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!