Cold

Today was so cold. Seriously, so cold. Coming from Iowa, I should be used to the cold, but I realized the difference between Iowans and these people in Herrnhut. We in Iowa, if I’m allowed to speak for all of us, stay inside when it’s cold. We go out to get from place to place, but we usually drive or walk short distances. We tend to stay inside rather than going out. These people are always going outside. They are always walking long distances. They are crazy. It is so cold. Today, I experienced that cold to the fullest. You know that I’ve been going to classes with the DTS, and I’ve been enjoying them. We’ve been getting to know each other, and we’ve been hearing great speakers speak on topics like eradicating extreme poverty, intercession, and living lives of worship. The speakers have been young and old, male and female, including many different ethnicities and spiritual backgrounds, but they have something in common, which is their extreme passion for the topic at hand. Some of them love playing guitar and singing songs, others love photography, and some even love “dangerous” places like Afghanistan and Ethiopian garbage cities. Their passion is contagious. It is encouraging. Everyday, we gain so much knowledge about the subject, but we also learn so much about each other and ourselves. Leaving class each day, the fire pushing us grows a little larger. It’s amazing. Today, we listened to another inspirational speaking. It was about the Moravians, the people who were sent out from Herrnhut 300 years ago. They were rejects, teenagers, homeless people, criminals. The odd crew of people became one of the most revolutionary mission movements in our western history. The crazy part is, how many of us have ever heard of them? They were radicals who carried there few possessions in their own coffins because they lived in expectancy of death at any moment. They were so passionate about reaching certain groups that they sold themselves into slavery in order to reach an unreached people group. They had no money, only Words. Many of them were the same age as me. They were some crazy people, and this morning, they gave all of us some wonderful inspiration. It was inspiration to move, to obey. Too often, we move on our own accord because we are too afraid that any other Way could work. We put too much trust in ourselves in hard times when we should be putting our trust elsewhere. I sat in a chair in the dining room, and I heard this history of the Moravians. I was moved. After the talk, we got the chance to do something few people get to do in their lives. I think more people would take advantage of this chance if they knew about it. We went to the Moravian cemetery. It’s here in Herrnhut. It’s only a 25-minute walk from the castle where I live. This is where the cold comes in. We walked there, and we stayed for about 30 minutes. The cemetery is on the outskirts of town with few trees to block the wind. It was an amazing sight, but the cold hindered our visit. I saw the grave of a 19-year old crippled boy who was the first person to tell slaves in the Caribbean Sea about Jesus. The boy was the only survivor of a boat bound for St. Thomas from Holland after it crashed against cliffs. He was left bloody, crippled, and naked on a rock in the sea. Captured later by men from St. Thomas, he was put into slavery where he became very sick from diseases that didn’t exist in Europe. Right before he died, he delivered the first sermon to the slaves of St. Thomas. That sermon saved several of the people in the crowd, and those people spread the news they had recently learned. The young, crippled, disease-ridden boy reached the unreached. In one corner of the cemetery stood a tall tower. From the tower, I could see the small village of Herrnhut, several neighboring visions, and many large windmills like the ones we have in Iowa. It was an impressive site, and it also made me feel like I was a couple centuries back seeing the small villages. It was so cold, though, so we went home. You should look up the Moravians. They are an interesting group of people that I’d like to learn more about. They were crazy, but that’s ok because they only ones for me are the mad ones. When we got home, I got something I’ve never gotten before. I got a German haircut. You may be asking yourself what a German haircut is, and the answer is simple. A German haircut is a haircut done in Germany by a German. There is a student here who used to be a hair stylist, and she offered to give anybody a haircut. If you saw me before I left Iowa, then you saw my hair. It was long, and it has finally been cut. I’m hoping to blend in with the Europeans more. I think I smile too much and talk too loud.

Tomorrow is my last day here. We are having a party, not for me. We are having an American food party: hamburgers, fries, coke, and milkshakes. We are also watching an American movie; hopefully Hot Rod. I think that has a great spirit of America in it. I don’t know if I’m in full support of an American night while we’re in Germany, but I’m down with the idea of a lot of people getting together to eat food and watch a movie. I’m excited for tomorrow. It’s going to be busy. I probably won’t write. I may not write until I get to Austria, but I will try to post something before I take off and when I get there. If you don’t hear from me when you expect to hear from me, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I already told you to check out the Moravians, and I think you should check out this website too:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1951019426/pick-a-pocket-a-collective-of-artists-fighting-ex

Watch the video and respond. It’s a group of people from here in the castle. They are good people with great hearts. They are young people who are crazy, kind of like the Moravians 300 years ago. I will talk to you soon. Let me know how you are doing. Send me a message. I’d like to know who’s actually reading this. I think all of you who care about me could send a little message saying how you’re doing or where you are. I’d love to hear from you. Until next time. Guten Nacht.