We’ve had some very good times with the students and with the Campus Crusade folk here. They asked us to share with their university leaders from around northern German our story and the vision for Haus Nazareth. It was a moving time, reconnecting with some and getting to know others.

We also had another amazing re-connection over a three-hour lunch with a former German campus director, Rainer Harnisch. He is now working with business leaders in China (!) and media people as well as students.  It’s almost as if God has been preparing us to work together again.  Please keep praying that we will see God’s will and way clearly and make good decisions about where the work here can best begin.

Thursday to Sunday we met with church leaders in Berlin at a mini conference called “Transforum”, where interested people came together to talk about the needs of Berlin and other large cities.  It was quite a while since we have touched base with many of these people (some of them were students when we knew them), but it was very encouraging. We met one Lutheran pastor in particular who has planted a church among former atheists. Hearing him speak and comparing notes with him showed us that much of what we have learned about sharing with secularized people is transferable!

Please continue to pray that God will lead very clearly in these first steps of putting down our roots again here.

Ready for the first patient!

The clinic has opened! (You can still hear hammering from other parts of the building, though. That will continue for some time!)

(Please don’t overlook the kind of computer being used! )

Just to give you an idea of the contrasts, here are some pictures of different parts of the project:

Our future living room needs some further work!

The old concrete retaining wall behind the basement is being  torn out.

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, February 20), bright and early, the very first patients will be coming into the medical clinic! This is a huge step toward our vision of wedding an outreach to Berlin with a feet-on-the-ground community of believers who live out their faith in daily business and professional life.

Matthias and Sieglinde cleaning up in the clinic

The ground floor and basement of Haus Nazareth will be occupied by rent-paying business offices; the upper two floors and the “Garden House” are for direct ministry activities, staff and student housing.

Tomorrow evening, after things calm down, the Haus Nazareth team and friends from across Berlin will be meeting at 8:00pm for a time of celebration, thanksgiving and prayer in the newly opened offices. If you’re in Berlin tomorrow, please join us!

I thought it would be fun to include two more photos of the remodeling activity. Hope you enjoy them!

Markus Ploner setting up the computer network in the clinic

Sieglinde with project manager Heinz Kiock

We arrived in Berlin early Tuesday evening - but two of our suitcases took a little longer to make the journey!

The main problem seems to have been our connection through London’s Heathrow Airport; apparently it’s not uncommon for baggage to get delayed there. In spite of this, we are delighted to be back in Germany.

We’ll try to update you again soon. Thanks for your friendship and prayers!

Hi friends!

We just wanted to let you know that we had to delay our flight by one week - for a very important meeting on Thursday evening. We fly a week later on this coming Monday (February 11) at 3:00pm, connecting to the same flight in Seattle. Thanks for your prayers - please ask the Lord to “transfer” them to the actual flight! Thanks!