We're getting to be locals here in Koln, Deutschland. We walk everywhere we need to and I (Brandon) often go out to local cafes to get reading and writing done. Sierra also had what we call a "flare-up" of her disease last week, requiring her to spend a lot of time resting and being bored to death. But...we have made it through it all and look forward to some better times in the four weeks we have ahead of us.
Our work here has been...interesting. I have no shame in saying that whatever we've planned to do with what teenagers are still around have been what the younger generation likes to call "epic fails." Most recently we planned to cook some hamburgers in the nearby park. We talked to 8 kids, 4 actually ended up coming. When we set out we didn't have a car so we piled all the groceries in bags and Brandon had to carry the grill about a mile to the park. When we got there we realized we had no lighters fluid so Brandon ran to get what they use here for lighter fluid--highly flammable cubes of some kind of chemical. But they did not seem to be working very efficiently at all. So after about 45 minutes of attempting to cook while the four kids looked on and had a good time laughing at their new American friends, I took the kids to McDonalds (seriously, one of their favorite places to eat). We got them food there and then I returned to fetch the grill, which had since actually lit up and Sierra cooked the remainder of the hamburgers. So...I really wanted to just get back home so I tried to wheel the very hot grill back, about a mile, home. I ended up leaving a nice trail of charcoal bits and ashes all the way and was likely laughed at by not a few German folk.
But despite our awkward attempt at a fun event for teenagers I think we made memories and bonded with the kids that did show up and they promised they'd be back for a more modest time this coming wednesday eating pizza and watching a movie.
I like to think I've been reasonably succesful at what I really try to do, and I like to think most people are like me in that respect. But you often hear people who are succesful at things try to expound the wisdom of II Corinthians where Paul boasts about Christ's strength in our weakness. And to me...well its just awkward, because when we are succesful we do not seem weak at all. This last two weeks in Koln (the German spelling of Cologne) has been wildly unsuccesful in respect to what we attempt to do, but I know some good is coming of it: we're beginning to form relationships with the kids being one. So it seems that Christ is working despite ourselves, and hopefully in the future the wisdom we gain from failing will help us to be more savvy in our activity planning.
We've included a few pictures of our recent activities here, including the park bbq episode and a very nice day out on the town with our new good friends Bob and Diane Smith on our day off. They are really a wonderful couple and we are so happy to have had them out here for two weeks. They live just outside of Longview, TX and we got to partner with them while they took the bulk of the LST duties. We genuinely enjoyed having them around, they are the epitome of good old Texas folk. We are also looking forward to the arrival of the next LST group, three students from Harding (I think the Graduate school of theology there, but not 100% sure). They will be arriving Tuesday morning and as a testament to our integration into Koln, they have asked us to give them the tour.
Another noteworthy event to mention is that I was asked to conduct the Lord's Supper today (Sunday) for the congregation. I am happy to say that I stumbled over the German translation of the English thought I had written down and people (in general) understood what I said! Bill helped me tremendously to translate and I had to practice many times so I didn't sound absolutely crazy, but people say our German is very good. They often ask how many years we studied German in school only to be surprised that we have only been learning for a little over 4 weeks now. Perhaps I will post what I had written (in German, of course) in a few days. You can use an online translator if you want.
That's all to report for now. We're continuing to develop relationships with some really sweet and interesting kids out here. Bijan, one of the students, is a very skilled breakdancer and actually competes in battles, he just won one apparently a few nights ago. Wednesday we will relax with them, eat some pizza, and watch a movie, in addition to our daily English lessons with them via LST. We always enjoy hearing encouraging remarks on here on via e-mail or facebook, so thank you and please continue to pray for us. Add us as friends on facebook to see a lot more pictures (it's difficult to post a lot of pictures here so we have to be selective).
We'd also like you to pray for our young friend Paul. He is a serious soccer-player, on a top ranked club team out here--one of the top teams in the state (Germany has states too) and he has the potential to go pro one day. A few days ago he tore a muscle in his hip by shooting on the goal and is out for 2-3 months. A big bummer for him, he always seems very positive and reasonable, but there's no way this isn't tearing him up. Soccer is a huge part of his life. He's pictured below in the blonde hair (with the slightly unorthodox hairstyle...). Perhaps something good can come of this.
Peace,
Brandon & Sierra
Brandon & Sierra
(Pictures Below)
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