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