Living In The Light…

“So Steve, what’s that on your wrist?”

I’m in language school right now, and it’s not easy. I spoke with many people about their experience learning German… Some said it would be cake and some said it would be tough. For me, the latter is true. That said, after four weeks, I’m actually able to have some conversations with German people… short ones.  The Deutsch Sprachschule I’ve been going to, is in nearby Lorrach, about 10 minutes from where we are living in Sitzenkirch. I go 5 days a week, 4-hours a day with 2-hours of homework a day. The class size (on most days) is about 15 people. If you like to be around diverse and unique groups of people, then you would like this classroom. We have people from a lot of countries and cultures; Lithuania, Macedonia, Russia, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Bulgaria, America, Japan, Brazil and a few other countries I can’t think of right now. The teacher (“Lehrerin” in Deutsch) is from Ukraine, is very good at her job, fun, but very intense.

This style of language learning is complete and TOTAL immersion. Since day one, the Lehrerin, spoke nothing but German. Even her instructions for what we were going to do for the day, or the next hour, were/are in German. Let’s just say I float somewhere between “hey, I get this” and “I must be a complete and total moron.” The English/German Dictionary (Worterbuch) is a very good friend to me right now. That said, the class requires a high level of concentration and when we get a break, I jump on it.

During one our daily breaks recently, a young lady from Japan ask me about a wristband I had on that says “Live in The Light.”. I received it during an evening of outreach in our home town of Folsom, while handing them out last summer with my brother and friend Jeff Kreiser and Lakeside Church on Sutter Street during a street fair.

So, I told my Japanese friend that the wristband was from a Bible verse; 1 John 1:5 – Walking In The Light. It reads: “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you. God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” She asked me what it meant. (What a golden moment) I told her that it meant a lot of things, but for me it means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus everyday; to be a student of His teachings and His life. I shared with her that I want to live a life that reflects the character of Jesus Christ, that I don’t get it right all the time, but that is my calling. I shared with her that I had lived a life pursuing my agenda and that all the roads I went down, led to dead ends. I started to ask myself questions about the meaning of my life… Why am I here… What is the purpose of my life? I shared with her that I had found peace, purpose, joy and meaning to my life… it isn’t always wonderful and rosy but I know Jesus, and I have a personal relationship with Him… and because I accepted Him as my personal Lord and Saviour and turned away from my old sinful life, I can prepare for eternity with God right now, each and every day!!

The good news is, she didn’t run off and shun me… she asked a few more questions and we have started a friendship. The other cool thing is that there were four or five other people in the room while this was going on, listening very carefully. Some might think it was too much too soon… I don’t think so. I can tell you that I felt the awesome power of The Holy Spirit in the room… He gave me the strength, courage and the words to say. We’ve talked more, she has asked more questions and I pray The Holy Spirit is working on her heart in a big way.

I am so excited to have had this opportunity!! God is good and He brought us to Germany for this very reason. Dawn and I look forward to a time when God arranges more opportunities to share “The Light” of Christ Jesus with those who haven’t heard The Gospel or have rejected Him in the past, either through personal encounters or Proclaim campaigns here, and in other countries. I pray we all find ways to share The Gospel…the most important thing anyone we encounter will ever hear.

So, bring on the Deutsch!

Sprechen Sie Bald! (talk to you soon)

Much Love and gratitude,

Steve, Dawn, Bianca and Sofia

Prayer Requests…

For our home church Oak Hills… We have had a devastating string of illnesses and deaths of many dear friends in the church. Pray for peace and comfort for The Body and for Leadership.

For an important event next month in a nearby city where we will working with a local church and helping them think strategically  about outreach and missions.

For a Proclaim campaign planned for November in North Africa.

For our house Bible Study group (German speaking) Dawn and I are in on Thursday evenings.

For Dawn as she starts language school next week.

Thanks so much for your prayers for Bianca and Sofia!! We think we are turning a corner… they are making friends, liking school & teachers and starting to show signs of adapting to language and culture.

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