Sep

We weren’t sure what to expect in Hannover, since it was the MMT’s first time with this church. However, we ended up having a great time working with national believers there.

We arrived just in time to eat supper and get ready for a service. Afterward, we had a coffee and cake fellowship time. It seemed like the people there were especially friendly, and we had some good conversations (especially with the young people).

Our host told us an interesting story about how the Musical Mission Team gave him an opportunity to witness. He was telling one of his coworkers that an American choir was coming, and two of the choir members would be staying with him. His coworker said, “You must not do that! You do not know those people. You cannot keep strangers from another country in your home!” So our host was able to explain to his coworker that it was safe, even though he had never met us before. We are his brothers and sisters in Christ, so he was glad to welcome us into his home.

On our second day in Hannover, we had another evening concert at a nearby church. During the day, we went into town to see the sights. We visited the town hall, where our hosts had arranged for us to have an English tour, and also saw the cathedral. In the evening we gave our concert, and met even more friendly people during another dessert and fellowship time.

Sep

I think all of the second-year team members were especially happy to arrive at the peaceful House Felsengrund. This Christian hotel is located in the little village of Zavelstein on the edge of the black forest. In Zavelstein, Tim and Kevin preached another Bible conference, and we provided special music. We also gave one full concert.

In our spare time, we enjoyed walks in the black forest, visited a wood carving shop/museum, and caught up on sleep. This visit to Zavelstein was memorable for me because we celebrated my birthday here in full MMT fashion. My celebration included the birthday song performed by the “9 Flamingos” (6 mission team guys wearing sunglasses), and an awesome story composed by Caleb and Mike. For the rest of the team, Zavelstein is memorable because of some very unusual fish.

Sep

In Sinsheim, we worked with missionary Fred Foster and his wife, Tabea. We had services in two nursing homes, and a concert in the stadthalle (like a city hall). Before the concert, we passed out tracts and invitations while our brass group played in the pedestrian zone downtown.

Before we left, some of the team members took the opportunity to visit the Sinsheim Technik Museum, which has lots of planes, cars, and other vehicles.

Sep

Please forgive me for taking so long to post the rest of the MMT updates. I do intend to finish them.

In Kaiserslautern, we worked with a national church. This church, like many that we visit, consists mainly of Germans whose ancestors relocated to Russia (or Romania or Kazakhstan) during the reign of Catherine the Great. The families got stuck in the Soviet Union when the Iron Curtain fell and then returned to Germany in the 1990′s. (In the future, if I talk about Russian Germans, this is what I mean. They might actually be Ukrainian Germans, but sometimes I have trouble with those details.) It’s always fascinating to stay with these people and hear their stories. (more…)