Darmstadt Digest Day One

Converge International Fellowship

Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany

Yesterday we were pushing our grandson Asher on the tire swing,  

and playing a little baseball in the back yard, spending the last morning Nicole, Eric and Asher. 

Today we are in Germany!

We packed our bags - lots of heavy bags, containing all we will have for the next couple of months -into a van, went to the Des Moines airport and left at 1:30 in the afternoon.  We flew from there to Chicago, had a brief layover, then flew from Chicago to London.  After another brief wait, we flew the final leg from London to Frankfurt.  We arrived at 10:10am Frankfurt time on Friday, 9 September.

Judith Lynn Maxwell met us there.  She and her husband, Stewart, have invited us to live in their home in the Darmstadt suburb of Rossdorf until we find our own apartment.  They are a wonderful couple who have been praying and waiting for a new International Church in Darmstadt for many years.  We are blessed to have them as friends and partners in this ministry! 

Last Friday, out of the blue, we received an email from our friend Manfred at International Christian Fellowship in Oberursel, Germany.  Manfred had a friend, Louis, who was moving to Singapore, and had a vehicle for sale.  He was wondering if we were interested in it.  It is a beautiful vehicle, still covered by factory waranty, and the owner was willing to give us a 1,000 Euro discount on it - about $1400!  So the Lord provided us with a car at an amazing price before we even arrived in country!  Amazing!

Tomorrow night Judith Lynn and Stewart are hosting a "Welcome To Geramany"  party for us.   This will represent the first of many meetings where we will be sharing our vision for the work in Darmstadt with some friends we have previously met, and some potential new partners in our church planting work.  Please pray for that gathering.

Carol has turned in early - not much sleep in the last 36 hours.  I was able, on my first afternoon in Germany, to watch a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game on ESPN America, and tonight I am watching a replay of the Green Bay Packers/New Orleans Saints game from last night - SWEET!