Christmas Eve is a BIG DEAL in Germany - not just the kind of shopping circus that we know from the States (that’s here too), but also a deeper, more traditional sense of “Christmas-tide” in the air: special “Christmas Markets” with stands like those at county fairs. (Brr… great thankfulness that God did not call me to sell candles outside in the winter in Berlin!)

We said “Goodbye!” to Sister Ursula and Sister Juliana this morning, took the metro to the train station and boarded the Inter-City train for Hannover - along with hundreds of other people. Everyone in Germany is headed, it seems, like Joseph and Mary, to the “place where they were born”. I was very thankful to Seanne and Daniel that they went to the trouble of standing a half hour in a long line three days ago and managed to get 3 of what were probably the last seat reservations in the entire country. We were spared wandering through the train with our luggage looking for single seats for at least a stretch of the trip. Now I’m comfortable and cozy at the Wehrenfennigs in Wetzlar (north of Frankfurt if you’re a map-searcher).

Breakfast tomorrow at 9:00am. (It’s almost 1:00 in the morning); then last minute shopping (Germans aren’t that different!); traditional church service at 5:00 in the afternoon; dinner and present opening; midnight Christmas-eve service; then, friends gathering at the Wehrenfennig’s for Doris’ birthday party (Daniel’s Mom is a “Christmas kid”), then into bed for Christmas day.

Update on “House Nazareth”: Matthias and I met with the “Notar” (German semi-judge/lawyer) yesterday to discuss the final details of the contract to be signed next Tuesday. It again became clear to us that this would not be happening if God had not built such a bridge of love and appreciation in Christ between the sisters and Philosophia. Please pray for these dear women as they quietly prepare to turn over their life-time home and work to us and go into retirement as they wait for the Lord’s call. Sister Juliane (91 years young) underwent a very serious operation on her face and still carries the marks of it. She told us a couple of days ago, “I’m glad to carry this if by doing so I can help one more person go to heaven!” That’s what I call an eternal perspective.