Days 1 & 2
We're here! Our team touched down in Munich at around 10am local time Saturday, August 3rd. After a long, full day of travel we had one goal for our first day in Germany: stay awake! After dropping off our luggage at our hotel, we took the opportunity explore this historic city. We enjoyed an authentic Bavarian lunch and explored downtown Munich. The city is a rich blend of old and new, as modern stores and conveniences are integrated into old architecture lining cobblestone streets. It is full of beautiful cathedrals, a reminder of the influence Christianity has historically had here, yet simultaneously indicative of the spiritual darkness of the region—these old churches are architecturally and aesthetically rich but spiritually bankrupt.
Sunday was another full day. We began with a group devotion and prayer, looking at Isaiah 40 and being reminded of how great and transcendent our God is, yet how immanent and intimate He is towards His people. It was good to be reminded that, as we explore a foreign city on a foreign continent full of foreign people, the same God remains sovereign over all and desires to save people of every tribe, nation, and tongue.
After an oversized lunch of schnitzel (each serving probably could have fed a small village), we took a train to Dachau concentration camp just outside Munich. It was sobering touring a place were such atrocities were perpetrated by human beings upon each other. The camp is nestled in a beautiful wooded area, like a dark splotch on an otherwise pristine picture. Visiting a place like Dachau reminds us of the total depravity in the souls of men. It also makes us long for the day when our Lord returns in righteousness, executing his perfect justice and setting all things right. Our Lord will repay every man according to his deeds (Isaiah 59:18), and the men responsible for the horrors of Dachau will be made to pay in full. While we are rightly indignant at what happened there, one reflects that, if put in the same circumstances, we are all capable of such evil. How amazing it is that we have a savior so blameless and holy as Jesus, whose pure sacrifice has washed away our sin!
Leaving Dachau, we were rightly sobered as we continued to tour Munich, exploring the Englischer Gardens. While enjoying food, fellowship, and the richness of the city, we reflected on the lostness so prevalent. Kelly Salas brought a number of German tracts which we have been able to hand out and leave in public places. Our experience in Munich makes us excited to get to Bad-Teinich Zavelstein where we will get to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow morning we will leave early to take a train to Salzburg, Austria, the last city we will tour before heading to the BMW missionary conference. Please continue praying for our safety as we travel. Pray for the people of Germany that the gospel would see a revival here and that many would come to saving faith.
Sunday was another full day. We began with a group devotion and prayer, looking at Isaiah 40 and being reminded of how great and transcendent our God is, yet how immanent and intimate He is towards His people. It was good to be reminded that, as we explore a foreign city on a foreign continent full of foreign people, the same God remains sovereign over all and desires to save people of every tribe, nation, and tongue.
After an oversized lunch of schnitzel (each serving probably could have fed a small village), we took a train to Dachau concentration camp just outside Munich. It was sobering touring a place were such atrocities were perpetrated by human beings upon each other. The camp is nestled in a beautiful wooded area, like a dark splotch on an otherwise pristine picture. Visiting a place like Dachau reminds us of the total depravity in the souls of men. It also makes us long for the day when our Lord returns in righteousness, executing his perfect justice and setting all things right. Our Lord will repay every man according to his deeds (Isaiah 59:18), and the men responsible for the horrors of Dachau will be made to pay in full. While we are rightly indignant at what happened there, one reflects that, if put in the same circumstances, we are all capable of such evil. How amazing it is that we have a savior so blameless and holy as Jesus, whose pure sacrifice has washed away our sin!
Leaving Dachau, we were rightly sobered as we continued to tour Munich, exploring the Englischer Gardens. While enjoying food, fellowship, and the richness of the city, we reflected on the lostness so prevalent. Kelly Salas brought a number of German tracts which we have been able to hand out and leave in public places. Our experience in Munich makes us excited to get to Bad-Teinich Zavelstein where we will get to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow morning we will leave early to take a train to Salzburg, Austria, the last city we will tour before heading to the BMW missionary conference. Please continue praying for our safety as we travel. Pray for the people of Germany that the gospel would see a revival here and that many would come to saving faith.
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