We were invited to be the guest speaker at Bethel International Church in Frankfurt, Germany for the morning worship service. Bethel is the second church of the International Baptist Convention established in 1958, and was the first IBC church that Carol and I ever attended. In the early days, it was a dynamic and large church, reaching hundreds of US military members and their families. With the draw-down of the military presence in post-Cold War Europe, the church has gone through a difficult but necessary transformation. They are currently awaiting the arrival of their newest pastor, who reflects the IBC clearly - a Brazilian national, married to a German woman, currently working and studying in London, England!
The church is excited about the future, and we are excited to be able to serve in any way we can. We've provided "pulpit fill" on several occasions over the last 10 months, and we have grown to cherish the church and its wonderful people. We attended the service with Maina, a member of our congregation in Darmstadt who is from Kenya. Maina is a wonderful friend and a delight to spend time with!
Following the service, while enjoying the fellowship time in the church cafeteria, we found ourselves in conversation with Margaret. Originally from Poland, Margaret moved to Germany before the fall of the Iron Curtain, and is currently a teacher in the German public school system in Literature, English and Philosophy. As we talked she shared with us that she had been in Wisconsin a couple of years ago on an exchange program with the University of Wisconsin at Appleton. Margaret invited us to come to her home for dinner.
At their home, we met Dariusz (Derek), Margaret's husband. Also a native of Poland, Derek is a certified translator of German, English, Polish, Spanish and French. He's currently completing Law School at the Goethe Universitat. We had a wonderful discussion about history, religion, and languages. It was a beautiful afternoon and sat on their sun-soaked patio enjoying freshly prepared food and engaging conversation.
When we returned home, we decided to take advantage of the amazing weather and visit the Orangerie in Darmstadt. It is a beautiful royal garden originally established in 1714. It is filled with lovely flowers, lawns, fountains and features tropical fruit and palm trees. It was a lovely time to walk and enjoy this favorite part of the city.Upon our return to our apartment, we visited with our friends Orhan and Saladin in their restaurant on the ground floor. We spent an hour having a great conversation about life, God, the Bible, the Gospel of Christ and His love for us. A great way to end the day!
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