Dave’s Blog

I have not had a computer available so this is late in the writing. I was stil in Hartmannsdorf. We had home made sauerkraut and brats that Sabrina had made in the fall. I then walked over to the school and worked with the kids at a Lutheran school there. It was connected to a Chruch that was built as a Catholic church in the 1500’s and bought by the Lutheran church. It wasn’t until the 1980’s renovation that there were discovered gold inlaid statues inside the main alter. This was not a big cathedral but a town church that is still in wonderful condition.

I had three groups of 5th graders and up to work with at the school. We had a good time and they were very excited to show their friends. Some were out the window so they invited them in also. I then went back to Lut’s home for a traditional German evening meal.

I left there on Friday morning from Zwickau for the Western portion of the state. The train took a direct route and I had to make two changes. After the first change, Steffen Klug got on at Eisenach. He is a Wesley Scout leader and accompanied me the rest of the way. It was good because the train was late and we needed to take a later train. He was able to navagate the language for me.

We arrived in Recklinghasen where Anita Sellman picked us up at the station and went to the Methodist Church. It was being set up for a Welsly Scout retreat and we ended up with about 40 scouts and leaders. I had met a couple of them last year. They were really entheused over the un-knots that I taught them. We had 3 different sessions that I worked with them. One group of sessions was 30 minutes with 3 or so at a time. I could really teach then some complicated things.

I slept on the 3rd floor of the rectory and ate with the scouts. On Saturday evening I walked down to one of the shopping areas and found a Chinese buffet. It was so nice to know what I was going to eat. I could pick out each thing myself. It was pleasant to have a quiet time alone.

Rainer Mittwollen picked me up on Sunday morning to take me to Bochum for breakfast at his house and His youngest daughter Reike was there. We then went to his two churches in the area and I gave the message time in string. It was a lot of fun. Rainer’s wife Kathrin was at the scout emcampment and is very fluent in English. She is also fluent in strings and wants to learn more and more. Their children Mathis, Jantje and Robin were also at the encampment.

Right after chruch Rainer and Reike took me to the train station to catch a train for the South. I had my schedule with plenty of time between changes. Kevin and Carol were going to meet me in Reutlingen after a change in Stuttgart. …A massive wind storm came up and changed all those plans.

Our train stopped at Frankfurt Airport and they started making announcemnts…in German with a little English. I caught that Frankfurt station was closed. No problem since I wasn’t going through there. Then we waited, and waited. About 2 hours. I finally ask if anyone could speak Engllish and one man responded. He explained the sitiuation and I called the Seckels. Fine, they were late because of the storm and they would meet me in Stuttgart.

Then they came over the speaker and said that Stuttgart station was closed and the train would be stopping in aw;lj and tlqhqhq. I had no idea what they said so I called the Seckels and ask them to talk to the man accross from me. I handed him the phone and they talked. Decided that I would get off at the first station after Stuttgart and they would pick me up there. They were in Stuttgart station by now.

It all worked and I was extoling the wonders of having a cell phone. I would have been so lost without it. It helped me more than once on this trip. It was well worth the money. I left it with them for other visitors and when I return next year. Anyway, we drove to the Reutlingen school of Theology.

The students were on break but some of them were around and so I gave a string program on the evening of March 1. We had another faculty member there and 6 others. I think string will be a part of the future program at the Seminary. It was so well recieved. Had dinner and stayed at one of Dr Michael Nausner and his wife that evening.

Carol had a meeting with one of the other professors and Kevin and I walked around the town. We then drove the senic route by way of Schwabisch Hall were Kevin and Carol both had relatives from. We toured the cathedral with a dossant who knew the history of Kevin’s family and showed us the window, and where one of his relatives was burried in the church. The only person to be burried in the church.

We then drove home to Frankfurt where we crashed for the night. Next morning we were off to Braunfeld to Haus Hollenbrick where I had done the Youth Conference. This time it was the Frankfurt District Superintendant’s meeting for all the pastors in the area. I gave a program for them. The District Supeintendant ask if I could be back next year do do a retreat for 500 youth among some other things he wanted to do. Guess I will be back next year for 6 weeks.

Took the car to the airport on the 3rd…or at least tried to. Such a traffic jam that we were late and I missed my flight. Had to rebook…for a price, and made it to Oklahoma City at 10:30. Lyle Ball picked me up and brought me home, safe and tired. It was a great trip but I need some down time for a few days.

Thanks for keeping up with the trip.

Dave