Winter 2015

December, January and February have been months of great celebration and exciting opportunities! We are so grateful for your support of our mission to the nations of the world, as people from around the globe come to Germany for study, work, or find refuge and begin a new life.

Darmstadt: Anyone who has lived in or visited Germany during the Christmas season will tell you it is a very special time.  Every city and village hosts their Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market), with seasonal foods and drinks, beautiful decorations, local handmade gifts and holiday concerts. Yet for many people whom we minister to, it is a difficult time, because they are very far from home. We do our best to gather together as a church family, inviting students and expats from all walks of life for meals, parties and worship. We were especially blessed to have gatherings at our flat and at other church homes for both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. 

 
 

   

Our LIFE Groups continue to grow – we have new people in the groups nearly every week. In fact, on Thursday evening we had 18 in our flat – and seven of our regulars were missing!  We are excited to be starting a new group in February that will be meeting in a penthouse restaurant atop the tallest building in the city. We met a new friend, Mr. Chan, at a small Christmas Market in the courtyard of a tall residential building across the street from our apartment. He is a Chinese businessman, and a Christian. As we talked, he expressed that when he purchased the buildings, he had a strong desire to see them used for the purposes of God. He has agreed to host a new LIFE Group in one of the towers. It is a great location – near the center city, right at a tram stop. We've talked with Mr. Chan about our mission to reach out to the student and science communities in Darmstadt, and we hope to work together toward that goal. He has described a vision for a new property he is considering in Leipzig, a possible business venture with a church plant as part of the plan. Pray for this new opportunity!

Carol’s ministry is expanding greatly. She is busy almost every day of the week meeting with individuals or groups. She helps new arrivals get acclimated to life in Germany – things like shopping, spouse and children issues, cooking, and simply encouraging. She serves as surrogate sister and mother to a wide range of students, business people and their spouses. It is such a delight to see God using her gifts and caring spirit in our mission.