Dear diary, its been a while since I have written... Just kidding, that is definitely not my style. But it’s been a long time since I have updated this blog and I figured it was about time. Life has been busy and good. February, traditionally the hardest month of winter anyways (I think most Winnipeggers will agree with that) played it's game with us as we received snow and it was cold, which made our working conditions tough and really made us appreciate warmth so much when we could get it. And even though we spent much of our time complaining about "work,” it has steadily grown to become an aspect of my life that I cherish. Not being able to go to work as happened a couple of weeks ago, really threw a wrench into our routine, which was at first tough to handle. So work has been tough, it’s been rough, it’s been tiring and wearying and yet it has become a part of my existence here that I would trade for no other.
This last week we had the opportunity to go to Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria for a week of sightseeing, getting to know new folks and visit old friends (for me at least). We went to two bible-studies, taught a full day of English and sung, prayed and preached with and for the congregation. It was a real blessing. I was reading a book today that was speaking of the loneliness of people, a theme that I have mentioned several times in this blog. It seems that wherever you go there are people who are longing to speak, to share and to be heard. We spent a good amount of time doing that. It has been interesting to see why God does the things he does. We were requested by the Bad Reichenhall congregation, and so were sent by the Pritzkau's. We had our plans, our hopes, and what we knew to be our strengths and also our weaknesses. But all that God needs is us. How marvellous and wonderful to see and to reflect in hindsight on the reason why God wanted us there. It was to listen and to share our life with someone else. God needed us the way
This last week we had the opportunity to go to Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria for a week of sightseeing, getting to know new folks and visit old friends (for me at least). We went to two bible-studies, taught a full day of English and sung, prayed and preached with and for the congregation. It was a real blessing. I was reading a book today that was speaking of the loneliness of people, a theme that I have mentioned several times in this blog. It seems that wherever you go there are people who are longing to speak, to share and to be heard. We spent a good amount of time doing that. It has been interesting to see why God does the things he does. We were requested by the Bad Reichenhall congregation, and so were sent by the Pritzkau's. We had our plans, our hopes, and what we knew to be our strengths and also our weaknesses. But all that God needs is us. How marvellous and wonderful to see and to reflect in hindsight on the reason why God wanted us there. It was to listen and to share our life with someone else. God needed us the way we were and through that impact one person and encourage her. We had fun, we loved the mountains, but God had his own plan all along.
And while I reflect on that experience I cannot but think to the one thing, which seems to permeate every step that we take here in Germany: being confronted with the recent history of that country. While we slept, ate, walked, drove and admired the absolute beauty of this countryside and the friendliness of the people and the openness of the hearts we also had to realize the dark history of that countryside. We spent three hours in a Nazi Documentation Centre, set up on the same hillsides where once Hitler forcefully introduced himself into, taking ownership of all surroundings and creating a massive complex of houses and people to underscore, protect and inflate his massive ego. We read and heard about the vast details of the rise and fall of one Man, who shaped this countries history, to the point of robbing it of the history it had to that point, robbing it's hope and its religion. There is no point of trying to regurgitate what I learned and saw, but I want to leave you with one thing:
At this museum, so well documented that it was blunt, I realized the successes that Hitler had was not a nations fault, it was not the "German's" who were responsible. Rather, as I read and listened, one thing started gnawing into me: The fact that Hitler was able to enact a perfect symphony of ideas, thoughts and images that took over and usurped the long tradition of this country - religion! It was an act, it was a theatre, it was a beautifully orchestrated piece of fine art but above all, it happened not by chance but it was planned. Hitler, the man became a cult long before he became the emblem of the Nazi Arian state. Hitler became a god, not by chance but because he knew what he had to do, what the people wanted and what they reacted to. You might not understand my surprise, but it is know for the first time that I really understand Bonhoeffer and his critique of the church. How is it possible for one man to become deified in such a way that he could kill millions with the approval and adulation of so many people who cannot possibly be called evil all-together. Because although people were religious they had not a faith. Because the church, God's way of acting and enacting his kingdom had already failed. Were the church was not able to bring hope anymore, but only religion, only tradition, Hitler was able to take centre stage, readily conceded to him by the major churches of this country. And in a sick and fateful twist, when Hitler turned out to be nothing but a demagogue, but just another fake, he took with him the pieces of hope, trust and pride of a people and a nation. With that one bullet, he took with him the rich history of this country, the history of growth, of innovation, of proud tradition and deep faith, and replaced it with a history of millions of death's, 40 years of occupation and a hopelessness, a fatalism, a loneliness that can be seen everywhere and that is so hard to combat.
And while I reflect on that experience I cannot but think to the one thing, which seems to permeate every step that we take here in Germany: being confronted with the recent history of that country. While we slept, ate, walked, drove and admired the absolute beauty of this countryside and the friendliness of the people and the openness of the hearts we also had to realize the dark history of that countryside. We spent three hours in a Nazi Documentation Centre, set up on the same hillsides where once Hitler forcefully introduced himself into, taking ownership of all surroundings and creating a massive complex of houses and people to underscore, protect and inflate his massive ego. We read and heard about the vast details of the rise and fall of one Man, who shaped this countries history, to the point of robbing it of the history it had to that point, robbing it's hope and its religion. There is no point of trying to regurgitate what I learned and saw, but I want to leave you with one thing:
At this museum, so well documented that it was blunt, I realized the successes that Hitler had was not a nations fault, it was not the "German's" who were responsible. Rather, as I read and listened, one thing started gnawing into me: The fact that Hitler was able to enact a perfect symphony of ideas, thoughts and images that took over and usurped the long tradition of this country - religion! It was an act, it was a theatre, it was a beautifully orchestrated piece of fine art but above all, it happened not by chance but it was planned. Hitler, the man became a cult long before he became the emblem of the Nazi Arian state. Hitler became a god, not by chance but because he knew what he had to do, what the people wanted and what they reacted to. You might not understand my surprise, but it is know for the first time that I really understand Bonhoeffer and his critique of the church. How is it possible for one man to become deified in such a way that he could kill millions with the approval and adulation of so many people who cannot possibly be called evil all-together. Because although people were religious they had not a faith. Because the church, God's way of acting and enacting his kingdom had already failed. Were the church was not able to bring hope anymore, but only religion, only tradition, Hitler was able to take centre stage, readily conceded to him by the major churches of this country. And in a sick and fateful twist, when Hitler turned out to be nothing but a demagogue, but just another fake, he took with him the pieces of hope, trust and pride of a people and a nation. With that one bullet, he took with him the rich history of this country, the history of growth, of innovation, of proud tradition and deep faith, and replaced it with a history of millions of death's, 40 years of occupation and a hopelessness, a fatalism, a loneliness that can be seen everywhere and that is so hard to combat.
++ Picture explanation: Lonely people with nothing else to do.++
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