I grew up an MK in France where my parents served for 18 years. When I was 10 years old, God gave me an unexplainable love for the German language. No one else in my family spoke German, but I was determined to learn it. At 14, I started learning German in middle school and it immediately became my favorite subject, leading me to major in it in college. God was working in my heart, slowly warming my heart up to cross-cultural ministry, but I always thought God would call me to French-speaking Africa since I’d become a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators. I went to seminary and met my husband, David, who was planning on a career in cross-cultural ministry in Mexico or Latin America. Still not sure what God was intending to do with my German and wondering how He would lead us as a couple, we put all of our cards on His table. One day, out of the blue, David said, “Why not Germany?” We made a site visit in 1999. Berlin was quite repulsive to us at the time. It was not beautiful, it was dirty and people were rude. As we struggled with the idea that God might be calling us to a place we didn’t like, my dad wrote us an email. “Don’t forget what Martin Luther said: ‘Go where the battle is raging.’” That statement sealed our call. What we sensed about Berlin was the spiritual battle and the neediness of the place, and, naturally, we did not like it, but was calling us to live and serve there. Now we love living in Berlin and have seen God do amazing things.
David and I are raising 5 children, so naturally, that is a big part of what I do. Otherwise, David and I have been a part of church-planting since 2003. We planted one church in the former East Berlin, in a district called Pankow. It was where most of the prominent Communist Party members lived, the elite part of East Berlin. The church now has its own pastor and leadership. They are doing well and growing, for which we thank God! Now, we are looking at church-planting again. This time, our dream is to plant a multi-ethnic church. Personally, I connect with women, meet with them for mentoring or discipling, make new contacts with not yet believers, blog, and occasionally speak. I have also started coaching gymnastics at a local club as a way to spend more time with my girls and to serve in the community.
Please pray:
- that God would open doors to new church-planting opportunities for us and our local team
- that I would grow to be satisfied in all that I do, even if I cannot see how the pieces fit together in God’s grand scheme of things
- that we’d continue to experience a new receptivity to the Gospel and that many would come to know Jesus personally
- that God would heal my body that was ravaged by some antibiotics I took 2 years ago
- for our children to be encouraged in their faith, at school and in all of their friendships
- that Berlin would become a place known for its love for God!
Thanks!
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