Once upon a time, Katie went to Berlin.

This is crazy! I haven't blogged in months! I guess I kind of forgot about it. Which, in a way, is kind of a good thing. Because I like to blog when I have lots of stuff in my head that I can't explain to anyone else. Which must mean I found some friends to explain it all to! Yay friends! But this is a special occasion. About six days ago, I returned from three weeks in Berlin. It was a whirlwind of a trip. Three weeks of loving the Lord, learning a new world, loving my team, and launching a movement. Three weeks of being used by God in beautiful ways. Three weeks of unforgettable moments.

The first of which is me saying, "I'm about to take a dramamine so if I get knocked up on the plane...I mean knocked OUT!!"

I could go into a bunch of details about what we did, where we went, and what we saw, but honestly, that isn't what the trip was about. Yes, I LOVED the city of Berlin. I loved sightseeing and exploring, trying döners and raspberry flavored beer, riding the Ubahn, hanging out at the Tiergarten, and I'd love to talk to you about those things, but those were just added bonuses. The heart of the trip was sharing at three universities in Berlin, Freie, TU, and Humboldt. It's where God worked through us in the most unexpected, exciting, and unbelievable ways. It's where my faith was stretched to its limits by approaching complete strangers (who can totally tell I'm American) and asking if I can eat with them/go through a survey with them/talk to them about Jesus. Responses to that question ranged from confused looks, to excited yeses, to laughs in my face. It was hard, it was humbling, but ultimately, it was good. I felt more alive than I ever have before! And I think it's because I was doing what I was created to do, to tell my story, to use my talents, to love people, and to speak the name of my Savior all for the glory of God.

One night, our team went to the Kent's house, they are a staff family who live in Berlin. Matt Kent gave this awesome presentation of things he's witnessed about Berlin, and he related it to sharing with students at the university. I'm totally gonna steal his ideas, because they really helped me understand Germans a lot better.

1. Walls. Walls are everywhere in Berlin. They divide people's properties, they keep others out (or yourself in), they say to the world that what is inside is mine, not yours. The Berlin Wall is, of course, the quintessential example. Matt pointed out that Germans even use walls in a metaphoric sense. They build up walls around themselves for protection and privacy and comfort, and they don't take them down for just anyone. This was so evident when we went sharing! Most students were definitely open to sharing their ideas and voicing their beliefs, but rarely did it get personal. Sometimes it took a lot of prodding to go deeper than just answering survey questions.

2. Hofs. German buildings are seriously cool. First of all, some are so old that they still have damage from World War II bombs which was pretty insane. Second of all, they were all so beautiful and colorful and different! One major difference was the size of the buildings. The same building would stretch for an entire block! There would be multiple different shops and cafes, but they would all be connected under the same roof. Now this is characteristic of lots of big cities, they cram as much business as they can on one street. However, Berlin buildings (and I think most German cities too) have these things called hofs. From the outside looking in, the buildings are tall, huge, and pretty intimidating. But if you were to see an aerial shot of the city, you would see outdoor courtyards in the middle of nearly every building where people sit and talk and eat. It was so cool to see a whole different world on the inside than the outside. And this also relates perfectly to German students. Maybe they'll seem really cold or have rough exteriors or are really difficult to approach (which so many were). But we had to remember that on the inside, they are people just like us. They have dreams and hopes and secrets and pasts. And God created them, just like us. And He knitted them together just the way they are. And He led us to them to get to know their "hofs" a little bit, to catch a glimpse of the beauty within them, and to use us to introduce them to Himself.

3. Bikes. Pretty much every day we walked around the city we would find ourselves in the middle of the bike lane, which is not only a cultural mistake, but also a safety hazard because bikes do not slow down. And they are everywhere. Now one of the first things I noticed about the bikes is that nobody locks them up to bike racks or poles or really anything. They have locks, but they simply lock the tire to the bike frame and leave it wherever. I was so baffled! In America those bikes would get stolen in like ten minutes. Matt Kent blew my mind with this last metaphor. So many German students essentially make up their own religions. When we would do Perspective cards with them (which is a survey that asks for perspectives on the nature of God, the nature of man, the purpose of life, who is Jesus, and what is the source of spiritual truth) none of their answers would line up, and sometimes they wouldn't even contradict themselves, making no logical sense. Which, it turns out, didn't really bother them at all. It's as if they locked their beliefs only to themselves, not an institutionalized religion, not a leader, not what their parents taught them. In a way, that was refreshing. They don't blindly believe something because everybody else does, they think for themselves. But on the other hand, it was kind of frightening. They are not anchored to anything. They have nowhere to turn when they are lost or alone or confused, except themselves. There is nothing bigger than themselves that they can hold onto. They are like bikes sitting on the side of the road locked up to themselves -- it seems like they're safe because no one can ride them away, but how easily can they be picked up and carried.

Walls, hofs, and bikes are such good ways to think about German students and their responses to the Gospel. I hope that helps you get a little sense of what it was like to share in Berlin. As long as I find some more time to blog, I'll share some more stories about what God was up to :)

Peace.