Hello, everyone!
Just a short update. We are on our tour bus heading to Berlin right now! Someone's laptop has an Internet connection through a cell phone connection...which is pretty sweet!
Camp was sadly over on Tuesday, and Rachel and I miss our German friends a lot. It was hard to say goodbye, and even harder to walk around camp without them there.
HUGE Praise! God totally came through for the Drama production! As the leader, I was worried about it, because we were so busy between canoeing and touring Kassel and hiking and day trips, that we did not have any time to practice the drama beforehand. And it was like pulling teeth to get everyone to give up their free time to practice. But, by the grace of God, it all came together, even with lots of issues along the way.
God really provided in that entire situation, though- originally I had no idea what to perform, and Gerhard REALLY wanted an awesome and involved drama, and then God gave me the idea of Noah and the Ark! It ended up fitting in perfectly with what we had been learning about at Camp about making covenants with God and everything! And then, God have me the idea of making is awesome and interactive, and we moved around the camp- into the "Ark" (the tent) and then building an altar to the Lord at the well. We even had a couple surprises- including Gerhard (playing Noah's father, an added character to fall off the boat and die so he can help convince God to stop the flood) falling off our several foot high stage that was the ark and somersaulting! It was very convincing, though he reassured me that it was just left over from his police training many years ago...... :) The next surprise involved an unexpected "sacrifice" at our altar when Filo, the Bishop's dog, ran up as we discussed offering a sacrifice to God on the newly-built altar. But don't worry, we didn't burn him.
Anyways, that was the first part of Tuesday night. We had a last night of camp cookout and then a hilarious talent night- including some funny skits involving impersonations of Gerhard and James Blunt, learning some German songs, a bottle- whistling band, and a German spelling game....for the Americans. It was a great last night that I think we all enjoyed a lot.
Things were honestly pretty boring after the Germans left. The next morning, Thursday, we left the camp around 7 in our tour bus, stopping in Wartburg to see Bach's house and the Latin school that Martin Luther studied at. We then hiked up to Wartburg Castle, and got to see all these cool artifacts, as well as the room where Martin Luther threw ink at the devil himself while he was translating the New Testament.
Our next stop was very sobering and emotional- Buchenwald concentration camp. We were surprised at how much of the camp n0 longer exists, but what we did see and learn was very emotional. More later, in person.....Then, we drove to Wittenberg and checked into our super-nice youth hostel (Jugendherberge). Rachel and I were abnormally blessed to have our 0wn room- and we had a lot of fun. Wittenberg is a nice town, full of cute little shops and lots of places to visit.
This morning, we visited the very same church where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses, and then s0me gorgeous old churches and Luther's seminary. We had some awesome German bratwurst for lunch, and some incredible (of course) ice cream!!!!!
Now, of course, we will be in Berlin for the next couple days. Please pray for energy and strength, and continue to pray that we are lights of Christ. Our ministry is most definitely not over- we are very much lifestyle witnesses to the other team members from the U.S. Please also continually lift up our friend Joe- he is asking the right questions, but still caught up in the wrong lifestyle- but we know he is realizing some big things about God. Our time with him is running out very quickly.
God is still good. I personally am in awe of His great plan for me involving this trip and how He has used it in my life already. He is sooooo good!
We love you all, miss you, and can't wait to hug you all again!
<3
Abby & Rachel