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.
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.
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