How to Conquer Death

Before I begin, I would just like to apologize for any misspellings or grammatical errors, as 1) I am a kinesiologist student and not an English major and 2) I have constantly been rushed in my wrighting. But as those of you who know me have already learned to do, just go with the flow.

Speaking  of going with the flow, our group is superb at that. Not only does Gabrielle keep us constantly on our feet taking us to who knows where ad we just follow with eagerness, but also considering that one time when our train from Holland to Berlin had a broken air system and we rode for 4 hours without complaining (some even tried to identify slightly with Corrie Ten Boom and the other holocaust victims who had to travel the same journey only in much worse and stuffier train conditions. But then when we finally moved to a different car of the train that was slightly cooler, the train stopped and confusion filled the train. Next thing we know Afman is pointing to get off the train while Mano is leaping over the seats yelling GET OFF THE TRAIN, everyone with out a flinch grabbed their stuff and got off the train I think in less than 10 seconds. Don't worry parents there was no fire. We just found out that we had to switch trains (probably because of the lack of air). But don't let me scare you, we were in good hands and resulted in lots of laughter in the end.

But now to the serious stuff. The very day we entered Berlin, Gabrielle hit us with the Bradenburgh Gate and the history of the Berlin Wall with East and West Germany. Gabrielle ended our tour of the day, by anticipating how Berlin is actually a city of resurrection and is quite beautiful. But that was just a taste of Berlin. But not until we had a taste of Gelato ice cream, of course. (I love seeing the terror or shock on the servers faces when our whole group first walks in - but then softens quickly when they find out that Prof. Affman will be paying for the whole bill. (which is of course our own money, but at the present time it always feels like a little treat.)

The next day, we started right off touring the sights of Berlin, including: Museum Island (which no other group of Westmont, not just Kines mayterm, has seen so up close an personal to the walls of museums decorated with bullet holes from the war); the Berliner Dom (First Church), Humboldt University (where Einstein tought and Karl Marx went), memorials including the Holocaust Memorial (which is a memorial of 2,400 some cement pillars that get taller and bigger towards the middle of the area, but yet are still not perfectly mathematically placed, but walking into it gives one (and not just me) a sense of the unknown, lost, alone yet a sense of being watched, consumed, and loss of identity among other vast emotions. My sister informed me that this was her favorite memorial of all memorials, and though it is a sad and depressing memorial I understand what she means. Obviously we have no clue of what it was like to be a victim of World War II, but that memorial gave a stronger sense than any movie or book you can read. We also, went the place where Hitler hid in his barracks while Russia was storming into Germany and where his body was found with his wife. I could not get over just how neocenrtic Hitler was!
Our trip in Berlin had made it just so clear how much love and relationships with other human beings bring about the real intentions we were meant to be. I am not sure if that last sentence makes sense, but being a human and flourishing in the ways that we were created brings out only more purity and richness in others and yourself. We are meant to love and converse and sacrifice for others. If not we will never be able to experience the true happiness and joy that comes from the Lord.

It was at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp that this truth was drilled into us by our very own tour guide. I could not believe I was standing in the very place where millions of people were killed. I never imagined I would have the experience to visit such a place. In a sense I wish I never did, but I am glad I did. I am glad that we got to be faced with the truth that their is evil in this world, that there is nothing in this world that we can put our trust in. Nothing of ourselves that will get us through deception or trouble times and come out right. In fact, the only way we can overcome the trials and misery is by not being persuaded and conformed by 1) boredom 2) power 3) youth 4) gender separation 5) organization 6) alcohol 7) dehumanization etc...(which can produce evil), is through finding joy and being committed to your family, friends, and God. It is those who did not give up, but took what they had and found God and held onto.

It is getting really late and I know I did not do what we have learned justice at all, and I so hope i will be able to come back and edit this post, but as of right now all the stories and tears I experienced will have to stay in my head. Yesterday, we saw so much suffering, yet hope, that it was so hard to process everything, and I pray that I will not forget what we saw that day.
But one thing I do know, though how hard it is to say, is that from the terror that Hitler brought onto the world, we have learned great measures of what evil is capable of, and how important it is for us, individually and nationally, to continually search our hearts and motives and what our actions are leading us towards. I good and faithful is our God that He can overcome all Evil and use it for His good!


I will now just quickly mention that afterwards, we went to our tour guides flat and had a precious Vesper worship session all together. Like I said it was precious. We then went to a Mediterranean dinner, where it was a great test to see just how much we really do love each other, as we were crunched together with our shoes off and all being sweaty and smelly from the very very hot day.
It was a long day but a good day.


Quickly, for our last day of Berlin, we listened to a lecture by a well respected Professor, Doctor Gudrun Doll-Tepper concerning the Adaptive Physical Activity internationally, at the Freie University of Berlin. We then past  by the Berlin Wall where graffiti was recreated capturing powerful messages, and ended up at Body Worlds. We then got our own dinner and then listened to our tour guides personal story, which was beautiful to hear the hand of God in his life even when God was not in his life.

By the end of our stay in Berlin, I had enough of going with the flow. Going with the flow was to intense and emotional for me. At this point I don't see how I will be able to keep myself together if every counrty from now on is going to be so filled with passionate history of both richness and wickedness.





To fill you in about our last day in Haarlem, it was the perfect day to have a birthday. The bike ride to the North Sea was such bliss. And Ryan and I did not go to sleep that night not feeling loved. The lovely pink flowers, and Ryan's Dutch socks, plus our fantastic pastries, and dinner, was wonderful. Could not ask for anything else.

Well, goodnight all.
If you read down through all of this....
...good job. I wish I could give you a prize, but alas, I will be in Austria. But I do hope it was not to boring or confusing.

Take note that you are all dearly missed and loved by your own loved ones.