Today was Sunday, March 6, 2011. This was our last day in Erfurt and we primarily had the afternoon free to wander around the city, see the sights we had missed, and enjoy Karneval (pronounced car-niv-all). However before this we got to have a worship service in an Augustinian cloister! All the Lutheran nuns were gone to their “mother church,” however there was a protestant nun who did the service for us. Per usual LCM was the largest presence at the service. There were 50 of us and probably about 30 congregation members.
The service was very interesting. There were many interesting factors such as 1) Many of us had stayed up till 430 AM to watch the UNC vs. Duke game (which we won…of course) and we were naturally tired, 2) The service was in German (with some summaries in English for us), 3) We tried to estimate when they were doing the Lord’s Prayer so we could say it along with them in English.
The service was wonderful, it was very similar to the one we are used to in the States, but there were some differences. This made it interesting to me because I could follow along, but still had to work to figure out where we were at. Also, when we were presenting the offering they sang the hymn “Loaves abound.” It created a nice contrast of them signing it in German and us singing in English.
After the service we were given a tour of the monastery which was very interesting. There was the recreation of Martin Luther’s room, as well as many other historical pieces about the monastery. Also, the nuns and congregation members were very kind to us and made us coffee (much needed at this point), sweet breads, and unlocked some closed sections of the church for us.
Following the tour we broke up to get lunch and enjoy the afternoon. Today was Karneval which is basically the equivalent of Mardi Gras for us (with many different changes). 1) no beads. 2) many, many open containers. 3) It is family friendly. I know these contradict each other in our culture, but here it is their life. All the kids would get dressed up like it was Halloween (and some adults too) and go into the main roads of the city where a giant parade would go through. There were at least 50 floats that drove by throwing candy and free samples to people. The older adults (40+) would approach some of the floats and get mini bottles and beers. It was strange to see this since open drinking is not allowed in our culture, but I found it very interesting. Every time I have been to Europe I have found this part of their culture to be soothing in the sense that they do not have to feel that what they are doing is taboo. It is accepted, and the respect their privilege to enjoy it.
The parade was very successful with many of us returning with full pockets of candy and gumballs; which of course was eaten. A good pre-dinner snack. The group I went with had dinner at a Greek restaurant. Three of us ordered gyros. We are used to them coming on a pita with some veggies, but in Germany they come oven baked with mushrooms, onions, and drenched in a sauce of choice, covered in cheese, and with either fries or rice. Follow that with a smooth heifer –wiessen and you have yourself a wonderful meal. Following this we went to a local ice-cream shop where we conveniently met almost all the other members of our group.
This part of the day was very special because I felt it resonated with our devotion on joy. The owner of the shop did not speak English, and the worker working with him knew only a few words. However, we were able to connect with him, laugh with him, and bring a lot of joy. LCM tends to have the effect on many communities that it goes to. Our laughter, kindness, and love leaves many others feeling lighthearted and happy. This is my favorite part about LCM.
There is more than I can possibly write about, but we are all fine and having a wonderful time. We thank God and anyone else who made this possible for this wonderful opportunity. I hope that you have time to read our blogs every day to see what we experience, learn, and how our faith is made deeper and stronger through this opportunity!
Peace,
Zach Martin
Thanks for all of the posts so far! It sounds like you are having an enriching experience.
ReplyDelete