Pilgrims' Home

Thanks to my good friend, Tina Dickinson, we now have the history of the park in Potsdam. "Prussia's most famous king, Frederich II - Frederick the Great - spent more time at his summer residence, Schloss Sanssouci, than in the capital of Berlin. Its name means "without a care" in French, the language Frederick cultivated in his own private circle and within the court... The construction caused him a lot of trouble and expense and sparked furious rows with his master builder, Georg Wenzelslaus von Knobelsdorff. His creation nevertheless became one of Germany's greatest tourist attractions... Executed according to Frederick's impeccable French-influenced taste, the palace, built between 1745 and 1747, is extravagantly rococco, with scarcely a patch of wall left unadorned." It also describes several other palaces that appear to be on the same grounds: The Neues Palais is at the end of an avenue that runs through Sanssouci Park - built after the Seven Y...

When I headed toward Potsdam, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that it was an East German city, and I had no idea of its condition. Also, I arrived at night, and I couldn't find a hotel - so at this point, I was not too sure of whether or not I shoudl have left Wittenberg - the gorgeous little town. However, I finally found a beautiful hotel - the art'otel, and I checked into a room. It was spectacular. Cozy, warm, and clean. I showered, went to the restaurant, and called Lindsay. Life was good. I was looking forward to the light of the morning. Morning came around 7:30, so I went downstairs for a terrific breakfast. Then I headed off to church - i found a gorgeous church within 5 blocks of the hotel, so I entered. Worship was sabbath. We sang, read scripture, a 35 year-old woman was batpized, special music, and the Lord's Supper. Interestingly, we all gathered in the front of the sanctuary around the table for communion. We ate the wafer and drank from the common cup. ...

Because I couldn't resist a beautiful sunset, I stopped in some tiny town, of which I cannot name. Here are some photos.

Around 6 o'clock Mark and Linda headed home via the train. I, however, needed to make a decision. Do I stay in Halle and attempt to find a hotel room, or do I head elsewhere. North of Halle is Wittenberg (the location of Luther's door problem), as well as a named, Potsdam, near Berlin. Potsdam is (was) a siter city with Augustana College and Sioux Falls. I left Halle. I headed north to stop in Wittenberg. It is a lovely town. The Castle Church has replaced the church where Luther nailed his theses to the door. The new church has bronzed doors with the 95 these inscribed. It is a fascinating construction approved by the King. However, the doors are nothing to rave about - though interesting. In the town square there is an enormous statue of the not-so-handsome theologian. As well, the town is filled with open streets and comfortable cafes. (I snuck in one to use the bathroom). I loved the town, so after an hour of walking, I needed to make another decision - do I stay in Wittenb...

Well, in previous posts, i mentioned that i would travel to Halle. Halle is the home of Pietism, the roots of the Evangelical Covenant Church. My main purpose in going was to see the school started by August Hermann Francke, as well as his church. The difficulty was that at the same time, Halle was celebrating 1200 years of life. It seemed that there were 1000 people per every year of Halle's history. It was crowded; however halle celebrated in cosmopolitan style, highlighing music from around the world. It appeared that Halle's celebration sought unify its connection with the world. We made it to the Francke school, and it is anmazing how significant its work has been throughout the world. First, Francke trained women and disabled children in Latin and the Scriptures. Secondly, as the school grew it inspired students to serve god in the World. Through the alumni travels, many lands heard the word of the gospel through word and deed. In the introduction to the school, it states...

Well, I left Gottingen Saturday mornign with Mark and Linda Nygaard. What was originally a two hour ride turned into four as we were driving on a newly, yet undone, interstate in the former East Germany. We also made an incredible pitstop to Middlebrau-Dora, a former prisoner-of-war camp for soliders caputred by the Nazis. It was an incredible place. MBD is the location where the V2 bombs were made. The soldiers, who came from England, Italy, and etc. were forced to work long days creating bombs that would eventually fall on home and ally soil. There were stories of prisoners who were killed for attempted sabotage - for attempting to make faulty rockets. The reality of that WW 2 is not only about the slaughtering of the Jews, though this is something we must never forget, but it is about ideology defeating anyone who thinks differently. In an age of polarizing perspective, we must be careful to think humbly, and to do justice, especially when our neighbor is different. Diversity of tho...

more photos. The man with the hands is the man referred to in the history.