This is going to be a short one.
We (Me, Jan and Robin) are back in Madison! Well, to be specific, it has been more than 24 hours since we've returned to Madison. Overall, the trip has been wonderful. I really thank the Lord for all the experiences I have had from the time spent in Germany.
Sorry there are no photographs from me this time, maybe Robin or Caitlin can post some up? Danke!
As I said, this is a short one, so I'll end here. The jet lag is catching up again. ^.^
Hope you had fun reading the blog as much as we had enjoyed writing it.
Gute Nacht.
~Mei
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Farewell to Germany
Greetings to our family and friends,
Tonight is our last in Germany for 2008. It is impossible to adequately put into words how much this trip has meant to our team, plus, all the joy God has brought into our lives through our students, the Turkish and German believers to the men who own the Donor Kebab and Turkish restaurants in the neighborhood. Everyone has been so kind, so thoughtful, so loving to us in so many ways. We just pray that we have permeated God's as we have developed relationships with these amazing people.
Here are some hightlights of our trip:
-The Turkish Fellowship...building friendships, playing with children, worshiping, eating Turkish cuisine, lots of hugs, smiles and handshakes
-The English Classes...preparing for the classes, building friendships, lots of laughing, hugs, fun learning English, one fantastic field day at Landshaftpark (please view our video!!!) and a graduation party with dancing, food, exchanging addresses, gift-giving and compliments galore. Showing the video of our field trip brought hearty laughs
-Worshiping at the Turkish church and German church...in different languages, but to our same God and Savior, Jesus
-Experiencing worship at the Bulgarian Bible Study
-A lovely breakfast and fellowship at Atam and Seta's apartment
-A fun and inspiring evening with Memduh and his wife Sena, fellowship over Turkish food, learning more about their Internet ministry to Turks and listening to Sena's testimony of how she came to know Jesus...(Memduh is our friend and a leader in the Turkish Church)
-Our team fellowship....marvelous! Inside jokes, loads of laughing, very little sleep, praying, cooking and eating together has very much bonded us as a team
-A huge thank you to Paul and Kathy who have been so supportive and have shared their lives and for Kathy's scrumptious cooking and servant heart, not to mention all the translating they graciously did for us
To my teammates...Caitlin Carlson also graciously translated more times than I can ever begin to count. She did enjoy using her German and helping in such a substantial way. Her sweet ways and wonderful sense of humor were such a delight. Mei Yuen Koon, our computer wiz...we would have been lost without her and our blog would not have been near as interesting. She also taught us a lot about her homeland in Malaysia. Her laugh and playful ways kept us on our toes. Robin Gove and her heart for God inspired all of us. Her and I, being the mom's (and grandma's) of the group, enjoyed hearty laughs, having many similar life experiences. Caitlin and Mei humored us in our ways! And, last but not least, our fearless leader, Curt, (known lovingly as "Our Captain"), who served us, kept us focused and always put smiles on our faces. Thanks, Curt, for all you've done!
One last thing...On the day of our field trip our 60ish German students, Dagmar and Christel, asked if I would like to bike ride with them over to the Park to meet the rest of our class. I heartily agreed and we spent a lovely 50 minute ride to the park on the bike trail. What fun! I enjoyed some time with Dagmar at her apartment and in her beautiful garden before we left for the park. These two women were so loving and generous to all of us. Robin enjoyed the privilege of making the return trip with them.
It has been a trip to remember, but we are all looking forward to returning home to family and friends. You are all such a part of our team and partnership and we can't thank you enough. But, most of all, we praise and give thanks to Jesus, who gave us strength, courage, stamina and the will to be a blessing for His sake. Good night....
Jan Glew
Tonight is our last in Germany for 2008. It is impossible to adequately put into words how much this trip has meant to our team, plus, all the joy God has brought into our lives through our students, the Turkish and German believers to the men who own the Donor Kebab and Turkish restaurants in the neighborhood. Everyone has been so kind, so thoughtful, so loving to us in so many ways. We just pray that we have permeated God's as we have developed relationships with these amazing people.
Here are some hightlights of our trip:
-The Turkish Fellowship...building friendships, playing with children, worshiping, eating Turkish cuisine, lots of hugs, smiles and handshakes
-The English Classes...preparing for the classes, building friendships, lots of laughing, hugs, fun learning English, one fantastic field day at Landshaftpark (please view our video!!!) and a graduation party with dancing, food, exchanging addresses, gift-giving and compliments galore. Showing the video of our field trip brought hearty laughs
-Worshiping at the Turkish church and German church...in different languages, but to our same God and Savior, Jesus
-Experiencing worship at the Bulgarian Bible Study
-A lovely breakfast and fellowship at Atam and Seta's apartment
-A fun and inspiring evening with Memduh and his wife Sena, fellowship over Turkish food, learning more about their Internet ministry to Turks and listening to Sena's testimony of how she came to know Jesus...(Memduh is our friend and a leader in the Turkish Church)
-Our team fellowship....marvelous! Inside jokes, loads of laughing, very little sleep, praying, cooking and eating together has very much bonded us as a team
-A huge thank you to Paul and Kathy who have been so supportive and have shared their lives and for Kathy's scrumptious cooking and servant heart, not to mention all the translating they graciously did for us
To my teammates...Caitlin Carlson also graciously translated more times than I can ever begin to count. She did enjoy using her German and helping in such a substantial way. Her sweet ways and wonderful sense of humor were such a delight. Mei Yuen Koon, our computer wiz...we would have been lost without her and our blog would not have been near as interesting. She also taught us a lot about her homeland in Malaysia. Her laugh and playful ways kept us on our toes. Robin Gove and her heart for God inspired all of us. Her and I, being the mom's (and grandma's) of the group, enjoyed hearty laughs, having many similar life experiences. Caitlin and Mei humored us in our ways! And, last but not least, our fearless leader, Curt, (known lovingly as "Our Captain"), who served us, kept us focused and always put smiles on our faces. Thanks, Curt, for all you've done!
One last thing...On the day of our field trip our 60ish German students, Dagmar and Christel, asked if I would like to bike ride with them over to the Park to meet the rest of our class. I heartily agreed and we spent a lovely 50 minute ride to the park on the bike trail. What fun! I enjoyed some time with Dagmar at her apartment and in her beautiful garden before we left for the park. These two women were so loving and generous to all of us. Robin enjoyed the privilege of making the return trip with them.
It has been a trip to remember, but we are all looking forward to returning home to family and friends. You are all such a part of our team and partnership and we can't thank you enough. But, most of all, we praise and give thanks to Jesus, who gave us strength, courage, stamina and the will to be a blessing for His sake. Good night....
Jan Glew
Graduation!
~Mei
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Graduation!
Its Saturday night and it has been a busy day. We had a "graduation" party today and it was a fun time. It is amazing what good friends we have become with our students, especially the ones we have known from previous trips. With our older students we got into a discussion about WWII and the losses that were suffered in this area(the rhurgebeit) which because of it's industrial production provided much of the equipment and ammunition for the German army in the war. Of course it was devastated by the allies later in the war. One of our students father's died in the war while fighting in Russia and another lost 2 uncles in the war. This evening we watched The Hiding Place which was about Corrie Ten Boom and her family, who hid Jews during the war and she and her family were later arrested. Her father, sister and some other relatives died as a result. Her sister said "There is no pit so deep that He(meaning Jesus) is not deeper". Please pray for Dagmar, Chrystal and Tyrone (a half German and half British young man that joined our discussion). That God would use these examples to remind us of the pain that men can inflict on each other and the peace that God offers through Jesus Christ.
Kathy Baum was a wonderful hostess and took us on a fun tour of some interesting places in the vicinity later in the afternoon. Kathy is an amazing women who has befriended both Turkish and German women in the area and acts as a Mom sub for many children in the neighborhood---tutoring them, disciplining and cheering them on.
We go to German church tomorrow and then Monday we wrap up our time here in Germany. Most of the team heads back to Madison Tuesday, a great job completed! Thanks to a loving hard working team! Caitlin heads toward Berlin where she will meet up with some German friends and I will head south for a couple days with my son Ben and his wife Christy who are stationed south of here. I miss my wife, Pat who has been a great encouragement ---I will be home soon!
Curt
Kathy Baum was a wonderful hostess and took us on a fun tour of some interesting places in the vicinity later in the afternoon. Kathy is an amazing women who has befriended both Turkish and German women in the area and acts as a Mom sub for many children in the neighborhood---tutoring them, disciplining and cheering them on.
We go to German church tomorrow and then Monday we wrap up our time here in Germany. Most of the team heads back to Madison Tuesday, a great job completed! Thanks to a loving hard working team! Caitlin heads toward Berlin where she will meet up with some German friends and I will head south for a couple days with my son Ben and his wife Christy who are stationed south of here. I miss my wife, Pat who has been a great encouragement ---I will be home soon!
Curt
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Field Trip!
Today was a holiday, so the the kids had no school. So, we took a field trip from noon to about 5:00. It was a blast! We took the Strassenbahn to a park where we played and had a photo scavenger hunt! We formed groups and ran around taking pictures of ourselves with the objects on our lists. We have tons and tons of pictures. The kids really liked this huge, rather steep tunnel slide that was in the park. They had so much fun with us, that they didn't want to go home when we got back. We ended up playing a card game with them for a little while, but then having to kick them out in order to get some much needed rest before our evening with Memduh and his wife. They told us about their ministry projects for Turks and it was very heart-warming to feel connected to the international body of the Church. We are all improving our Turkish as well!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Class Topics: Culture and Food
So the 2nd and 3rd day of class has passed. I have to first apologize for taking a meager few photographs for yesterday's classes. We were all busy conducting and preparing for our classes. I hope I can salvage that by posting some of the ones we have taken today.
Caitlin with her intermediate class
Curt having discussions with the upper intermediate students.
Jan having another discussion with the upper intermediate students.
Robin with the beginner's class yesterday. The topic was culture and she was "packing" a luggage to take the students on a New York trip.
Playing memory card game for today's topic of food with the beginners. The cards were pictures of different fruits and vegetables.
camera loving vs. camera shy
camera loving vs. camera shy 2
camera loving vs. camera shy 2
That is all for now, hope you enjoyed reading them!
~Mei
~Mei
Special times in Germany
1st, I really want to talk about the many interactions we have experienced with the locals here in Germany and I can only say that it was great.
It was awesome to be able to spend time with Atam and Seta yesterday at their home. The apartment was beautiful and cozy, the hosts were warm and the food was yummy!
Take a look:
(Round the table starting from L) Caitlin, Jan, Curt, Atam, Seta, Robin and Paul.
happy family
adorable brother and sister
Did I mention this is breakfast?
Today, we had breakfast with ladies who have been and came back again as students of Jan and Curt. The food was good once again, but the great company added so much more to a simple get together.
Iron Chef Kathy
Team and Friends
I hope I am not painting a picture that the Germany team goes to Germany to eat and hangout, but that we cherish the times we get to know more about the local community in Germany, both Turkish and German. I truly thank God for bringing me here for this experience.
~Mei
It was awesome to be able to spend time with Atam and Seta yesterday at their home. The apartment was beautiful and cozy, the hosts were warm and the food was yummy!
Take a look:
(Round the table starting from L) Caitlin, Jan, Curt, Atam, Seta, Robin and Paul.
happy family
adorable brother and sister
Did I mention this is breakfast?
Today, we had breakfast with ladies who have been and came back again as students of Jan and Curt. The food was good once again, but the great company added so much more to a simple get together.
Iron Chef Kathy
This is breakfast too?
Team and Friends
I hope I am not painting a picture that the Germany team goes to Germany to eat and hangout, but that we cherish the times we get to know more about the local community in Germany, both Turkish and German. I truly thank God for bringing me here for this experience.
~Mei
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
It's A Great Day To Be A Missionary!
Hello All,
Today began (after our team devotions) with a lovely German breakfast at Atam and Seta's apartment. They are Turkish believers and friends of Paul and Kathy's. We have met them on previous trips to Duisburg. Their apartment home (very few Germans and especially Turks ever own a home...only the very wealthy), is bright and cheery,very modest and full of love and friendship toward us foreigners. Atam is a leader and lay pastor in the Turkish church. One of Paul's dreams is to establish a Bible School for Turks. If the Die Brucke mortgage could be paid off, this would free up resources to make this school a reality. Please pray that God would provide in this way. Atam shared his testimony of how he came to faith in Christ. It was a journey of violence, fear and eventually, a walk forward at an evangelistic meeting. Our fellowship lasted over two hours...they longed for us to continue our visit. However, preparation for our afternoon classes (4:00 p.m..) awaited us.
All of our students returned today, plus two others. Yeh!! That's a good sign! All of us on the team felt prepared and more confident today. We were prepared yesterday, too...just not as confident. Please pray for Selin, Banu, Beyhan, Tyrone, Berna, Melek, Ezgi, Mert, Bunyamim, Renata, Dagmar and Christel. Our students are a mixture of German's and Turk's. We love each one. It is great fun!
This evening, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner at the Die Brucke. It felt good to have time together as a team with no committments. Did I mention that we laugh a lot? After Paul and Kathy returned from their meetings, we continued our fellowship. Needless to say, we were all a little punchy!
We again emphasize that we are so humbled by your prayers. God is working in this place. We continue to hear miraculous God stories. Praise God, He is working in the world! Oh, I almost left out that we sat in on a Bulgarian Bible Study last night here at the Die Brucke. Other Turkish friends were there also, leading the study. It is quite a story of what brought these dear Bulgarian Turks to Germany...fear of their daughters being kidnapped as they enter puberty to become a wife and mother. They are uneducated for the most part and a good many are tutored by Paul and Kathy. They work long hours for very little pay, taken advantage of by some Germans. Their love for Jesus is evident and some have recently become Christ followers.
My bed is calling...good night!
Jan
P.S. Tomorrow we will post some pictures of our students.
Today began (after our team devotions) with a lovely German breakfast at Atam and Seta's apartment. They are Turkish believers and friends of Paul and Kathy's. We have met them on previous trips to Duisburg. Their apartment home (very few Germans and especially Turks ever own a home...only the very wealthy), is bright and cheery,very modest and full of love and friendship toward us foreigners. Atam is a leader and lay pastor in the Turkish church. One of Paul's dreams is to establish a Bible School for Turks. If the Die Brucke mortgage could be paid off, this would free up resources to make this school a reality. Please pray that God would provide in this way. Atam shared his testimony of how he came to faith in Christ. It was a journey of violence, fear and eventually, a walk forward at an evangelistic meeting. Our fellowship lasted over two hours...they longed for us to continue our visit. However, preparation for our afternoon classes (4:00 p.m..) awaited us.
All of our students returned today, plus two others. Yeh!! That's a good sign! All of us on the team felt prepared and more confident today. We were prepared yesterday, too...just not as confident. Please pray for Selin, Banu, Beyhan, Tyrone, Berna, Melek, Ezgi, Mert, Bunyamim, Renata, Dagmar and Christel. Our students are a mixture of German's and Turk's. We love each one. It is great fun!
This evening, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner at the Die Brucke. It felt good to have time together as a team with no committments. Did I mention that we laugh a lot? After Paul and Kathy returned from their meetings, we continued our fellowship. Needless to say, we were all a little punchy!
We again emphasize that we are so humbled by your prayers. God is working in this place. We continue to hear miraculous God stories. Praise God, He is working in the world! Oh, I almost left out that we sat in on a Bulgarian Bible Study last night here at the Die Brucke. Other Turkish friends were there also, leading the study. It is quite a story of what brought these dear Bulgarian Turks to Germany...fear of their daughters being kidnapped as they enter puberty to become a wife and mother. They are uneducated for the most part and a good many are tutored by Paul and Kathy. They work long hours for very little pay, taken advantage of by some Germans. Their love for Jesus is evident and some have recently become Christ followers.
My bed is calling...good night!
Jan
P.S. Tomorrow we will post some pictures of our students.
Monday, May 19, 2008
1st day of class
Well, the first day of class just flew by. There are so many eventful things to talk about, however, I do need to get some sleep from a long day, so I'll post a few pictures for now to satiate your need to know our happenings here.
Curt looking all happy and alert during breakfast
Hmm..not so much mid-day
Trying to figure out how to play a Chinese jumping rope
Kathy, the master
It's me jumping! (b/g:Curt is all serious preparing for classes)
The teachers
Students
Fun times
Awesome dinner - Doner Kebab
Curt looking all happy and alert during breakfast
Hmm..not so much mid-day
Trying to figure out how to play a Chinese jumping rope
Kathy, the master
It's me jumping! (b/g:Curt is all serious preparing for classes)
The teachers
Students
Fun times
Awesome dinner - Doner KebabOnce again, it was an awesome day, so much to do, so little time. Alright, it is bed time.
Gute Nacht.
~Mei
Gute Nacht.
~Mei
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Life in Duisburg
Greetings from Germany,
It's a good thing that one of Blackhawk's values is enjoying life to the fullest, in other words......having fun...because we are definitely having fun and living life to the fullest here in Deutschland! God has showered His blessing upon us, through each other and through the warm Turkish and German people with whom we have been engaged! Our grateful team says, "thank you" for your prayers.
I thank God for my teammates. As I observed them yesterday at the Turkish Fellowship, fully engaged and involved in the lives of adults and children alike, I was very blessed. As an "old timer" on this trip, I relish in observing God use the gifts of my teammates to bless and encourage these new friends and enjoying their role as learners in a new culture. We heard amazing testimonies of God rescuing these Turkish brothers and sisters from a world of darkness into His marvelous light. God wiped away the darkness in which they once walked, that they remember it no more. It is always a moving experience to witness the faith, committment and love these dear folk have in Jesus.
Today we worshiped at the Turkish Church in Cologne. They are so spontaneous in their worship and praise, breaking out in passionate prayer between songs. Even though I could not understand their language, I felt their love for Jesus and their passion to share with others the love and peace that Jesus has brought into their own lives. They are very outwardly affectionate people...kissing on the cheek and hugging are second nature to them.
We have met people in the neighborhood, some of whom have an interest in the English classes, which commence tomorrow (actually, today...I see it's after midnight now). It is always a mystery as to whom and how many students will find their way to our door. But, God knows, so, no worries! The mystery always is a faith-builder!
Until later, with many blessings to you all,
Jan
It's a good thing that one of Blackhawk's values is enjoying life to the fullest, in other words......having fun...because we are definitely having fun and living life to the fullest here in Deutschland! God has showered His blessing upon us, through each other and through the warm Turkish and German people with whom we have been engaged! Our grateful team says, "thank you" for your prayers.
I thank God for my teammates. As I observed them yesterday at the Turkish Fellowship, fully engaged and involved in the lives of adults and children alike, I was very blessed. As an "old timer" on this trip, I relish in observing God use the gifts of my teammates to bless and encourage these new friends and enjoying their role as learners in a new culture. We heard amazing testimonies of God rescuing these Turkish brothers and sisters from a world of darkness into His marvelous light. God wiped away the darkness in which they once walked, that they remember it no more. It is always a moving experience to witness the faith, committment and love these dear folk have in Jesus.
Today we worshiped at the Turkish Church in Cologne. They are so spontaneous in their worship and praise, breaking out in passionate prayer between songs. Even though I could not understand their language, I felt their love for Jesus and their passion to share with others the love and peace that Jesus has brought into their own lives. They are very outwardly affectionate people...kissing on the cheek and hugging are second nature to them.
We have met people in the neighborhood, some of whom have an interest in the English classes, which commence tomorrow (actually, today...I see it's after midnight now). It is always a mystery as to whom and how many students will find their way to our door. But, God knows, so, no worries! The mystery always is a faith-builder!
Until later, with many blessings to you all,
Jan
Sunday happenings in Germany
We had a great time at the Turkish church in Cologne today-- got some good video also went to a very good turkish restaurant today-- we told them to bring one to the U.S. the turks are very warm to us, at the restaurant they gave us some free food and asked a lot of questions about English--- also others asking about life in the U.S. Also had a good discussion with Paul about their work. Things really crank up tomorrow with the start of classes---we had some good prep this morning. Thank you for your prayer!
Curt
Curt
An uneventful day
Oh, today was such an uneventful day..... NOT!We started the day off with sharing and prayer, followed by classes preparation.
Soon enough, it was time to leave for the Turkish Church at Köln. I don't think I can comment much on the service itself except for the fact that it was conducted in German and Turkish, however, it was extremely touching for me to witness the love the people have for God.
Despite not understanding a word that was being said during prayers, the wave of emotions the Turks feel when speaking to God were definitely felt by everyone present. At that moment, there is the realization that we all feel the same about our Lord and it washes me with emotions. Too bad we forgot the camera when we left Duisburg, sorry for not having pictures.On a side note, thank you Memduh for translating the entire sermon for us, you are wonderful!
Photographs in today's post shows the street we were walking on earlier in the evening.
~Mei
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Turkish Fellowship Day continued...
I've always been a little slower than everyone, so forgive me for blogging about the Turkish Fellowship a day after it happened.
Anyway, I have decided that I will be the person to upload photographs (it is an easier job than racking my brains trying to come up with intelligent sentences, hehe)
Here is a slideshow of the photographs from the Turkish Fellowship, hope you like it :)
~Mei
Anyway, I have decided that I will be the person to upload photographs (it is an easier job than racking my brains trying to come up with intelligent sentences, hehe)
Here is a slideshow of the photographs from the Turkish Fellowship, hope you like it :)
~Mei
Turkish Fellowship Day
Today was really great! Many Turkish Christians gathered together here at the ministry center. They had a church service with singing and testimonies and sermons. There was a pot-luck lunch, followed by more church, followed by dessert and coffee/tea. I was very happy that lots of nice kids came. For the most part, they weren't in the church services. They just played. I met some very lovable little kids and had fun singing with them, learning about where they're from, playing frisbee, and picking up/twirling the littler ones. There was, of course, a lot of Turkish being spoken, but most adults and all the kids could speak German, so I did a little translating, too.
Yay! We're in Germany!
Hi everyone, we're in Germany!
Since a picture speaks a thousand words, I have decided to post a few of the many photographs we have taken since we took off from Madison!
Curt queuing up to rent the car
Frankfurt International Airport - tired but still happy :)
1st lunch in Germany, Doner Kebab! It is absolutely delicious!
The team + Paul and Kathy enjoying our doner kebab
Since a picture speaks a thousand words, I have decided to post a few of the many photographs we have taken since we took off from Madison!
Madison Regional Airport, look at our happy faces!
Curt queuing up to rent the car
Frankfurt International Airport - tired but still happy :)
1st lunch in Germany, Doner Kebab! It is absolutely delicious!
The team + Paul and Kathy enjoying our doner kebab
That's all for now, I have to rush off to the market with the ladies, I'll keep everyone posted on things. There is Turkish Fellowship going on today, so it should be fun!
~Mei
~Mei
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Countdown to Germany!
Woohoo, 4 days left to Germany! As we all prepare for the trip, we would like to invite everyone who is reading this to join us in prayer.
Dear Lord,
As we prepare ourselves mentally and physically for the trip to Germany, I pray that You
would give us wisdom and creativity as we plan and implement our English Lessons. I also pray that the love of Christ will so permeate our lives that the "fragrance of the knowledge of Christ" will be evident to our students and all we meet (II Corinthians 2:14). We also pray Lord that our presence would be an encouragement and blessing to Paul and Kathy.
Amen.
On a side note, its Mother's Day! If you had ordered roses from us, thank you so much for the support and please remember to pick them up, the roses are absolutely gorgeous!
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Buffo's Floral for providing us with such beautiful roses at a discounted price.
~Mei
Dear Lord,
As we prepare ourselves mentally and physically for the trip to Germany, I pray that You
would give us wisdom and creativity as we plan and implement our English Lessons. I also pray that the love of Christ will so permeate our lives that the "fragrance of the knowledge of Christ" will be evident to our students and all we meet (II Corinthians 2:14). We also pray Lord that our presence would be an encouragement and blessing to Paul and Kathy.
Amen.
On a side note, its Mother's Day! If you had ordered roses from us, thank you so much for the support and please remember to pick them up, the roses are absolutely gorgeous!
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Buffo's Floral for providing us with such beautiful roses at a discounted price.
~Mei
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