June 10, 2007⏤ sprach schule

sprach schule

Walking to a wedding? Not so common in USA - but it is the way things are done in Germany.

V & M get hitched
Weddings are not as common in Germany as they are in the United States. People live together, most even have children and still don't marry. It is normalerweiser (normal) here. If I misspelled that please forgive me.

It is 4:30 am and I begin a new semester of language school this morning. I leave here at 7:00 am walk down the strasse to the bushalte (bus stop), catch a bus traveling into the train station.

I will stand on the Gleis 1 (platform 1) until 8:20 when the train leaves for the nearby larger city. Climbing off of the zug (train) I will climb up 3 flights of stairs to the tram landing.

Watching for a #1 or a #5 I will squish onto the tram with what feels like the majority of Germany and hold on to a bar as the tram lurches toward my final stop. Getting off at my bushalte (stop) I will walk another 4 minutes to my sprach schule (language school).

What does that have to do with V & M getting hitched?

Last year in September, I began going to language school. During my trips back and forth, I met a young man. We began a conversation... after finding out that he was going to language school in the same town I was going, and that he lived in the same small town I am living - it was a natural connection -- you see, he was born in Texas.

We became instant friends and God - as God is so likely to do - produced a yearning in this young man and his girlfriend. A yearning that they could not deny. After confessions of faith and much counsel they decided that God would have them marry.

This is not common. It is hard to do here in Germany. Not so much because people are bad. They just don't do it. Most of the time, if a couple does marry, it is because a baby is on the way. So for this couple to marry is an act of faith on their part.

The wedding was performed by a government official. We met at the couple's apartment, walked to the government house (did you notice the walking? yes I said walking!!!!). The guy spoke in German so I didn't understand all of it. But they came away a happier couple. And amazingly enough - the parents of these two young people were happy as well...

So, what began as a simple conversation on a tram God transformed into 1. A young man coming back to the arms of Jesus, 2. A salvation experience for a young woman and 3. a marriage of two people that love each other and believe that God would have them marry instead of continuing to live together.

Interesting...

Once again God unfolding Himself.
I climb on a bus in Germany for language school.
I wonder what He has to unfold before me this time :-)

your mutuating missionary

V. and her younger brother walking back after the wedding.