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!
Erin