Baptisms and Birthdays...

The German Church is beautiful. Christianity may not be that strong in this country, but where it does exist, it is vibrant – especially in the younger generation. Freedom, joy, and expectation radiate from their lives. In my opinion, things are beginning to change here...

My first Sunday in Germany had a big impact on me, despite my being jetlagged. I went to a church service at a nearby German church on what happened to be a baptism Sunday. Worship was incredible. I’m not usually one who really connects during corporate worship, but this time was very different. To hear the Lord being praised in the German language…. it did something to me, gave me an even deeper desire to learn this language. I can’t really explain it. It was just incredible. After worship, the pastor got up and gave a sermon before beginning the baptisms. Baptisms here are done very differently than what I’ve seen in the States. The pastor doesn’t do the actual immersing in water; rather, it’s the two people who have had the greatest impact on their spiritual journey who do the actual baptizing. At this church, they had a huge inflatable pool in the middle of the sanctuary with a wooden staircase that led the people down into the water, fully clothed in their church pants and shirt. The two spiritual mentors with the one getting baptized would pray over them and say some words of encouragement/affirmation before baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When they came up out of the water, all were beaming with joy, hands raised in celebration and freedom with water splashing everywhere. Friends from the congregation would go up to them as soon as they got out of the inflatable pool to receive their wet hugs. There were tears of joy mixed with much laughter. The whole thing was all very messy yet one of the most beautiful expressions of this sacrament I have ever seen. Oh, and there were so many people being baptized that the service lasted an extra hour… incredible. 

This past Sunday, I had another German church experience. By the way, I should probably mention that most churches here offer an English translation of the service (which is very convenient for me!). I get to be one of the few “special” people in the congregation who are privileged enough to wear headphones during the sermon =) Before coming to Germany (and especially since being here), I’ve really felt like the Lord wants me to attend a German-speaking church. I’ve also really felt like He wants me to get connected with a few Germans my age. You’re probably thinking, “Duh, you’re in Germany. What else did you expect?”. However, I’m around Americans pretty much all day every day, at work as well as where I’m staying. It almost feels like I'm living in the States until I walk out on the street and find a language I don't understand very well written on all of the signs. My transportation is also limited to my feet and public busses. These past few weeks I’ve been praying a lot about finding a church as well as finding the Germans (it’s harder than you think!). Well, this Sunday the Lord answered both of those requests – the Lord confirmed in me the church where He wants me to attend, and He also led me to a group of beautiful Germans who I’ll hopefully be getting to know better in the coming months!

Now to the birthday part... this past Saturday was, in fact, my birthday. Despite my dislike for birthdays, it proved to be one that will be hard to forget! A friend from GemStone took me to France for the day – we spent some time at the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle (Castle of the High King) in the morning, weaved our way through the Wine Road at the foot of the Vosges mountains, made a stop in the small village of Riquewihr (which is the village Disney's Beauty and the Beast is based around), had an authentic French Crepe with Nutella as a birthday cake, and walked through La Petite Venise (Little Venice) part of Colmar (which is the village where the Statue of Liberty came from). The architecture in this Alsace area makes you feel like you’re in a fairytale, so much character and so many bright colors! It’s unbelievable. I spent my evening back in Germany, eating a wonderful home cooked meal with my host family followed by chocolate cake. What a great way to turn 23.

***Oh, and once again my parents found a way to send me flowers for my birthday. No matter where I am in the world, they always manage to figure out a way. It's one of those little things I look forward to every year...