What a Weekend

In our first weekend here in Herrnhut, we already have been encouraged to see the very words birthed in our hearts in Cyprus so evidently align with God’s heart for this region. Thursday evening we had our first “Staun Mal” (Be Amazed) worship night with the Jesus Haus. This is a worship gathering that we will be participating in Mondays through Fridays. On Friday we hosted an erev-Shabbat dinner and were about 50 people total. It was a great time of fellowship and getting to know people, and the presence of the Lord was sweet throughout the evening. The church usually gathers for a meal on Friday evenings and then has an open time of fellowship and worship. This is an unstructured event that is meant to feel more like a family coming together than a regular “service.” We liked this, and were blessed to see community in action. Ruben and Joel led us in a time of worship, and Melissa coordinated a very entertaining, audience-involved Bible story for the “children”—though the adults perhaps laughed the louder. The story was narrated in German, and the English speakers were instructed that they must watch and guess the story at the end. Helmut (founder of House of Mercy Ethiopia) played a convincing Ethiopian, Ruben played Philip, and Norman and Joel were very lively horses pulling the chariot.

On Saturday Norm F. had the opportunity to teach in Pastor Frank’s Bible class he holds once a month. Those who come to the Bible class are from all different ages, but they share in humility and hungry hearts for the Lord. The focus was to be on the supernatural, and Norm shared personal testimony and inspiring stories from Scripture and life about how God does not need scholars or great and mighty men, but delights in using each of us for His Kingdom. Throughout the teaching, Norm led the room in declaring aloud that “God can use me,” and the cry grew louder and more confident as the teaching went on. We could see on their faces that the people were greatly encouraged by the teaching. This is exactly what the Lord has placed on our hearts, to see Germany rise up in her identity and allow their gifting and callings to be released.
Saturday evening we joined with the YWAM students for a night of worship and intercession. Our team led from 6 to 9pm, and then a YWAM student took over for the rest of the evening. The beginning of the time was definitely an opportunity to “press in,” but the Lord came with His sweet presence in such a beautiful way. After close to 3 hours of worship we had a short time for people to share what the Lord had been speaking and doing in their heart. It was so great to hear some of the guests and students testify with joy. Pastor Frank had a word of the Lord and two people responded. We had a time of praying over them, and the Lord broke through in their lives in a powerful way. We thank God that He is eager to come from the very beginning, that we don’t have to plea and beg, but just seek His face and desire His presence.

Sunday was a delightful day. We went to the church service and then enjoyed a peaceful afternoon. Some of the guys played some soccer while some of the girls enjoyed a long walk through the forest. We had several guests join us this weekend, and it has been such a blessing! Dan and Kristina Hippman and their daughter Truth joined us from Texas; Sietske and Sem Schaap from Netherlands; Michael and Kristina Mehner and Elias from Marienberg, and Livia from Dresden.

Since I wrote this text on Sunday evening, already so much has happened! Just looking back to this morning seems like long ago because God has done so much in just one day. I am so joyful to keep you updated through this blog, but I confess I will really have to stay on top of it because there is so much to testify every single day, praise the Lord! So, I desire to write often and capture the moments to share with you. So, please check back often and feel free to leave your insight. I will try to get many pictures posted along the way. Many blessings, and thank you for your continued prayer.

Hannah for the GBI Germany team