Our trip to
Bremen, Germany was a great experience for many reasons. First of all, it was
the first time I put my feet on the soil of a foreign country, except for when
I came to the USA from Korea 20 years ago. Miah and I were part of the
delegation that represented Americans after becoming US citizens just six weeks
before the trip!
During the three-day conference and the closing worship with three different
languages (German, English, and an African) on the third day of the trip, Miah
and I were reassured that God is for all people, in many different countries
and languages, and there are many more ways for us to reveal His purpose for us
and glorify God through them.
We also had a restful time and a chance to see the deeper side of German
Christians’ lives in a small city, Quakenbrück, where my old Korean friend and
his wife were serving two separate churches as music directors. As church
musicians, my friends had many things in common with us, so we had very
productive and enjoyable conversations.
We also had a chance to visit a place of worship for Muslims (mosque) and a
refugee facility for many people from Mid-Eastern and African countries. We
admired the German people’s generosity and efforts for refugees, and also heard
about the many challenges they faced in helping the refugees.
After spending about eight days in Germany, we came back and resumed our lives
and work in this country as church musicians. We received many good ideas and
resources that we could use for our music ministries in the future. Being out
of our comfort zone gave us fresh ideas and vision. I hope my experience in
Germany can benefit not only myself but also many people around me in many
ways.