Interesting Outreach

      So yesterday we went out to do outreach in Unterliederbach and Hoechst (Two "suburbs" of Frankfurt). I went out with our Instructor for the week: Daniel Pel. We went to the main street or Strasse, and then proceeded to the main shopping district in the town. When we got there we walked down the street, which was filled with people, and passed out Glow tracts in German to whoever would receive them. We would say "Bitte," as we handed out the tracts.

                       -Side note: In Germany you say "Bitte," to say "Please," and "Your Welcome." (German is a  strange language)

After we ran out of German Glows we started to ask people if they would do a short health survey and we would give them a flier for a cooking school we will be having next week. Daniel speaks some German, so usually he started with asking if people wanted to do the survey, and if they spoke English we would do it in English. So we did this for a while, and met some very interesting people who spoke English. One man seemed to be a bit into Spiritual healing, and we were able to give him a Great Controversy, and it sounded like he would read it!

     Then we met an older lady who spoke good english (This is a rare thing among older people here in Germany) and she enjoyed talking with us quite a bit. You know, people really enjoy it when you listen to them, and really show an interest in what they are saying. But we were able to give her a book, and invite here to the cooking school.

     Then we ran out of Cooking School fliers, but we still had some books in my backpack. So Daniel decided that we would just go up to people and ask if they would want to read this book, and if so they could have it. First we gave away 2 Ivor Myer's books, on the War in Heaven in German, to some people who were really seemed interested in the covers and the information about the books. Then we gave away a German "Steps to Christ," to someone. Finally we were left with 2 English "Steps to Christ." If any books would be hard to give away it would be these, because they were in English, they had a title that makes it very obvious that it is a Christian book, and there is a picture of Jesus on the front. But we decide to try anyways, cause why not? The book wasn't going to do any good going back to the AFCOE Center.

     So we start walking down the street, asking people if they spoke English. Most people said they didn't. But finally we came upon a man who said, "I only speak English." Then we asked if he would be interested in reading the book and told him a bit about it. He said, "That looks interesting, I would like to read it," and so we gave it to him. It was actually quite amazing!
 
     We ended up giving away all the books that we had, and even talked with a Christian Bulgarian (When I say "talked" I mean we tried to talk with him with the little bit of German and English that he knew) and invited him to the cooking classes. We told him that we had some Students from Bulgaria and it sounded like he wanted to meet them.

      Among all of us AFCOE-Europe students we have had quite a few prospective Bible Study Contacts in just a week and a half. We have had good talks with many people and we have given away Christian books. Whoever says that you cannot do outreach in secular Europe is wrong. People are the same wherever you go in this world. Sure they may speak a different language, and yeah, maybe they have different cultures, but at the root of it, all people just want someone who will listen to them and someone who will smile at them. And everyone wants to have meaning in their life, whether they admit it or not.

       So, in summary, pray for us AFCOE Students here in Germany. Pray for the people that we will be meeting on the streets. Pray that we will find those who are seriously seeking for the truth.

      "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come." -Matthew 24:14

Gas? Or no Gas?

Sunday was quite an adventure. A few of us students here at AFCOE took the train into downtown Frankfurt to see the area.

It is a city that combines the old with the new. In a way it reminded me of Boston, except that the streets were much wider and it was easier to find our way.

The Headquarters for the Euro I guess.

Some very interesting music on the streets!

Che (America), Christoph (Germany), Eli (Bulgaria), and Adina (Romania).

Spring is already here in Germany!

This Cathedral was huge!!! And a church service was going on inside in Latin.

        It was quite an experience visiting Frankfurt. For lunch we went to an authentic Italian Restaurant. The waiter came and asked what we wanted to drink. I wanted to be cheap and just ask for water like I would do in the states. Then the waiter (Who was Italian and didn't speak great English) asked, "Gas or no gas?" and I was very confused for a second. Then I kinda figured out that he must mean sparkling water or just regular. So I again, trying to be cheap just said, "No gas." Then the waiter promptly ask, "So you want it flat?" This question again confused me for a second. But I figured that flat was fine I guess. 

     Then in a few minutes the waiter comes out with the drinks and gives me a wine glass and a small glass bottle of bottled mineral water. This was quite a surprise for me because in the USA when you ask for water they just give you a cup of tap water. Anyways, I ended up paying 2.50 Euros, which I could have just used to get another type of drink. It was pretty good water though.

Sabbath Evening in Germany

      I study the Sabbath School Lesson in English, a phone conversation in German goes on to my right, a Skype call in Bulgarian to my left. It is so amazing to have so many cultures, and so many languages under one roof, all unified with the same mission, the same goal, to see souls won for Christ. It reminds me of the verse:   

"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 8:11

      It is has been a wonderful Sabbath evening here at AFCOE, with singing around the piano, prayer, and a documentary on the Reformation in Sweden. Not only did this documentary talk of the Reformation, but it talked of some stones in Sweden into which had been carved the plan of salvation, and the prophecies of the end times. This was back in the 1880's and 90's This link talks a little more about it - stenarnaropar.se/about/index.html 

      Well I guess that's not a lot to write, but it is late and I should get some rest. 

A Castle and Tests

So as I write this post most of the AFCOE Students are busily studying for a test that is coming up tomorrow morning. The sound of German floats down the stairwell to where I am writing this. (If the German Language can actually float!)

These are some pictures of the Castle (or what's left of it) that is right down the street from us.

Some AFCOE friends that took the walk to the Castle with me! Rossi (Bulgaria) Eli (Bulgaria) and Adina   (Romania).

Our Piano Room and Amazing Facts Bookstore.

Natalie and Anna (Ukraine) Studying for the Test tomorrow.

Dobri (Bulgaria) studying for the Test. Dobri means "Good" in Bulgarian.

Examples of Parking on the Sidwalk. 

A Few Pictures

This is a picture of what it looks like out my window. We have a nice little walled in yard/garden in the back.

This is the view in the front. It's very warm here in Frankfurt compared to back home. It's been in the 40's and 50's.

      Today we went out and did some health surveys and invited people to come to a cooking school we will be having in a few weeks. We didn't run into many people who spoke English, but I was with a girl named Anna who speaks very good German, so she did many of the surveys. But the majority of people that we talked to were interested in health and the cooking school.

      Keep in your prayers a student who is still trying to obtain his Visa so that he can attend AFCOE Europe. He is from Turkey, and since there are a lot of Turkish people in the area it would be a great thing to have someone who spoke Turkish and knew the culture. Plus I know that the classes would be a benefit to him as well!

      They have a beautiful baby grand piano here at AFCOE and we had a wonderful time singing this afternoon and evening. And our classes by Dan Millares have been very good, and practical. The food is good, and the company is even better! I enjoy all the talks I have with all the other students and staff, about culture and language.

      Hopefully in the next couple days I will take more pictures of the city and and the daily life at AFCOE.

"The Church is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world." -Acts of the Apostles p. 9

Viele Sprachen

      The title of Today's Blog (Viele Sprachen) is German for "Many Languages." And it is very fitting for AFCOE Europe. We have German, Russian, Bulgarian, English, Romanian, Serbian, and Portuguese. With all these languages it is not hard to imagine how it must have been at the tower of Babel. And one thing about Europe that one must learn to get used to is the low drone of a foreign language in the background translating during class, talking after class, ect.. I so wish that I was at least bilingual! Some of the students know 3 or 4 languages. Luckily most of them know English well, so they can talk to me.

      So the building that we are staying in is very nice. There are 3 floors and the Basement. The guys stay on the third floor. I share a room with Cristoph who is German and speaks English very well, and Dobri who is Bulgarian and doesn't speak English well. It is quite interesting speaking to Dobri, with the help of lots of hand motions and the help of the Bing Translate App. Across the hall a couple are staying, Goran (who is Serbian) and his wife (who is Russian, and I can't remember her name at the moment).

      Germany is so different from America. The Streets are narrow, the cars are all small. I've only seen one pickup truck and it was just a small one, no F-350's or anything like that. Many of the buildings are old, and just right down the street by the River there is an old castle. (I will try to get up some pictures in a few days.) Another odd thing is that German doors do not have a door knob on the outside that you can turn to open them. You must have the key in order to enter. Also Police men sometimes just stop cars on the street and ask for identification and information even if you are not violating any laws. Oh and people park on the Sidewalks here, I guess because there is not enough room in the streets.

       Today (tuesday) we went out for our first outreach. And it was much different than any outreach I have ever done before. Basically we went out in pairs to get acquainted with the area, and ask people for directions. Our goal was to learn the area, but also to try and strike up a conversation with the people. I went out with a Girl named Natalia, she is originally from Ukraine, but she now lives in Germany and speaks German and English well. So while we went out I first asked if the people on the streets spoke English, and if they did not Natalia would ask if they spoke German. We asked for Directions to the Castle, to the Train Station, to find a small bakery, and to find out if there were any good restaurants around. A few times we met some people from Eastern Europe who spoke neither English or Germany. With these people Natalia spoke Russian, while I just stood by praying and trying to get the just of the conversation.

      We met one lady named Susan who was 91 years old, and she walked with us for a bit. She only spoke German, and so Natalia was doing all the talking. But the lady told her that her birthday was only yesterday, and Natalia interpreted what she said. So I told the lady, "Happy Birthday!" and she smiled a very wide smile! I keep praying that that sometime while I am here in Germany I will meet some Americans or Canadians that I can connect with. But I am still glad that a majority of the People speak English. Often though the people are very modest and say they only speak a little, but when you start talking you realize that they understand a lot more than they say.

     It has only been two days, but I already enjoy AFCOE Europe very much! Even the food is very good! I just can't wait for Heaven when all people will again be united in one tongue! Probably some heavenly language that is very musical and sweet to the ears.

Germany Bound

      So right now I'm sitting in JFK Airport in New York, eating dried mangoes and listening to the loudspeaker talk about about liquids in your carry-on luggage every couple minutes. I'll probably hear the same announcement a few hundred times in the next couple hours as I wait for the time when I can board my plane. Next Stop: Frankfurt Germany where I will be attending AFCOE Europe for the next 4 months.
       AFOCE stands for Amazing Facts College of Evangelism, and I will be attending their European branch. At AFCOE I will be trained and equipped in Biblical Training, Public Evangelism, and Health Evangelism. If you want to know more about AFCOE Europe check out there website at www.afcoe-europe.com.  

      

     Hopefully I'll be updating this blog every couple days about the classes, the sights I'll see, ect..