Kreuzbaby!

At 11:59 pm last night, Krista had her baby! Her name is Avery Elizabeth and she weighed 7 lb. 13 oz. I just got back from visiting them in the hospital and she is so precious! They're all doing well and everyone is excited to have this new addition to our team!

Freiburg

A bunch of us just returned from a short visions trip in Freiburg (southwest Germany). It's a really nice little city in the mountains and it happened to be covered in snow while we were there making it extra pretty. It also happens to be the home of one of the biggest student movements in Europe. The International Campus Staff in Freiburg were kind enough to let us stay with them. We got to experience the University of Freiburg's weekly meeting (also called "Fire-Abend") - it was their last one of the semester. It was really encouraging to see so many students not only attending the meeting, but leading it as well. They were so friendly and we had a good time chatting with them and seeing their passion for their movement and for their university - so cool. Talking to the ICS girls was also really helpful, just to learn about what has worked for them and what hasn't. The biggest encouragment was imagining that some day Berlin will have a movement of students as great as Freiburg's. Just keep praying! :) It was also really awesome just to explore and enjoy the city. I think it was a great ending to the semester.

Speaking of the end of the semester, I have some special prayer requests for this "break" between semesters:

- I will be doing a lot of traveling in the next two months for various reasons and I would love prayer for smooth and safe traveling.

- Krista's due date is Feb. 25th so this baby is ready to come any day now! Please pray for her and Dan as they wait for the big day and for a good delivery.

- Campus Meets Berlin begins in early March. Pray many students all over Germany will register to come.

- Also, Andy and I are leading the ISU spring break trip in the beginning of March. They'll be sharing their faith on the Berlin campuses and seeing what international college ministry looks like. Please pray it would be an awesome trip for the students and that they may even obtain a heart for coming on Summer Project or STINT in the future.

- Pray for wisdom and direction as we plan for the next semester (starts in April).

A Few Observations

I just returned from seeing my first movie in the theaters since living in Berlin and there a couple things I have noted:

1) I have never been one to watch a whole lot of TV, movies and be really into pop culture, but since living here, I realized tonight that I have been rather isolated from mainstream media. It was actually weird for me to watch the previews for coming movies and see amazing special effects as well as the trailer storylines that just seemed really bizarre to me. What have I missed since being in America? I guess a lot. Apparently the movie world evolves at a fast rate.

2) The movie we saw tonight was Valkyrie (which is about the closest assignation attempt of Hitler) and it was rather striking. First of all, it's a good movie that (even though you already know the ending) makes you desperately want the plan to work and your heart drops during the last third of it. Second of all, it had a special meaning for me to watch it here in Berlin where most of the movie takes place. Of course it was cool to recognize buildings, but it was just realizing the incredible history of this place and these people that was really moving for me. These things happened here, right here, where I live and work everyday! I've definitely been inspired to relearn the history of Berlin. There have been many brave and honorable people who sacrificed everything to do the right thing in this city and we need to remember them.

I don't know if it's out of theaters in America yet, but if you haven't seen Valkyrie, see it!