post #400 ... and germany-part 4

I can hardly believe this is my 400th post. How did the last four years go so quickly? Not quite four years, actually, but it will be in December.

I've been putting off posting, because the next logical post should be about our trip to Buchenwald, a concentration camp about three hours from Siegen. But what I saw and felt there was so heavy, I've only been able to put together half a post.

I suppose I can't avoid it forever, but I'm going to stall for at least one more day. Today I'll simply tell you about BIG FOOD. Do you see this cheese? It looks fairly normal, until you take a look at Inga-Lill's foot next to it.


This is at "Metro," Siegen's version of Costco. But at Metro, you can also buy office supplies in normal-people sized packages (say ... four pens instead of forty, or one polite package of typing paper, instead of a ream). You can also buy fall decorations. If my suitcase wasn't already bulging, I may have bought some fall leaves or a paper-mache pumpkin. But I had to leave them on the shelf.

So back to the food. Here's another picture of Inga-Lill's foot next to a different variety of big cheese. I really loved how accommodating she was. Never once did she let on that my request was odd. I like that about Inga-Lill. It's one of the things I'll most miss when we return home. She's a go-with-the-flow friend.


These other pictures are of BIG COOKING. Because I desperately miss our "First Seven" marriage group back home, when, twice a month, the young-marrieds from church come to our house for dinner and fellowship and a video teaching, I asked if I could cook for the students a night or two. And Inga-Lill ... that easy-going Inga-Lill ... said, "Of course." So I made Cabbage Patch Soup for seventy. Look at this giant can of tomatoes. This wasn't the only can of tomatoes I used, just the biggest. It took three huge pans of hamburger, a head of garlic, ten onions, several cans of kidney beans, and more chili powder than I care to admit to. Actually, I toned down the heat in the soup, which was a good thing, because apparently it was considered to be VERY hot by the German students.

Along with this, I made four pans of frosted brownies with white and dark chocolate chunks flecked throughout. Next week I'm making "Poor Soup," which was my grandmother's standby. It's a mixture of white beans, carrots, potatoes, ham hocks, and tomatoes. To go along with that, I'll make four pans of cornbread with honey-butter.

I already love these students. Today I met with a beautiful girl from Argentina, who poured out her heart about her desire for missions work. I spent a little time talking to another of the girls, and I could easily see building a relationship with her as well. It will be hard to leave them all behind, but I miss the people at our church very much. I can't wait to see their faces again.

As soon as I'm up to it, I'll write about Buchenwald. Tonight, I'm preparing my notes for a teaching I'm giving tomorrow at Calvary Chapel Freier Grund, in the nearby village of Nuenkirchen. I spent a wonderful afternoon getting to know Hannah, the pastor's wife of CC Freier Grund, and her two sweet daughters, Maya and Tyler Jane. We walked for about forty minutes along the river, then drove to Burger King (can you believe it?) where we had sundaes and milkshakes, and then on to IKEA (can you believe it? :) where we bought fabric to decorate the tables at tomorrow's women's ministry kick-off. Hannah--who speaks flawless English--will be my translator tomorrow night. That's going to be interesting. I hope she can talk fast ...