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Messiah Reformation Trip to Germany
2008
Bev brought a pedometer along so that we could count the number of steps taken as we retrace Luther's life. We will log the number of Luther steps taken at the end of each day.
The cast of this adventure include:
Alysia Dodd
Ross Holmes
Rebecca Tishey
Lacey Bonner
The Abees - Pastor Craig, Ginny, Isaac and Hannah
The Bresettes - Rich, Bev, Christopher and Kaitlyn
The Crofts - Jim, Sherry, Daniel and Ryan
Andreas -(aka Jack) Our German guide for the week. He is 18 years
old and just graduated from high school. He did an awesome
job and his command of the English language is very good. Our
entire group enjoyed his company and the teens really bonded
with him. Friendships have been created that are sure to last.
Lisa - Andreas' girlfriend who lives in a town about 70 km away. She is also 18 and graduating from high school. We met her the
second day in Eisleben and she joined us for bowling. Her
English is very good also and she helped translate our menu at
one of the local restaurants (a task that Andreas also performed
many times through the week). She was instrumental in
planning, and joined us for one of our side trips later in the trip.
All the teens enjoyed her company as well as Andreas'.
June 27/28, 2008
What a long day! We left Messiah a little after 7:00 am. A BIG thank you goes to Gus for a safe drive to the Charlotte airport. We flew on a Comair regional jet to JFK. During the next 5 hours while we waited for the next plane the younger part of our group explored the terminal before finally settling down in the food court. The more "experienced" part of the group had a sit-down lunch and checked out the coffee locations for use later during the layover. We have discovered the first thing Sherry and Bev want to know at each destination is "Where is the coffee?" After a late lunch we gathered at the gate to charge up IPods, play games, and watch how many different ways Ross would lay across seats and luggage to nap.
Now on to a 767 for our flight to Berlin. Unfortunately, we waited for over close to 2 hours on the ground in the plane before we took off. A good tailwind made up some of that time so we were not too late arriving. We all decided that you have to be a contortionist to sleep in coach.
First task in Germany: find the WC, the symbol for water closet, (bathrooms). Next up is to buy our group day tickets for the bus and trains. We took the bus to the main train station and then walked a few blocks to the hostel. Rich decided we needed a little extra exercise and we took the "scenic route" to the hostel. We still were able to find our way eventually. Nothing really on the agenda so we went downtown and walked around. We found a "doner kebap" stand and we sampled doner kebaps (lamb meat on pita), bratwurst and pommes (sausage and French fries), and by Manfred's suggestion - the currywurst. All were excellent. We walked to the Berliner Dome - a magnificent Lutheran cathedral with its own crypt and museum. The Dome provided the first sighting of the Luther Rose and the first of many Luther statues. We also used the stop as an opportunity to visit the WC. Daniel learned a valuable lesson for the group. You actually have to pay to use some of the WCs! As he left the bathroom attendant came to chase him down for the 40 cent to use the facilities. He did not have change and she definitely did not like the fact he only had a 5 euro. She gave him change in all coins, so at least he can now afford to use the WC wherever we go.
"The Berlin Dome was beautiful, it just showed how much artistry God can give to people, and even though the walk to the roof of the building seemed dangerous at times, it was definitely worth it. The inside of the building as well was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen and it showed me how much beauty there can be in the little things, such as the organ; it wasn't the main attraction but it was gorgeous at the same time."
-Lacey Bonner
Back to the hostel to meet the Abees and we all went to a neighborhood Italian restaurant for an enjoyable meal.
Thirty-six hours after leaving Messiah and with only a nap on the plane, we finally headed off to sleep.
Luther Steps taken: 13,710
June 29, 2008
Up early for breakfast and to pack our belongings. We took the S train to the Kaiser Wilhelm Church for worship, where we also met our guide Andreas. The service was interesting but all in German. We were able to follow the service and share communion. We worshipped in a newer sanctuary adjacent to the original church, which was destroyed by bombing during WW II but was left standing as a memorial. The stained glass windows of the new church were partially composed of the broken bits of stained glass from the original church windows. After worship we split in two groups; the youth and Andreas went hunting for food while the adults, Hannah, and Kaitlyn found a quaint German restaurant.
Now that we are fully nourished - physically and spiritually - we head back to the hostel to collect our bags and then go to the train to start the journey to Eisleben. We took three trains and about four hours to reach Eisleben. What a pleasant surprise to find the father and sister of Andreas waiting for us at the station. His father took our bags to the hotel while we strolled through the village - What hospitality! We were also invited to join them at the Catholic parish hall that evening to watch the European Cup championship game where Germany played Spain. We grabbed a quick dinner at the Greek restaurant next to the hotel and then most of the group watched the second half of the game. Very friendly people and all in a good mood despite the fact that Germany lost 1 -0.
"Another good lesson learned was to never make fun of German soccer. While waiting in the train station Ross, Ryan, Chris, and I decided to cheer for Spain. The Germans around us quickly began to yell "Spainard!". We quickly got on the train and waited to leave. Andreas told us never to do that again. In Eisleben, this was really shown in how dedicated they all were."
-Daniel Crofts
Off to bed for some much needed rest!
Luther Steps taken: 10,370
June 30, 2008
We were early to rise and after a hearty German breakfast we took the bus through the picturesque town and on to Mansfeld Castle. Mansfeld means "Man field" and the legend is that a man was to be given as much land as he could plant fruit. Rather than walking as he sowed, he rode a horse to plant the seeds far apart, covered a great distance, and therefore was given a large tract of land. At the castle, Andreas shared a German pastime: "Box Climbing." Andreas demonstrated first. He was attached to a belay line and then he started stacking and climbing plastic crates. He reached 16 crates before tipping over. His personal best is 22 boxes. The tour guide has reached 26 boxes and the best he has seen is 32 boxes! Our group champion was Ross who reached a height of 15 boxes.
"I've never had an experience quite like box climbing. It took a lot of balance but it was fun and it was interesting seeing different people's techniques for climbing."
-Isaac Abee
"The box climbing was a lot of fun, and in watching the people go before me I thought it would be really easy. My mind was changed when I got 11 boxes high and looked down; it made it hard to keep balanced while trying to stack more boxes on top. The best part of the climb was the fall; although, it requires extreme concentration."
-Daniel Crofts
Now for a tour of the Mansfeld Castle. It was originally three castles for the three Counts of Mansfeld, one Catholic, one practicing Protestant and a Protestant (but in name only). The practicing Protestant was a defender of Martin Luther. The castle is now a religious youth retreat and hostel. Andreas shared that it is his spiritual home. We were given a tour of the original castle ruins and the castle chapel. It was very impressive and full of religious symbols. We have learned quite a bit about St. Anne who is important to the people of this region. She was the mother of Mary and the patron saint of miners. This region was famous for its copper and silver mines (Luther's father, Hans, owned copper mines). In many of the churches are statutes of St. Anne with Mary as a child sitting on one side of her lap and Jesus as a baby on the other - three generations. St. Anne is also important to Luther because she was the saint to which he pled for help when he was traveling in a life-threatening lightning storm. He cried out "Save me St. Anne and I will become a monk!"
Now back to Eisleben to meet our guide, Dorothee, at the Market Square for a tour of the sites of Eisleben. Saw St. Peter and St. Paul church where Martin Luther was baptized one day after birth. (November 11th of this year marks the 525th anniversary of his baptism.) Also went to St.
Andrew's church - we viewed the actual pulpit from which Luther preached his last four sermons. He couldn't finish his last sermon (Feb. 15,1546) because his health was so deteriorated and he was so weak. He died three days later (go to July 4th entry to see his grave in Wittenburg). Also
visited a great museum next to the birthplace of Luther. It is the one of the oldest museums in Europe, established in 1693. Dorothee ended the tour by bringing us to St. Anne's church (first Lutheran church in Mansfelder). There we saw unique "Stone Bible" and ornate pulpit both which told Biblical stories in pictures. In the evening we met back up with Andreas and his girlfriend Lisa for some German bowling.
Luther Steps taken: 11,007
July 1, 2008
We took the train to Erfurt, our next destination. After arrival we ate lunch explored a few shops, and then walked to the Augustine Monastery where Martin Luther was a monk. The monastery was very interesting and gave a good idea of the hard, disciplined life Luther (as a monk) led. We recognized parts of monastery from the movie "Luther".
You can never keep the power of God hemmed in. Today we saw the place in the monastery (at least in the movie) where Martin committed his life to God as a monk. He lay in a cruciform position before the altar, and over the grave of the bishop that had seen to it that John Hus was burned at the stake. John Hus, lived a 100 years before Luther and promoted the same kind of reforms that Luther would later set down in the 95 Theses. John Hus was said to have cried out - ‘today you burn a goose, but a 100 years from now will come a swan that cannot be suppressed' (a swan is often a symbol for Luther). God will do what God will do. It would be good to learn this lesson as early as possible - With God, it is best to go along from the start.
- Pastor Craig
We then took a tour of Erfurt the city; our city tour guide was very entertaining. He showed us Luther's boarding house and pointed out that the students, as young as 16, were given an allotment of two and a half liters of beer each day (beer was safer than drinking the contaminated water).
On to the site of Luther's university which is in the middle of an extensive renovation. Across the street was the university church - St. Matthews, a beautiful but simple church. Here our guide, who is also a musician, played several of Martin Luther's hymns on his trumpet including "A Mighty Fortress." The acoustics were awesome and it was a very moving experience.
As we walked through the streets, our guide taught us several interesting facts. For example, the way the beer houses advertise that they have fresh beer is to display a bundle of wheat in an opening in the exterior wall above the door. Also, they did not use street numbers but rather used names for different stores or beer houses. For Example, "Meet me at the Gold Swan" or at the "Red Bull."
We continued to a street that appeared to be on a small hill. We learned that it is actually a bridge with stores on each side of it. It is called "Merchants' Bridge" and it is a very coveted location for shops. In order to open a shop you have to demonstrate that you can provide some kind of unique product or service. Some of the stores include pottery, artwork, glass, antiques, toys, herbs and a little café. We walked down to the river's edge. It was shallow and very clear. The guide explained that outside of the city is a system of channels that control the level of the river. When extra water is allowed to flow, it became very muddy and led to the name of the city (Erfurt = Earth Fort). The name is derived from all of the earth in the river.
We next climbed a hill to visit the magnificent St. Mary's (where Luther was ordained as priest) and St. Severi cathedrals. They had signs asking for silence in the sanctuary... but they didn't need to tell us that. We were already struck dumb from awe of walking into such a glorious, spiritually inspiring place.
"We also looked at St. Mary's Cathedral and that was the most beautiful church of them all, with the dark sanctuary with all the stained glass windows it made me cry. It really made me open my eyes so much further to what God has in store for us in heaven, because heaven is so much more beautiful than the most gorgeous cathedrals in the world."
-Rebecca Tishey
Well you can imagine that we have worked up quite an appetite by now. We found an Italian restaurant in the Fish Market Square. Excellent meal and dessert (we earned it!) We caught the train back to the hostel for our daily 15 minute wrap-up of highs, lows and Luther moments. It was after 11:00 pm before we got to our rooms.
Luther Steps taken: 14,268 New record!
July 2, 2008
Breakfast at 7:00 am because we are going to Eisenach for a day trip. We arrived early and while Pastor Craig searched for a bank, we split up and visited the shops in the town. The boys found a neat outdoor store that sold Jack Wolfskin gear (outdoor apparel). We boarded a bus that took us to a parking area. From here, we were told to expect a 40 minute hike uphill to the Wartburg Castle. The climb seemed to go on for a little while, but as we rounded a curve in the road we had the wonderful surprise that that we were already there! It was only about 15 - 20 minute walk. It was a beautiful view but it was very warm. We decided to lunch in the café before the only English tour at 1:30. This was the first time we actually had ice in our drinks! The castle is where Luther was kept when he was "kidnapped" during his excommunication. The "kidnapping" was actually a ploy designed by Prince Frederick the Wise to bring Luther to safety after the Diet of Worms since his life was in danger. It is a neat castle that was also the home to St. Elizabeth of Thuringia. One impressive room was entirely covered in mosaics that described the life of St. Elizabeth. We visited the room in which Luther worked and slept. We were surprised to learn that his room was actually on the ground floor. Many in our group pictured it as a room that was up high in a tower and just under the roof. We thought it would be in an isolated part of the castle. Another interesting fact we learned is that the story of the ink spot on the wall is really a myth. The story goes that while working on his translation of the New Testament into German, Satan appeared to him, taunting him, and Luther threw his ink well at him. Supposedly, it created an ink spot on the wall. Apparently, since so many people came to see this ink spot the museum staff years ago starting putting ink on the wall to satisfy the visitors. These visitors would scrape a little ink off the wall as souvenirs and as the ink disappeared, the staff would add more. Over time, this practice created a large hole in the plaster. The museum no longer adds ink.
After the tour, we visited the gift shop for postcards. Bev, Sherry and Alysia bought a book called Footsteps of Luther, which is a good summary of our tour (Sherry donated one of these books to be enjoyed by the Messiah family - check it out in the office!). Christopher also bought a very nice chess set.
"I liked the castles and the cathedrals and in the Wartburg Castle I especially liked the mosaic room which tells the story of the life of St. Elizabeth of Thuringia. The Berliner Dom, which we saw on our first day, was very elaborate. All the castles and cathedrals were very beautiful and each had a neat story to tell."
-Kaitlyn Bresette
On the bus, we decide to split the group again. Alysia, the Abee family, Christopher and Rich stayed in Eisenach for a tour of Johann Sebastian Bach's House while the rest of the group returned to Erfurt for shopping on the Merchants' Bridge. The two groups rejoined and found a restaurant for dinner. Some of the young men were enamored with our waitress; she was very cute. We were looking forward to ice cream and apple strudel but they were out of ice cream! We started back for the S Train and decided the only option available for ice cream was McDonald's. We pleasantly discovered that many of the McDonald's here also have a McCafe attached to it and they serve gourmet coffee and awesome desserts. After a long but enjoyable day we head back to the hostel to check the condition of our laundry. We had quick dry clothes strung from one end of our room to the other. Had we known what was in store for us the next day we may have delayed the laundry and just carried soap with us.
"The Wartburg Castle was really neat since we received a tour in English through the main part of the castle where all of the main exhibits were. Then our tour guide led us to the museum where we spent some more time. In the museum, they had numerous artifacts from different periods of the castle's history. We ended the tour by seeing the room in which Luther spent ten months of his life translating the Bible. Our tour guide was wonderful and had a great many stories to tell us along the way. Overall it was a great experience."
-Christopher Bresette
Luther Steps taken: 11,046
July 3, 2008
Today we will make our way from Erfurt to Dessau. We arrived at a very nice hostel and quickly dumped our bags in the rooms. Some even had time to lighten their daypacks. Unfortunately, many decided to take out the rain jackets that had not been used the entire week (bad idea).
Our group has divided into two. Pastor Craig, Ginny and Hannah are staying in Dessau to tour, particularly the Bauhaus architecture. The highlight of their time in Dessau is a visit to the Bauhaus-Museum. It is devoted to the famous art school founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius and is one of the most influential art institutions of the 20th
Century. The Nazis closed it in 1933. This was of special interest to Pastor Craig and Ginny because of his interest in architecture.
The rest of the group boarded a train for a two-hour trip to a WW II concentration Labor camp located in Langstein. Lisa (Andreas' girlfriend) rode her bike to the station that was the next to the last stop and joined us for this field trip. Lisa's initial recommendation was to take taxis to the memorial, but the group decided to walk the same route that the prisoners were forced to take. As luck would have it, it started to rain just prior to arriving to Langstein and a steady rain continued the rest of the day.
Thought we were all soaked, we all agreed that the inclimate weather really set the mood for this trek. It took an hour and 15 minutes to reach the memorial and then Andreas and Lisa gave us a guided tour. Even though was not a death camp, (but a work camp), many died in the one year it was in existence due to inhuman work conditions. We saw the barracks, locations of mass graves, the site of executions called the "Death Pine" and several memorials erected in memory of the victims. There were even Americans who lost their lives in this camp. Despite being soaked and the large amount of walking, we all felt that it was well worth the effort and we were very glad Andreas suggested this side trip.
"I thought the rain really set the mood for our visit to the concentration camp.. To think they had to do hard work in worse conditions 12 hours a day 7 days a week without a break, not even on Christmas. It is difficult to think human beings could do that to other human beings."
-Isaac Abee
"Although we were walking in the rain for hours and were up till 2:30 in the morning, I took more from this experience than any other. Just feeling the way the captives there felt all year for half a day made me appreciate the life I live 1000 times more."
-Ross Holmes
Back to the train station. We board the train to Dessau and while we are on this train it passes midnight and it is now officially July 4th. The teens conspired with Andreas and he
taught them to sing "Happy Birthday" in German so they can serenade Bev with the birthday song. We are enjoying our company so much that we mistakeningly get off the train one stop too early! Andreas realized it and tried to open the doors again but it is too late. Not only is it is the last train but there are no taxis in sight. Alysia and Andreas try to phone for a taxi and after several attempts finally get one. An eight-passenger van arrives and it takes 2 trips to get everyone home. It really turned into quite an adventure and resulted in the first taxi ride for Lacey, Becca, Ryan, Daniel, Isaac, and Alysia. Off to bed!
Luther Steps taken: 19,595
Another new record! We think this will stand for quite a while.
July 4, 2008
We travel to Wittenberg. We arrive early enough to eat lunch prior to our tour of the Luther sites. We meet our guide at the Castle Church - the site of Martin Luther's grave and where the 95 thesis were posted. We learned that they were posted on October 31st and that is significant because
it was the day before All Saints Day. Every year on All Saints Day Frederick the Wise would put his vast collection of religious relics on display. If you paid an entrance fee, you could enter and if you walked around the displays, you would be absolved of your sins. You could also buy indulgences. Martin Luther posted his thesis the day before this busy occasion on purpose - he knew the most people possible would see them. Castle Church is also where we saw both Philip Melachton (Luther's colleague, famous teacher, and fellow writer of the Augsburg confession) and Luther's graves.
We visited the house and workshops of Lucas Cranach - the famous painter of the Reformation and only artist to paint Luther, his parents and his wife. Cranach was extremely important to the Reformation because at that time many people could not read, so pictures were the most accessible form of communication.
At the town square we saw a statute of Luther, significant because it was the first statute in a town square to be of someone who was not descended of royalty.
At St. Mary's church, we see where he preached about 2,000 sermons. His pulpit was very small and he had to preach while kneeling. The Christmas service of 1521 was the first Protestant service in Germany. It was held by Luther's followers while Luther was in hiding at the Wartburg Castle. It was the first time the entire congregation was invited to be involved in the service. At communion, there was wine and bread for all - not just the church leaders.
We ended at Martin Luther's house where we toured the Museum now housed there. It is a neat museum and we were impressed by the size of its collection. Outside there is a statute of Katarina (Luther's wife) walking hurriedly, because she was such a busy woman. Luther affectionately called her "Mr. Kate" because she so efficiently ran the home and student boarding house, kept track of finances, and even brewed her own beer!
After the museum, we took time to do a little shopping and then have Italian ice and coffee. We rode the train back to Dessau and ate dinner at the hostel. We then walked to a restaurant on the Elbe River and ate a variety of desserts including Apple Strudel, in celebration of Bev's birthday. Sherry even presented Bev with a "Happy Birthday" hat that looked like a cake with candles. We must have been quite a sight walking down the street. Back to the hostel to get a good night's sleep.
In Wittenberg, on the outside of the church that Martin Luther was pastor and preached over 2000 sermons is a pig. In the bible the Jews were told not to eat pig meat, so it was an insult to them whenever they walked by. There was also the engraving of a word that meant God, but the Jews would not say it, and so it was another insult. When the war was over the Germans asked the Jews, "do you want us to take down the pig?" The Jews said no, because they thought it was part of their history even though it was painful and not right. They put a monument on the ground under the pig. It is four tiles and something trying to get out between the cracks. To me, it represents that even though the sadness was gone, it is still a part of them. I thought that was strong of them. It changed my point of view in many ways.
-Hannah Abee
Luther Steps Taken: 13,894
July 5, 2008
After a quick breakfast, we are given one of Andreas' famous "challenges." We have about 5 minutes to walk from the hostel to the bus stop if we are to make our train. At the beginning of the trip, Andreas noted that we did not keep quite the pace that Germans do. As the week progressed Andreas gave us increasingly more difficult challenges. For example, we have four minutes to get from one train to the next or we will have to wait another hour. All of our walking has really paid off and we think Andreas was impressed by our improvement. Sadly, it was time to say good-bye to Andreas; our awesome tour guide, and now our friend. After he put us on our train to Berlin he boarded his train for Eisleben.
Once in Berlin, we boarded one of the city tour buses for an overview of the city. During the tour, the bus stops several times and we can get off to tour and shop and then reboard the next bus. We ate lunch in the area near the Kaiser Wilhelm Church (where we worshipped last Sunday). Sherry finally had her brat in a roll. We saw many landmarks including Checkpoint Charlie. We departed the bus at Brandenburg Gate and there was actually an American Festival taking place there. Quite a crowd celebrating the opening of a new American Embassy. We also saw the Holocaust Memorial and the Reichstag. Finally, we walked back to the main train station for some last minute shopping. For some reason we need extra bags to get everything home. The Abees have an early flight out so they opted for an earlier dinner. The rest of the group returned to the Italian restaurant we visited on our first night in Berlin. It seems like we have come full circle.
"The German hospitality was fantastic. When we first met Jack (Andreas), he introduced himself and told us facts about himself. This was just the beginning of the hospitality. We experienced grand hospitality throughout the week; for instance, when we arrived in Eisleben Jack's father met us at the train station with a van to take our luggage so we did not have to carry it to the hotel. Another example of hospitality was in Dessau where the bus driver dropped us off in front of the hostel even though it was not a real bus stop. This allowed us to check in and make the bus to the train station so we could go to the concentration camp. Throughout the week, many of the Germans we met were very eager to try and speak English to us. This made it much easier than for us to try and speak German. Overall, the most hospitable people were Jack and Lisa. As we told Jack at our last dinner together, he made the trip. Lisa and Jack were both extremely helpful and willing."
-Ryan Crofts
Luther Steps Taken: 15,359
July 6, 2008
It is time to bid Germany farewell. We arise for an early breakfast and then walk to the bus stop for the TXL bus. We arrive early for our check in and that was a smart move. It looked like it will be a full flight. After check in, we visited a souvenir shop for some last minute shopping. The flight to JFK was over eight hours long. Our five hour layover in JFK stretched into more than seven as flights were delayed due to severe weather. We finally arrived in Charlotte, and Dennis and Shiloy Barry meet us at the airport at 12:30 am. What a great sight to see the Messiah bus picking us up. Thanks to the Berrys for the late night bus ride! It has been a long, wonderful week, and we know we will continue to reflect on all that we have heard, seen and experienced.
Luther Steps Taken: 6,620
Grand Total of Luther Steps Taken for the entire trip: 115,869
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