A Quiet Day in Retzow

Today we start with a picture of the house that Ingrid's parents built back in the 1940's. They made the bricks and built it all by hand. The bricks weighed 25 pounds each and Hanna would carry two at a time up to her husband, Sam. This is the house that they all walked away from in 1954 in order to escape, each one leaving separately. It is always a moving experience for us to see it today.

Most of today was spent just visiting with family and other friends from the village and a cousin who drove out from Berlin. Then I spent part of the afternoon with Egbert, another cousin who works for a farming business and drives these wonderful big toys! The first picture with him shows his seeder and tractor. This tractor is all computerized and does everything at the touch of a button. The next pic shows their brand new harvester. You can buy one just like it for just under $400,000.

Then he gave me a fantastic tour of their new bio gas business. The government is really into this kind of project and I was very impressed. The bio gas is produced by combining the manure from the dairy cows with silage and a process produces the gas and returns the manure to be used as fertilizer for the fields. Nothing is lost and everything is returned for productive use. This one plant generates enough electricity for 10,000 homes. It is a somewhat smelly business, but fascinating to see.

Finally you will see Ingrid very happy to get some more tomatoes from Egbert's green house and then we ended the day with Ralph and Jeanette, Sigrid and Irvin, and a marvelous dinner. It was a beautiful day and we now prepare to leave to pick up a car in Berlin and drive down to Halle via Wittenberg.

While we have had such a wonderful time with family we have been shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of two precious members of our church family. Rob Shipley and Karl Yared both passed away within the last two days. We thought they would both still be with us when we returned and our hearts reach out to the families. The lesson: Enjoy your loved ones every day you have and don't be slow to tell them how much you love them.

We hope to see you here tomorrow, but I'm not positive about the wireless connections where we will be, so if you don't see something new, don't worry!

East Meets West

Let me take you on just a brief tour of the Berlin area that we saw today. The pictures got a little out of order, but I hope you'll forgive that. The first picture should be of the Schloss Sansouci, which is part of the grounds of the Royal family from the time of Frederick the Great. The grounds are absolutely marvelous and the day was cold, but clear and wonderful. Next you'll see a picture of many cousins as they all wanted to be with us for the day.

Before we left I took some pictures just down the street from where we are staying in Retzow, which is the town where Ingrid grew up. This quaint church is where Ingrid was married the first time at age four. Her sister performed the wedding and all the village children were present making noise with pots and pans. I have since had the wedding canceled and taken my rightful place. Next is a fun shot back at the grounds of the Royal family with just a fun reflection shot. That is followed by a picture of an old windmill on the grounds as well.

Now you should see the U.S. Embassy in Berlin with a hot air balloon depicting the world that was floating overhead. Quite an impressive building. I remember the old U.S. Embassy building in E. Berlin that we took pictures of in 1982 and were fearful of being arrested for it. Next is a picture where I have one foot in the east and one in the west and you see the brick line where the Berlin Wall used to be. That picture is followed by Checkpoint Charlie. We went through this checkpoint in 1982 and there is quite a story to that crossing with it's difficulties. Now it is for memories and picture opportunities. There is a lot of emphasis on all of this right now as Nov. 9 will mark 20 years since the wall came down.

Next is a shot of the Angel of Freedom which stands in the West, but we could see it from the East in 1982. It was strange to imagine what the people in the East must have thought seeing that figure, but unable to reach it. The next two shots are of the Brandenburger Tur, which was was also in the East. The horses on the top originally faced to the West, but the E. German leaders turned them around to face East as they still do today.

Finally there are just some fun shots at night. You see an old church with a radio tower that was all part of the Eastern sector. The other old church was bombed out and left as a reminder of the destruction. It is on Kurfuersten Dam and across from a very modern shopping mall. Last is a picture of the 1936 Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens brought some grief to Adolf Hitler with his athletic victories over Hitler's fair haired boys.

Change is the operative word for the day. Much of the change has been good, but we always manage to bring in the bad with it eventually. Aren't we glad that the best is yet to come? I hope you enjoyed our day. We certainly did. Today, (Tuesday) we plan to visit many local scenes of Ingrid's childhood. See you tomorrow.

The Longest Night

Well, let me tell you, the Germans know how to throw a party! This was a 25th wedding celebration for one of Ingrid's cousins and the party was held in the old brewery in Ribbeck, which is now a community hall and very beautiful. There were about 70 guests and the food was plentiful and wonderful. As you can see from one of the pictures the party went well into the morning hours. We arrived at 5:30 pm and left at 3:15 am and then were back there for breakfast leftovers and cleaning at 10:30.

The top picture shows the gathering with a women's choir that started the entertainment. The next picture shows the old church which is now a cafe, meeting place and somewhat of a museum depicting what the area was like before the wall came down.

Next you will see the fun way they had of making picture memories. One couple you will recognize, and the other is of the anniversary couple, Ralf and Jeanette. I couldn't resist including a picture of Jeanette looking out the window with the red ivy growing over the bricks. The three ladies are all Hanna's sisters and the picture with Ingrid is with the aunt she had not seen since she was ten years old. This is Tante Talchen and it was an emotional reunion!

The last picture is the whole group of cousins and family that was there on Sunday morning.

One interesting side note is that this was all held in Ribbeck, which is about 6 km from Retzow, where Ingrid grew up. This town had the only other Adventist family in the area and Ingrid's family would worship with them in Ribbeck and in Retzow on alternating weeks. They walked to each other's homes each week.

Family is so precious and this has been a wonderful, albeit sleep deprived, trip thus far, but I'm not complaining one bit. I am privileged to be a part of it all. Things should settle down a bit now. We will be going into Berlin tomorrow and who knows what fun the rest of today holds?

Let the Fun Begin!

Here we are in Germany and the fun has already begun. The first picture shows Ingrid handling all of the luggage. What do you think I brought her along for?

The flights were all good and we arrived in Retzow (50 km west of Berlin) at about 3 pm local time on Friday, which was 6 am our time. Of course then there was lunch and then unpacking, and then dinner, and then lots and lots of talking and laughter.

You see Ingrid with several of her cousins. Keep in mind that she has about 50 of them over here. Sandwiched in between I got in on the act with two of Hanna's sisters.

The final picture is of Ralph and Jeanette, the anniversary couple. The real party is tomorrow evening and will be quite a formal affair and I know it's going to be a loud and lovely time of just being family.

I feel so privileged to be a part of this great clan and so fortunate to be able to make this trip as we include the tour of Martin Luther sites. Ingrid has many cousins who live right in the center of all of those cities and so we will have personalized tours.

Stay tuned as I will have many pictures of the celebration to post in the near future as I have good wi-fi connection here. I hope I have the same when we are doing the Luther sites.

It is now almost 10 pm, which means we have been up for 32 hours and have had about an hour of sleep. I think we need to go to bed.

Thanks for looking in and we'll be back soon.

Up we go into the wild blue yonder!

Well, the day has finally arrived and we're off to Germany to visit family and to do a self-guided Martin Luther tour. We'll also visit SDA churches in Dresden and Koln. I know it's Octoberfest, but I promise to stay away from the beer! This is going to be especially wonderful because finally I'm doing something this year and taking my sweet bride with me! I've been to Africa for three weeks. I've been all over the country on the motorcycle for seven weeks. But now I get three weeks with her and it's just the two of us. I think I'm gonna like this! Check back often now as I will put up pictures as often as I can have wireless internet connectivity.

The church is in good hands and we are all in God's hands so enjoy today to the max, because we have no idea what tomorrow may bring, but as long as we're with Him it really doesn't matter. The older I get the less afraid I am of dying and the more I enjoy every day of life I have. It is precious. Handle with prayer!

Love and blessings to all of you and I hope to "see" you on the journey.

One Last Detour---With Pictures!

Hi All:

Well, the final part of my sabbatical outline included a trip to Germany to do a self-guided Martin Luther tour.  Ingrid has many cousins there and one lives right in the middle of all the major sites and we will stay with her and do day trips.  We will be visiting other areas as well and I promise pictures as often as we get internet connections so check back for those pictures and updates.  

The book is coming along well.  I would still love to be done by Christmas, but I may not quite make that.  Stay tuned though and I'll keep you posted.

We leave Thursday, Oct. 15 and will return on Thursday, Nov. 5.

It's Octoberfest there, but I promise to be good!!!

Still Writing and Planning Another Segment

The writing is going fairly well.  Two chapters are done and it is coming together slowly but surely.  As we speak Ingrid and I are also planning the last segment of the sabbatical, which is a self-guided tour of most of the Martin Luther sites.  We leave Oct. 15 and will return on Nov. 5. We will be visiting Wittenburg, Eisleben, Eisenach, Erfurt, Augsburg, Coburg, and other sites as well as taking the opportunity to visit some SDA churches in Germany.

Once underway I will be making daily posts as far as internet connections are available.  You know how that goes.  We are looking forward to this part of my study leave and especially the fact that we are doing this part together!!!

I hope you will be able to follow along once again and in the meantime, keep checking back to see how the book is going.