shaina Stutzman
4/29/07
Germany Team Letter #23
Blog spot: http://germanyyes06.blogspot.com

Hallo euch!! (Hello everyone!!)
Our team got the chance to visit Berlin this week, and a very fun trip it was!! We left early Thursday morning and got back late that evening. Driving around the city seeing all the sites was quite fun and interesting. A couple things we saw were the Brandenburg Gate (basically the symbol of Germany) and the Liberty Statue (I think that's what it's called), which is a big gold covered angel that looks like it's playing Frisbee..kind of..well that's what we thought. It's actually holding a wreath thing of some kind. We had a picnic lunch in a beautiful park in Berlin and then decided to take a free ENGLISH :) bike tour through the city. We had an extremely animated tour guide that made the trip very interesting and I think we all learned a lot. We especially learned a lot about the Berlin wall..how and why it went up and the story behind it falling. It's actually really interesting. If you ever get the chance to hear the real story of how everything came about, do..it's worth it. It's so easy for me to forget how not very long ago it was that the wall came down. And how it was in my lifetime and how a lot of the people that I know here would have been affected by the Wall and Communism.
After we took our bike tour we ate at an authentic American restaurant..McDonald's. (Authentic American restaurant just sounded more important.) Then we had time to hit some..shops..and see the city at night. It was beautiful. I love seeing all the fountains and buildings lit up. Something that I really love here in Germany is all the fountains that they have. They add so much to the beauty of a city.
Us four young-ens had a work day at the Soli Deo church this past week while our diligent team leaders taught English. We are currently working on scraping, sanding, and painting the staircase there. This job is actually turning out to take a lot longer than first imagined it would. And it requires many hours of sometimes tedious work. But we find ways to make it more interesting. One of our Outreach Coordinators, Darrel, helped us this past week and then made us lunch on the grill!! It was a very welcome break and the food was extremely good too!! Grilling is very common here in Germany and I've enjoyed every one that we've been to!! So I'm beginning to feel like I'm rambling so I will bring this letter to an end.
Tschüss!! (Bye!!) -Shaina

Praises:
-God is faithful!!
-the weather is beautiful
-for good friends for all of us here

Prayer Requests:
-Soli Deo had it's last church service today at the church it had been renting for the last two or so years and is moving back to it's original building. Pray that this will go well and that God will work strongly in the hearts of the people that attend the church.
-a passion for all of us to keep pressing on and reaching out to the people here
-that God would work strongly in all of our hearts

Jennifer Henson
4/22/07
http://www.blogspot.com
Germany Team Newsletter #22

Dear friends and family,
Thank you for all your prayers and support.We are all very grateful to you and value both your prayers and support. It is so encouraging to know that there are people praying for us.
On Monday this week I got to babysit my gest family girls. The four of us rode bike( they rode and I walked) to a skater park. There we met up with Janae and the Norton children. ( That is Pastor Steave's children)
We ran up and down the ramps trying to reach the top and pull ourselves up onto the platform. The children were really good at this,but sometimes they just didn't get enough speed. It was so funny watching them slide down the ramps like they were big sliding boards. I think my favorite thing about that day was just to enjoy being a kid again.
My German father ( as I call him) had packed us some snakes and drinks. This was a really good idea because after running around in the hot sun we all were thirsty and hunger. So we had a little picnic in the shade of a big tree. I live picnics and especially the eating part.
Wensday's praise walk was a stretching day for Eric, Shaina, Janae, and Brent. They were prayer walking this one street and singing "Lord Reign in Me". It started to rain as they walked and stopped when they finished that street. Then the clouds rolled back letting the sun shine through.
Eric said,"It was as like God was showing us in the physical what was happening in the spiritual. That the clouds were being pushed back and His presence was coming through. Our goal was just to have God glorified at that place."
They were around the indoor ice skating building. This weekend and I think into next week, there is an Erotic Fair going on. That is basically a huge porn oriented fair.
Please join us in prayer for the women and men involved in this stuff. Pray that they would find freedom from the bondage they are in and healing in there lives.
Another good day this week was Friday. We four younguns helped Charlotte Yoder ( a self supported missionary) with little home improvements. I got to make two curtains for her bathroom. It was nice to use my sewing gift to help in this practical was.
After Charlotte's we went to the park and inter acted with the children and youth there. Shaina and I met this adorable four year old named Paul. He was so cute when he asked if he could join the soccer game we were playing with two other young boys. We just loved watching this little guy chase the soccer ball around.
Later while Shaina and I were sitting on a wall, Paul was climbing along the railing behind us. It accrued to us during are conversation that he had been rambling on in German and talking to us. We had a really fun conversation with him about his family and favorite cartoon characters. He told us a lot about himself and was so friendly. It really blessed us both.
Please keep Paul in prayers too. Pray that he would remain so sweet and innocent. That he would grow into the man of God the Lord desires him to be.
Well, that is it for this week. God Bless,
Jennifer Henson


Praises:
* Good relationships with people living here
* Team is in good health and Eric's throat is doing much better
* Eric and Val are feeling more confident in teaching and really enjoy it

Prayer Requests:
* Bathroom sink is clogged ( has been for 5 or 6 days )
* Wisdom in vacation decision making ( 6 people + thousands of vacation destinations + limited team budget = hours of discussion to some to a consensus)

Germany team
April 14th, 2007
Janae Nolt

Hello family and friends!!!
Sunday was Easter! We as a team spent most of the day with the church people! We met up at 9:30 in the morning and went for a walk around the islands and through a garden which took us two and a half hours. It was a good time to get to know the church people better and practice our German! Then we all went back to have lunch at the old Soli Deo building and then service with cake and coffee afterwards. It was such a fun day! By the time we were all done, it was about 4:30 in the afternoon.
We have had a full week this week. On Monday(our ministry day) Jen, Shaina, and I had our friend Maria over to our apartment for lunch and to hang out for a while. We had so much fun just talking to her in German, playing games and getting to know her better. Brent, Eric, and Val did whatever they felt God was leading them to do for that day!
Yesterday we (Brent, Jen, Shaina and I) had our first garden party of the season!! Eric and Val were working hard at Ilingua so they could not join us. It was an awesome day to be out too!! The weather was amazing! I got a little bit red from just an hour or so of being out! The food was good and so were our hosts! I've been told that by our 4th or 5th garden party...I will be tired of them! I highly doubt that!! I am loving them!
Today, the whole team helped my host family move into ther new apartment. They also live on the 4th floor.....like us. It brough back memories of us moving into our apartment. It was a fun time for me though! I got to be with my family and play with my host kids! And tonight, we are all going to their old house to have a grill party!! I am trying to finish this letter before I get the phone call telling me we have to leave!!!
This was our week!
-Prayer requests-
-Eric's throat....he went to the doctor for it this week and is now on medicine for it btu just pray that it continues to get better.
-For me (Janae), I feel like I'm getting a bit of something...my voice tends to go in and out on me...that is so annoying!
-Eric and Val as they teach at Ilingua.
-The team...unity.
-Health

-Praises!-
-This week my host mom was asking about how she can go about being a member in the Soli Deo church.....!!!!!!!!!!! She is coming around!!!

I pray you all are doing well!! Thank you for all your prayers!! God bless you in your week!!!
Blessings,
-Janae

Hi ther it is Brentr again. Yes the kid with the nosebleed. Thanks for you prayers. I haven't had any nosebleeds since I went to the doctor. This week it has become spring and I have been able to help out my host family with there garden. Pruning weeding and making the place look respectable.I also enjoy talking, practicing german with them and witnessing to them during the coffee time , which is standard 3:30 normal German time. I have been teaching my host english and I am always learning more German. I have been enjoying spring tiem from my window. I can see an apple tree blooming and hear the birds churping.


Our group enjoyed an eyening servive at Soli-Deo this past week it was an evening of fun. We all went to seee the delirious concert. Not live but off of a DVD. I was excited to see a concert. I had never seen a concert. I enjoyed it. We all could sit, stand, jump or kneel however the Lord lead. That night He was most definitly in the room. Most of our schedule has been normal but christ makes it exciting and the unexpected happens.

Prayer Request

eric and val teaching that it would go well.
jen H and janae N that all would go good at schirm project.
brent would be a good roll model to all the kids I interact with.
Christian and non Christians would know him better.

Praises
b´s nose not bleeding
our bible discussion are going well.


Tschussi Bye

HAPPY EASTER

brent linde

Valerie Roth
March 31, 2007
Germany Team
Letter #20


The end of March already! It's hard to believe that we have less than 4 months here in Halle. Lately it seems like my time here is just starting. I've been teaching for 3 weeks now at inlingua. It's really hard sometimes to figure out my own language and then to try and explain it, but I love it there. I love all the new friends that I've been making there, with other teachers and with students. Even though I don't really get many chances to share about Jesus during the workday, I pray that God's love will shine though me anyway. Everyone knows that I'm here to work with a church, but beyond that not much has been said. I'm excited about all the people I've met though, because now I can pray for them. Sometimes when the students are taking tests or doing worksheets, I just look around the room and pray for each one in whatever situation they are in. Many of them are in relationships and have children, but aren't married. Committment doesn't seem like such a priority here, but I'm praying that God will make Himself real to each one.

I've also been really encouraged by a friendship with a woman from church, Heike. I first met her on New Years Eve, and I attend the same small group she does, but it seems like just recently our friendship is growing. For the past two weeks we've met one morning each week for breakfast, which has been lasting about 3 hours : ) She speaks good English and so it's pretty easy to communicate and share. I really enjoy our mornings together, chatting over food, about life now, our pasts, and our futures. Sometimes it can be frustrating to know that this friendship will grow only 4 months before I leave, but I trust that God had this planned out as the perfect time. It's also a testimony of answered prayer, because I had been praying for relationships for me, not just being with people as a whole team. I know I really needed one-on-one relationships outside of the team, and God answered in perfect timing.

Shaina's family left earlier this week. She had a great time with them, and the team did too. Monday night we spent time with them praying for each other. I was really encouraged and blessed by our time together.

For a fun activity on Friday night, our team went to the last game of the season of the Halle Bulls, Halle's very own hockey team. It was a blast, and a real cultural experience! Halle won the game (in the last two minutes)! Then all the fans were allowed on the ice and so we went down on the ice and joined in the celebration. The hockey players went into the locker room, took off some of their equipment and then came back on the ice to sign autographs, have photos taken, and just to talk with people. Eric even got his picture taken with Schnelle, the goalie! We had a good time being together and cheering on our city.

Praises:
-good friendships with Germans, and with each other
-beautiful weather (probably in the 60s, blue skies, and daylight until 8 pm)
-Shaina's family (for our time together and all the yummy treats from the States )

Prayer Needs:
-Brent's health, He's feeling better from his stomach bug last week, but he's been suffering from pretty bad nose bleeds. Today the team was helping clean up at the church building and he had another really bad bleed. A nurse that was there (Heike) helped him out and gave him some things to do, but strongly recommended that he go to the doctor tomorrow. So around 10 am Sunday morning Eric and Brent are going to the doctor. Pray for wisdom as they try and figure out what's been causing all the nose bleeds.
-Wisdom and strength for Eric and I as we teach, plus do other activities with the team
-perserverance to push hard until the end of our time here and not to slowly disengage from what we are here to do.


Thanks again for you support!

Valerie Roth, for the Germany Team