so.. a lot has been going on.. convoy is over, so is freakstock. i am still flashed from all of the impulses, happenings, and people along the way... but i will try and give a summary, so that you get the idea.
we started off in roehrsdorf near dresden at an artists community in an old castle. we had a few days of team building and prayer.. lots and lots of prayer. we felt it was important not to just jump into actionism but rather to seek the Lord and get to know one another. one day was also spent at the new steiger base in kroegis, where they were celebrating the opening. we wanted to show our support as jesus freaks, especially since the majority of the convoyaners is from the region.
the first city we set off for was leipzig! this was in the plan long before i moved here, so it was a rather cool thing for me. on the way we stopped right outside of town at the lake while we waited for evening to drive into town. there we did praise and worship and came into contact and good conversations with a few people. the jesus freaks in leipzig rented a parking lot across from the church for convoy, and we set up camp there. it was a great location, and the church really blessed us with food and an easy atmosphere. tuesday we set up for a grill night, and had invited people who we knew from the church and those associated or earlier members who had moved on. wednesday we went into the city on a "treasure hunt" praying and asking the Lord to lead us, there we did worship in the street and invited people we came into conversation with to the church. at night we had a worship service with a message about the holy spirit and a lot of time where the convoy prayed intensely for everyone from the church.
thursday we set off for chemnitz and spent a few hours on the way at the lake, praying and talking. in chemnitz we kept pretty busy at the jesus freaks/ salvation army! friday we led a childrens ministry in the park, and in the evening a worship service for the youth. saturday we spent doing practical ministry, working on a house project from some of the church members. sunday we visited fellow convoyaners that were unable to make the trip this year because they had a baby. then we led the church service, the theme was gal 5:22, the fruits of the spirit. we each had a testimony about how god taught us one of the fruits, and we shared them between worship songs. then a short sermon topped it off. afterwards we grilled, and spent time with the church.
monday we headed to jena, but on the way stopped in glauchau to pick up a convoyaner who lives there at a christian community project. we spent some time in their chapel, praying for the vision they have and the issues they are dealing with. in jena we were staying with a family- all 15 of us and some others from the church as well! it was again about fellowship, prayer and worship. we took a tour of the city to be able to understand some of the historical implications, and spent a lot of time eating. our main outreach was a bbq in the park, where we also came into conversations with passers by and others grilling. the church in jena is very small and new, so it was important for them that we were there and letting them know that they are part of something bigger.
from there we spent an afternoon in erfurt, where there is no longer a freaks group. we met a freak and prayed with her for the city and the freaks. she was pregnant and past her due date, so we prayed for the baby as well- he is here now and doing well. falko and i were also very happy to find an old friend of ours while we were there, who is still searching for God. the conversation was short, but good.
we drove on and spent the night in kassel ihringshausen... if you have known me a long time, this might still be in your memory... i used to live there in an old factory building that had been taken over by christians and used as a kind of half-way house. we just stayed the night, but it was an intense night... and by far not an easy one. baerbel and jarno came home quite late, after we arived, which caused some confusion... but it was good to speak with them, clear some things up... and to sleep in my old room! in the morning the house mates joined us for breakfast in the garden, and even a few who no longer live there showed up unexpectedly, which made me happy. we heard about the changes and prayed for the project. it seems like its gone in a positive direction.
then we drove to lemgo, where we met daggi and saw the city and her church (its a state-church). they have a lot of cool projects, and we were able to pray about them. then we were supposed to have a church service, but no church members came, so it became a reflective church service for us.
then we went to the koptic closter for a day, and helped them practiacally getting ready for a conference. we stayed long enough for the evening literagy. from there we went to the freakstock festival in time to set it all up. we spent a few days passing out flyers and inviting people from the region.
this is basically just a scetch of it all, with most of the good bits left out because there is just tooooo much to tell. anyone who'd like to know more can skype me or come by for a coffee!
