Spring/ summer semester comes to an end

This summer a friend, Karen (middle), was here for a month. She helped lead a group of college students to come during several Januarys for 10 days to Braunschweig. Karen came to support our Connexxion team with various projects. She is a great model to me of faith, being stretched to do something that actually many people could do with their vacation time and "overtime", to make a big difference in another country!

For the first time ever in Connexxion-- this year we had a Bible discussion group in a college residence hall. It was great to be able to enjoy a picnic. We regularly made meals together or brought simple foods to share, & then had our chat about a passage from the Bible. (Kris, on staff, is sitting in the front above).

 Sometimes we shared a meal on the 1st floor, or 3rd floor, or even 9th floor kitchen!

 Beck is wearing a hat here in front of the dorms, where Mike (left) and Anna lived (middle)-- he and Shawn are from River Church in Norman, Oklahoma, and visited after they helped with a special exchange week with the Connexxion group in Hamburg.

 At Connexxion we love theme parties... this was a Mexican night for girls, at Anja's apartment! Here she is with Hülya and Rima.

 Jacky made this amazing cheese cake!

 Before the semester ended, we were invited to participate as a student club in a university "open house"... where we sponsored a poster display of the "10 Myths of Christianity"...

 ... and had 3 guest speakers from our church share in a panel discussion about science and faith.

 This year it seems like God brought a lot of friends to visit... including Barry, who works for a surfing company called Futures Fins-- he is from a partner church in Huntington Beach, Seabreeze. My friend Christoph (left) invited Kris, Sören, Barry and myself over for a visit.

 Lisa (in blue) also donated time this summer to help with Connexxion! She's a nursing student from Michigan, studying in Tennessee.We

We ended the semester with a fun party at Kris'. Pictured here are Warren, from Massachusetts; Janina, from Germany; Thanh, from Vietnam; and Kris, from the land of Texas!

 This is the inside of a music / practice room in the dorms, where we met each Tuesday for our Bible discussion group (one of 5 such groups meeting regularly in Braunschweig!).

Janina was drawing an illustration to show the group, called "the Bridge."

hamburg-- live!

 God blessed in so many ways, as River Church and Jennifer came to engage college students in Hamburg with Good News! Do you recognize this gal? Yasmin on the right used to be my roomie in Sevilla-- and worked with Connexxion -- and got to visit there again the week after these events!

 Here is Vera, who leads Connexxion there, doing Soularium surveys with students during a summer festival.

 A student Marei handed out cake and tea...

 spring was in the air...

 I am with our intern Karen (middle top), intern Joanna (far left) and the 6 -member group from River Church in Oklahoma.

 The city is gorgeous and the Rathaus (town hall) quite impressive

 Vera having a fun moment at the park...

 a beach party indoors? why not!

 handing out flyers on campus for our "W.O.W" week (week of welcome)

 more campus time...

 pasta parties in 2 apartments one night...

 Hooman, Beck and Mario hanging out near the port

 Kim and her husband serve on staff with the BSU in Norman. Jennifer was the team leader and is staying to join Vera for a few weeks this summer and to learn about Connexxion.

Christopher with his Germany T-shirt on (it was European Championship in soccer), beside Beck and Chris' roommate Julian! A cool this-- Beck came 5 years ago to help with a group in Braunschweig, my first summer getting the Connexxion group off the ground here!

one exciting day

 Well, it's one of those things you long for and pray for... a baptism service with friends!

 Two of our good friends with Connexxion got baptised in our church in Braunschweig. After the worship, we celebrated with a large barbecue with friends.

 Here is Thanh, who comes originally from Asia and is studying engineering. Beside him is Lydia and her folks-- she was a student in Jena, who moved to Braunschweig to get her Masters (then her doctorate), and helping us get the Connexxion group "off the ground" when we were really new in 2007!

 Karen T. was our 1-month intern from Union Univ. where she serves on staff and is a super talented young woman! (Birthe and Anja with her)

 Sören also got baptised that day (lifted up here by friends from his chemistry and physics studies, who came just to support him that day).

His mom and family members also came to support him!

outdoors

 We get a lot of rain in northern Germany ( a LOT! ) That is why we are so excited when we get to come outdoors. Kris and my friend Warren taught us a new "sport" called Guerilla Gardening! He is from Massachusetts but is like me, calling Germany his "home."

 We had a large barbecue a few weeks ago...

 Joanna is our intern in Hamburg from California. Here she is with Kris and Stan.

 Birthe (middle) is enjoying the company of Astrid, and Carina...

 Here are Judith (who lives in the dorms where I help lead a small group), Wiebke, Thahn and Janina B....

We love meeting new people, like Saskia... beside Carina, Anja, Elli (physical therapy) and Steffi (Birthes roommate, who just finished her degree in food science).

spring retreat

 Look how cool our spring retreat was... students from several cities... here are Maria and Maria from Jena!

 We had great times of worship... seminars... and fellowship!

 It was cool to have 2 couples there... with kids... who used to be single students when we first met them with Connexxion! Here is Lydia with our staff wife, Anja (ready to have her 3rd child!)...

Yummy... bratwurst!

learning the core

 We had an amazing time with 2 staff leaders from Christian Challenge in Nebraska, Brett and Jeremy. Their combined experience was a great encouragement for our leaders and key students as we came together in May from different cities in Germany to learn the 8-hour seminar they wrote, "Immovable Core." It shares really deep theology, tracing God's hand through Genesis to Revelation!

 Then I traveled with them to Sevilla, Spain-- where they also participated in various groups of our Connexxion group there...

 It was a big challenge to get all the materials translated into German and then Spanish...

 here is our good friend Inma, translating for Jeremy!

 That Sunday was an unforgettable experience-- 2 collegiates, Sebastien and Leti, got baptised in the ocean, as part of a younger church plant. (Abraham, on our Connexxion staff, is in the middle).

It is awesome to have godly partners such as these men, who challenge us and give sacrificially of their time and finances to journey here!