First Day

I had my first full day in Germany today. It began with a traditional German breakfast of Brötchen (bread), Schweinefleich (ham), and Käse (cheese). After that I went with my supervisor to meet some people at the seminary. We walked from office to office meeting some of the staff, and occasionally running into a student, too. Everyone was very friendly and extremely welcoming! They really liked the fact that they could speak German with me (They haven't yet learned how limited my vocabulary is, although I'm sure it won't take long for that to be exposed!) and I was glad that I could get some practice in. I will be moving into some of the dorms that they have at the seminary in about a week, so I will soon get all the German practice I want.

My supervisor discussed with me my responsibilities and major assignments for the summer, giving me some more details and allowing me to ask questions. It's a lot! He said that there is actually too much laid out than I can do, so he would like for me to make decisions as to which assignment and areas of ministry I fit into the best and concentrate on those. He said I could decide as I go. It all looks very interesting, and I can see myself being a part of all that he presented. Please pray that I will make good choices regarding the way I spend my time and which projects I decide to take on.

Some of my impressions of Germany and Germans so far:

Germans are very neat, intelligent, and orderly people. They're friendlier than I expected them to be. They have nice homes, and even nicer yards and gardens. Walking through town and through neighborhoods is a very pleasant experience as you smell their flowers and vegetables. Farms and pastures are interspersed between houses, creating this very unique feeling of being in the country while being just on the outskirts of an urban center. Germans are very proud of the upkeep of their yards, gardens, and farms, and they have good reason to be.

Germans like questions and they like to teach. They like to be given the chance to explain themselves, and they do not like to be told what to think or what to believe. If they sense that you're speaking down to them, they immediately tune you out. They're also skeptical of people and ideas at first. It takes time to earn their trust, whether you're trying to befriend them or introduce them to a new way of thinking. Pray that I'll be patient and consistent.

Pray also that God shows me how he is working within the community here. My supervisor and the couple I'm staying with have begun to reveal that to me, so pray that God continues to reveal his vision, and that he gives me the courage to join in the work without hesitancy.