back in altensteig

hello there,
we made it back to Altensteig safe and sound, although we are all a bit exhausted, still we are excited about the good week behind us ...
On both Thursday and Friday morning we got to hold two consecutive periods of RE (religious education). It turned out to be only two different groups (one on Thursday, one on Friday) and not four groups as we thought. But yeah, it was really good, especially on Friday.

Also, on Thursday we took over three different confirmation groups, because their Pastor was gone for the week or something.
The first two groups were really difficult. I was sharing in the first group and I felt like talking to a wall. Well, you what confirmation class is like, the majority of the kids don't want to be there in the first place. By the end of the second group I was on the verge of tears, simply because by heart and spirit were breaking for these kids and we couldn't get through to them. So in the ten minutes break we had before the last group came we just got together as a team and cried out to God. Cried out for mercy, heavenly mercy on these kids. We stood on the word God had given us earlier that day that His word would not come back empty. And I myself was reminded of the scripture in Ezekiel 22, where it says that God was looking for someone, He was searching the land for one person who was willing the stand in the gap - but He found no one. Then the Holy Spirit led me to symbolically and prophetically stand in the gap on behalf of these kids. To beg and plead and cry out for God to have mercy on these kids, to meet with them, because only He can touch and change hearts.
And I believe it was a result of these honest cries that in the next group we had three teens who said "yes, I believe in God and I want to have a relationship with Him!" And I was the privileged one who got to pray with them!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus!!!! WOW!

Later on Thursday night we briefly visited a TEN SING group (YMCA/YWCA)... to encourage them and to quickly share who we are, what we do and where we come from...

Friday afternoon we took a little road trip across the border to Holland and spent the rest of Friday saying our goodbyes and thank yous.
Well, and yesterday we hit the road again. Thank God, we had a very smooth trip home and managed the return trip in even less time than our trip to Bollingen.

Revelation 15:3 fits really well:
Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.

hanna