Guten Tag from Germany!

You know, sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we aren't in control and really don't have anything to do with the outcome other than to trust God. This past Thursday was one of those days! I wanted to wish one of my friends, Elaine, a happy birthday by taking her out to lunch after her doctor's appointment. Because we were going to eat in town near the doctor's office, I went with her to her appointment and hung out in the waiting room for her.



Also in the waiting area, thankfully-over to the side- were 4 college age girls wearing masks. (Of course, I wondered if they had been exposed to Swine Flu but decided the doctors would not keep them in the waiting room if they were contagious.) After I had been waiting for 1 hour and 30 minutes, a nurse comes out and hands all the rest of us masks to wear, with no explanation. Akkk! Can you imagine the thoughts going through my mind?

I sat there hoping that I was far enough away to be safe and I recalled the prayers we used to pray in Ivory Coast when eating out in a village, "Lord, we're eating this because You've called us here and it would be rude not to eat what they have prepared for us, and we're trusting you to protect us from anything unsanitary." And when we would be meditating before taking the Lord's supper from a common cup during the height of aids, we would be praying, "Lord, protect us please!" Well, God did protect us in those days in Africa and I don't think I caught anything
on this trip to the doctor's office, but I was relieved 10 minutes later when another nurse came out and told us we didn't need to wear the masks after all. I'm guessing the girls tests results showed they were clear and healthy.



Glenn and I flew into Munich, Germany to attend the Annual General Meeting for Western Europe that began on Saturday. After checking for the cheapest flights, we found that if we flew a day earlier, we could save our Board $200 per ticket! So, being the good stewards that we are, we flew out on Friday morning and got to enjoy a day and night in Munich!



Even though the roads are packed with cars and their public transportation system is excellent, a lot of people use bicycles to get around! We saw these bike parks through-out the city.



Glenn and I arrived about 10:30 am, and after taking a train from the airport into the heart of the city, we found our way to our hotel, dragging our suitcases behind us on the city sidewalks. We have had such a busy month that the first thing we did was take a 3 hour nap!!!!

About 4 pm, we walked to the city center and Glenn enjoyed a Starbucks coffee and I enjoyed buying a souvenir city mug for Pastor Ken in Marietta.

With NO map in hand, we wandered around the city and just enjoyed a leisurely evening.

We entered through the archway onto the pedestrian mall that was lined with stores of all kinds.

There was almost a party atmosphere and everyone was in good (but sober) spirits.

Saw lots of colorful flowers in window boxes and in planters in front of stores.

I loved the clock store but couldn't touch them, price-wise. I'm glad we bought ours in 1985 when we lived in Europe the first time!

We saw (from a distance, Dad) an Iranian protest rally.

Loved the painted buildings!

Ivy covered buildings and restaurants on the bottom floor spilled their tables out onto the streets.

We saw some local folks wearing the traditional German folk dresses and lederhosen (leather pants/shorts) but they were usually employees of restaurants offering authentic German foods such as wiener schnitzel and french fries.

On Saturday morning we went back to the airport to hook up with others who were flying in for the AGM from across Western Europe. We then boarded a bus and rode for about 2 hours to a town in the mountains where we are staying for this week. (I don't know the name of the town. I just got on the bus and enjoyed the scenery!)

We start and end the day with worship services and the rest of the day is filled with large and small group meetings. Glenn and I are helping to facilitate discussions on child safety for 5 group sessions and trying to meet as many people as we can. We do not have any set member care appointments but are available to talk with anyone who would like some time with us.

Since we know very few of our personnel in Western Europe, it almost feels like a vacation!

We probably know 20-25 people here already, but our favorite is little Renae! She is the niece of our son in law, Jonathan. Her parents live in Spain and are with our Board too. Kari, Jonathan, Penni and Kevin, this one is for you :).

We will be here until Friday, and then we head back to Budapest. We are having a great time here but are looking forward to getting home because on Monday KARI AND JONATHAN ARRIVE IN BUDAPEST! Can't wait!