We're Home!

Sorry we haven't updated this in awhile, but we have both been home for a week and a half and are very happy to be with our families and sleeping in our own beds.

After English Camp, we were given the opportunity to go with the iThemba team that we were with for our first week to a camp. This was a camp for Lutheran kids going through the confirmation process, so they were all christians. It was a really interesting weekend. The kids absolutely loved iThemba! We didn't really do ministry during these two days, but we mostly just used it as a time to be with our friends and get a last chance to be together before we said goodbye. The best part about the weekend for us was when Obi, the team leader, dragged us up on stage to dance with iThemba. It was funny, and we're both horrible dancers, but it was a lot of fun, and we will never forget it.

The hardest part of our whole time in Germany happened that weekend as well. iThemba drove us to the train station, and we had to say our final goodbye to them. There were tears all around, and a lot of hugging. We promised them that we would come to South Africa, and they promised us they would come to America; so hopefully we'll get to see at least one of them again. They are all very special to us, and we will never forget them.

We had our debrief week with Art and Beckie Melli, who trained us during our first week in Germany, at their home in Kandern. We spent a lot of time talking about our time in Germany, being tourists, and unwinding before coming home. It was a tough week in some aspects, but it was very refreshing. We got to spend a little time in France and Switzerland during that week too, so that was an added bonus!

The day we traveled home was a VERY long day, and we are very glad that it's over. Jenni spent her first week home doing VBS at her church, and Megan is currently at camp with her church's youth group, so we have both stayed very busy. Thank you for all your prayers!

Jenni and Megan

Formally known as Team Germany

English Camp

Hello everyone! Sorry we haven’t posted this update sooner, but we’ve been very tired and catching up on sleep. Our time at English Camp was amazing, and we know it was the reason that God brought us to Germany. As we said before, the group planning this camp had been praying for weeks for two more females, because they had so many girls sign up for camp, but not enough councilors for them all. They were also short on English teachers, and needed two more. On top of that, this English camp promised that people would learn about American culture, and seeing how there were currently no Americans involved, that posed somewhat of a problem. So when they found out about us, they were very excited, and constantly told us that we were there for a reason, and that we were an answer to their prayers.

The first 2 days were spent getting to know the team that we would be serving with. We worked with a team of six young adults from Paraguay named Marcello, Mera, Crista, Eric, Alan, and Cory. We got along with them fantastically, and became really good friends. The leader of the camp, Andy, is well, Andy. He’s to explain, in a good way, and we really enjoyed getting to know them all. We helped go shopping for the camp, and that was an adventure in itself. During these two days, we staying with a family that had 13 kids, and barely anyone could speak English. It was a challenge, but there were a lot of funny moments as we tried to communicate.

On Saturday we left for the camp and met the rest of the group that we would be serving with. There were about 20 staff members in total, and we were expecting around 60 kids. We were put in a room with the two councilors we would be teamed up with. Megan was with a girl named Franzi and Jenni was with Katrin. Our groups were somewhat challenging, because our girls preferred to speak in German, so everything had to be translated, but we made it work. It was good for us to be in separate groups, since we have spent SO much time together this summer, and it was a nice break.

Our first night, during worship time, the whole message was in German and there was no one to translate for us. You have no idea how hard it is to try to pay attention to a sermon that is in a language you don’t understand. The second morning, a girl from Jenni’s group name Julia, asked if she could translate for us. She did so for the whole week, and did a fantastic job. We later found out that God told her to be bold and go up and ask if she could translate for us, which she had never done in her life. For her first time translating, she did fantastically well, and we were very thankful that she followed what God was telling her to do, and we became really good friends with her. Julia is heading to Brazil next month for a year of service, so Megan and I got to share our experience so far in Germany with her and helped her know what to expect. Please keep Julia in your prayers. She is an amazing woman of God, and I know that he will really use her over this next year.

We both also taught English lessons; which was challenging, but really fun. Megan taught the speaking class and Jenni taught the listening class. After the actual “class” part was done, we were able to have fun with the kids, and teach them games such as Big Booty and Ultimate Ninja, which both became a huge hit at camp.

We had two fun days that we got to be a part of. The first day we went to this huge aquatic center with indoor and outdoor pools, a wave pool, waterslides, and a whirlpool. We had a lot of fun that day, and got to know some people a lot better. The second fun day was a trip to Leipzig. We detached ourselves from the group, because we didn’t want to go on a tour, and attached ourselves to a guy named Sven, who had lived in Leipzig for two years. He took us around his old city, showed us where he used to live, and got us lost on multiple occasions. It was a lot of fun, and we became really good friends with Sven. He’s just as crazy as we are, if not more, so he and Megan got along very well.

God was really working through the kids at camp. They were ages 13 to 19, and had come from a variety of backgrounds. There was a girl in my group that had a baby, and her son was allowed to come to camp with her, which I found as a huge blessing. Night after night, testimonies were shared about how God was working in their lives, and becoming real instead of just a bunch of stories they learned when they were younger. We both led our councilor groups in lectio divina a couple mornings for devotions, and they really got a lot out of it, and had a lot to share. We are very excited for what God is doing in their lives, and hope that they can keep up this passion in the weeks after they leave camp.

It was very hard to say goodbye at the end of the week. Andy asked us if we would seriously consider coming back next year, when they run two different camps. We met some great people and got to see God working in so many teens. We were very thankful to get to be a part of the week, and God showed us that he really did bring us to Germany for a reason. Right now we have 10 days left and are getting anxious to come home, so please pray for our last few days and for safe travel. We love you!

Jenni and Megan

Answered Prayers!

So after our time in Paderborn, we were both slightly nervous about our next ministry trip. The plan was for us to go to a German camp where German families vacation and to do a kids program. Normally, this would be great.... except for the fact that the majority of kids in Germany don't speak english. So we were praying that either God was bring a new ministry to us, or that this one would somehow work, but we were doubtful. When we went to go talk to our coordinator about the possibility of finding a new ministry for that week, we were asked by our friend Olly to go into her office. She told us that camp canceled on us last minute, but that she just found out that an english camp she was connected to was in a desperate need for two english speaking Christian females for the same exact week that we were supposed to be at the German camp. When they found out about us, they said that we were an answer to their prayers. We say the same thing about them!

So for the rest of our time here in Germany, we are really excited. Our english will no longer be a hinderence, but a blessing. We will spend a few days here at the office again, and help with some office work that they have been needing done, but no one has time to do. After that, we might get to travel for our last three days of ministry with the iThemba team that we went with our first week, and that we absolutely adore. Then we will have almost a week to spend with the couple that trained us at their home in the Black Forest region. We are also planning on that week to be our week to be tourists, and we're going to go to France and Switzerland. We are very excited about the remainder of our time here in Germany, and want to thank you all so much for your prayers. We appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Love and blessings,

Jenni

11 Days in Paderborn....

and we're back at headquarters! We arrived in Paderborn refreshed and waiting to see what God had in store for us. We were excited (I was especially excited that we survived the train ride without getting lost) and a little nervous as this was our first ministry site where it was just Jenni and I. We had no idea what was planned for our time in Paderborn, but we knew there was going to be some ministry geared towards the World Cup.

Our first night we were warmly welcomed. Instead of staying with a host family, we were given our own studio apartment, so we had the opportunity to cook our own meals, and we greatly enjoyed cooking for ourselves. Anyway,we finally ended up eating some McDonald's, which I have been dying to do since we got here, and we got to experience Germany's version of Wal-Mart.

As far as our ministry went, there was some miscommunication, and the youth center thought that we were coming with our own program, and we thought that they had plans for us. Needless to say, our ministry in Paderborn was not what we expected. We ended up babysitting for a family that we met and befriended and we washed the churches windows. Even though it was a tough week for ministry, we had plenty of time to read our Bibles and we even had the chance to explore Paderborn for a little bit.

However, whenever we became discouraged, God would bring people into our lives to give us a boost. For example, our apartment was right next to the church (actually it was on church property) and there was a family of 6 who lived below us. One day, Liam (the 4-year old son) came upstairs, knocked on the door, said something to me in German, and then sat down on the couch to watch Jenni and me. He didn't care about the language barrier, he didn't care that we couldn't understand him. He just wanted to spend time with us. I'm sure that God sent us Liam to give us some laughs during the week, and even to show that some people don't care if we can't speak German. They're just excited to see two Americans!

On Sunday, we met a family during the church service. The husband is American and the wife is Russian, but has spent a lot of time in America. God also sent us this family, and without them we would have been in a lot of trouble. They took us shopping, entertained us, let us babysit their two-year old son, and overall were amazing. They were a huge encouragement, and without their help we wouldn't have made it to the train station today.

So, while our week was slow with ministry, God showed his goodness to us frequently. He knew when we needed encouragement, and knew when we needed to get out of our apartment. I guess my encouragement to you all is that God knows when you're having trouble, and he will help. Sometimes it takes a couple days, but God will never leave you hanging. Ever. I guess that's what Paderborn was all about.

Love,

Megan

This is Germany! Work faster!

Megan and I just returned from another week of ministry, this week at the University of Heidelberg. We join with The Buzz, which is a bus ministry through Youth for Christ Deutschland. There was an event put on by Christian students at the university where there were many different avenues to start conversation about how people few God and Christianity as a whole, and to invite them to nightly gatherings they were having, which consisted of a play telling the story of Jesus and a speaker. Our part of the ministry was setting up a café in front of the bus and offering free coffee, iced tea, cappuccinos, and baked goods to the students. We had a bar set up to serve from, and there were many tables and chairs set up for people to sit at, along with a couple foosball tables. We had so many people stop by, and whereas Megan and I didn’t do as much relational ministry as some of the other on our team, we were there to help keep things running smoothly and to serve people. We did get to have a few conversations, and many people wanted to talk to us to find out why two Americans came all the way over to Germany to give them free coffee and cakes. Just us being there was a testament to these students of who Christians are. Our team we were with consisted of two German students, a south African student who was raised German (his parents were missionaries), and the German team leader. It was a tough week, because it was extremely hot, the days were very long, and listening to a language you don’t understand all the time can become exhausting, but overall we had a great time. On Wednesday we got our first day off to be tourists, so we got a chance to explore the Heidelberg castle and go on a tour. We walked all around the tourist part of town and had a great time. Our legs still hurt from all the walking, but it was a great experience.

The next outreach we will go on is to a youth center in Paterborn where we will be doing a ministry during the World Cup. This time we are going without a team, just the two of us, and we are a little nervous, but excited. The plan is to leave on Monday and return two weeks later. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We need prayer for persistence, patience, and to continue to trust in God. Megan is also very sunburned, so prayer for healing for her would be very appreciated. Thank you all and God Bless!

Also, if you would like to see pictures of our time so far in Germany, check out my facebook page. I have pictures up from our trip to Stadtallendorf with iThemba, and I will put up pictures from Heidelberg soon!

Jenni

Two Weeks Down...Six Weeks to Go

Hi all!

Jenni and I just finished our first week in ministry, and we had a blast! YFC Germany has two ministries that are active. One is iThemba and the other is The Buzz. iThemba consists of three teams of 7 South Africans who travel around Germany conducting workshops and doing productions for the youth of Germany. Their topics have a wide range (from violence to self-image) and they are quite popular here in Germany. The Buzz is YFC's bus ministry and they also travel around Germany building relationships with the youth (youth is considered ages 12-28)

This past week was spent in Stadtallendorf at the Hessentag Festival. This is an annual festival, and about 70,000 come every year. iThemba was invited to the event by the Wasser Kirche (Water Church), and we we came along with them. While iThemba was preforming, Jenni and I worked at a juice bar that served non-alcoholic cocktails and we also helped at a parcour that promoted non-violence. When Jenni and I weren't helping with the juice bar, we were with iThemba, watching their dance performances and being an encouragement to them.

We want to thank you for your prayers, and we would appreciate more! This next week we are joining The Buzz to go to Heidelberg. We're not exactly sure what we will be doing, and so we would appreciate prayer for that as we both are planners and like to know what is going on ahead of time. Also, for those of you who don't know, I have Lyme disease. Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to have caught it before we left for Germany, but the medicine makes me sunburn easily. I forgot this little detail, and I am now sunburned a lot, especially on my hands, chest, and forehead. Please be praying that the pain goes away quickly as we are leaving on June 7th for our next ministry. Jenni is also suffering from a cold at the moment, so pray that she is able to get rest while we are at the YFC headquarters.

We love you all, and if you would like to send us words of encouragement, you can either comment on here or e-mail them to: germanyteam2010@gmail.com. Thanks guys!

Love,

Megan

We're Here!

We are officially in Germany! We're still getting used to the people, the culture, and most of all the language. I don't think we originally realized how much of a burden it is to not speak German. The country is beautiful, and we are getting to know all the people we will be working with this summer. We are enjoying ourselves, but so far it has been really difficult for us to adjust. We are both still jet lagged and Megan has a cold, so it has been difficult so far. We go out on our first outreach tomorrow for 7 days with the iThemba team from South African. We are both kind of jumping into this blind, but hopefully all will go well and God will be able to use us. Please pray for our transition into the culture and that our first outreach will go well. Also pray for unity for the two of us with all the teams that we will be working with this summer. Thank you all and God bless!

Jenni and Megan

Training Week

For those of you that have been following the process of planning for our trip, you probably know a lot about what we've gone through. We were a team of five, then four, then three. We are down to our final two, and even thought it was extremely hard to let go of out leader, Travis, we know that this is God's plan. He will be serving in Tacoma, WA for the summer while Megan and I are in Germany. We are just finishing up training week, and it was really difficult and tested our strength as a team, but we both also really enjoyed it. This is just a quick update for all of you, and we want to thank you all deeply for your prayers and support. To all you that donated to our team, we can't thank you enough. Know that you are all a part of this trip, and we will continue to rely on your prayers to get us through the next two months. That's it for now. God Bless!!

Jenni and Megan