Prague and Other Adventures

Prague: Last weekend, my language school took a day-trip to Prague, Czech Republic. While it may not be very well-known among Americans, I have to say that Prague is a gorgeous city—one of the prettiest cities in all of Europe. The grand medieval and renaissance buildings survived the World Wars almost unscathed, which is very rare for central Europe. There is just so much to see and do there, that I know that I need to go visit again, hopefully for a couple days.

Here is the view from Prague Castle, which stands on a high hill in the middle of the historic part of town. As far as the eye can see are beautiful buildings from every architectural period in the last one thousand years.

This is one of many winding roads that twist and turn through the heart of Prague. Behind these buildings looms St. Vitus Cathedral with its Gothic spires. This church was built by the same architect as the Köln Dom, and these twin cathedrals are among my favorites in Europe.

One of the many dazzling stained-glass windows in St. Vitus Cathedral.

We ate dinner at this peaceful café, where we enjoyed some traditional Czech food—goulash, dumplings, potato pancakes, and beer.

Teaching: I have now successfully taught something from the Scriptures in German for the first time. It was a small thing, but it was an important step in becoming a full-fledged vicar. On Thursday nights we have a Vespers service and a Bible study. Pastor Rehr told me about the text that we would be studying, and I mentioned that I had preached a sermon on that text just a few months ago. He was excited to hear this, and he asked me to quickly prepare something to say as a small part of the Bible study. When I say quickly I mean it—I had about 25 minutes to read my old sermon and figure out something to say in German. It went well. I think that everyone understood what I was trying to say, and Pastor Rehr was pleased with my insights. It was an encouraging day!

Thanksgiving: For my language course, each of the members of my group had to give a presentation about some festival or tradition of our homelands. I chose to teach them about Thanksgiving. I had a PowerPoint presentation about the important parts of Thanksgiving—the history, how we celebrate, and what it means. And then I baked a pumpkin pie for everyone to try. It went pretty well, and it was a good way to push myself to learn even more German.

Other Sites: We have continued to see some of the many attractions in Dresden, while learning some more German in the process. This week we went to the Volkswagen factory (where they have a really cool driving simulator), the Felschlößchen brewery (a great tour with all the free sausage, bread, pickles, and beer that you could want), and Saxon Switzerland national park (a pleasant hike through impressive hills of sandstone).

Learning German and Getting More Involved

Language School

On Monday, we started into our language school at the Technical University of Dresden. It is about a 35 to 40 minute tram/bus ride from our apartment. The first day was an orientation, and the second day was a test. I was overwhelmed by the test’s focus on German grammar. And if I was overwhelmed, I know that Krista was doubly so, since she has only studied conversational German. At any rate, we didn’t do nearly as bad as we initially thought. According to our test scores, we were divided into nine groups, where A1 is pure beginners and A9 is advanced. I was placed in A6, and Krista in A3 (which makes us both “intermediate”).

So, I have now met with my group for four days, and it has gone well. Our teacher is real fun. He speaks only German to us, but he does it in such an animated and funny way that we always know what he means. The other students in my group are a mishmash from around the world—Argentina, Czech Republic, France, Poland, Ireland, and Bulgaria. The class has been a mixture of conversation and grammatical study. In the afternoons, we have participated in a variety of activities: a tour of the Altstadt (historic part of town), a tour of the Gemaeldegalerie “Alte Meister” Museum (an art museum including paintings by Rafael, Titian, Rembrandt, and Cranach), workshops, and so forth. We were supposed to go to the nearby town of Pillnitz today, but it was too rainy. My group has come to be known as the fun group. We get along well, and we try to do things together outside of class. For example, last night we all met up to go to a pub. The Argentinean members of our class (plus some of their friends) brought along musical instruments, and we were able to enjoy our own little gaucho band jam session right there in the pub.

On Saturday, we went on the excursion to Berlin. I had already been to Berlin twice in my previous travels, but it wasn’t expensive to go again. We received a very thorough bus tour of entire city, stopping to walk around at a stretch of the Berlin Wall, at Checkpoint Charlie, and at Gendarmstrasse. We also received a tour of the Reichstag, which is the parliament building of Germany. We went inside where the legislators meet, and then we went up on the roof for a spectacular view of Berlin. Afterwards, we explored a few of the sites that we had missed before, such as the new Jewish Holocaust Memorial and Information Center. For dinner, we got some delicious doner kebabs. For those who have not had this particular treat, a doner kebab is sort of the Turkish version of the Greek gyro, and they are immensely popular throughout Europe. It was a good day, and I was glad that I didn’t repeat too many things that I had seen before.

Installation

I was officially installed as the vicar at the Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde at the Sunday worship service. I also read both the Epistle and the Gospel readings for the congregation. Pastor Rehr challenged me to see if my American tongue could say “sprach” with a rolled “r.” I’ve almost got it right, but not quite. At any rate, my German is getting stronger and more confident, and so I am being entrusted with more duties. Next week, I will assist in the distribution of Communion, and I have also been assigned to preach for my first time in October. Crafting a sermon in German will be a challenge, but I’m ready to give it a try. Once again, the congregation was very warm and kind towards me, and it was a great second week.

Other Bits of News

• As an update to last week’s soccer news, my two goals did not come without a price. Once I had cooled down, I realized that I had wrenched my ankle rather badly. I was really hobbling, and it was especially painful to climb the four flights of stairs to my apartment. I got an ankle brace, and then I was at least able to function. Finally, after a week, it has started to improve. I’m hoping that in another week I’ll be back to full strength.
  
• I’ve learned more about an upcoming event, the Practical Theological Seminar. Twice a year, all the vicars in the SELK meet together for three weeks to learn more about practical theology. This time we are going to work in a hospital in Celle, where we will make visits and study pastoral care. We will then go to Stuttgart for some lectures on pastoral care topics. We will each make a presentation, and I am a little nervous about doing one entirely in German. I look forward to meeting the other vicars, and getting some hands-on experience. The PTS will run from the 12th to the 30th of November.
  
• Speaking of presentations, I have another one coming up sooner. In my language class, we are each going to do a 10 minutes presentation on some aspect of the culture or festivals or our home country. I am trying to decide what aspect of the U.S.A. to present. Any suggestions?
  

Goooool!

Special report: on Sunday evening, we gathered together a group of 12 from the church to play a little soccer. As previously noted, my soccer skills are pathetic, but this day was special. I finally ended a life-long drought of goals! About half-way through our game, I knocked one in from about 12 feet. Everyone was shocked. But that wasn't the end of it. Several minutes later I did it again. I bumped one in on a lucky break from just a meter away. Two goals in one day--and they were the only two goals that I have EVER scored. I may have just changed my fussball reputation: they used to think I was terrible, and now they think that I am one lucky dog. So, there it is--my one and only moment of soccer glory!

Worship at the Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde

This morning I attended my first worship service at my new vicarage congregation, and I completed my first official duty as vicar. This entire German experience seems more real now that I have been to Gottesdienst (church service) and met many more members of the congregation. I was a little confused and nervous, but I was also warmly welcomed and edified.

Worship in a SELK church is at once exotic and familiar. On the one hand, there were a number of traditions that were new or words that I did not know in German. I felt slightly self-conscious to be sitting up front in an unfamiliar church, but I was able to follow along fairly well. Thankfully, Pastor Rehr provided me with a printed copy of his sermon, so I was able to read along with it and understand a little bit more. On the other hand, the hymns were almost all immediately recognizable, being the great German hymns that have nurtured the Lutherans in America for generations. We sang some old favorites, such as “Now Thank We All Our God” and “Jesus, Priceless Treasure.” Also, much of the liturgy is identical to the service that we know so well as page 15 out of The Lutheran Hymnal. Even a few of the tunes, such as the Agnus Dei, are the same. It really gave me the sense that worship is not limited to just one place and time and tongue. Rather, in the divine service, we are joined together with all Christians of all languages, both past and present, as well as with the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.

My one duty was to read the Epistle lesson. I had practiced many times, and I think that I did alright. A few different people told me that my reading was “schoen,” which seems to be the German response to just about anything positive. I was honored to be able to speak the Word of God in my new church-home, and I hope that I will soon be able to do even more.

This service was a special occasion for several reasons. Beyond it being my first service, it was also the first Sunday with the newly-renovated organ. The organ music was beautiful and powerful, and it was complemented by very strong singing and the majestic brass choir that accompanied. The Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde has been blessed with incredible music. Also, this service was special because 50 worshippers were visitors from another congregation, Christusgemeinde in the town of Uelzen. They had come to tour Dresden and to join in our worship service. Afterwards, we had a large meal for everyone. I especially enjoyed the hearty soup/stew that they made for the meal.

We met a whole lot of new people, and I am struggling to keep all of their names straight. They were very kind and welcoming and excited to talk to me. I had a few good, long conversations, and we were invited over to a couple different houses for meals this week. I am very pleased to start making some German friends. We have been overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of the welcome that we have received. I am so glad to be here, and I pray that I may be a blessing in return to these fine people.