GERMAN ADVENTURE – Day 8

Here we are, starting the second week already!  Not a lot to write about today, but here’s what happened.  Most importantly, WE DIDN’T GET LOST ANYWHERE! 

       Bob Lehmann met us at breakfast and we talked a bit about the next weeks.  He is very gregarious, and we enjoy his company a lot.   Bob is a retired Lutheran educator who once taught at Seward, and now lives in Topeka, KS.  He also told us that one of the people at last Saturday’s service had a relative in Rochester.  Turns out it was Karen Holtan’s neice.  Bob was blown away to discover that Dea and Karen taught together at RCLS.  Ready?  Together now:  “It’s a small world after all…” 

 One thing I forgot to mention yesterday.  Much of the area around the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) is dug up.  They are trying to fix some drainage problems.  While they were digging, they found some graves that no one knew about – graves from the time of Napolean.  The door with the95 Theses is also not visible at this time.  There is a lot of repair, destruction, and construction going on all over Germany, including Wittenberg.  Bob told us that after the Russians left in the late 90’s, people had 10 years to reclaim confiscated property and land.  If no one claimed it, the land/property reverted to the state.  There was no money to fix things up, so many people simply didn’t claim what had been theirs – and the state has no money to fix things up either.  So there are quite a few simply empty buildings.  Former East Germany is certainly different from former West Germany!

            Anyhow, since we didn’t have anything really scheduled, we went back up to the room and took naps after breakfast!  We met Bob again at 1, and he took us around the city and showed us what we should see, giving us some historical background along the way.  For example, I never realized that Kaiser Wilhelm II is buried in the Castle Church in Wittenberg.  I always thought it was just Luther and Melanchthon.

            Had my first devotional service this afternoon – the reason we came over in the first place.  We had been warned that attendance has not been good.  We had one couple from St. Louis.  Two ladies from Japan came in at the last minute.  A few others stuck there heads in the door for a few minutes, then left.  So the totals:  Full-time attendees at the devotion:  2.  Workers:  2.  Pastor’s wife:  1.  I’m happy to serve whoever shows up, but was hoping for a little more. 

            Afterwards, found a brat stand for supper, sat and had a beer, then walked back to the hotel.  Not much exciting.  Tomorrow, besides the devotion, we have stammtisch.  I’ll let you know what that was like after we experience it!  Stay well.