Fall 2002

I mentioned to several people that we plan to begin a regular e-mail newsletter to keep you up on our activities. It has taken longer than I had hoped to get "up and running" with my new e-mail, and I am still learning the new programs. I never was all that good at this stuff, and now I get to do it in German--inscrutable help screens are not any clearer in a foreign language! This is a "trial balloon." All feedback is welcome.

I have invited everyone to come and see us, an invitation that still stands. We have a three-bedroom apartment, which is really quite nice. Right now, however, it is pretty sparsely furnished (the second bedroom has a single bed, the third room has no bed). We plan to remedy that situation. Do come and see us, but do give us some advanced notice, please!

It was nice to see many of our friends at Alisha's wedding in July. The candle light ceremony was beautiful, and almost everything went as planned. No one passed out from the heat, and the two Dads made it through the ceremony without too much crying. We were happy to have so many out-of-town relatives present, and were especially pleased that Cherie's mother was able to make the trip despite her health problems.

Right after the wedding we helped the kids move to Johnson City, TN, where Alisha is enrolled in an MDiv program at Emmanuel School of Religion. It was nice to spend a few days with them, and also nice to meet several supporters of this work. We were the houseguests of Earl and Ottiemerle Stuckenbruck, the pioneer missionaries who started the Tübingen work in the late 1940's, and the churches in the area hosted a reception and sending service for us, which took place at the Stuckenbruck's home.

Less than a week after returning to Kansas, Justin and I flew to Paris. We had a very nice time which included visiting some museums, a day-trip to Chartres to see the cathedral, an out-door jazz concert in a park, and watching the cyclists ride into Paris on the last leg of the Tour de France. Justin's audition with the music prof. went well--he has a standing invitation to study with the man after he graduates next spring. He is checking into funding possibilities.

On July 31 Justin and I rode the train from Paris to Tübingen. He was here for a week or so before continuing on his travels. We enjoyed some hiking and cycling in the lovely countryside around Tübingen, and wandered the Altstadt, one of my favorite things to do.

Cherie's summer of moving and travel is behind her. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and safely. While we were in Europe, Cherie was packing up the house. After Justin returned to the States, she supervised the loading of a crate of our things for shipment to Germany. Over Labor Day she towed a U-Haul trailer with his things to New York and got him moved into his off-campus apartment. Then she drove to Tennessee to deliver a few more things to Alisha & Marty, and then back to Kansas. At that point she supervised the loading of a moving van to send our remaining belongings to storage near her parents in Washington State. Then she drove to Washington to spend a couple weeks with her folks. She will arrive in Germany on Monday, Oct. 7.

I have just received news that our crate made port in England. It will take a couple weeks to process through, including clearing customs, and will be sent to Germany when they have a truck coming this way. We were told to expect it to take about a month from now. It will be nice to have the rest of my books and files, as well as my clothes! ("living out of a suit case" got old some time ago).

Since arriving here I have been spending most of my time getting oriented, and getting set up. Much of this is just mundane: opening a bank account, getting passes to the libraries, a bus pass, shopping for household items, and food in small quantities, doing laundry one load at a time (one load takes 90 mins, and we only have a portable cloths line--no dryer), etc. It just all takes time and energy. I bought a new computer, and almost have it figured out. I finally got a new e-mail account. Some of my first shipment of books have still not arrived. We are having some renovations done to the Institute building, which is good and necessary, but things are a bit torn up. So things seem still pretty provisional. Some days it seems like all I do is spin my wheels, but there really is progress.

Justin and I arrived to flash floods, which continued throughout August. None of that was particularly serious, though we did have one storm when the paper reported knee-deep water in the street in front of our building. That time we got water in the basement, which was a nuisance, but cleaned up pretty well. We are looking into insurance money for the carpet in the pastor's study which is down there.

Recently I met with the University professor who leads the colloquium, our graduate student/visiting professor seminar for the presentation of "works in progress." The Prof. is very supportive and welcomed my collaboration, though formal relations await acceptance of the finalized contract. The executive board of the European Evangelistic Society is negotiating the specifics of the contract which spells out our relationship to the Protestant faculty at the University. The exc. board meets in late October. I will be allowed to work with the colloquium even as we wait for the resolution of the contract negotiations. My adjunct teaching status will be decided upon completion of that negotiation.

God is gracious--we are on the way!

Prayer items for you and your church's missions committee:
The beginning of the semester is upon us: classes start October 14. The English "Vesper Service" starts Oct. 20, and the colloquium starts Oct 21. Pray for the students we work with, and for the new ones we will meet.
Pray for the EES executive committee as they finalize their response to the contract with the Protestant faculty.
Pray for the EES board as they seek a new Executive Director. Give thanks for Jim and Ellen Evans, as he prepares to retire from that position after twenty years of service.
Pray for Cherie's trip to Germany, and for her transition to life in Tübingen.
Pray for our kids, as they cope without Mom and Dad in the States (pray for us--I think the kids cope better than we do!)
Thanks to God for our supporters--please pray for our increased financial support.
I welcome your personal messages--I will do my best to respond to them individually. If you or your church members require specific information about our work, please let me know--I will do my best to provide it.