Germany Missions Trip

Yesterday night, Sharon and I returned from our two week missions trip to Germany. I had planned on trying to update the blog while we were there, but it was hard to find enough time to sleep, let alone get on the internet. So I will now try to sum up the highlights and lowlights of our two week trip as best as possible and I've included a few pictures from the camp.

We arrived in Germany on July 8 after a rather uneventful flight and were very pleased that all of our luggage made it. We had a few busy days of orientation/preparation where Sharon and I realized how much we felt over our heads in trying to direct an English camp, when we hadn't even worked at one previously. Originally Sharon was to be the head cook and I was to be a counselor, but we were asked to lead the camp a few weeks before the camps began. Our experience living in Germany and working in the dorms was helpful (especially since the camp took place at one of the BFA dorms) but we were definitely learning the ropes on the fly. I feel like our staff appreciated our leadership for the most part, although we both wished we would have had more experience with the camps before having to direct one. The pressure of being in charge of the entire camp also took a toll on both Sharon and I, so that we were definitely ready to not have to make any more decisions by the end of camp.

The camp itself seemed to be a success, and the majority of the campers had very positive experiences. This was our first experience working with German teens, and we were suprised to find out that our group was the loudest, most rambunctious group of Germans that I had every encountered during my three years living in the country. Throughout the 10 day camp we struggled with trying to provide structure and get them to be respectful (which never happened) without being too strict or legalistic. Most of the campers were returners, which meant that the primary reasons for coming were to reunite with old friends rather than learn English or grow in their faith. This also made it a little difficult to connect with the campers as they were not particularly interested in getting to know us very well. However, it was still encouraging to see that out of the 28 campers, 6 rededicated their lives to Christ, and 1 made a first-time committment. Although Sharon and I (as well of the rest of the staff) may have experienced some frustrations with the campers, it was rewarding to see that kind of response from campers.

In addition to our struggles with campers, I also had the additional drama of losing our passports while I was hiking in the woods with the campers. Miraculously, I was able to go back the next day and find them in the woods so that we wouldn't be stranded in Germany. All in all, the trip was a good one and it was a lot of fun to be back in the country that still feels like our home and where we have so many great memories. I am feeling less certain that we will be going back there immediately after seminary, but we still don't know what God has in store for us.
- Mike




Entire Camp Photo



My Team ("The Frogs") for camp activities/competitions



Sharon serving dinner to the campers