4 weeks in

In the past 4 weeks, a lot has been going on here at Unterwegs. The semester started 4 weeks ago and we didn’t have events at the house. Instead we were out and about on campus putting up flyers, handing out candy and ice cream just to get the word out about Unterwegs. I wore a rainbow colored full body suit in order to catch the eye and show off the fun side of Unterwegs. Our students came out and helped out a bit and that was great just to show we are just a bunch of random Americans but that people know us. It was a long week however, going straight from school to the University and advertising all day, it was a lot. We were meeting like 200 students a day, and a bunch of come by to Cafe English or Just Lunch.

The following week we began our events. Just Lunch is way better in the summer since we can have it outside. We play four-square, washers, and soccer and eat hot dogs. It’s like paradise. The weather here makes is a completely different town. In the winter, hardly anyone is outside, now I have no idea where all these people came from. I have a ice cream place not far from my apartment that sells ice cream for a euro a scoop. I can’t remember how much Cold Stone but I’m almost certain its more than that. But anyway, Just lunch was great but Tuesday is my busiest day, next is Handball and then a small group to close out the day. I don’t know if I have mentioned Handball before but I have played almost every Tuesday since January, and now I’m starting to dominate. Or at least, I think I am. It always seems like the rules only apply to me. Handball has a similar rule to Basketball that you have 3 steps or you have to dribble. But nobody sticks to this rule, and we have a referee and she never says anything. It’s like the NBA. Then when I stick to the rules and dribble, someone tells me afterward that I was “carrying”. And I want to say, “Yeah, carrying my team to victory.” But I don’t. I have tweaked Cafe English a little to be a little more Cafe. Combine that with the house reservations and it looks good. One of the teachers at the University offers extra credit if they come to Cafe English which is pretty cool and it has shown with increasing numbers. Every week I tell Beth or someone on the team, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” which of course is code for, “We’re gonna need a bigger house.” When it gets warm enough that the nights are warm, we’ll move it outside. But that week was big because it was the Unterwegs 2 year anniversary. We had a party at the house and grilled out. Some students got together and wrote us a song with the main theme being, “We are Unterwegs, we are here for everyone.” We also honored one student who graduated 2 weeks ago and has been with Unterwegs since it began. So we officially have alumni now.

Last week was our first Donnerstagabend event of the new semester. Our theme this semester is “Once upon a time…”. Basically, we picked a couple stories from Jesus’ ministry that we felt connected with and each team member we give the message of the story the picked. The stories are paraletic, Nicodemis in the tree, the healing of the blind man when he at first saw trees then say clearly, the prodigal son and then a wrap up. Mine is the blind man, I will be doing that on June 9th. Tyler talked about some stories that students were involved in and told a story about the toaster the students gave us during the break. One funny story from that night was, we all were there late and locking up and there was still one student with us and while we were walking out of the house at 1 in the morning he stops and says, “I have an announcement to make.” We all just stopped immediately and looked at him, holding our breaths. OK, it’s late at night at a campus ministry, after a bible study event, and a student that has really been engaging in Unterwegs says that. What would go through your mind? So when he invited us all to us birthday party that is today actually, we all exhaled at the same time and looked at each other like, “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”

This week we started our Vesper event. It’s a smaller bible study event we try to get our regulars to go to. It’s for team building, leadership stuff, and to go deeper with discussion. It was our first one last night, and it went really well. We showed this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao&feature=youtube_gdata_player . That was followed by discussion about the passage in one of Paul’s letters on doing things not for selfish reason but just to build another person up. Since the first bible study group started back in January, they have started popping up all over Unterwegs, and when I say that I mean like 2 or 3. But still, that’s huge. I am amazed almost everyday how quick walls go up when the word, “Christian” is brought up. The ones that get over that say we’re different from everything else out there and give it a good name. Over Easter, we went as a team to church everyday that weekend. We also invited students to come a long. And they came. The small victories we get are great, but I/we would really love a big one. The anticipation is killing me. Oh and I forgot, we had two new team members arrive. Pam and Nathan Heald are here so now Unterwegs is rolling 6 deep instead of four, with summer volunteers on the horizon. It’s great having them here, more hands, and more brains. Yesterday we became an official German nonprofit organization. We had a signing ceremony, nothing like the Deceleration of Independence like I was imagining but still a big deal. I’m an intern and a board member in the same organization, how often has that happened?

The New Unterwegs

Over the last couple of weeks, the campus house of Unterwegs has been going through intense renovations. We’ll start upstairs which is now being referred to as the “Baum Raum” (Tree Room in English). The reason is, one it rhymes, and two we painted a large red tree silhouette on one of the yellow walls. The plan is to then paint roots in the downstairs room (Beamer Zimmer, I’ll explain) on the corresponding wall. We changed the lighting in the Baum Raum to try and tone down the “fire effect” we get when we take pictures in that room. Instead of bright sconces, we opted for dimmer sliding wall lamps. We took the doors of the hinges and opened up the room a lot more. Probably one the best things we did was reupholster the 40 chairs we have. It was an ugly brown diamond pattern and is now colorful pinks oranges and reds on mostly white backgrounds. Much more fun.

The offices and game room were cleaned out and reorganized. Both were previously used for storage and have become a lot more functional for there intended use.

Then, in the “Beamer Zimmer,” we painted over the blue wall to a green gradient fading from our existing green wall to a lighter mint green color. The reason it is called the “Beamer Zimmer” is Beamer is the German word for Projector and Zimmer is another word for room, and the downstairs room is normally where we watch movies on the projector. We hung platforms from the ceiling, both upstairs and downstairs so we don’t have to use rickety old contraptions and worry about walking in front of the projector anymore. The wall explaining the staff was moved and the announcements wall was moved and the Globalscope wall is currently under construction.  Our walls are concrete so hanging things on the wall has been an adventure. I melted a drill bit down to half size. It’s reminded me a lot of drilling wells in Kenya. I’d hit something I couldn’t get through and have to start a new hole.

This week is planning week. We will be planning out the whole semester in  a week. It’s hard to believe I will be leaving in a little over 3 months. Seems like it wasn’t to long ago I was getting here last October. When I think about where the ministry was compared to where it’s at, I know God is working through us. The team is really excited about this summer. We have had record numbers at everything and we have no reason to believe that will stop with the sun and warm weather quickly approaching. We have some great students that are starting to ask questions, students that are Jesus to people even though they don’t know it. It was a difficult winter, but the life of Spring is here. Our team will grow and so will our ministry.

On Saturday Night, there was a formal dinner at Unterwegs, hosted by one of the students. We played four-square and football(soccer) in the backyard, and sang Celine Dion songs til 3 in the morning. All dressed in suits and dresses. God is here.

End of Semester One

Last night, I finished my first semester here with a bang. We had record numbers at our Thursday night event and great discussion from the students that were there. I made a video where I recorded some students mimicking the Old Spice commercials and stuck their heads on the body of the man in the actual commercial. Our numbers are up at every event we have. Also, the bible study has been going well, too. We have discussed passages in Mark and Isiah and each person really has something else they can bring to the table. Things are going really well for us as a ministry right now. Which is what you want going into a long break.

I have gotten into Handball recently. It is very difficult to play a game when you don’t understand the rules. Much like speaking a language when you don’t know the words. Anyway, in my first game, I managed to take down (hard) the best player and hit one of my friends in the groin with the ball (we’re still friends). A handball is like a soccer ball that is a little bigger than a softball. In all fairness, he was the goalie and I was trying to score. I was also the leading scorer on our team. I don’t know if that speaks to my rocket arm or the rocket arms of my teammates.

It’s hard to believe I am already at the end of my first semester, basically halfway done with my time here. Of course, I had a month break in the States, but even still. The next 2 months will be more relaxed, no more events except the Super Bowl party and a dinner on Thursday nights. I’m making taco salad this Thursday for that. I have enjoyed it here. I have made some really good friends being here. I will miss them when I leave. Students are coming closer to God here, little by little. I look back at where we were in October when I got here and I am amazed at the progress we have made in the lives of the students and in our own. I think I will have some great posts in the months to come.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag

Well, I am back in Germany, but it is very different than when I left it. New team members are here, old team members are gone, and I live in a new place. My time at home was good and I enjoyed seeing my friends and family for a short time. I ended up leaving the US five days later than expected because of various issues (stand-by ticket trouble, full airplanes, etc.). I finally, arrived two Wednesdays ago. That was a long day. As you know, Cafe English is on Wednesdays and I am now in charge of that. So I dropped my stuff off at Unterwegs and went straight to school, then back to Unterwegs for a meeting, then to lunch, then to Unterwegs to set up and have Cafe. Needless to say, that was a long day. We had a concert at Unterwegs that Thursday. Jochen, one of our students, also plays in a band, Learning from Larry, and they played a concert where we came close to breaking Unterwegs record for most people at an event. Previously broken earlier this semester on Thanksgiving (77-ish). I slept that weekend but during the day which really messed me up. Even still I am having problems with jet lag, I am so tired by 9 in the evening. Which is new for me. This week was very, very busy. We are doing the work, previously done by 6, with 4. But it was a good week. We had the most we have ever had at a Thursday night bible study, and we had new students involved.  It’s an exciting time, but very exhausting. The break is in two weeks, and I do look forward to the opportunity to spend time with Students and not worry about events. But I do enjoy the events too. It’s a catch 22. Anyway, we will be starting up the first ever bible centered small group this week, which I will be leading. I’m kind of nervous, I’ve lead things like this before but I always stress over what are we going to talk about and things of that nature. My birthday was yesterday and I was surprised by many friends with cake. I had ALOT of cake. So it was a good birthday, but at the same time, I missed being home and celebrating with friends and family. A lot of time, we wonder in this line of work, “How close are we with the students?” Meaning when will we have a break through and someone comes closer to the kingdom. Some weeks you think you are right around the corner, and some you feel like you couldn’t be farther. This was one where I feel like I could be giving an amazing update before my time is done here.

Winter Wonderland

Upon my return to Tübingen from Berlin this weekend, and by using my incredible observation skills, I deducted that it had snowed the entire time I was gone. Everything was white and has been since then. Along with that the temperatures have been in the teens consistently. Now it feels like Germany. It is a little more work, shoveling and all, but worth it for a good snowball fight.

Berlin was a fun trip, and it was also the first time I had been with all Germans for an extended period of time. There was a little culture shock involved that added a little stress to the trip, but it was very interesting nevertheless. I also had very good, meaningful conversations with students that helped bring me back to Earth and remind me why I am here.

Sometimes it’s hard here because we are constantly on this roller coaster to figure out how close God is with students to having a break through in their faith. They are great students that are always willing to help but then they turn around and say things that make us scratch our head. We can have great deep conversation and then they can never connect the dots. They all know that Unterwegs is different but I wonder when is someone going to wonder why? I always think we are so close to having a great story to tell and then there are days I think we have a lot of work to do and a long ways to go. I know it is a question of when rather than if though, I just hope to be here to see it happen.

This week was a very stretching week since we got in late Sunday night and then went right into a busy week full of events. I have been in-charge of announcement videos ever since I got here. At our Thursday night event, the program concludes with a short, funny video that includes the times and dates of upcoming events. This week, we chopped up the “It’s Christmas Charlie Brown,” holiday classic and made it only about 4 and a half minutes long. Then, since it needs to be in German, me and 3 other students (Freddy, Fiete, Fabian) dubbed over it. It was a lot of fun hearing them try to do the girl parts, fake laughing, cheesy singing. The video always carries a little stress because you need a new, good idea every week. I wasn’t sure about it this week until we recorded, but it’s the best one I think now. It was a pleasant surprise in a very full week.

Hard to believe I will be back in the USA in about a week (12/14). But then again it seems like I have been here forever.

Double Happy Thanksgiving

Last week was a lot of stress and this week has been the opposite. Last week was thanksgiving for 70 which felt like 500 and for the first time, I spoke to a large crowd in German. I said, “I am thankful for my friends, my family, and the people that got me to Germany.” I don’t remember the last part in German but many people were very impressed. It was a big success that night and a record for people at an Unterwegs event. I carved the turkey, also my first time, so I was running back-in-forth from the kitchen to the computer watching a video on Youtube. It was a lot of fun to have so many people and so many new people that were brought by our core students.

Sunday night, I was walking back from a student’s house. It took the whole 15 minute walk for a carton of grape juice to leak through my backpack, jacket and 3 shirts I was wearing. Grape juice, not the milk or the apple juice in my back pack, the grape juice. Then, on Monday, I was trying to get off the bus to go to school and I got trapped by people on the bus and was taken half a mile the wrong direction before I got off. I was a half an hour late. Just a few things that weren’t funny at the time but they are now.

Today we had our own Thanksgiving, which was great. We had a friend from our sister campus ministry in England, Canvas, join us, Jason Tatum. It was fun to sit around with Americans and speak in English, and just relax. One of the things that exhausts me is, it is always my responsibility to make sure everyone is having fun around me. This works for my personality but it is something that is hard to sustain when you aren’t in the mood. One of the things I look forward to over my break.

I am about to head to Berlin for the weekend with a friend. My first trip in Europe, I hear a lot of good things about Berlin and since we are driving and staying with friends, saving a lot of money.

Another hard thing is being patient with students. Students have really taken to me. I am described as a Lumberjack, I guess because I wear flannel to stay warm. But I enjoy hanging out with them. It’s just tough to hold your tongue and wait until there is a strong relationship there to start taking shots and trying to go deep. Americans have a reputation in Germany as being people that will ask questions but really don’t care so I’m trying to avoid that. But it is a good problem to have.

Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks, until then Happy Thanksgiving and GO JACKETS!

Preparing for Thanksgiving

We are getting ready for our biggest event of the year at Unterwegs. Thanksgiving. We celebrate it here a week early and have a big feast for the students. We are expecting around 70 people to attend. Our normal events tend to max out around 30 people so this is a big deal for us and a big chance to bring in some new people to the community. Yesterday I had lunch and dinner at the homes of two different groups of students. I have been doing a lot of that lately. For those of you who don’t know I will be returning to Atlanta on December, 14th for a few weeks. That seems like it is just right around the corner. It gets dark very early here and today was very gray all day. When it is sunny here, it seems like a totally different place. I want to see everyone and talk about things and go do things but when its dark and gray and rainy, different story. But the ministry is doing well and we continue to grow and get new people every week. The typical German student is very relaxed and studious. This is something we are always trying to fight. We think 3 hours of studying in one day is plenty. I have had a lot of good conversations with students about life, family, significant others, and stuff like that. The hard thing is just being patient with them, there is so much to share but you just have to give it time. Thanks to everyone who is supported me through emails, comments, and other means. I have really appreciated it and knowing I have so many people praying for me keeps me going on long days. A lot of you have asked for my email address and mailing address so here it is. clgodwin at gmail.com

Wilhelmstrasse 100
Tübingen 72074 Germany

There are now pictures

They are on the pictures page

Pictures

I know everyone is waiting for some photos, which I promise will be up as soon as I have some to put up.

Catch Phrase

I was in charge of coming up with the game for this week at Cafe English and I thought Catch Phrase would be a good choice. I made 200 cards with words and phrases on them of varying difficulty. Or at least I thought. Apparently they were a little hard, phrases like “Rock my world,” or “What goes up most come down.” I cannot take full blame thought because one student tried to describe the “Santa Maria” as a Latin song, and after 30 seconds of being frustrated that no one could get it, he said “Oh, it’s also a ship that Christopher Colombus sailed on.” Instantly everyone got it. It was one of the funnier games of Catch Phrase I have played though.

I have my first German test tomorrow, then I will move up to the next level. It is so confusing. Every noun has a gender and an article, one of three. But those 3 change depending on the context. And it’s not like Spanish where if the word ends in “o” it’s masculine, you either memorize it or guess. I have been guessing a lot. That’s the hardest part, everything else isn’t so bad. It just takes forever for me to translate it in my head and rearrange the sentence to make sense.

Saturday night I was cooking with a friend, he was cutting onions and I was cutting chili peppers. The onions made me tear up so I tried to clear my eyes with my wrist but I got some pepper in it. I will never do that again. I thought my eyeball would explode into flames.

Tomorrow night is the Schnitzeljagt (scavenger hunt) which I made and map for and will post here. Students are going to be running all around Tubingen dressed up like whatever for Halloween, looking for stuff. Germans don’t really celebrate Halloween, not like in America, and they think that the costume must be scary, like no cowboys or ninjas, only ghosts and zombies. I don’t know if vampires from Twilight count or not.

Students are really taking to me which is cool, nice to have friends that aren’t coworkers. Our first Bible Study of the year was week and went really well. We talked about why community is important to have. In a discussion with a few students, I discovered a lot of misconceptions about church as a community. Next week is number two and we will be discussing why one should serve. Days are long and nights are short so downtime is a real treasure here. I have gotten a lot of support from friends and family since I got here so I just want to thank you all for that, it means the world to me. Thank You!