Extreme hospitality

We called our new Syrian refugee friends to ask if we could come for a visit. They told us to come hungry because they wanted to make us dinner. Can you imagine that this spread was put on by a refugee family living in a tiny apartment, on a meager salary? We were overwhelmed by their love and hospitality. They kept saying over and over that we had honored them so much by coming to their house! We were the ones who were honored. It felt so good to be sitting around the table with dear friends, talking about life in a dialect of Arabic that is comfortable for us and just experiencing life through their eyes as they told us of their journey to get to Germany and what has transpired since their arrival. This is an extended family who have other members here also. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see the whole family come to Christ one day? Can you start praying for Bashar and his family; that the Holy Spirit would cause them to begin searching for truth? The whole family came to our Christmas party at the Lighthouse and two of the guys come to our Wednesday night German language cafe. We see great openness and potential in this family and covert your prayers too!

Christmas markets in Berlin

I have heard for years about the Christmas markets in Germany; the mulled wine, sauerkraut and bratworst, hot doughnuts and the festive atmosphere. We have been to several of these markets this year and although the crowds usually make it difficult to navigate, I agree that the German Christmas markets are magical! Tonight we went to the market where a huge truck drove through the crowd 4 days ago, killing 12 people and wounding dozens. The place was packed with people but a somber atmosphere prevailed. We ate our yummy food and walked around but it was obvious that no one was in the mood to celebrate. There were memorials set up on every street corner surrounding the market area and right at the place where the truck killed so many. People were weeping as they lit their candles and prayed in silence for loved ones and friends. A church group had set up under a tent and sang beautiful songs and proclaimed words of comfort, love and peace over the dozens of people who stopped to listen to their message. I could not help but shed tears as I contemplated the enormity of loss for the victims families and for this country in general. They were all united tonight at the Christmas market, white and black, Germans and foreigners, Christians and atheists, all singing Amazing Grace and it was beautiful! Too bad, I had a few photos I wanted to include here but they refuse to upload.

Picking up the pace

Lots has happened since I last posted here! We've had non-stop guests for the last 2 weeks and many wonderful people at our dinner table. 2 special friends from Deltona, FL came for a week and painted in the Lighthouse and sewed curtains, along with other misc jobs. The photos are below. The place looks so homey now and the sound problem is much better now that we have wall hangings and curtains around.

The last picture is of our Sunday morning brunch with Germans and Syrians in attendance. Perhaps the biggest news is that Pastor Geryes (not pictured) arrived on Oct 20th! Unfortunately his wife and son had to stay behind until their visa is processed. Geryes felt sure that the Lord was leading him to come ahead and his wife gave her blessing for that. He hit the ground running - on the train home from the airport, he was giving out New Testaments and tracts and inviting people to the Lighthouse. The next day we were all out on the street, in buses and trains, giving Bibles and talking to Arabs. He kept a list of all the names and he is praying for each one by name. Yesterday when I arrived at the Lighthouse, the Arabic praise music was playing and he was walking around the center praying in a loud voice! We are excited to partner with this man of God and can't wait to see what transpires in the coming days and weeks. 

Forward movement

I know so many of you have been praying for Abby & Henry. Just a quick update to let you know that it seems they are making forward movement all the time. Yesterday they came to our morning fellowship at the Lighthouse and we could sense the joy of the Lord in their lives. Several things had happened this past week that were very discouraging for them but still, they have been able to fight through those things and remain "somewhat" positive. (granted, their situation is very difficult in so many ways) After our meeting yesterday, I wanted so badly to take a picture of the two of them at the computer, listening to Arabic praise songs and singing along with them. That went on for over 30 minutes. I believe some of what Abby was experiencing before (out-of-control rage) was demonic and she denounced that very clearly when we met with them more than a week ago. She is availing herself of the power that she has in Christ to fight the enemy. Keep praying!! 

Unexpected turn of events

Saturday afternoon, I called my Syrian friend Abby to check on things. She sounded very depressed and upset. I tried to press her on what was the matter but she didn't give me a satisfactory answer. I told her I hoped to see her Sunday morning for our gathering at the Lighthouse. Around 5PM, her husband called and asked if we could come to their place; that if we didn't, someone might die tonight! Yikes!! We grabbed our stuff and took off out the door. After 1 hour and 20 minutes on the train/bus/walking, we finally reached their place. Things were tense to say the least. Abby began by talking in a very loud voice and accusing Henry of everything he's ever done and just out of control. Then he started in and told us all the things she's been doing in the past few days that were just horrible. It got so bad this afternoon that she grabbed a knife and started threatening him. This is all in front of her children! I felt we were in, way over our heads. There were severe problems and I couldn't see any way this marriage could survive. At one point I was so exasperated with Abby that I actually told her "just go back to Islam. It's obvious that Jesus has made no difference in your life and there's no evidence that you've surrendered anything to him". I was very bold and tough with her because she was totally out of control and blaming everything on her husband. I could see that he has suffered terribly for the past months and that he really had tried to make her happy. It was a long, painful 2 hours of listening to them screaming at each other and I almost gave up. I finally said that if they insisted on continuing down this destructive path and refused to let Jesus have any part in their marriage, then they'd better separate for the sake of their children and themselves. Darrell & I prayed and then we just sat in silence and all of a sudden, Henry began praying a beautiful prayer of repentance from deep in his heart. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. Abby followed with her prayer, also asking forgiveness and acknowledging her wrong-doing. There were many tears shed and a breakthrough occurred before our eyes. I never saw a situation change so drastically in such a short time! It was thrilling to see. They say they will be coming tomorrow to our Sunday brunch and Bible Study again. This is exhausting, emotionally draining stuff. We need you to keep up the prayers for us and these dear people we minister to. I have absolutely NO doubt that someone was praying right at that moment when the whole atmosphere changed and the power of the enemy was broken and tears of repentance flowed. Praise His name!!

Sunday surprise!

Saturday evening my Syrian friend Abby called me to tell me that her husband had returned to her, begged her forgiveness and wanted to start over again. I was shocked to say the least and wondered if he was serious. I invited them to come to the Lighthouse on Sunday morning for a little gathering with another couple on our team and a couple of neighbors they had invited. We had no idea how this morning would go, no real agenda and just prayed that God would be present in our midst and lead the way. In the end, we were 4 Americans, 3 Syrians and 1 German + 4 children (2 American/2 Syrian) The German is a lady who lives upstairs from the Lighthouse and has a Syrian PhD student living with her. They both came and the woman told us that she believes God brought us to this place just for her. (ha! we thought it was for the refugees) She had been hiking a few weeks ago and out of the blue, starting thinking about Jesus Christ and wondering what he was all about. She came 45 minutes early and sat reading the Bible in German. She exclaimed with tears how happy she was to find us and that she never felt such love & acceptance before. Abby & her husband (Henry) joined in the conversation and also seemed to be "sucked in" by the love they were shown. Our teammate was leading the discussion and told the group that we want to become a body that loves deeply and has total freedom to share openly what we're going through. We started out with a robust German brunch (which they're famous for) and then sat around tables discussing what it meant to "cast our cares on Jesus". It was a great Sunday and we plan to do this every week for now and see how it evolves. We may have a general devotional and then break up according to language groups and discuss more deeply. Yesterday everyone's level of English was adequate to have a meaningful discussion together in English. Although we are primarily here for the refugees, we are seeing a steady stream of Germans coming by and asking what we're all about. We are seeing a spiritual hunger among them that is shocking. (since we've always heard how difficult they are to reach) Who knows what this Lighthouse will mean in this community? We envision now a day for Spanish speakers and Arabic speakers and German speakers. Who knows what God has in store for this place? We are ready and excited to see!

Reality is setting in

Last week I received an email from a friend in another country. She told me of a Syrian woman who lived in her country for a year, from a Muslim family, who has had a true conversion experience and is now a believer in Jesus.  I went to visit her last week and listened to her story...Her husband has lived here in Berlin for a year, trying to get papers for her and her 2 children to join him. She finally was reunited with her husband 3 weeks ago. She noticed right away that he was "on edge" all the time and not kind to her at all. She wondered what had happened to him during their year-long separation. Come to find out, this man had gotten involved with very secular Muslim friends and also some German friends who are every kind of horrible you can imagine!! She soon found out he was using drugs, sleeping with other women and basically gone completely off the deep end. When he came home at night he would scream at my friend and his 2 adorable sons and act like a raving maniac. It didn't help that they're living in one room which contains a small kitchen (1 burner hot plate, 2 plates and a few cups, 1 pot to cook in and a leaky faucet), bunk beds, single bed and crib and a tiny table with 2 chairs. My friend, let's call her Abby, says she can no longer allow her husband to come there and torment her and her children. For the last 2 days, he has not come back and she feels some relief from that but also deep sadness. She is all alone in this place, not knowing one single person except me. I feel the reality of her situation weighing heavy on my shoulders. Who will defend this young, beautiful woman? How will she manage in this strange country, not speaking a word of the language? She is clinging to her faith in Jesus but still feels at times like he's abandoned her (haven't we all felt that way at times?) I tried to tell her that Satan doesn't attack weak people; he attacks strong people because he knows they are a threat to him. Abby is strong and has been through so much pain as she's fled her country and all of her family, to try and make a better future for her children. Yesterday Darrell went with me and we took the children some toys and goodies to brighten their day. Their smiles and excitement were priceless! Abby's situation seems hopeless. It will be difficult for her to find an apartment for her and her 2 children. She needs a miracle! Would you pray for that? She told me yesterday that it's all luck as to who gets an apartment or not. I told her we don't believe in luck; we believe in a miracle-working God. The reality that this is ONE story which we will begin to hear over and over as we start this refugee ministry in earnest, is a bit sobering. We need God's wisdom and divine guidance as we maneuver these uncharted waters.

What's in a name?

It was not at all easy to choose a name for our new center in the heart of Berlin. We had settled on one name but then learned that there were many other Christian organizations here with the same name. Still, we couldn't come up with anything different. Then one day we had a large group of people praising the Lord and praying in our building. Many of them prayed that we would be a lighthouse in this dark city. The word Lighthouse stood out loud and clear and it was decided that that would be the name. Since choosing that name, we have had much confirmation that it is indeed the name God had in mind for this place. While this location is perfect in SO many ways, we did not know at the time that our building is right on the edge of the gay community here in Berlin. Not too far down the street, you can find all sorts of evil dens of iniquity! We have also been told that devil worship and witchcraft are rampant here. When talking to our national partners recently, they warned us that Berlin is a difficult place to start any Christian endeavor and that it would be an uphill battle all the way. Well, thus far, securing the building, signing the lease, furnishing it, etc. has gone super smoothly. I believe the battle will begin when people start coming out of the darkness and finding their way to the lighthouse. In looking up "lighthouse" in the dictionary, it said "a structure displaying or flashing a very bright  light for the guidance of ships (or people!) in avoiding dangerous areas..." We pray that people will see a very bright light flashing in this place and run to it in order to avoid danger in their lives. We feel confident that God led us to this name and that many will find him here at the Lighthouse. It has been a long time since we've worked in a country where we could freely display the Alliance symbol and the fact that we have church affiliation. Kinda cool!

a beautiful evening

Tonight we went to visit a young man who was an Iraqi Muslim and is now a wonderful believer in Jesus. We got a call from a friend in Australia (some of you know Ghassan) telling us he was here in Berlin and that he wanted us to meet Omar. What a small world, huh? The rendez-vous was for 9PM (my bedtime). He met us and took us to his hotel room and served us Coke. One by one, others started coming to the room until we were a good-sized group, sitting all over the beds, on the floor and in chairs. Christians, ex-Muslims, Americans, Iraqis, Syrians. What a beautiful evening it was! I realized how much I have missed the fellowship of Middle Eastern people. I love being immersed in Arabic; laughing and talking and praying. I guess I just really love Arab people and can't wait to see what God is going to do in this city among them. We were reminded once again tonight, that Berlin is the hardest city in all of Germany as far as the penetration of the gospel is concerned. Keep praying for breakthrough!

Progress!

Yesterday was a great day! We finally signed the contract for our new center. The landlord was so generous with us and allowed us to start furnishing it before we even had a contract. We have been very busy buying furniture and putting it together! (IKEA) Our center is about 90% finished now, I would say. Just need a few things on the walls. Attached to the center is also a lovely little guest apartment which we have not furnished yet since it still needs a bit of painting. It will provide a nice source of income for the center ministry. We are amazed at God's favor shown to us through this process. We found out there were several other organizations who really wanted this place but the owner wanted us to have it. It is very definitely a gift from God and we can't wait to see what he's going to do in this place! I will include a few pictures here so you can envision the space better. Thanks for all your prayers!! You have been a big part of this.

2 different encounters

Wednesday night we were invited to attend a BS that some colleagues from another mission hold with Arabic-speaking refugees. We arrived right on time and found several gathered already. Others slowly arrived  during the first 30 minutes. They are going through a series called "Al Massira" which simply means The Journey. The series starts out with Adam & Eve and shows how all the prophets were flawed, sinful men until the perfect one came onto the scene in the person of Jesus Christ. There are videos to go along with each lesson. We watched the video of Abraham and then the plan was to break up into small groups to discuss the story and answer questions. There was a big ruckus as some resisted the idea of small groups and wanted to stay in one large group. Ok, solved. We stayed in one large group. The leader does not speak Arabic but relies on members who speak poor English to translate. Before long, things were going from bad to worse with the translation so I jumped in and helped. That was a mistake as I then became the translator for the rest of the evening. The discussion went on for 3 hours, sometimes getting quite heated!! There was a young man present who at one time in his life, wore an explosive belt and fought to be in the front of the line to blow himself and others up in jihad. He now realizes that his religion has led him to a dead end and he is searching for truth. Another is a professor of history, full of questions and also searching for real meaning in life. He left his wife & children in search of the God of the Bible. He doesn't sleep at night and is tormented by what he has seen in his life. There were others present but these 2 men were the most vocal. They have suffered greatly and are desperate to find peace.
Last night we were invited to go and visit a young man that we've met several times. He lives on the far side of the city, one train and 2 buses away. We arrived at his "apartment" around 9PM. He lives in a huge building that has small apartments with 4 people living in each one. He and his roommates all gathered on the beds and we sat on chairs to visit for over an hour. Some of the guys were dentists in Syria. Others were engineers. Their days now are taken up with trying to learn German and find a job here in Berlin. Their life stinks. They're far from their families and feel trapped. Every one of them had such a great personality and winsome smile. They are all from different religious backgrounds but close friends and just wanting to have peace and meaning in their lives. We can't wait to invite them all over for dinner some night. It seems like it will be so easy to gather these guys together for a BS. God is up to something here and when it breaks open, we hope to be on the front lines watching it all happen!

Happy Eid

We were so surprised today when we walked through the "Arab Street" to see, hear and smell things that would make us think we were right in the middle of an Arab city in the Middle East. It is the first day of the big Eid (3-day holiday after the month of Ramadan). Everyone was out in the streets, children in their fancy, new clothes with new toys. The restaurants were packed with people eating publicly, something they hadn't done for one month. Many had been fasting throughout the daylight hours for 30 days; others had been eating in secret. The streets were alive with people mingling and lots of happy sounds. At one point I was shocked to hear the call to prayer ringing out loud and clear throughout the neighborhood. There were cheap carnival rides set up in the parks for the children to celebrate their holiday. We needn't be homesick for the Middle East or North Africa anymore; they have duplicated their lifestyle right here in the heart of Berlin! We feel right at home.

Funny cultural exchange

This morning we were at a nearby store, wanting to buy one of those shopping carts that you pull behind you. I've always thought they were dorky but everyone has one here so who cares? I had it in my mind that I wanted a super deluxe one with big wheels and very sturdy. The one I was looking at cost 89 Euros. A bit pricey but I figured it was worth it for 2 years of carrying groceries. As we were about to purchase this beauty, an old German lady comes up to us and starts talking loud & fast and telling us that this one was no good and we shouldn't buy it. At least that's what we understood from her wagging finger and other body gestures. We kept hearing the word "Norma" and other street names and all kinds of stuff that we couldn't understand. We told her thank you and left the beautiful cart behind. I looked up "Norma" on my phone and there were several of them in the city, a department store, we were guessing. The closest one was 19 minutes by train so off we went in search of an awesome cart that would cost a fraction of what the pretty one cost. We went on 3 different trains to get to the place and then walked for 5 minutes. When we got to "Norma" we discovered that it was indeed a discount store but they had no carts whatsoever. We saw an old man with a nice-looking one so we asked him where he bought it. He took us outside and pointed down the street and told us that 4 or 5 shops down there, we should find them on the street. So off we go, searching for the perfect cart. First of all, we walked way down the street that the old man had pointed to and found nothing. So we walked back and then down another street. We found carts sitting out on the street. Yay! There were 2 carts there, both so ugly that I wouldn't be caught dead pulling them around town. But they cost 10 Euro. Then I thought, it's not like people sit and analyse your shopping cart and even if they think mine is ugly, really, what's the big deal? We could buy 8 of these ugly things for the price of the pretty one that I wanted. So off we went with our red & pink cart. A couple of hours in 95 degree heat but we got our cart! I later took it shopping and loaded it up with heavy things and it performed like a dream. And I doubt one single person glanced at my shopping cart and thought how ugly it was:) Ha ha.

Camp duty!

Darrell & I have offered our help at several refugee "camps", which is what they call them here. There is one girl in particular that took a liking to us and calls us often to see if we're free to help. We've been to the camp where she works three times and done things like paint a women's lounge, dismantle a huge clothes closet (actually 2 rooms) and today, went to pack away a large room full of toiletries, sheets, towels and blankets. We also dismantled the shelves and will go back on Saturday to move everything to a different floor and put it all back together again. The camp is really a huge building with 500 people living in it. There are children running up and down the halls, screaming like children do. The men are out in the garden, smoking and sitting for hours on end. They told us that there are lots of fights that break out because it's Ramadan and half the people are fasting and half are not. Also there are different factions, like Sunni and Shiite and they fight too. As we were packing up the toiletries and linens today, I was able to help a lot with translation as people were getting frustrated that they couldn't be understood. There were mobs of people lined up down the hall, waiting to get toiletries, diapers, clean linens, etc. They only get to change their linens once a month! I wouldn't be good at that job because I'm too soft; I was sneaking things to women on the side:) There seemed to be a lot more Arabic-speaking people in this camp than others we've been in. One of the large populations of refugees is Afghans.  We were told that is is becoming very difficult to move people out of these camps. There just aren't enough empty apartments in this city and many do not want to rent to refugees.  In fact, they're building new camps that will house thousands more who are expected to arrive in the coming months. It seems like a hopeless situation to us. The best we can offer them is a place to escape to and find people who will listen to them and love them and show them that there is hope in Jesus even if their situation seems so hopeless. We've walked the streets of this city for days and weeks, exploring which neighborhoods would be conducive to setting up a community center in. We've pretty much narrowed it down to a certain area but now to find a large hall to rent. Berlin is known for its' bureaucracy so please pray that we can cut through all of that and be able to rent something fairly soon and without a lot of hassle. Thanks for sticking with us on this journey. We can't do it alone!

Lovin' our new home

We have been here in Berlin for about 10 days now. We have walked for hours, learned the bus/train/tram system and only gotten lost a couple of times. Everything is so well marked and orderly in this country. Yesterday we went to get officially registered with the government here and walked into the building at 8:24, the EXACT time of our appointment. At 8:24 our number flashed up on the screen and we were in and out of the office with our important paper in hand in 11 minutes. What a contrast to other places we've lived where it can take days to get registered and a whole lot of hassle in between. We love the bakeries on every corner and the delicious coffee. I suppose we've stopped for coffee and pastries at least 7 of the 10 days we've been here. We figure the walking more than offsets those calories:)
In our travels around, by foot and by train, we have run into countless refugees who have been very friendly as we stop and greet them in their language and ask about their stories. They are eager to share every detail of the harrowing trips they experienced to arrive to this country. The other day we sat on a bench with 3 women and a man while they recounted their stories for almost an hour and then invited us to come to their home. I don't think it will be difficult to gather these people together eventually when we figure out where we want to settle with our community center. They are lonely and looking for friends. We pray that conversations will easily turn to spiritual things and that we will be able to show them true Christian love. Knowing their language is a huge plus for us!
Tomorrow we will go to meet a woman who runs 3 "camps" in a poorer area of the city. We were told that they are in desperate need of help and we hope we can do something to help them, even if it's just cooking or sorting clothes or whatever. They also told us they are just finishing a women's lounge that will be functioning next week. That sounds right up my alley! At this point, we simply want to get to know people and figure out what part of the city we want to concentrate on. The need is overwhelming - in every train and on every street, their are refugees everywhere. Parks are a good place to meet people also. With it being Ramadan right now, things are a little slower and not so many people out and about.
We know that God has big plans for the refugees of this city. Being separated from their families and their societies makes them far more open & willing to consider a different way. Could it be that what man meant for evil by destroying the beautiful country of Syria and dispersing its' people, God meant for good, to bring them to a place where they have freedom to reject the false religion that has enslaved them until now? For such a time as this, we will PROCLAIM the Good News!

First day observations

Our flights all went according to schedule, we got out ahead of the hurricane that never really amounted to much and our entire team was here to welcome us when we arrived. All of our baggage also arrived with us which is never something to take for granted!
After a fairly decent night of sleep we were ready to hit the town and explore our area. The first item of business was to get SIM cards for our iPhones. Turned out neither one worked and it was going to be a big pain to fix the problem so we ended up buying 2 Android phones that work great. This one thing took us more than 2 hours to accomplish. I guess the Arabs have nothing on the Germans! Everything was done on foot and before noon, I had 10,000 steps in. The garbage collection here is out of control - 7 different containers for sorting your trash. I heard of this before but couldn't believe it was really true. One for wet trash, one for paper, one for colored glass, one for brown glass, one for clear glass, one for plastic, one for cardboard. Actually, I think there may be a couple other categories. It's unbelievable. The Germans are all about their bicycles, their dogs, their public transportation. There are trains above ground, below ground and trolleys running along the streets, besides buses. Our team mate gave us directions to get to the center where we'll go tomorrow night for a "language cafe". I think we'll leave a couple hours early to make sure we arrive on time. We walk about 15 minutes and then get on one certain train, go 6 stops and get off, walk across to the other tracks and go another 3 stops, then get off and walk another 15 minutes. Google Maps will be our best friend, they tell us. Grocery shopping is a whole other story! Every plastic bottle can be recycled at the store in a large machine. You get money back for each one, a lot of money. No bags anywhere; bring your own or pay a hefty fee for one. Not a word of English on anything so it's a big guessing game for some things. I think I brought home baking powder but I really have no idea. The fridge and dishwasher in my kitchen are miniature size. That's because people here go shopping every day and only buy what they need for that day since no one has a car and it's too heavy to carry large amounts of stuff. Life is just very different here and it will take time to get used to it but we're up for the challenge. We've already learned so much just in one day. Thanks for coming along on this journey with us! Until next time...

Berlin-bound

In less than 48 hours we'll be heading for the airport once again as we leave for Berlin and a new life that we know little about. Watching my daughter and her husband stuffing things in every possible crevice of their suitcases recently, made me realize that this life we've chosen is not an easy one. It involves constant goodbye's and suitcases and unsettledness! Doing this with young children takes the process to a whole other level. We dragged our three children all over the world, providing for them experiences that none of them regrets. I hope my grandchildren will feel the same one day. I honestly wouldn't trade this crazy life for any other. And now here we go again, into the unknown. I am so thankful to have my risk-taking husband by my side. There's not much we encounter in life, that together, we can't tackle. It's fun to jump into the deep and have the loving arms of Jesus there to hold us up. We are excited about what lies ahead. It will be an adventure for sure. I hope to be faithful in keeping you up to date on the good and the bad. Here we go.....