New Language, New Perspectives  

Since living in Berlin, I've had to learn a new language, and I'm not just talking about German.

I've had to find a new way of interacting with my environment, with ministry, with people, with churches.

After being in a structured YWAM base for 13 years, I could grasp the way to function and move and communicate rather quickly.

The YWAM  I've been a part of is all about short term impact.It's all about compact, hard-hitting fundamentals of Christianity all bundled up into quarters and outreaches that are meant to provide students and staff with the most training in the shortest amount of time. That's how I've seen it. We are given students for a short period of time and we make the most of it.  I like it because it's high impact and effective. It's a very project-oriented approach with specific beginning and ends and boundaries. The people change and the program is improved, but it's essentially a basic structure that keeps looping.

Suddenly I'm in a longer-term environment dealing with people who have always lived somewhere and who have not chosen to enter an impactful, intensive program. I have to learn how to live this and teach this and train this within a completely different environment.

I've met with a few friends recently and they were talking about how things take "years" and I am often struck by their long-term projections. My question for them is always: why does it have to take that long? They say I'm in "a hurry." Their background is the church. Mine is YWAM. I aked them if they think I'm naive. They say I'm "idealistic." There is so much to be done in the church here, I don't even know how to communicate this to you. The needs are overwhelming. The churches are understaffed, the mindset is sometimes crisis-management, there are church splits on top of church splits...and there is an apalling lack of leadership... To give you an example, I took a small team to Poland two weekends ago(four of us). One of the guys on the team, a 40 year old friend, said he had never seen someone lead the way I do...in such a way that I was there to see each team member released. Each team member had a role and this was new for him. It just made me sad.

I am grateful for the past year and a half to be able to see and experience where we are here in the city. I am grateful for the time I've had to develop some more of my German repetoire while working at the Begegnungskirche through worship at their homeless breakfast and Sunday mornings. I've been glad for my contacts with the Jesus Freaks, specific mentorees God has brought me and different training I've done in the city with various people. The street evangelism has also been  a positive experience for me also and I'm glad that I've gotten some good "overview" experiences of the city. It's taught me to see differently. It's taught me to slow down and it's made me realize to see a long term change...it takes a long-term commitment. Something new for me in my short-term world of YWAM until now.

 But the thing is, I'm glad I can continue to maintain my position outside the church with YWAM.

The latest development which will help me to consolidate a lot of what I am doing is the YWAM BERLIN base plant which is projected to begin in August this year. I am already here in the city but there is a team of four others who are coming. We have not decided how we will focus ministry in the beginning. I'm glad the first approach will be to worship together and pray. We want to seek God together so that our foundations are correct. However there are many things I could foresee here in the city.