My wife and I have been in Germany for a short while to enjoy our youngest granddaughter's first birthday, and visit our youngest daughter and her husband. There was snow on the ground when we arrived, and we enjoyed crisp walks around their quaint German town.
But we also did a bit of sightseeing to nearby cities, cathedrals and a castle, along with a quick trip to France. It's been a wonderful time and we wish we could stay longer, but we hope to be back sooner than later.
We came in February to celebrate Eva's first birthday, and it was a lot of fun! It was also a great time for Nana and Pop-pop to spend time with Eva!
One of my highlights was to visit the city of Worms where Martin Luther made his stand before the Roman Catholic Diet (court), which paved the way for the Reformation and Protestant movement.
New missionary friends, the Thomas's, hosted and guided us around Worms. They are developing relationships and working towards planting a church in Mainz.
Joe developed a unique form of outreach with a coin and his website in German. Please pray for them!
We also visited the beautiful city of Heidelberg, with its wonderful castle overlooking the city.
Another highlight was visiting the city of Metz, across the border in France. The city's cathedral (Dom) has the largest collection of stained glass in one place in all of Europe. It includes some of Marc Chagall's work, which is beautiful.
We found the people of France and southern Germany to be quite friendly and helpful, even though we knew little French or German.
An added bonus was fellowshipping at Calvary Chapel Gruenstadt, where our daughter and her husband attend. This past Sunday I had the privilege of sharing the Word, and there was a wonderful time of worship, as well.
We are not looking forward to saying farewell, but already looking forward to a return trip. It's been as much of a blessing as we expected.