January in Berlin

 Berlin In January 

    January has come to a close. The weather has been cold and grey and occasionally snowy. I am grateful the sun decided to make a few appearances. A friend came and visited from home, and life has been busy. 

Sprachcafè and the Willkommens Gemeinde 

    Every Friday at the Willkommens Germiende, the church hosts a Sprachcafè or Speaking Cafe. Around 90 to 100 people come and practice speaking German. At every table a native German speaker is paired with about six non-native German speakers. The conversation typically starts with each person introducing themselves and explaining where they are from before moving on to other topics. 

    When I first began going to the Sprachecafé, people loved to ask, "What do you cook?" Since food was one of the first things I learned in German, I could confidently answer this question. During these conversations, I learned an important cultural difference: I cook bland food compared to those I spoke with. 

    Around Christmas, many German conversation facilitators asked people about their Christmas traditions. While many people talked about celebrating with family, others talked about not celebrating the holiday this year as they were not with their family. Still others responded that their culture did not celebrate Christmas. 

    Occasionally, the conversation turns to animals. When this topic arises, we find that all the people around the table have a different way that an animal makes a noise. One of the funniest experiences I have had has been sitting around a table listening to each person making the unique sound that a dog makes in their country. 

    At the Speaking Café, you meet people from all over the world and get to hear their stories. I have learned so much from the people I have met there. Although we struggle to find the words to express ourselves in German, overall, it has been a good place for me to learn to speak. 

A little friend at the church 

Notübernachtung

    Having prolonged stress weakens people's immune systems. People living in poverty often endure an incredible amount of stress. Thus, people in poverty are more susceptible to becoming sick. When I learned about this statistic, I was distraught: poverty traps people in a vicious cycle, where hardship fuels susceptibility to illness and illness, in turn, reinforces hardship. 

    Once a week, all my housemates work in the Notübernachtung, which is the German way to say an emergency overnight shelter. Many of my housemates have expressed how grateful they are to work there, as it has deepened their empathy for homeless people. The experience has humanized the people we walk by on the street and often don't give a second thought to. Some of my housemates have expressed that, although they are grateful for the experience, they do not want to continue in this line of work. 

    One evening, I worked with my suite mate, Anastasia, at the Notübernachtung. She helped create the Medical List, where she facilitates visits to the doctor for people who had requested medical aid. As she speaks Russian, she translated the health problems of the Russian-speaking patient population who came to the doctor. When we came home one night, she expressed her sadness at seeing so many people in pain. 

    One man could not get the surgery he needed because he didn't have the proper paperwork. He was in an incredible amount of pain and could not obtain strong enough pain medication. He cried as he told her about the amount of pain he was in and the struggle he had trying to get the medical help he needed. She told me, "I cried with him." 

A Friend From Home

    Near the beginning of January, Emily Feikema, a friend from college, came to Berlin and stayed with me. She dragged me out of the house, and we visited museums, went on a walking tour, and explored more of the neighborhoods in Berlin. I brought her to a Sprachecafé, where she got to practice her German. Afterward, we went with my Greek housemate to a restaurant to listen to Greek music and see Greek dancing.

Exploring the neighborhoods of Berlin with Emily

Listening to live Greek Music at a Restaurant

Making Donuts with Friends

A Sunset in Berlin 

Amidst the pain, may we find healing and peace. 

Amidst the calm, may we notice the peace. 

Amidst joys, may we turn our thanks back to You. 

A. Kuperus

Christmas in Berlin

  Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr!

    December has come and gone, and the sky in Berlin has turned grey. I'm told the sky will stay gloomy for the next few months, but during December, our moods were brightened by the celebration of Christmas. 

Christmas für Alle

    I helped prepare for a Christmas party called "Weihnachten für Alle" or "Christmas for All". Throughout December, I was asked to do different things to help prepare for this party, such as shopping for tablecloths and KinderPunsch or going to a school to pick up Christmas gifts the school kids had collected to be given away. KinderPunsch, by the way, is a German hot drink that is a mix of many fruit juices and is often drank around Christmas time. 

 

     This party was hosted on Christmas Eve, and 305 people came through the door. Many of them were homeless or refugees, who might not have a place to celebrate otherwise, so they came and celebrated at the Stadtmission (or City Mission). 

    They were served coffee, went to a small Christmas service, and then had a Christmas dinner. When they left, each was given a gift from the gifts that had been collected for them. There were so many gifts; when I worked a shift at the shelter after the party, the guests were given another box once they were checked in. One man opened the gift and was so excited he had received socks and some snacks. He kept repeating over and over, "This is such a great gift." He was especially excited about the snacks. "Do you know how expensive snacks are?" 

 

 

  Christmas for All has happened for years now. My boss told me that he would purchase things for the party, like tablecloths, napkins, and forks, but he never buys a cake, instead trusting that God will provide one. He informed me that God had provided a cake every time. 

    

    He told me a woman had come to the Stadtmission the day before Christmas to donate coffee. He told her, "You are an angel. I have a meal, I have cake, I have decorations, the one thing I didn't have was coffee. You are an angel." 

    Then he got a phone call and someone was asking to volunteer. Before he could turn her down (there were more than enough volunteers), she said, "I play the piano." He said, "You are an angel, I have enough food, I have coffee, I have decorations, the one thing I don't have is a piano player. You are an angel." 

    So, on Christmas Eve, 305 people celebrated Christmas with coffee, a Christmas service, a meal, some live music, and gifts. 

    

  Christmas in another Country

  I celebrated Christmas Day in Berlin. The next day, I got on a train and visited my aunt in the Netherlands. It was so nice to see family around the holidays and take a break after a busy December. I was treated to a typical Dutch Christmas meal and was able to explore the surrounding areas.  

So, as we go into this New Year, may God bless you and lead your steps so you can be an angel to those around you. 

A. Kuperus

November in Berlin

 Guten Tag auf Berlin! 

    November has come to a close, the leaves have fallen from the trees, the weather has become colder, the Notübernachtung has opened, I have turned 23, Thanksgiving has been celebrated, and the time has come when I once again send an update!

German Learning 

    I have completed A2.1 in German learning. I am beginning to understand more of the German spoken around me. When I was first immersed in the language, I was a little lonely due to not understanding what was happening around me. Listening and not understanding was exhausting. I have tried to learn not to be embarrassed speaking, even when I know what I am saying is imperfect. I have been lucky to live with incredible people who are patient, listen when I speak my imperfect German, and encourage me to keep practicing. 

The Notübernachtung

    The homeless shelter has officially opened for the winter! 

    

    Before I discuss my work in the homeless shelter, I want to give context to homelessness in Germany. I think it is important to understand who I work with and what it is like. 

    In Germany, there are many protections for employees. It is difficult for a business to fire an employee, and if they can, the government will pay for a person's flat and give them a living stipend until they can find another job. This practice helps prevent homelessness, but a problem with is that a lot of paperwork must be filled out before the government gives these stipends. When a person doesn't have the knowledge or know where to find help with this, it can still lead to homelessness. 

    From what I can remember, 30% of the people who come to the shelter are German. The other percentages are Polish, Romanian, and other European countries. Since Germany is part of the European Union, people can enter Germany and get into the German welfare system. To be homeless in Germany is better than to be homeless in their home countries, and the borders are open to them, so many people come to Berlin. 

    Since many people are not from Germany, it is difficult for many of the employees to communicate with the guests, and it can be frustrating for the guests to communicate with the employees as well, as there are so many language barriers as people can speak anything from Russian, Polish, Hungarian, French and, sometimes, even English. 

    There are no accurate statistics on how many homeless people live in Berlin. I was told that some time ago, they wanted to count, but on the day the government sent people out to count, the homeless disappeared from sight for a day and could not be found, so there are no accurate statistics. We do know that there are thousands of homeless people on the streets of Berlin. 

    Our organization has a few vans with the words Kaltehilfe or "cold help." People will call the Kaltehilfe when they find a homeless person and are concerned about them sleeping in the cold. They give the homeless person some warm food and will bring them to a shelter if they want, though often they will refuse, preferring to sleep on the streets. One of my friends who had worked in the Notübernachtung before I did said that in the winter, you can feel the cold radiating off their skin as they enter the shelter. 

    The shelter I work at has around one hundred beds, but we take in around 130 people a night.  Around 11 pm, the lights go out, and many homeless people will fall asleep on the benches they had previously sat on to eat dinner. Some will fall asleep on the floor, sometimes under a table. I am told that after spending so much time on the streets, some can no longer fall asleep on a bed as it is too soft. For others, we simply run out of beds, and the streets are too cold for them to sleep on. 

    There are other shelters in Berlin but an aspect unique about the one I work in is that it is what I would refer to as a “catch-all.” Some shelters are only for women, some are only for families, some do not allow animals, some want people to come sober, or maybe a person has to arrive by a certain time every day to keep their bed, or perhaps a person does not have proper documentation. We take women, men, and people with dogs. A person can arrive in any state, and they will be taken in as long as we have a space for them, even if they do not have proper documentation. I think it speaks to the philosophy that all people, regardless of condition, deserve basic necessities such as food and a warm place to sleep. 

    There was one English-speaking guest who I happened to stop to talk to one day. When he learned I was American, he ran and brought me a chair to sit on so we could have a conversation regarding American politics. For about fifteen minutes, I was able to sit in a room of people having dinner and talk about American politics to someone who perhaps knew more about the subject than I did. 

    Yesterday, one of the guests I know talked about wanting to go back to their home country, frustrated at being homeless in Berlin. "We live terribly, my feet hurt from all the walking. Back home I walk in the forest, I can go fishing. Here I live a horrible life". When he finished talking, he looked at me and said something to the effect of "Sorry for complaining," to which I said, "It's okay, you can complain anytime, and I will listen." 

    I am grateful for working in a place that works hard to treat the people we care for with dignity and respect, for being able to communicate pretty well with the guests who come to our shelter, and for my coworkers, who have been amazing to work with. After every shift, we meet in the employee room, and every person takes some time to discuss and process how their shift went. 

Resonate In Germany

    At the end of November, the Resonate Cohort came to Berlin. We once again met up and learned about faith in the context of Germany. We started with a focus on migration, which makes sense for the context in which we work in Germany. This focus on migration makes sense, as the church we work at attracts people learning German, which often happens to be refugees. 

    During one of our outings, we toured a government building. Something I found intriguing was that the building was constructed using a lot of glass to represent transparency in a government. 

Thanksgiving 

    I am incredibly grateful that I celebrated a (vegetarian) Thanksgiving with my housemates (I live with multiple vegetarians and have never cooked a turkey before). I introduced my housemates to green bean casserole, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, which many had never had before. 

    For the first time in my life, I baked a pie. I bought three pumpkins (way too many —I only needed one) and made the pie crust, after which I realized we had no pie pans. After searching the house up and down, I found a quiche pan. I was surprised to learn the filling was liquid when I put the pie in the oven. No photo is to be found of this pumpkin pie, but it was a perfect pumpkin pie. 

    Before serving the pumpkin pie, I introduced them to the tradition of going around the table and saying what they are grateful for. I am incredibly thankful for my housemates who made an American holiday feel homey, even though many had never celebrated Thanksgiving before. 

    Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. 

    A. Kuperus 

September and October in Berlin

 

    Hello from Berlin!

    As October has come to a close, I am sending another update from Berlin. 

Learning German 

    I have completed the A1 level of German and will be moving on to A2 level (C2 German is the most advanced, so I am still relatively new to the language). In November, I will be taking a more intense course to help me learn the language faster. My language skills are improving day by day. 

Kleiderkammer 

    On most Wednesdays, I have been working at a place called Kleiderkammer. This organization collects clothing from bins around Berlin and separates it into two groups. Some clothing goes to second-hand shops that help fund the organization, while the more functional clothing goes to Kleiderkammer, where homeless people and refugees can come and get clothing. I worked in the Kleiderkammers women's department.

    Some time ago, the organization noticed that when people were receiving new clothes, they would throw away the clothes they were wearing because they were so dirty. In response, the organization created an area with washing machines so that people could wash their clothes in addition to receiving any extra needed clothing. 

Notübernachtung

    I have officially begun to work at the homeless shelter! The most exciting thing I have done is to shadow the social worker there. The social workers at the shelter help people obtain the documentation they need to be in Germany and help them with their job search, such as building a resume or helping connect people to employers. 

    Two weeks ago, all the paid employees returned, and we went through training, preparing us for the official opening of the shelter in November. Our training included food safety, first aid, fire safety, and political briefings. I have met all my coworkers and learned from their experiences what working in the shelter will be like. 

    As of November 1, the shelter has opened. The people who are working there are excited to be back, and most importantly, 120 homeless people will have a place to sleep every night, where they do not have to worry about the cold.

Willkommens Gemeinde

    Work in the Church and the Sprachecafe is also going well. Here is a photo of Kevin and Anastasia, whom I also work with, enjoying a coffee before the service begins on Sunday morning. 

Resonate Cohort Europe In Romania 

    At the beginning of October, the Resonate Cohort Group went to Romania. We were able to see mission work in a different context from our placements and reconnect with each other since our time in Budapest in August. 

    We were in the Lupeni Region, an impoverished region in Romania. We visited missionaries who have been there for around 25 years. They had built a kids' camp with a ropes course to teach kids to trust in a post-Soviet time.  From that, they developed a program called IMPACT, which encouraged teens to seek out needs in their community and find solutions to help solve them. We also visited two Orthodox Churches and were able to ask questions regarding the differences and similarities between the Protestant and Orthodox faiths and learn more about what faith in that region looked like. 

An Orthodox Church on the Mountain

The Cohort on a Hike

    Once again, thank you all so much for all the continued prayers and support!

    A. Kuperus

August in Berlin

    Hello from Berlin!

    Thank you to everyone who has supported me in the past few months through encouragement, prayers, or financial gifts. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by all that has been done for me and the kindness and generosity that I have received. My year of ministry is fully funded! Which is an incredible blessing and truly amazes me. 

    While in Berlin, I will be working under two organizations. Resonate Global Mission has a program called Cohort Europe for young people. They have programs in Budapest, Berlin, and Lithuania. A part of Cohort Europe's goal in having young people do missions for a year is to create interest in people doing missions more long-term. 

    I will work with the Berlin program, where Resonate has partnered with the Berlin City Mission, an organization similar to the Salvation Army in America. I will be working in one of the mission's churches, the Willkommens Gemeinde. It is a church plant with the focus of being a place to welcome those new to Berlin, such as refugees and other immigrants. Its services are in simple German, and twice a week, about a hundred people come to learn German at the "Speaking" Cafe, where those learning German can practice speaking with other people. They invite those who come to attend services on Sunday as well. 

    I will also work in a Homeless Shelter, a Notübernachtung, three days a week. It opens in the winter months, so until then, I will be working on preparations for its opening, and I will be visiting other parts of the organization to understand what they do.

Cohort Europe 

    At the beginning of August, Resonate flew all the participants of Cohort Europe to Budapest for orientation. We were able to meet each other, and our mentor Jeff Bouman, explore the city, and learn more about Cohort Europe and what is expected of us. Later in the year, we will travel to each other's placements to see how missions work in different places. 

    I will be working in Berlin with two other participants from Cohort Europe, Kevin and Anastasia. Anastasia and I will be living in a flat with other young people who volunteer at the City Mission, while Kevin will be living elsewhere.  

Adjusting to Life in Germany: 

    August has been spent learning German, and figuring out paperwork, such as visas, getting acquainted with the people I will be working with, learning the city, such as public transportation, and simply adjusting to life here in Berlin. I have been going to the church and the speaking cafe to get to know people, but I will officially start in September. 

    Everyone has been incredibly friendly and helpful since I got here. I am slowly learning the language, usually understanding words here and there. People have started to talk to me only in German, so I can hear and understand it more, which has been incredibly helpful. 

    I have been able to visit different parts of the city, and am beginning to learn more about its history. 

Lastly:

    When I arrived in Germany, everyone talked about the cultural norm of punctuality here. Except, people noted, their public transit and government offices, those two things I could rely on to not be punctual. 

    When I began to work at the homeless shelter, my boss noted that she was not punctual either, simply because she got distracted by beauty. She has no problem being late if she has paused to have a conversation with someone or has simply stopped to admire something beautiful around her. 

    The pictures below are things I have found beautiful and stopped to take photos of.

The Cohort group enjoying our time in Budapest together 

The Capital Building of Hungary

St. Lukas Church

A sunset on my ride home

Until next month, may you pause to see the beauty in the world around you. 

A. Kuperus