Looking Back On Nürnberg...

A letter written three days before Christmas:

Our time in Nürnberg has gone by quickly and has been filled with many divine encounters. We were blessed to have a free place to stay at the CVJM the entire time – the European equivalent of a YMCA. On the first day of ministry, a couple of teammates and I went to play music near the Christmas market. A German friend helped me write a sign explaining that we were not playing for money, but rather that we wanted to share our music as a blessing. We invited people to come, listen, and leave a prayer request or a comment if they wished, and provided literature on God for people to take with them. Even in this metropolitan city, in what is known as an agnostic region of the world, people were hungry to know more about God. All of the leaflets we put out were gone within minutes. As people passed by, we sang songs of praise in three-part harmony. We played the violin and the ukulele. Several people stopped and listened. Many threw coins in our case, despite the sign. One passerby left the comment “Music draws people together. Without music, the world would be a darker place.” How true that is. People were drawn to the words we were singing, and the chords we were playing. But most of all they were drawn to the presence of God in our music.

Yesterday, as we were doing team devotional time, one student expounded on the power of singing and speaking words of worship. She explained that during this season, it is so easy for us to take for granted the Christmas songs that we sing because we have heard them so many times. But it is these very songs that carry with them some of the most powerful messages of hope and joy. She went on to explain that in 1914, in the cold of the night, a few German soldiers lit candles in the trees and began to sing Stille Nacht. When the opposing British soldiers heard the familiar tune, they softly joined in and began to sing the words of Silent Night in English. What occurred afterwards was truly holy – the two opposing sides laid down their weapons and formed a truce. God is showing me that music can literally disarm. The words we sing have power, and worship can truly change situations.

God has also been teaching me about the power of prayer. During the last five days, our team went into the Red Light District multiple times to minister to women in the brothels. Everyone on our team mentioned a heaviness that accompanied them once they set foot into the district. It is a place filled with a spirit of fear, and vulnerability. One teammate explained that you must be rooted in your identity and spiritual authority in such a place. As women stood in windows, scantily clothed, men crouched in the corners and in the shadows, looking on. We simply walked and prayed, sometimes out loud, but mostly silently, and always in small groups. Our mission was simple - to be a light in a very dark place. One of my teammates made an effort to look each woman in the eye and smile. When I asked her why, she explained that she did so in an effort to show them love, to acknowledge them as a person, and not just an object. To be a woman amidst the chaos in this area is a pretty remarkable thing. Normally, outside women are not permitted in the Red Light because it is assumed that they will harass the prostitutes, however, our team, was granted favor, which I can only attribute to God. When stopped by the police, we told them that we simply wanted pray, and remarkably, they let us proceed, wishing us luck.

Our prayers have gone out to God who has walked before us and beside us. One evening, as a few of the girls on my team were praying with some people on the street, a frail young man approached them, asking for help. The girls soon learned that the man had been trafficked from Romania, and had courageously run away from his captives, just hours before. Something had stopped him on the street and told him to go up to my teammates. Through conversation, we learned that this young man had come from an abusive home, and had been sold into slavery, and forced to work in Germany cleaning houses for no pay. He had been beaten and abused. Luckily, one of our teammates from Romania was able to communicate with the young man. The trafficked man had attempted to go to the police on three different occasions, but had been turned away each time because no one had wanted to take responsibility. It was clear, however that Jesus had positioned us in the right place at the right time. By the grace of God, we were able to put him on a train back to Romania, and establish a safe contact for him to meet with once there. God had given us the impression that we would be rescuing victims from human trafficking, but we had no idea that this would be brought to fruition on merely the second day of ministry.

As I write this letter, I am sitting in one of our three vans, driving through Austria. The snow covers the trees beside us, and the mountains stretch high above. As we drive through this beautiful country, the team has committed to sixteen hours of continuous prayer – one for every hour of the trip. We have all taken shifts through the night to thank God for what He is doing, to ask for His protection and safety, His blessings, and to seek guidance in what is next. I like to think of our vans as beacons of light driving in the night, a caravan carrying in it the Holy Spirit, with light spilling out like rays to the places we pass. The sun is now rising, and I am reminded of how much of an artist God is. My friend Hannah just recently sent me an email with this commentary, which so adequately describes God’s creativity and ours:

“God is the quintessential Creator, and because we are created in His image, it must please him to no end when we create. Let your God-given creativity surface. The world needs you. The church needs you. Your ideas, your insights, your colors, your contribution. What you are passionate about was created in you to make something in this life that no one else can make. So make it. Start right now.”

We are starting now, and continue to seek God’s face in how to use our artistic talents to preach the gospel. We are driving to Serbia, responding in obedience to the weight God has put on our hearts for this country. We do not have any contacts, or a place to stay, just the assurance that God has called us. One of our team leaders recently reminded us of the story of Christ’s birth. As Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem, they had no set plans, no place to stay, and yet God provided a humble manger for them to rest. And it is this manger that served as the birthplace of Jesus. Three days from Christmas, we are in a similar situation. However, God is faithful now and forever.

With love,

Kate