Deutschland STM 2008

Thursday Without Steve On Free Day

2008-08-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

Somehow Steve got an allergic reaction from some German cats at the Andresens and was not able to participate in the fun free day on Thursday. Here is what he missed out:

We are standing in front of a broken piece of the former Berlin Wall.

Me in front of the Checkpoint Charlie

Taking a cool picture

At the Jewish Museum
Jerry strolling through the maze
Lila and Vanessa
Lila and Vanessa standing in front of a garlic at the Jewish Museum
Evening at Potsdamer Platz, in front of a piece of the former Berlin Wall

-FW

August 6 - More Tracts And Dinner With The Andresens

2008-08-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today, we had the honor of having Laura Borchmann (Dieter's daughter) join us for tracts. She did a great job stuffing mailboxes and persuading the Germans to let us in so we can put tracts into their mailboxes. While others got rejected.

After a long day of walking around, we got to relax for dinner with the Andresens. Christian Andresen is another missionary from Grace but his focus is more on the EBTC, European Bible Training Center. We had a good time talking and eating dinner with them.

Tracts, Tracts and more Tracts!

2008-08-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Having started our day with the "breakfast of champions" a combination of nougat pockets and schoko musli (delicious chocolate cereal) we were ready to pound the pavement. The team met at Treffpunkt, and Cary Green gave a devotional on Mark 4:1-20 and Steve led us in songs of worship. We were a little concerned, however, if we were even able to go out into the neighborhood because it was really wet and windy. But the rain let up so we stuffed our bags and went out. We took the bus and delivered tracts into areas in which no teams have ever gone before. The weather was extremely windy all day, though it came close, not one tract was blown away. Everyone was very excited to be passing out the tracts, but Steve gets the award for most ambitious because he stuffed his bag with 9 bundles of tracts (each bundle containing 100 tracts)! At the end of the day, we went back to our host families for dinner. We will be back at it again tomorrow.

Stay tune for our next update! =)

The Next Day

Today we pounded the pavement with the tracts once again, praying that the people here in Berlin would respond to the gospel message inside. All together we were out and about for 5 hours, walking from building to building and ringing many doorbells. Thankfully, many of the mailboxes were outside the apartment complexes which means: easy access!!! After a delicious lunch prepared by Bea, we said our farewells to the Grosjean family. They will be traveling to Switzerland with a few members of Bibelgemeinde Berlin for a camping trip. We will back at it again tomorrow!! Thanks for reading!!

-Lila and Vanessa

A Day At The Tracts

2008-08-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Map
Jerry Studying The Map
The Tracts
Today was the first day of passing out tracts. We first met at the Treffpunkt for a time of devotional and prayer. Cary shared with us the parable of the soils, and reminded us that it is by the work of God to change hearts and we are to remain faithful in serving Him. Once the people get these tracts, they are held accountable by God whether or not they accept the Gospel that has been presented to them. So please continue to pray for the German people, that they will read these tracts and believe in Jesus Christ.

This year is the first time we have passed tracts in this area of East Berlin. This is a whole new territory. With unforeseen and treacherous difficulties ahead, we traversed these new roads. Our legs tightened with every step and after about 4 hours of walking (with a lunch break in between), soarness was setting in and blisters on the bottom of our feet started to form. It didn't look like we could go on further. Could we make it another hour? Could we contintue to take the verbal abuse we were getting in German when we said the word "Werbung" (advertisement)? One German man stuck his head out of the window when I rung his doorbell to get into his apartment building to put in the tracts into the mailboxes and yelled at me in German. I just stood there, dumbfounded, not understanding the language. Then a lady came out with her dog and scolded me in German. Again, I just stood there with a dumb smile. But we pressed on, accomplishing a good day of work for the Lord.

- OJ/180

Felix And The Tract
Lila And The Mailbox

Lord's day with the Deutschen!

2008-08-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Grusse Fon Foundry Team Aus Berlin, (Greetings from the Foundry Team in Berlin)

This morning, we had the opportunity to worship and partake in the Lord's Table with the folks from the bibelgiemeindeberlin (Bible Church of Berlin) where both Pastor Cary Green and Dieter Borchmann shepherd.

After lunch, we traveled by train to Sachsenhausen to see a first hand glimpse to one of the Nazi's notorious concentration camps. The feeling was surreal for all of us as we were walking around the the camp and going inside to each of these old buildings knowing thousands upon thousands had died there.

After several hours at the concentration camp, we headed back to the Borchmann's for dinner.

Tomorrow, we begin to pass the first wave of approx. 35,000 gospel tracts (total) to BCB neighboring towns...

Stay tune for more updates....

~Felix

Pastor Cary leading the congregation in music

Communion

Here is Vanessa and Klaus, who came to know the Lord through one of the the gospel tracts 3 years ago, attends BCB.

Lila in the train

Vanessa inside the the concentration camp museum

Vanessa inside the surgery building.

Jerry looking at the execution trench

Me reading something..

Dinner at the Borchmanns

Happy Landings

2008-08-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

The team was able to arrive safely in Berlin Thursday morning without any travelling hic-ups. Even though most of us got little or no sleep on the plane we still had a whole day ahead of us. We went to Bea and Pascal’s for the afternoon and during. Went to the park. Kicked the football (That’s soccer for you Americans) around. Played on the slide with the kids. Afterwards, it was early to bed. The guys are staying with the Greens, while the gals are staying with the Borchmanns.

For the most part, the next two days were relaxing days in which we could get rest and our strength for our upcoming task of passing out tracts. We spent most of Friday helping out with yard work at the Green’s house. Towards the evening we all headed to Treffpunkt 180 for Friday evening Bible study. Revelation 19 was discussed, but I didn’t understand a word of it, since it was conducted in German.

On Saturday, the team spent the day seeing the sights of Berlin. We were led by our helpful guides, Daniel, Juliana, and Josh. Highlights included the Perganom Museum, which contained an extensive exhibit on Babylon. They even had part of the gate of Babylon there. We also saw the Brandenburg gates, where Napoleon marched through. All in all we had a fun day out in the city. We look forward to spending time with the church tomorrow and our task ahead of passing out Gospel tracts.

Team Prayer Needs

2008-06-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Pray that the Lord would grant us unity, love and a humble heart to serve
Pray that people will read the Gospel tracts and that God would open their hearts to the Gospel.
Pray that we would be an encouragement to the missionaries and believers in Berlin
Pray for safety and good health while we are in Germany

We are well aware that the success of this trip is dependent on the Lord and your prayer support. Along with your prayers, if you would like to partner with us financially, please send a check payable to Grace Community Church with “For team Germany” in the memo line. Your tax-deductible donation will go toward covering the costs of the trip, which is about $2300 per team member.

Grace Community Church
13248 Roscoe Blvd
Sun Valley, CA 91352
818-909-5500

Team Member Profiles

2008-05-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a little bit of information for each of the team members. The topics and questions were supplied by L'abri Green.

Name: Lila Lam
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Favorite Book of the Bible: Ephesians =)
Favorite Christian Singer and/or Musician: hmm.. probably Keith and Kristyn Getty
Canines or Felines: haha, definitely canines!
Favorite American Junk Food: Cheetos! =)
Least Favorite Vegetable: bitter melon (is that a vegetable or a fruit?)... yuk
Allergies (For example, kids?): not that I know of
Have You Ever Fainted? completely blackout, no
French Toast, Pancakes or Waffles?: I think it's a toss up between waffles and pancakes =P

After graduating from UCSD, I have been extremely blessed with the privilege of serving at Grace Community Church for almost two years now. God has consistently shown me His love and His faithfulness. He has gradually taught me the importance of the sufficiency of Scripture and also has given me a desire to live for His glory. This summer, I am an excited that I have been given the opportunity to go on my first short-term ministry trip to Germany.

Name: Vanessa Lopez
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Favorite Book of the Bible: hmm, not sure if I have a favorite but I really like Genesis, Ruth, the Gospels, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Ephesians - I'm currently in the epistle to the Ephesians
Favorite Christian Singer and/or Musician: I enjoy Nicole Norderman and Chris Tomlin
Canines or Felines: CANINES for sure!!!! I'm also alergic to cats which may be why i don't like them all that much :( but they are super cute when they are kittens!
Favorite American Junk Food: is there such a thing? o.k. i guess i'd have to say sugary cereals like apple jacks, cinnamon toast crunch and Lucky CHarms
Least Favorite Vegetable: BEETS - yuck!
Allergies (For example, kids?): i'm allergic to cats and math - allergic to kids?!?!? no way - kids are awesome - i used to be one a very, very long time ago....
Have You Ever Fainted? never fainted but came close to it - really embarassing. I'm more clumsy - bad falls, spills, etc.
French Toast, Pancakes or Waffles?: I prefer French toast and pancakes over waffles. my mom says it's really gross but I LOVE when my French toast and Pancakes are still a little gooey in the middle!! oooh, i'm getting hungry!

Once again, I am excited to be sending you a letter about an opportunity to support Grace Church's missionaries in Germany. First, I would like to share with you what the Lord has accomplished in my life recently. To the joy (and relief) of many, I finally became a college graduate in June 2007! Since graduating, I have been blessed with many opportunities for service, ministry and fellowship through the Foundry at Grace Community Church. God continues to challenge, humble and encourage me through this amazing singles ministry for His glory and my good. It has been a joy and blessing to serve in the local church. Also, I consider it a joy and privilege to have the opportunity to serve those who faithfully labor abroad for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Name: Steve Kwong
Hometown: I was born in Oakland, California. So I consider Oakland my hometown.
Favorite Book of the Bible: Romans is my favorite book of the Bible because it always convicts my heart when I read from it.
Favorite Christian Singer and/or Musician: I would say Chris Tomlin because many of his songs praises God.
Canines or Felines: I prefer dogs more than cats because I had a bad experience with a cat. Although I have had a bad experience with a dog also, where one almost bit me, I still prefer dogs to cats because dogs are more fun to play with.
Favorite American Junk Food: A double double In N Out burger with animal style fries. I guess this would be considered more fast food than junk food. So for junk food, I would say Kettle Brand Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper Krinkle Cut Chips
Least Favorite Vegetable: Probably brussel sprouts. I wondered why so many kids hated brussel sprouts and when I had an opportunity to try them, I tried it and understood why so many kids hate them.
Allergies (For example, kids?): I am not allergic to anything. Although I do sneeze when dust is around.
Have You Ever Fainted? I have never fainted. Although, every night I lie on my bed, I do pass out.
French Toast, Pancakes or Waffles?: I love all three. I guess it would be what I'm in the mood for to prefer one over the other two.

This summer I will have the opportunity to go to Germany again. Last year, I had a wonderful time serving God with the Foundry Team, the Greens and the Borchmanns. It was such a blessing seeing how God is working in another country. Even though many of the Germans are cold to the Gospel, I know that God will bless the Greens and Borchmanns' ministry because of their faithfulness to the preaching of God's Word. This is what impressed me the most – how God is working through these missionaries and how much they love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They serve God with all their might. And this is what I want to do – I want to serve God by serving them.

Name: Felix Wong
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Favorite Book of the Bible: Tough one.... Romans?
Favorite Christian Singer and/or Musician: Chris Tomlin or David Crowder
Canines or Felines: Dogs
Favorite American Junk Food: Burgers and Pizzas
Least Favorite Vegetable: Oh, I know this one... Okra!!!!!...
Allergies (For example, kids?): Nothing
Have You Ever Fainted? Nope
French Toast, Pancakes or Waffles?: All of them....

I am thrilled to go on my first short term ministry trip this summer. I am currently working for NBC Universal and I enjoy working with my coworkers very much. I have been keeping busy with work, Core Group, Bible Study and church. I am blessed to be surrounded by godly individuals who wholeheartedly serve Christ. They have become such an encouragement to me. As my walk in Christ has been more refined, I continue to grow in realizing the significance of overseas missions. The Lord has drawn me to work alongside His beloved in the mission field and has given me the opportunity to serve Him this summer overseas in Germany. Thank you for your prayers, partnership, and involvement in my life.

Name: Jerry
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Favorite Book of the Bible: Philippians
Favorite Christian Singer and/or Musician: Christopher Parkening and Jubilant Sykes
Canines or Felines: Dogs. They're more loyal.
Favorite American Junk Food: Sweet Maui Onion Chips
Least Favorite Vegetable: I know it's not a vegetable, but I hate olives, UGH!
Allergies (For example, kids?): I used to be allergic to chocolate when I was a kid. If I had more than one piece of chocolate, I would get a nosebleed within a few minutes. Yes, I was a deprived child. But, I'm not allergic anymore, so I can eat as much chocolate to my heart's content. Well, I've got to make-up for all those lost childhood years.
Have You Ever Fainted? No, unless you count falling asleep in class.
French Toast, Pancakes or Waffles?: Yes, Please!

I am currently finishing up my last semester at USC with a master's degree in computational biology. With this chapter of my life coming to an end, I am looking forward to the next phase of life that God will have me pursue. As I reflect back on this past year and a half, I am amazed at the journey that God has led me through. He has blessed me tremendously, by affording me more opportunities to serve in my Bible study, such as leading a small group and teaching. In addition, I find that the Lord has put in me a heart for missions that I did not have a year ago. I am eager to see where God will lead me in the future as I continue to grow more in my knowledge and love for Christ. This summer I have the wonderful privilege of leading a short term ministry team to Germany.

Introducing Team Germany 2008

2008-04-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Front Row (left to right): Vanessa Lopez, Lila Lam
Second Row (left to right): Steve Kwong, Felix Wong, Jerry