Istanbul, Friday, 23 May 2008

Back in February, I emailed the Rev. Brent Smith, who lives and works here in Oberursel, if we could get together sometime to chat over lunch. Later that week, he sent an unexpected reply. "Would you be interested in a Muslim immersion trip in Istanbul?"

"Sure!"

Even more remarkable than this invitation was that the very next week I received an unexpected gift from my congregation back home that covered the cost of this trip - and I hadn't even told anyone about it.

The Rev. Dr. Herbert Hoefer teaches World Religions and Theology at Concordia University, Portland. He'd hoped to offer this immersion experience as a course, but didn't draw much interest. But here in Germany, Brent, myself, Ryan (the other seminary exchange student here with me) and Rachel, who also works here in Oberursel, we had enough to make the trip worthwhile. Dr. Hoefer arrived in Oberursel on Tuesday, which allowed us to get together on Wednesday and Thursday to get to know each other and get a few introductory seminars on Islam. (Dr. Hoefer had done some traveling in the Middle East last fall to take care of some of the groundwork and networking for this trip.)

We met at 5:15 Friday morning and headed to the Frankfurt airport, where we caught a 7:25 flight to Istanbul on Turkish Airways.

[The first stop was Marmara University, where we received a series of presentations on Islam from their theological faculty.]

[That evening we checked into our hotel. This is the view from our room. You can see across the Bosphorus Strait over to the European side, with the "Blue Mosque" (six minarets) on the left and the Hagia Sophia (four minarets) on the right. Right below our hotel was the ferry landing and a container yard.]

[We dropped off our bags and went down poolside to meet with our guide, Aydin, and his Imam (known for his perfect memorization of the Koran). We were able to ask some more candid questions and gained some unique insights into the religion that claims 1.2 billion followers, globally.]

[The Harem Otel. So-named for the neighborhood, not what you think.]

[Sunset on the Maramar Sea. You can see the silhouette of the ferry in the foreground and the Galata Tower in the background.]

60. Jubiläum (19.05.2008)

Today is the 60th anniversary (60. Jubiläum) of the beginning of theological instruction at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel! The official celebration is in three weeks, but after chapel this morning, a photo shoot for the new Hochschule brochure provided the perfect opportunity to sit in the sun with friends and enjoy some "Kaffee und Kuchen" - two of my favorite things! (The "props" for the photo shoot were, in fact, delicious! Andrea has been busy taking photos this spring for the new brochure.) So, on this special occasion, I wish you God's peace. Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone the glory)!

[L-R: Andreas Otto, Ryan Loeslie, Roland Johannes, Andreas Berg]

[Foreground: Tino Bahl, Helmut Paul; Background: Andrea Otto, Thomas Beneke, Anna Bartelt]

[Sebastian Anwand, me]

[Little Sophie asked Adreas if she could try on his "Brille"]

Der Hausmeister

You can hear him before you see him. The caretaker for the Hochschule is a gentleman in his 50s. He's always got a smile on his face when you greet him - but communication proves difficult (even for the Germans); he's got a heavy Hessian accent. (Hesse is the state I live in. When I flew to Germany last fall, I was sitting next to a couple for almost 20 minutes thinking "what language is that" before I found out they were German and from Hesse.) The students and residents here laugh that we never need an alarm on Saturday morning. Every Saturday he's out with his leaf blower - a large gas-powered apparatus - at about 9:30 - to the bane of any student who reveled into the wee hours on Friday night. (Last fall I saw him blowing the leaves out of the trees in a preemptive strike.) So, here is how I will always remember Herr Reichel, "der Hausmeister" (this picture is worth the "click" to see a larger version):

Brunnenfest

This weekend is Oberursel's "Brunnenfest" (Fountain Festival). It's a lot like the Christmas Market - except fewer booths selling gifts and more booths selling beer and food. It's nice - they block off all the streets in the "Altstadt" (the old part of the city). In front of every building and shop is a food or beverage stand and it seemed like every street also had some live music. It started Friday, so that evening, 14 of us from the Hochschule walked downtown and enjoyed the weather, the food, the beer and some good conversation!

Sankt Johannes Gemeindechor (14.05.2008)

One of the truly wonderful experiences this year has been singing in the the church choir - "Gemeindechor" - at St. John's. Directed by my good friend, Roland Johannes, many of them have gone out of their way to help me feel at home in Germany. Wednesday night, after a brief rehearsal, we grilled. So, here are some pictures of some of my favorite people. Peace to you.

[Hilbert and Heinz getting it started.]

[Andreas, Frau da Silva, me.]

[Back: Hilbert, Helmut, Mathias; Front: Roland, Benjamin]

[Thomas (front) and Sebastian (back, white shirt) playing "Tischtennis" with Pastor Wenz's kids; little Johannes spectating.]

[Johannes]

[Helmut, Heinz, Renate. (I'm not sure what causes what: are The South Africans attracted to barbecues? Or, will a spontaneous barbecue break out when The South Africans get together?) My kind of people.]

[Thomas, Helmut, me.]

[Sing-along with Frau Eichmeier, Herr Pick, Andreas, and Roland (playing the piano)]

Pfingstmontag (Pentecost Monday)

Pentecost in Germany is a four-day weekend, with worship services not just on Sunday, but Monday, too. Today, we foreigners - Hilbert, Ryan, Rachel and I - were invited to an outdoor service at Hessen Park. Our friend, Hanno, was playing trumpet with a brass ensemble they had... assembled. Hessen Park is one of these interactive historical parks, with blacksmiths, bakers, and shops. What's unique about Hessen Park is that here they've collected and reassembled dozens of buildings from the 16th to 18th centuries. These are the typical timber-framed buildings (Fachwerkhäuser) indigenous to Germany. What always catches my eye with the old Fachwerkhäuser are the interesting textures and colors - I love the detail in the old stone and woodwork and the colors...

Weilburg (10.05.2008)

"What's in Weilburg?" I was asked at least three times. "Ein Schloß, natürlich (a castle, of course)," I said. Honestly, the first two times I was asked I wasn't exactly sure. But three separate people (my German teacher, a professor and Roland) had pointed out Weilburg as a nice place to visit. So, Saturday, I invited Ryan and Hilbert to come along as I indulged my curiosity and need to explore.

"Half the fun is getting there." Weilburg is perched on a rocky peninsula about 60 km north of Frankfurt at the head of the Weilertal ("Weil-valley") on the Lahn River. I checked into transportation and saw that not only was the bus faster than the train in this case (and still kostenlos - "cost-free" - with our student pass), but it would take us straight through the Taunus forest. Well, it wasn't "straight" - I wouldn't recommend this windy, hilly, jerky bus-ride if you get car sick. It made me smile when the bus pulled up with a bike trailer attached (the Germans are very active - everyone seems to head outdoors in nice weather and on holidays). Steep tree-covered hills. Small castles seated above tiny villages. Bright green pastures dotted with dandelions. It was a beautiful trip.

The first order of business was lunch. Being a holiday weekend - Pfingsten ("Pentecost") - almost everything was closed. In principle I find the fact that most all businesses in Germany are closed on Sundays and holidays fantastic. It makes people think ahead and I think facilitates people spending time with their families. But, when you're hungry and looking for lunch, it doesn't help. We found a Chinese buffet. Oh, well. I've been eating German food all year, so I didn't feel too bad about eating Chinese. And, it was Hilbert's first Chinese buffet. You could have transplanted this restaurant anywhere in the U.S. and it would not have been out of place - except for the German family celebrating a birthday with a Turkish belly-dancer.

So what is in Weilburg? Two sights in particular... A castle. Built in the 16th century and bordered on two sides by a beautiful "Schloßgarten". (The weather was perfect for a "garden stroll", too.) And, Weilburg is home to Germany's only "Ship Tunnel". (Which is kind of like being home to "Minnesota's Largest Ball of Twine".) The 195-meter tunnel was built in 1867 to allow ships to cut the peninsula and continue with their cargo down the Lahn River. A system of locks in the tunnel - operated by other tourists at the direction of a portly little old man - allow canoeists and kayakers a novel trip through the tunnel.

We took the train back through Limburg. This trip didn't lack for beautiful scenery, either. All-in-all, a nice Saturday road trip.

Großer Feldberg (09.05.2008)

Saturday Hilbert - my Brazilian friend and fellow exchange student - and I took the bus up to the top of Großer Feldberg. It's a big hill that's a bit higher than Altkönig. There's a couple restaurants and a walking trail around the top. I was amazed at the number of motorcycles we saw on the road winding up to the top - and how many were parked on top. It would be a cool ride.

[Frankfurt am Main. "Bankfurt." "Main-hattan."]

SELKiade (01.-04. Mai 2008)

SELKiade. A combination of the acronym for the Selbständige Evangelische Lutherische Kirche - our sister church body here in Germany - and the word "Olympiade" ("Olympics"). And, SELKiade is their youth gathering. The SELK tries to put on SELKiade every four years, though it had been six since the last iteration. The theme this year was "Exodus" and all the worship gatherings and the games themselves revolved around this theme - God saving his people from the hands of the Egyptians and teaching them what it meant to be His people. The games were a creative mix of the standard outdoor games and ice breakers - water balloons, wheelbarrow races, tug-of-war, blindfolds, etc. We took a group from the school here - the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule (LThH). 46 teams - over 600 kids (more than the population of the host-village of Heskem) - Youth Groups from all over Germany, one from Belgium and several "old timers" teams - like ours from the Hochschule - competed over two full days (there weren't any games on the first or last days).

One of the funniest moments happened before we even got to the gathering. We took the train from Frankfurt to Marburg, where we had to wait for a shuttle. The South Africans rarely go anywhere without the rugby ball - so while we waited, we played a bit of catch in the parking lot in front of the Marburg Hauptbahnhof. Of course, it wasn't long before the ball got stuck up in a tree. We put on a good show for the cabbies as we alternately lodged shoes, my water bottle, and the ball - a second time - about 20-25 feet up. But, right as the shuttle driver found us, we had freed the last item from its branches.

Just a couple observations: I was impressed at how well organized it was. They obviously didn't have a huge budget, but did very well with what they had. There were a few cultural differences that I had to adjust to - like 16 year-olds drinking beer (legally) at a church event (which they handled very well for the most part). And the dude (not from our group) who stripped naked while changing in a co-ed (adults) room.

The weather was beautiful. I had a great time bonding with my friends from Oberursel. Had a great time meeting other pastors and young people from the SELK.

I should really write more, but it's been a week and it's late... I hope the photos are representative of all the fun we had! You'll just have to ask me more about it sometime.






















Peace to you.