The Snyders in Germany

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your prayerful support over the last weeks.  As said it has been crazy with Elijah's birth and various oppertunities.  One of those oppertunities was the Graduation Church Service (Abigottesdienst) in the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church.  It was my first time in a long time in a Catholic Church and it was my first time getting to do anything from the front and despite preperation for speaking I was still unprepared for that which no one else needed to prepare for: Liturgy.  I was off step and out of sync with most of the liturgical phrases and actions; crossing the chest, bowing to the altar, picking up a pamphlet to have the hymn lyrics, responding to whatever was said, I missed it all.  Three hunderd other people in the room were in sync but I just bobbed along.  A little awkward but kind of funny hopefully not a stumbling point for anyone though they all knew I was from a "free church."  It is kind a a shame though because I believe something must have been behind all that liturgy but for me it was veiled.

In the days leading up I was extremely intimadated by the large Gothic sanctuary and the reports that it would be full of mostly unchurch family of graduates.  The joy of the oppertunity turned to a weight since I didnt want to make a fool of myself and my God by bumbling through German as I sometimes do.  So I wrote and re-wrote and re-wrote the sermon to be a most passing and fitting preaching of the Gospel to the audience.  I practiced and recited and stayed up late and when the day came I believe I recieved the grace to make a good presenation before the assembled masses.  My German wasn't perfect but it was good and God glorifies himself through our weaknesses.

Whether the Word has taken root in hearts or whether the soil is to hard is only observed by God but I did recieve feedback that it was really good and that the style was also refreshing, two praises which are not so common in this culture.  I am thankful for the grace of the chance and that the Gospel could be presented, everything else is, well, history. 

Also a quick shout-out to the awesome family of believers from Osterndorf Gymnasium.  

This oppertunity was only possible through God's grace and the work of the awesome Christian students and a special teacher on the OG.  You guys made it happen and also brought great testimony youselves.  I think God was blessed through the service and I hope you all hold on to him tightly in the future.

The teacher in charge of the ceremony share with me some of her struggles in keeping Church events happening.  She said "dont think I have the whole religious falculty behind me.  In fact most of them are against me.  A lot of the teachers are so burned out from religion that they say to me 'okay I'll take the students to the door of the church but I'm not going in.'  They oppose me every time I bring up having a service but I keep pressing through."  This was a totally different perspective than I had had going into it.

I thank God also for the young and lively Priest Schwarzbonn who encouraged me about the future of the Catholic Church in Germany,

Grace and Peace,

Aaron