tuesdays

In the coffee shop I pull out my laptop and moleskine notebooks, proclaiming myself to be yet another college-educated, caffeine-and-ambient-noise-loving, working for two non-profits Chattanoogan: our glowing apples, minus one bite, illuminate the barrier we raise to the room, and reveal our connection to the greater world. I've arrived at my office--or one of them, anyway.

So here I sit, in one city, moving towards another: read on for the latest update...

My church-planting team in southeast Berlin is in the process of re-visioning and re-focusing, gearing up for a renewed start in 2010. Big things are afoot in Treptow-Köpenick—and they're happening now:

--- Jay and Holly (team leaders) just moved their family to an apartment much closer to the heart of the work in Altglienicke.

--- Two women have recently come to know and trust Jesus, and a local Christian family has been getting more involved in the ministry work.

--- A family from Bavaria/America is preparing to join the team in August, he as an evangelist/mentor and she as a kindergarten teacher, which will help the team meet the goal of opening the kindergarten this coming fall.

--- Jay has been meeting with the Altglienicke volunteerism council, and in addition to teaching English, I may (potentially) serve as our team's coordinator for visiting volunteer groups—short term teams, anyone? Additionally, a teen son of our German teammates wants to develop what Jay has nicknamed a “Beitragenbörse”—a program connecting local youth (who want jobs) with local seniors (who need work done)—that I might get to supervise.

"And when," you may ask, "will you go?"

"In March?" I may respond.

In order for me to arrive and dive in, I have a pressing need: full funding by the end of February—a deadline agreed on by MTW and my team leaders. (I knew from the start this would be a possibility. This time frame makes sense for a number of reasons: I've been itinerating for two years, the team needs to be able to know, for planning purposes, when or whether I'll arrive, and the funding is, practically speaking, yet another confirmation of calling.)

So will it happen? I'm going with "Yes!" Right now, 80% of my ongoing funds are pledged! And since my one-time needs are fully met, and I have an account balance that's steadily increasing, thanks to the generosity of those who've committed and already begun giving, I may be good to go once I hit 90% of the ongoing commitments... and that's not so far away.

I know that God is more than able to meet these needs and prepare me for this work in the process. I'm learning to untangle my knots of fear with confidence in God's faithful love and provision: his joy is to increase his name in southeast Berlin, and I'm eager to be part of that! The doors to serve and bless in Altglienicke are wide open, and I'm on the verge of walking through.

If you're interested in hearing more, let me know!

In the meantime, I'm off to refill my coffee.