Unpacking Germany
Wow, the team can't believe that it has almost been a week sense we got back from the Deutschland! What an amazing experience. Words cannot express our thankfulness to the the
HPC family for making this trip possible. From the To Go Global cookies and brownies to the
Late Nite offering, the team definitely knew that God had called us to Germany for such a time as this. The giving spirit of the
HPC family overflowed to us and we could nothing but give out of the abundance that had been given to us. Isn't that how God's love is? Overflowing so much that we can do nothing but give out of what we have been given!
Thank you again HPC! Please continue to pray for
Kirk and Amy and the people of Germany!
Holding the ladder!
Steve, Gayla, Terry, Bill, Anna, Erin, and Gustave
All of Europe Needs Jesus
I don't know if anyone reads this anymore since the Germany missions trip was officially over as of July 11, but my trip has continued. From Berlin Gustave, Anna, and I flew to Venice, Italy to travel around the country for about another week. We spent a day in lovely Venice and then moved on to Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. This was one of the most BEAUTIFUL places I have ever been! They are five very small villages perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. They are very peaceful and virtually untouched by tourists. Today, we took a four-hour train ride to Rome, where we will stay until we end our trip in a couple days.
I don't have any pictures uploaded, but I do want to share my thoughts. As we were on the train from Venice to Cinque Terre the other day, I found myself staring out the window at the beautiful landscape and quiet towns passing by. I couldn't help but wonder how many of those towns had evangelical churches, churches that were actively reaching out to the community and sharing the love of Jesus. Sadly, there are probably very few, if any, of those churches or ministries in existence in those small towns. That idea breaks my heart and forces me to think of what can be done to change that. I guess it all begins with prayer, prayer that God will mobilize men and women with a calling to go to the nations and reach the lost and the hurting. This trip has really shown me the need for Jesus not only in Germany, but also in Italy and the rest of Europe...and the world, for that matter. May God raise up men and women of God willing to part with their home, their mother and father, brother and sister, friends and comforts, to courageously GO and make a difference in this world!
Bill
Tschüβ from Berlin!
The time is drawing nigh for us in Berlin Germany. After many sleepless nights, two-euro döners, and a whole lot of walking, we've finally said goodbye to Kirk and Amy. What an incredible week this has been for us! Our hearts are filled with a sense of purpose and destiny for the people of Germany. God is truly doing something special here.
We ended our time here with an International Night at SFC. We had students from all over the globe come to the SFC meeting. There was a buffet with all kind of foods-Italian, German, Sorbish, and American(actually south Louisiana jamabalaya). We pigged out on food that we never would have the chance to in the States! After the buffet, we had a coffee shop style service. Some students performed
native songs from their homeland, some did comedy routines, and Steve and Terry shared the gospel message thorugh personal testimonies. The night ended with Amy singing an original song about the invitation Christ gives us to know Him. It was amazing! God has gifted her with the ability to sing and write music. Kirk and Amy were really encouraged about the night because they had six new students visit just because of our outreaches. We are praying that they come to know Jesus and get plugged into SFC.
Looking back on the trip, it is so evident that God was with us. The team walked in boldness, proclaiming the message of Christ as the Spirit of God led us. We had so many opportunities to serve and minister to Kirk and Amy. They are doing a wonderful work here in Berlin. Late Nite can't wait to come back and serve it up HPC style with them again!!!
Goodbye from the Deutschland!
Fourth Quarter!
What's up yall? Sorry it has been two days since we've last blogged. We have had a packed couple of days. Today the group headed down to Humboldt University. This is the university that Einstein and Marx taught at. It is the largest university in Berlin, and it was also under communist control for years. Kirk told us that this school has a dark spiritual stronghold on it. No Christian organization is allowed to have an official status thus there is no Christian presence on the campus.
Kirk split us up into three teams. One team dedicated the day to walking around the campus and praying specifically for students. Another team did surveys while the last team did one on one evangelism. It's hard to explain, but you can feel a spiritual heaviness over the people. (Please take a moment and pray for Kirk and SFC to have access to be on this campus regularly.) We really believe that God can do so much on this campus through Kirk and his team.
Since today is the last full day for our team (Anna, Gustave, and Bill fly out tomorrow for Italy), Kirk took us to his favorite German restaurant. We chowed down on wiener schnitzel and ice cream. We had a great time with him and his family. They have inspired us so much over the past week in our walk with Christ. They are
HPC all the way - reaching, serving, giving, and building for the Kingdom!
Tomorrow is our last day on all the campuses. Please be praying for God to use us in a new and refreshing way. This country is so hungry for more than just a normal life. They are truly searching. We believe that God is going to do something big here! It's the fourth quarter for this trip, and we are going for it!
Times of Refreshing!!!
Hello to all! Today was a good day. The team needed refreshing after last night's flood. The rain-out kind of drained us both emotionally and physically. This morning we thought we'd start the day off right with a team devotional. It was very uplifting for the group.
Kirk and Amy needed the afternoon off to prepare for the concert, so we had the afternoon to do whatever we wanted to. Gayla, Bill, and Anna went shopping. Terry, Steve, Erin, and Gustave went to the Pergamon Museum. Pergamon was the city mentioned in Revelation Chapter 2. Pergamon had an altar in it built to Greek god, Zeus. That altar was excavated and brought to the museum here in Berlin. This is the altar
referred to as the Throne of Satan in the book of Revelation. The group actually walked on the exact altar mentioned in the Bible! Another amazing display in the museum was the Ishtar Gate. This was the gate that lead into the city of Babylon. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo walked through this gate while being led to their Babylonian captivity. The gate is set up so that you walk right through it. It was definitely a surreal experience for the group.
When everybody returned to the church, we started preparing for the concert. The
Luminous Band out of YWAM (Youth With A Mission) was performing. They opened up with some original songs. Then one of the members taught on true worship. It was strong! Next, they led everyone into worship. It was so awesome to see everybody express their love for God. We all felt like we were home at
HPC because of the incredible passion for His presence! One of the most encouraging things of the night was when a student that we invited from the technical university showed up. He was totally into the whole experience. We are praying that he will get plugged into SFC!
After the concert, we all grubbed down on a pot-luck dinner and watched the Germany Soccer team take third place in the World Cup!
One Crazy Day in Berlin
Wow, what a crazy day we had! We thought when we started the day off that it would have a pretty normal routine. First we cleaned the church in preparation for the concert tomorrow and the Sunday worship service. Then Erin and Gayla went to the store to buy food and supplies for the big volleyball event that we have been planning and advertising all week. Steve, Terry, and Jorge met up with a German student for lunch. The student is a second generation atheist. It was definitely a stretch for the guys because it is not everyday
that you meet people who have grown up in that belief system. The guys really shared their hearts with him about how there is more to life than what can be seen or explained. He wants to meet up again on Monday to talk more. We are quickly realizing what Kirk told us when we first got here - evangelism is a process. It takes time for people's hearts to be opened to the message of Christ. Kirk and Amy have a very special calling on their lives to minister here. Their effectiveness over the past four years is a testimony of how God can use people who abandon their will and follow the voice of God!
The afternoon excitement about the volleyball event quickly subsided as the skies opened up and began to pour. It was one of the heaviest rains Berlin has seen all year. The streets flooded and subways shut down as water rose to a knee deep level on many roads. To make matters worst, the basement of the church began to flood. It is used as a multi-purpose room for the church. In one part, the water rose as high as six inches. We scrambled for buckets and towels as quickly as we could. We spent the rest of the evening wiping up floors, pumping out water, and securing leaks. Kirk was so glad we were here to help because it took us four hours to get everything in order. We were discouraged at first, but then we realized how God used us to help Kirk and the minsitry here. Sometimes we don't understand why God does certain things, but on the mission field you just go with the flow and trust Him!!!
See ya'll tomorrow!!!
Reseting Berlin
Guten Dag from the Deutchland! This morning we got a chance to bless Kirk and Amy with two suitcases full of gifts we packed for them when we left the States. We had Barbie Dolls and Tonka Trucks for Mercy and Jack, their two children. We gave magazines, food, and shirts to Kirk and Amy that are hard to get in Germany but are easily found in America. We really just wanted to bless them
HPC style!
After the Christmas in July, we headed out to the Technical University to do another outreach.
We really feel that God is opening doors on that campus for us to minister to students. By far, today was the most successfull day that we have experienced so far because of the number of people we were able to connect with. Everyone has a story from today that is awesome - anything from basketball games to birds being raised from the dead (see Gustave's blog below). Tomorrow we have some one-on-one appointments with some of the students that we have connected with. So be praying for us to minister to them as God would have it.
Tonight we grilled up some bratworst and chicken at Kirk and Amy's. It was awesome to have fellowship time with their family and to hear more about their heart for Germany. After dinner, Kirk took us on a tour of East Berlin. This is the area that the communist occupied before the Berlin Wall was torn down. We saw Checkpoint Charlie, the Berliner Dome, Hitler's office of operations, and the only remaining piece of the Berlin Wall. The history of this country and of this city has at times put a heavy spiritual weight on the people. That's why we're here- to help
Reset Berlin to Christ.
Don't forget to check out Erin's and Gustave's Blogs below!
Restoration
Hey everyone, this is Erin. So, today was an awesome day. I was able to experience exactly what I knew God was going to use me for. Doug and I were walking through the student center at TU and we stopped to pray for a bit. I saw a guy that I talked to on Tuesday. We were on our way to say hello when we decided to talk to a lady that was sitting alone. We introduced ourselves, and she began to slowly open up to us. Her name is Helena, and she is a 42 yr old psychologist. She told us that she has been dealing with different forms of depression. Her parents are Jewish and are survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. When she converted to Christianity at the age of 20, a rift was formed between her and her parents; they have not talked in 8 years over the course of the past 22 years. I began to share my story with her about how I was delivered from my depression about a year ago. I told her that talking to a psycologist, drinking, or even taking perscriptions could not help me. Only pushing through it with the help of the one and only Healer was the only thing that healed me. When we offered to pray for her she said that that was fine, but we were not in the right place to do so. Doug and I gave her our email addresses, and we got hers. When we walked away, I really felt as though my heart was going to come out of my chest so we stopped to pray for her. I really think God is doing amazing things in this city. I am so excited that He is using me, which is something that I knew COULD happen. I just never thought it would happen in the capacity it has. God is so good!
Rose and Ran
Hey Everybody, this is Gustave. I just wanted to share a cool story from earlier today. Cuyong, a german student who helps with the ministry here, and myself had the priviledge to speak with a student who attends the Technical University. Stefan, a student in the science field, was eager to talk to us. I asked him what he thinks about Jesus Christ and his reply was "Jesus was a good man, but the ressurection is a lie." Just at that moment Stefan noticed a dead bird lying on its back with its feet in the air. It was clearly dead. He motioned to the bird and said, "is that God?" I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. What do you say to something like that? Not 5 seconds later the bird jumps up and sprints off. I looked in amazement. Stefan looked in even more amazement and pointed at the bird running off and said, "God?" I shrugged my shoulders. Needless to say, he was more open to us from that moment on. He still had alot of questions and doubt, but I know we planted a seed.
A personal relationship
Hey, what's up everybody? I hope that everyone has been following along with the blog. We have had an incredible first three days. I asked the team to be praying and thinking about what God is teaching them and then share it with you on the blog when they feel lead. So keep praying for us that we would be vessels that God could work through and with.
On a personal note, God has reminded me about what it means to have a one on one relationship with Him. How amazing is it that God looks down on all of mankind and see's each person with a unconditional love? It's John 3:16, "For God so loved, that He gave..." God is not desiring us to become more religious or to become just great humanitarians. God is longing for us to get to know Jesus and to share his love with the world around us. My prayer for Germany is that they would experience Jesus!!!
Thanks Healing Place Church for allowing us to go global and be "a healing place for a hurting world!"
Holding the Ladder,
Steve Ware
PS. Check out the BLOG BELOW!!!!!!!!!
Can you sense God moving?
What's up! We had a packed day. It started out by us going to the Freie University of Berlin. It is the Harvard of Germany. It was founded in rebellion to the communist takeover of East Berlin. Alot of great thinkers and even preachers, like Dietrich Bonhoffer, have a history there. Bonhoffer often preached at a church on the university's campus. We did an outreach and had some group evangelism time. We paired off and walked around campus looking for people to spark up conversations with. Gayla and Jorge (our newest team member from Auburn University) had a genuine conversation with one student about God, and had a chance to pray with him. Erin and Doug conducted surveys to students. They had alot of great feedback and connected well with one student. We hope and pray that he gets connected!
When we got back to the hotel to get cleaned up for the evening, Anna found out that she had gotten an email from a girl that she met yesterday. The girl wanted to meet up with Anna for some coffee to talk about God! Can you sense God moving?
Later, we grubbed on some killer spaghetti that Anna, Erin, and Gayla prepared. With our stomachs full, we headed out to the Berlin Fan Mile. It is a giant gathering place out on the streets where soccer fans come to watch their favorite team on a giant big screen. There were over 100,000 crazy fütbol fans within a mile! We had a blast and now we're off to rest for tomorrow's action!
Dőners and Downers
Happy 4th of July to all our American friends and family! We had an awesome day!
This morning we started our day with a german-style breakfast - cheese, bread, and 18 different meats to get us ready for a guten tag! Then we met up with Kirk and the gang for a morning outreach at the technical university. We gave out lemonade and iced tea as well as conducting a stress survey to spark up conversations with the students. Terry, Steve, and Gustave played a pick-up game of basketball with 2 students. They said Steve reminded them of Dirk Nowitzki. The girls got a chance to share their testimonies with a couple of female students. We can sense the favor of God on us and the momentum picking up!
After the outreach we ate some Dőner. We dőe know what it is (ha ha) - but it was good! After a quick break, we had a Students for Christ (
http://www.sfc-berlin.de/) service at the church. We had an american-style BBQ in honor of the 4th of July. Then Kirk spoke a powerful message on how Christ gives us true freedom. It was so awesome to see the passion of the German students as they worshiped God. The same Spirit and enthusiam that the students had really reminded us of
Late Nite at
HPC.
Ending on a sour note, we all watched Germany lose to Italy in the
World Cup semi-final game. It was a stunning defeat in the last 2 minutes of overtime. After that, the students didn't say much, they just filed out of the building - faces downcast. However, we plan on telling the Good News to some Berlinians tomorrow in the midst of a disappointing time!
Herding in the streets of Berlin
Well we all made it safe to Berlin, after 3 flights and some crazy layovers! When we got here Kirk and Amy greeted us and hooked us up with some cool cats named Doug and Robbie. They are fellow missionaries from the States here for the summer. They taught us the ins and outs of the transit system and gave us our first taste of German culture. Kirk told us not to "herd" around on the streets. The locals don't like it when visitors travel in large packs taking up their sidewalks. We never realized before just how much we "herd" as people.
Berlin is an amazing city. It has a unique blend of historical beauty and modern marvel. One church we saw had been bombed out in WWII and now stands as a landmark for the city. Also, we walked along the route where the Berlin Wall once stood. The city is so rich in history, and they hold on to that history as a reminder.
The best part of our day was when we came across a young German student named Anita. We were being crazy and taking group pics (yeah we really looked like tourists!), and she offered to take a picture for us out of the blue. We chatted for a while and it eventually led to us inviting her to some of the events we are doing this week. She seemed very interested and positive about it. We're praying that we will get another chance to connect with her again and connect her to the Kingdom! There's nothing like a little HPC style outreach in Germany - HPC really is going global!
Click here for pics of today's action!
Anticipation!!!
Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that the anticipation for the trip is on the rise! The team is just excited and humbled to have this chance to bring the message of Jesus to the land of Germany! I personally just wanted to thank the people of Healing Place Church and all the others that have invested in our trip. From time given to finances to prayers, the team has seen the heart of God poured out in tangable ways. We asked for your continual prayers as we go to make Jesus famous!
Holding the Ladder,
Stephen Ware
Great Expectations!
Well, we fly to Germany in less than four days now! It has already been an incredible journey up to this point, so I can't wait to see what God does when we actually get there! As we've been praying these past few months, I have really begun to feel like this is going to be an incredible missions trip. I believe that as small team, we will be a very focused, and very powerful, force in Germany during our time there. I feel like as we are intensely focused on God and on reaching the lost, there is going to be a supernatural energy from God behind everything we do. The picture I got during prayer was that as we keep God and His Mission as our focus, we will be like a magnifying glass projecting an intense spot of heat and Light on a small spot of the world, and that spot will be set on fire! And as those who are affected by the fire return to their home towns and countries after the World Cup, that fire will spread throughout the world! What an awesome picture! We must continue to allow the rays of the "Son" to shine through us. I really believe that amazing things are going to happen on this trip - things that cannot be comprehended by our natural minds; in fact, these things will only happen when we do not allow our natural minds to get in the way. William Carey, who is considered to be the "Father of Modern Missions," once said, "Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God." This is what we will do. Please pray for us.
Bill Westers
Humbled and SO excited...
Our team has been meeting together every Sunday night since the begining of April in prepartation for this trip. We have prayed together, encouraged one another and raised money together. Not to mention, one of our fundraisers required that our team of college and young professionals spend every Saturday night in April babysitting kids at the church to raise the funds! I just wanted to say a special thanks to the people of Late Nite and through the weekends at HPC and for all of those who have helped in supporting us to make this trip possible. Without the backing of the local church this trip would not be a possibillity. Our team is so humbled to be sent out from HPC to be a "healing place for a hurting world". It has been such an honor, as well, to serve with this team so far we really have gotten so close--we feel like family. In this last month, God has really been strecthing me and preparing me to be used on the mission field...I have never been on an overseas mission trip, but I have such a heart for it. On this trip I believe I am going to be used, humbled, streched, worn out, filled up, and amazed. God has placed a scripture on my heart and I believe it is an encouraging word for our team, and it is a picture of how BIG our God is! The scripture is Luke 4:18 and 19 (NLT)--"The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has annointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to procliam that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."
Humbled and so excited,
Gayla Ware
1 week
I can't believe it. Only 6 days till we are in the middle of the craziest city in the world right now. With the World Cup going on, there is some mad chaos in the streets of Berlin. God is sending us to be a light in the midst of a dark place. There is such a spiritual deathness over the nation of Germany, and we are gonna do something about it!
