Meeting University Students at ERFURT, GERMANY

After our visit to the Old Synagoogue in Erfurt, we took the public bus and visited the University of Erfurt. While we were there, we distributed some tracks to help promote the local church. It was a nice sunny day and we sat on one of the benches on campus, took in the sunshine, enjoyed the fine weather and chatted away leisurely.

We were curious to see if there were any Asian students studying there, but we saw very few non- European students coming and going at this campus.

We went for an Italian lunch n enjoyed the beer, Italian food on the patio. Since it was a weekday, I was urprised to see so many people sitting outside enjoying their lunches.

After lunch, we visited the big church n saw the art drawings display inside. I was not sure what the modern drawings were about until Stan read the German explanations on these art pieces. Each piece art work was interpreted in a modern way by the artist about one of the ten commandments, very interesting indeed.

The main reason we were in Erfurt was meeting with the students there. Rev H. arranged a dinner meeting at one of the local churches. We picked up a couple of university students at the train station and went to the church for the small group evening gathering. There was already a gorup of German students preparing for a meeting in the main hall. There was lively music; wonderful aroma of baked good permeated on the main floor of the building and a few young people were busy decorating the place. There was an air of excitment! I was curious and talked to their leader, Teresa, a friendly and warm lady who was in charge and from the organization Students for Christ. Their young people's group meets every Tuesday to share songs n have refreshments together, followed by sharing of a message and fellowship. It was delightful sharing and exchanging ideas of our respective ministries for the young people.

We had dinner with the young people and learned more about them and their situation in Erfurt. We learned that there are about three hundred Chinese ( including families) studying and working in this small German town. Many students are alone, studying at the university. Rev. Jonathan shared a few words of encouragement with them followed by my presentation. We had a few technical problems but were able to overcome them. It was a good meeting and sharing with some young people from Erfurt, praise God! RT, Erfurt, Germany 04062024

Saddened to Learn About the Pogrom of Jews in Erfurt at the Old Synagogue Museum - Erfurt, Germany

We made a sidetrip from Berlin and spent our first evening at an AirB&B at Erfurt, Germany. It wasn't easy locating our unit as we had to ask many people for help before locating the apartment we had rented. This was the downside of staying at an AirB&B, not able to check in as easily as with a hotel. By the time we were able to locate the place, we were exhausted and went to bed immediately.

The next day was my turn to share at our morning devotion with the team. I read a passage from Levtitcus regarding the tremendous wisdom in God's commands to the Israelites and had a good discussion. Later, We had breakfast in a neighborhood cafe serving different pastries and desserts. I enjoyed the pastries in Germany and other countries we visited in Europe. I found that the desserts here were tasty but not too sweet, exaclty what I wanted.

After breakfast, we visited a farmers' market close by. I always manage to find something interesting to see at a market. This time we found some cute but sturdy wooden craved benches that were placed in the square for visitors to sit and relax.

Of all the activities we have undertaken on this trip, our visit to the Old Synagogue in Erfurt left an indelible impression on me.The Old Synagogue at Erfurt is a building kind of out of the way in the city. We had to look hard for it. However, this synagogue has not been used for any Jewish religious assemblies since 1349. It was at this Old Synagogue where I read the displayed material and for the very first time, I came across the word Pogrom - a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews.

The Pogrom took place in Erfurt, Germany on 21-22 March 1349. As I asked the museum staff more questions, I learned more about the 1349 Pogrom in Erfurt - During this massacre of the Jewsish residents, many were murdered. It was reported that the number of Jews killed in the massacre could be from 100 and up tp 3000, the suvivors of the Pogrom were either expelled or fled the city. All Jewish properties n business were confiscated. The massacre stopped the Jewish assembly and from then on the synagogue building was turned into other uses. Later on it was bought by a merchant and finally it was turned into a Jewish museum. No pictures were allowed to be taken inside the museum during our visit, therefore I do not have any pictures of the Old Synagogue except for this one which I took after we exited the building.

Having travelled to a fair number of countries in Europe and visited a few synagogues, we came across simliar stories of prosecution of the Jewish people in numerous European cities. I could never understand why there have been so many incidents or pogroms targetting the Jews. It saddened me greatly that the attacks on the Jewish people has occured throughout the ages in Europe and they are still continuing today in various parts of the world. When will there be peace and harmony for us all? RT, The Old Synagogue Erfurt, Germany 04062024

Learning about the Weimar Republic in Weimar, Germany

Upon an invitation from a church in Berlin, Germany, our group travelled and visited different cities in Germany about two weeks. After conducting a cell group meeting, a Sunday service and presenting workshops to the local church group, we planned to visit other church groups nearby. We were advised that getting a Germany pass as the most convenient and economical way to travel according to our schedule.

Unfortunately, our encounter with the staff at the Berlin train station was not a pleasant experience at all. At the train station, We were directed to go to a certain place to purchase the pass but we ended up going to three different places before we could finally buy our tickets and the customer service was not what we had expected. At the main train station in the downtwon core of Berlin, the ticket agent refused to serve us when it was our turn. She said in a rude tone of voice that she didn't speak English and called up the next customer in line. Really? in the centre of Berlin at an international ticket office, this German ticket agent could not speak enough English to serve us? We felt it was a coverup for her to discriminate us therefore refusing to serve us. This was not the first time we were treated rudely by service personnel in Germany. No longer willing to tolerate this kind of unacceptable behaviour, we went to the customer office to complain about it. The staff at the Customer Service was more courteous. Eventually, we got help buying our passes and were given a coupon for a free drink for each of us. However, we didn't wish and anticipate that simply purchasing a German pass in Berlin could turn into such an unpleasant eventful afternoon.

The next day, we boarded the 8 a.m bus and then a train which took us to Weimar, in the state of Thuringia, our first city outside of Berlin. My first impression of Weimar was how pretty this town was!

One thing that I remember well of Weimar was the number of old people's portraits placed around the area near the train station. Who were these people? Why are there so many pictures like that placed all around in this area? I was curious and wanted to find out more about it.

Before we visited Weimar, I knew very little about this city. As I did some research, I learned more about the Weimar Republic "...officially known as the German Reich was a historical period of Germany from Novembr 9, 1918 to March 23, 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history.The German National Assembly forming the constituent National representative body of the German Republic, created after the revolution of 1918-19, met in the city from Feb. 6, 1919 and the constitution of the new republic ( known commonly as the WEIMAR REBULIC ) lasting until 1933 was drawn up here." ';

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The other cities we visited included Erfurt, Eisenach and Arnstadt. The visit to Arnstadt was brief but very interesting. We even had time to do some quick shopping there and I found a pair of well fitted white jeans. Rev. Jonathan was really excited about seeing the 'Bach Church' - where Bach got his first job as an organist. The staff member at the museum was very patient with our questions and gave us lots of helpful information.

I even got to play on a fake organ where I pretended to be playing an organ located outside of the building. Really enjoyed it! We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and also saw a small protest of people about something. An interesting and educational day for us! R.T. Weimar/ Arnstadt, Germany 03062024

Sharing Heartfelt Messages at Church Gatherings - Berlin, Germany

Saturday - Berlin, Germany After our dim sum brunch, we took the public transit once again heading to a church cell group gathering at one of the congregant's house. This was our first church meeting in Berlin, Germany; we were invited into a German home instead of meeting at a church building.

Since this was a cell group meeting, it was with a smaller group of people in an informal setting. Rev. J. and Ken were asked to speak first and then the local minister asked me to speak. Since there were quite a few women, I shared with them the challenging situation we had to deal with a few years back and how we were able to get through it with strength from God. I couldn't imagine how well the other women responded. This sharing resonated with the mothers and a few of them came over to me when we broke into smaller groups for further discussions. I encouraged one of the mothers to bring her son to come to my Sunday workshop knowing that he would be encouraged. Sunday - Berlin, Germany We had a brunch at our apartment trying to finish all our leftover food from the previous days. It was fun staying together with four other people from our home church. I was scheduled to do a workshop for the congregation this Sunday. I had the presentation ready but still went over my power pointt and added more pictures to it. Since the Sunday Service would be in late afternoon, we had a more relaxing schedule.

We arrived at the church well before the starting time. The service was at 3:p.m. Rev. Jonathan shared a message followed by two workshops. I did one with S. acting as my interpretor. I only had about an hour therefore I had to pack the most important infomration within the alloted time. I was delighted to see the young man whose mother I met yesterday. There were quite a few of young people at my workshop and from their reactions, I knew I had chosen the right topic for them.

Whenever I am invited to do a presentation, I always try hard to come up with the most relevant topic for my audience. After the workshop, there was a church meal and almost everyone stayed behind and broke bread together. I purposedly spoke with this young person going though some tough time. I hope that my sharing helped him.

It was a good opportunity to interact and have a Christian fellwoship with many members of the congregation. They were so warm and welcoming. I chatted with a few women and we felt as if we had known each other for our whole lives. I really enjoyed this community time together. I wish it could happen more often in other churches! Whever we travel, it is not the spectacular scenery nor the exotic local food that excit us, it is this kind of genuine interaction and exchanges with the local residents that we enjoy and treasure the most. It was truly a fantstic day for us on this trip. RT, Berlin, Germany 062024

A Delicious Chinese Brunch at a Dim Sum Restaurant - Berlin, Germany

Ms Lau, a lady from a local church invited us to a Chinese brunch at her friends' restaurant located in the Bergmannkiez area of Berlin. We took the public transit and had a nice walk from the Gneisenaustrabe Station to the restaurant. Bergmannkiez is quite a nice area with beautiful old buildings and many shops in the neighbourhood. Many people were enjoying meals or drinking coffee on the sidewalks. We also saw many Turkish shops in this area.

The Chinese restaurant we for our brunch was called Cha for Tea. The lady owner of the restaurant and her husband welcome us warmly. They set up a long table outside their restaurant and put up quite a spread for us. Patio dining is so common and popular in Europe. I wish we had more outside establishments like this in Canada.

The Cha for Tea restaurant used to serve Chinese food but now specializes in serving dumplings and dim sum to the community. The owners/ chefs kept serving us dishes after dishes throughout most of the meal. We felt as if we were treated like roylaty!

All the dim sums and other dishes were delicious and flavourful! We were surprised to find such a nice dim sum restaurant thousand miles from China, all the way in Berlin, Germany. It was relaxing sitting outside, soaking up the atmosphere while enjoying authentic Chinese food. Most important, meeting and having and an excellent fellowship with brothers and sisters in another country like Germany.

It was this kind of social interaction with the local residents that made our European trip so enjoyable and meaningful here in Berlin. RT, Berlin, Germany 062024

Navigating Our Way on the Public Transit System in Berlin, Germany

Recently, together with four other team mates from Toronto, Canada, we visited Berlin Germany. We were in Germany not as toursits as we were invited to lead a few workshops in a couple of church congregations in and around Berlin. On this trip, we spent about ten days visiting both the capital and a couple of nearby samll towns.

It was fun travelling with a small group. In Berlin, we were warmly welcome by one of the local churches. Our team would stay together in an apartment near a subway station. The local church pastor came and met us at the airport where we took the public bus to our B&B. How convenient was that? Thumbs up for an easy access to and from the airport in Berlin! In Toronto, we could take the public transit too but it would take us from two to three hours including waiting time from our house in midtown Toronto to the airport. Since we would be travelling via public transit on this trip, we look forward to experiencing the ease and comfort of train travel in Germany. We arrived at our B&A after less than an hour of bus ride. We met our host who had prepared a delicious lunch for us. What a difference from travelling alone knowing no one in the country to where we travelled. She gave us a brief introduction to the apartment and the neighbourhood. She was also kind enough to take us to a nearby supermarket where we bought some groceries for the next few days. Though English is spoken by many Germans, it was a challenge on our first day trying to purchase our subway tickets from a machine at an unstaffed subway station. We felt very uncomfortable as it took us time to figure out what to do with the ticket machine in a foreigh luggage while a lineup of people starting to build up waiting for their turns to purchase their train tickets. Most people were polite but one was not and he pushed us aside to get his ticket. That was not a good feeling at all.

Well, given time, we have leanred how to navigate the transit system in Germany and were able to travel to where we needed to be without much difficulties. Looking forward to the next ten more days in Germany! RT Berlin, Germany 052024