Creating Community... (Re)Building a Home

When God introduced me to Michelle, I knew He had something special planned but I did not know just how special it was going to be! We have had two major goals for her time at El Roi: get the house to completion so we can open the doors to visitors for our retreats and build community around the haus so that our German friends know what God is doing there! I am in awe of the community The Lord has circled around Michelle in just a few short months! She has opened the door to visited for meals, overnight stays and now leaders in other communities who are dreaming of their own work trips to come and serve in the restoration projects of El Roi. It is literally so much I cannot summarize it into a blog post here! So, I HIGHLY suggest you log into Facebook (see the previous post for the link and back story) and follow along.

Our God is so, so good. Michelle is a true blessing and has a beautiful calling upon her life. We are so thankful for her obedience to Him and this mission work. Our partnership with Germany is growing in ways we never imagined! Thank you, Jesus!!

I am dreaming of seeing your picture on this page someday....

2024 Update

We find ourselves ending the summer in 2024 With so many elements to update it would be impossible to put into one blog post. so to keep this an enjoyable read we will make sure that we link you to our Facebook group page because that is the best place to stay in connection with everything that's going on at the house.

Erin spent 5 weeks at the house in late spring working to prepare the house for the missionary we did not yet know but knew God had in his sight. During this time the Lord not only introduced us to who we felt was supposed to fill this position but also to friends and people in our community around the house to help take over major projects. during this time we were able to fund and replace the old roof on the barn and completely rebrick the barn so it can be used for a community share space when we have visitors. There is a timeline of this on the Facebook page where you can watch the barn being done over time.

In June of this year we invited our very first long term missionary to live in the home and to take over Aaron's majority role as house manager and construction person! Michelle is slated to be on assignment in Elroy House until late fall or early winter of 2025. at this time we are awaiting her visa approval to stay in country long term and putting all of the elements in place in terms of living successfully in Germany. This includes her health insurance and other project specific elements. We encourage you to visit the Facebook page to stay up to date with all of the building projects that are being finished and started. Michelle's purpose and focus there will not only bring the house to completion but also to build community in Germany around the House. She's doing a fabulous job at serving in a local language school and several local churches. She's made several friends and is building community in the village of Wasserleben and Wernigerode.

Our goal is still to launch by fall of 2025 with two to four beta testing groups for each of the tours that we will lead. Will and Aaron will travel over in May of 2025 to check on the House project updates and to see the reality of that launch date. we covet your prayers and support at this time. this has now been an 8 year project and we are hoping that with the remainder time of someone being on site full time we will finally be able to bring you to this side of the world and to experience God's majesty through education and retreat.

Follow the growth and fun here:

Reformation Ministries at El Roi House Facebook Goup

Post #1 - Welcome to Reformation Ministries!

On January 1st I began a three-month fast from social media. I realized I needed a break from the fiery political and polarizing digital landscape that had permeated my mind and sadly, my heart. What I did not realize is that God has something to tell me (well, us) and He required me to be still to be able to hear Him speak.

Anyone who knows Will and I knows that we do not agree on much. For better or for worse, we have for many years, had our share of differing opinions. So, it was of great surprise when I shared what the Lord has placed as a vision for our dear El Roi Haus and Will not only agreed, he got excited and started dreaming, too!

So what is this whole thing about then?

Just about the best thing since bratwurst and beer!

We came back from Germany about 15 years ago and for much of that time, I have not-so-secretly prayed that God would allow us to go back and work among the people we love so dearly. God never allowed us to return in a traditional setting of permanent residency. Instead, in 2016, we purchased the house we now call El Roi Haus (there is a whole story about that name I will share in a future blog post!) and we started to dream about what we would do for Kingdom building. We started to go over to our little village of Wasserleben and renovate when we could; We have had great friends who have joined forces and gone over to help build it too (more on that later) and all the while I had this idea in my mind of what we would do once it was complete. Come to find out, that has not been God's vision...

What I thought would be a house used for traditional mission groups and team housing, God has grand alternate plans for. Instead of bringing teams over to work in the traditional setting, El Roi Haus will now be the home for our two focus points: The Sojourner Tours & the re.form retreats. You see, when we moved to former East Germany, it was not long after The Berlin Wall had come down and this lost section of the world was opened up to missionaries and missions teams. But that was many, many years ago and Germany has changed. It still faces its challenges, and many of those are due to spiritual issues, but Germany is now a place where the shared experience of religion and missions can enter into a new era. We can learn from this land, its history and its people to heal our own land and hearts, as well.

Germany is home to the Protestant movement. Germany used to have so many religion pilgrimage sites you could hardly count them. (Our little village of Wasserleben is one of them. I'll definitely be posting about this soon!) Germany birthed some of the greatest theological minds, religious philosophers and worship music in history. In God's plan & vision, we are joining forces with Germany and the many tales and stories is has to tell us. We expect to see hearts and minds awakened and inspired and to hear from God in very individual and specific ways. Our dream is that by having you join us for these retreats and educational tours, God will reveal you how you are to heal your heart or serve in your own community in a way (or land!) you hadn't yet imagined. Our dream is that God will awaken reformation in you and in the church around the world!

The Sojourner Tours will allow small groups to join our Reformation Ministries team members in Germany for a week-long tour through the lands where Martin Luther penned his 95 theses thus launching The Reformation into global fame, walk the path of our brother and fellow saint Dietrich Bonhoeffer through his ministry and to his death at the Nazi Buchenwald death camp and learn about life behind the Berlin Wall, Iron Curtain and socialist government and what happens to a society when we remove the freedom of faith and symbols of Christianity.

Our re.form retreats are curated hiking retreats designed for individuals who need to "go up the mountain" to meet with the Lord. El Roi Haus is tucked into the base of the Harz Mountains, truly the perfect place for hiker and trekkers of all skill level. Throughout God's Word we see the prophets, disciples and Son of God going "up into the mountain" (Isaiah 2:3) to meet the Lord and to seek His will. Join other believers as we hike through the Harz Mountains, leaving all of our worldly worries behind and explore what God has for us in our faith walk.

We have much to do, many renovations to finish and even more time to wonder when we can get back to work on our beloved El Roi Haus. Join us here for the journey as we grow this amazing ministry and help to bring the work of our team to your faith journey!

Stay tuned for more information and tales from the past two years and the journey ahead. As soon as we can get clearance to return to Germany, we are headed back to get to work on preparing a room for you! (Sounds heavenly, right?!) Feel free to share with your friends, as we want to shout it from the mountain tops all that the Lord is doing!

Welcome to Reformation Ministries and welcome to the road ahead!

Tschüss!

Erin