December 15, 2017
(A letter to my “five friends”, with whom I share prayer needs, etc.)
Hello my dear friends,
It was three years ago today that I started my time in California with Tom and Takeko. I knew I needed your company, and you were there for me… and you still are.
Deb and I had a “visitor” early this morning – I thought I would share this with you.
Deb came home last night, following her yearly MD checkup, and had something to tell me neither of us wanted to hear. The doctor told her there is an anomaly in her right breast which needs further investigation, and is scheduling her for an examination in a hospital in Starnburg, a city north of us. Supposedly, this will be on the 27th of this month, as we get back from our Christmas visit with Nathan on the 26th. We were to spend the next week in Berlin, but I will be cancelling those reservations this morning.
As you can imagine, there are now many questions in our mind and heart. O2:00 Found me cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes from last night’s dinner. Deb seems to be taking this in stride, not wanting to miss Christmas with Nathan for any reason,
So, I went back to bed about 02:30, put my hand against Deb and prayed for her. We slept, I am sure, then she got up to get ready for her day at school. I followed shortly, and we sat in the living room, sipping coffee and discussing the matter at hand.
It was at this very moment that there came such a powerful, full, and washing peace -unexpected, unannounced. It came “in the twinkling of an eye”, no kidding.
I said to Deb, “Something has changed from an hour ago. I think the Holy Spirit has come.”
Deb didn’t even look up from her iPad, which she had been dinking with, but simply said, “Yes, He has.”
Wow Brothers! I live with a woman who lives with God. Wow.
Merry Christmas.
Love,
Nick and Debbie
Pastor Ryan
Hello My Five Friends,
I encountered a pastor friend of mine today, along the walking street in Garmisch. I was so uplifted by what he told me I knew I had to share it with the five of you (actually, Six now, in that Col. Kane is soon to leave Garmisch and therefore I won’t have the privilege of his company).
Ryan’s ministry here (not self appointed – it just happens as God sends immigrants his way ~ usually from the countries in Africa but also some from Syria, etc.) is almost always short term with his flock – usually about three months, give or take. Then, these folks are relocated to some other part of Germany, and the seed he plants in them sprouts in other places. I have watched Pastor Ryan for some years now – it is always the same – it is he of whom it is spoken, “Some plant… others reap.”
So, Ryan does spend time in the hospital with refugees who are there for one reason or another. Because of this, the hospital staff know of him. Recently Ryan was praying daily with an immigrant who had had an operation. In time he was released. It wasn’t a week later that one of the psychiatric staff called Ryan and said, “I wonder, Pastor, if you could come and talk with us, we have a patient here who claims he “sees things” in his room. We don’t actually know what to do with this.” Ryan told them “yes”, and that he would be there in an hour.
One of the psychiatrists on staff had Ryan in their office and explained that the man, an immigrant from Africa, had been sent to them by a hospital north of Munich. The man, at work, kept telling his employer he was seeing “things” coming out of the wall. Unable to help him in Munich, they sent him to this psychiatric ward. “Things” didn’t improve, so, knowing that Ryan had some history with the immigrants they called for him.
Here’s the great part, Ryan is not one to mince words. To that end he told the Psychiatrist, “Well, yes, I am familiar with such things, and what I am about to tell you of my manor of dealing with them I don’t believe you will appreciate. So, he went on to tell the Dr. about the authority of the Bible and his own use of God’s Word with those he ministers to. Ryan said to me, “I told them my methods for such as this are quite different than yours, and, it is probable you won’t agree with them or me.” Ryan was certain the Dr. would dismiss him at that point, but he did not. In fact he said, “Pastor, would you be interested in talking to this man?” Ryan replied, “Yes I would.” Whereupon he was led to a private conference room and was then introduced to the patient.
Ryan told me the patient’s name, but I don’t recall it – just a first name, of course, and not all that unusual.
They left Ryan with the patient for quite some time, perhaps an hour or so. The man spoke to Ryan of his own childhood, in which he, being five years old, was the son of the village Chief, who was also a witch doctor. The child was forced to attend many witchcraft “acts”, in which he was cut with a knife – he showed Ryan the marks on his body – Ryan was aghast at the cruelty. In time, the child’s father died, and the mother took him and his younger brother to another village where they settled down and she joined a church there and became a Christian. Not content with the mother’s fleeing the previous village, searches were done to locate her. When she was found, the men from the previous village chopped his ten year old, younger brother, to death with machetes.
I don’t recall how Ryan said the fellow and his mother escaped, or if she herself was killed as well. But, in time the now young man fled from Africa and ended up in Germany, as so many have done of late. He then told Ryan, “I am a Christian. My mother was a Christian, so I am one too. I don’t want to see these ‘things’ coming out of the walls. I want them to stop!”
Ryan asked the man if he was really a Christian, because one must ask Jesus into one’s own life. He then shared the lovely Scriptures on salvation with the man. He told him, “If you are a Christian, then the first thing you will have to deal with is ‘fear,’ because the Bible tells us that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Their time was up. Knowing Ryan, I am sure he prayed with the man before departing. He didn’t return until the following week, and what do you think he found? “A completely different person.”
The man, it seems, thought things over after Ryan left and came to the conclusion that he actually didn’t know Jesus and had never asked him into his heart. So he did!
He immediately realised all of those “things” were now gone! He was so excited that he would grab anyone who would listen and exclaim with the most exuberant joy, “Jesus is in my heart. Jesus healed me!” This he did to the other patients in the ward, and the staff and the doctors. They were totally dumbfounded, and quite happy, that this miracle had happened. This man was, indeed, a new creation!
Ryan himself, though not surprised that Jesus had delivered this man from demons, was, as you can imagine, overjoyed as well. The man was soon released and returned to the village north of Munich from whence he came, and to his original job. Ryan commented with a smile, “You know, I’m quite sure he is telling anybody who will listen what Jesus did for him!”
There you have it, dear brothers. I hope you are as encouraged as I about this. My meeting with Ryan was “circumstantial” today. I was heading through a pre-Christmas crowd, down a walking street to my car, which I was sure had timed out on the parking meter. Out of nowhere came this gloved hand to shake mine, and a voice, “Well hello brother Nick. Good to see you.”
That is how God works. I am so glad to be His… and share His GoodNews!
Love in Christ, Brothers,
Nick
PS
I din’t get a parking ticket either.
Brother Valdas – From Lithuania
Note: 4 May, 2017 Begin English Language training
Cell Phone: 0176 35576571
Begin training:
Familiarity w/ NH
- meet @ train station 08:45 (get 60€ cash for day).
- take to home – coffee dainish… walk along river “coffee walk)”
- to house – look over Bro. Stephan’s info. (Mass liturgy, etc.) pray, now. See what Valdas actually knows.
- work on common words- items in the room
- 11:30 – break for lunch – DaNico’s (Italian language? – what else?)
- Home, to review – set pace – practice lines for next meeting – Thursday May 11.
- Bus 14:35… 16/30
Summary: All mass items covered – last two lack the “body” of the readings.
- Breakfast / coffee / walk @ home – intro.
- Studied first Mass & cadence of style till 11:30 – then to DaNico’s. Lunch till 14:00
- Studied 3rd & 4th Mass & communion lingo & benidiction – made pronounciation notes on all – Note: LACK “BODY” OF LAST TWO SUNDAYS.
- Departed for bus @ 16:10 – bus @ 16:35
PLAN FOR 2nd SESSION
Thursday
April 11, 2017
08:45 – 16:00 (bus @ 16:30)
- Coffee / danish @ home – river walk. Lean in direction of MORE conversational English.
- Study Masses – and missing portions.
- DaNico’s – lunch @ 11:30
- Review/rehearse Masses/Eucharist/Benediction
NOTE: Prior to meeting – establish, w/Stéphane, the use of recorded sound/video/live interaction w/ Valdas
SUMMARY
A great day with brother Valdas.
He arrived at 08:40 and was seen at the front of the bus ready to exit as the bus pulled in to the stop.
He wished to have a butter croissant instead of the Schneckennuss so I provided such and drove him home, we had coffee and then proceeded to walk the length of of the river. We talked much going and coming and are progressing with new English words. I have provided work notebooks and a large notebook for him to keep the new words in.
Our work today centered on the mass, communion, and the closure of the mass. He is readily mastering various words that he had trouble with last week.
I have instituted a handheld recorder to give him a tape and the recorder to take home with him and study during the week. As well I will connect my computer with his this week so that we can converse on these various mass issues.
We had lunch at the house – I used the pan fryer on the BBQ grill from the shop to prepare the meat. I sliced steak meat and duck breast and provided that and a salad with sliced cheese and bread, he ate voraciously and had also some red wine, several glasses, which he felt able to consume because we were not running up a tab on these items.
I am glad to do this. I am providing some joy to a very important brother in Christ. God will do with this what he will.
Bro. Valdas left on the 14:35 bus, instead of the 16:35. The later would have been better for our purposes. Next week, 16:30.
Next week I hope to follow the same pattern to some degree. But, covering all of the mass in the writings that brother Stefan has given us to learn. The restaurant may be called for next week, perhaps the panoramaweg, where we could spend some time going over our accomplishments and setting a course for the future weeks.
END
18/May. 3rd session
Normal pace for morning: bus/breakfast/coffee/walk
Morning study till 11:30 – met w/ Helmut Trottman @ DaNico’s for lunch.
Mostly Helmut talking – mostly Deutsch
Afternoon study -usual
Recorded some of the mass for review (Tom’s old mini-cassette recorder)
Departed @ 16:30
4th session
Tuesday. May 23 (Nathan to arrive Wed. pm)
09:00 – 16:30
Morning
Coffee/croissant/walk
Study – 11:30 start lunch
Talked about: grill/fire/chicken/corn on cob
Corn dishes/knife set from Deb’s grandfather.
Afternoon
Study & record rest of mass
5th Session
June 1. Thursday
PLAN
Normal morning: bus/coffee & croissant/ walk & talk – ENGLISH
P/U Deb’s car – start walking and conversing @ 11:00 – car/lunch – maybe at the “carnivore place” – meat platter/wine/beer(s)
Afternoon – usual study – look at whole mass for Aug. 6 service.
6th Session
June 8
PLAN
Ditto – above
Lunch: hamburgers/hot dogs on grill
14:Valdas sliced potatoes- asked to do so:
“Can I help?”
‘Is this OK?”
Session went well ~ 08:45 to 16:30
Much English acquisition and use. Good progress all around.
7th Session (w/ Stéphane attending)
June 15
(08:00 – 17:45) – Deb came home @ 16:45, met and conversed w/ Valdas – sat and talked w/ Stéphane and Valdas – a humming moth came to visit- we all conversed over that.
Note: Stéphane seems troubled over Valdas’ handling of the service (we rehearsed @ the chapel) – placement of communion items;proper folding of the hands; some pronunciation- holy not holly, and so on.
Lunch was two bags of chicken wings (grill) and salad. Much discussion (German) during my cooking. After lunch, Stéphane slept on lounge chair (schnapps poured on cake did that) – Valdas and I smoked pipes, spoke of many things (past, present, & future tense). We two walked up the river – conversing in English all the way – plants, American lack of tolerance for unpasteurized milk (Valdas likes it straight from the cow, or sheep, or goat).
Summary: Overall, a good “session.” Stéphane contributed some angst with his “pickiness”, but Valdas seemed to take it in stride.
8th Session
June 20
Valdas to arrive on the 8:30 bus – Stéphane at 11:00 or so.
Breakfast/walk/all Masses – then to church w/ Stéphane.
Lunch: Grilled bratwurst, sliced potatoes, salad. They should depart at about 16:30, as Deb is due back about 17:00 or so.
