We are so glad to be writing this update from Germany!! Keane and I arrived on Friday, August 8, and we feel like we’ve been in a whirlwind ever since. We are praising God for allowing us to pass the 90% support-raising threshold that allowed us to purchase plane tickets in time for new staff orientation and language lessons. While we still have a little ways to go (we are currently at 93%), we know God is in control and will provide for all our needs!
We are feeling settled into our new home, which is the top floor in a house that is divided into three apartments. All of our ceilings are slanted; I don’t know how many times Keane hit his head during our first week here! We are becoming more practiced in the German ways of doing things: buying bread from a local bakery, walking to the grocery store several times a week because the fridge is too small to hold much, turning the water off in the shower while you soap up to save money on utilities, to name a few things. We officially registered at our town hall, meaning that we purchased an approved trash can, which was delivered to us the following week. In Germany, there is a process for everything, so registering at the town hall allowed us to open a German bank account, which then allowed us to pre-register for auto insurance, which we had to do before obtaining our car.
For those of you who have been praying with us about our car situation, we are so glad to share that it has all worked out beautifully! God brought an old family friend back into our lives who speaks German and knows a wonderful mechanic a few towns over. This mechanic not only completed the required repairs on the new car, but he also registered our car, got license plates for our car, and obtained the necessary state approval (sort of like getting emissions testing, but much more expensive) for us to be able to use the car! We are so grateful for this mechanic and for our dear friend, Joe!
We do not yet have internet at our apartment, so please forgive us for our lack of communication on the blog/Facebook/emails these past few weeks. We are really looking forward to sharing more about the German culture, our new home, and our new jobs with you. We miss our community back in the States SO much. God has already given us some good friendships here. It’s been a while since I have experienced all the “hellos” and “goodbyes” associated with moving overseas…it doesn’t get any easier as an adult. 🙂 But we are SO buoyed up by your prayers and can really see God’s hand of provision in our lives.
Sending much love from Germany,
Sarah