germany: day 1

 Herzlich willkommen zum Bayerischen Wald

welcome to the Bavarian Forest

Saturday morning we arose and finished our packing. We were finally getting excited about our trip to Germany. OM East (which includes Hungary, Germany, Austria) and OM Czech Republic were going in on a joint retreat. Their team has about 30 people and ours 8. OM East has been meeting for 20 years at Forstgut im Bayerischen Wald. The family that owns this beautiful holiday resort nestled in the heart of the Bavarian forest spent the years behind the Iron Curtain as a safe haven for those smuggling Bibles into the Soviet bloc countries. Now they open their rooms and their hearts for visiting missionaries free of charge (only utilities must be paid).


After a 2 and a half hour drive we arrived at Forstgut to be welcomed by our team members and those of OM East. We were shown our room which was more of an apartment with two rooms and a full bath. 

After unpacking, we headed to the dining room where everyone was having a coffee break. With my cup of coffee, I sat down and chatted with my friend, Drahuš, and caught up on the latest news. Others then joined us and we had lots of fun meeting the members of OM East and hearing their stories.

Before dinner, we took a walk through the forest along the river. Our first time ever in Bavaria.

As we are here at 
Forstgut essentially for free, we must all take turns with the cooking and cleaning for our entire group. Saturday was OM Czech's turn for lunch, dinner and then Sunday breakfast preparation and clean-up. The kitchen was big and well appointed. The dishwasher, industrial and swift. Our team worked happily together and it was a joy to serve the others. 




 Dinner was served, eaten, nay, devoured, and cleaned up. A small break was had and then time for our speaker Ernst Gassman from OM Switzerland to encourage us through his talk about our intimacy with God and its effects on our work for God's kingdom. We sat cozily on couches in the Fireside Room. Tired, yet content to be hearing God's Word in our native tongue. A joy to be sure.


Heading to bed, we were excited what this week would bring and what fresh wind God would allow to blow through us revealing new things and removing the old.


to be continued...