How does it come about that 14 people from 10 different countries from 3 different German cities get together for 2 ½ days? The short answer: God’s grace. The longer version is as follows.

It starts with a desire to offer trauma (pain, loss, suffering) healing sessions. A desire to equip those living in Germany with tools to better assist others (especially immigrants and refugees) dealing with trauma. (Side note: we all have trauma in our lives. We all have experienced pain, loss, and suffering on one level or another.)

On Thursday, June 23rd we had no location. We had no co-facilitator coming. Angela and I prayed that night. We had to make a decision by Friday the 24th due to our schedule.

Friday comes. God responses.

Friends from 17 years ago were in town just for a week. Over lunch we discuss the need and value of trauma healing. Afterwards, the husband connects me with a woman interested in the training. She has five people interested.
So I merely ask her via email at 7:35AM on Friday the 24th if she has space to host the sessions.

I wait. Not so patiently but I wait.

She responds back in 8 minutes with a yes. The location is confirmed by 8:25 a.m.

Saturday the 25th we confirm the travel for a co-facilitator coming from the States named Robin. An enormous thank-you to her for literally hearing and deciding to travel to Germany within a 48-hour timeframe.

Now all we need are people to actually register within two weeks for 2 ½ day equipping sessions starting July 11th. These equipping sessions will be the first of its kind to be offered in Germany.

First person to sign up is the woman offering the space for the sessions. She is Canadian living in Frankfurt for several years. She invites three friends that live in the city. One is a pastor from Holland who has lived here for one year. Another two are women from the US. One of the women invites a young Afghan man. He is a refugee who has recently come to know the Lord.

We have 5 registered. Combined they speak 5 languages and represent 4 countries.

Another woman from Berlin registers. She is German. I met her last month on my travels. She expressed interested then and followed through once we had details.

A man that I work along side signs up. A Pakistani man who fled to Germany.

We now have 7 registered from 6 countries.

From June 26th to July 3rd, Angela and I were out of the country so it seemed difficult if not merely impossible to advocate and recruit others to attend the sessions.

But God . . .

While out of the country, we attended a leadership and professional development conference. At this conference we are able to connect with old friends and meet lots of new friends. One day Angela was dropping off our son at childcare and the elevators were taking too long for me. In my impatience and frustration, I told her that I am taking the stairs and walking the four flights.

As I am walking the stairwell, I overhear a man talking to a woman about Germany and refugees. I stop. Look at the man and say, “I do not know you but I heard you say that you live in Germany and work with refugees. So do I. We need to talk.”

Long story short, he and his wife are from the US and moved to Germany within the past year. They register for the training even though they live 3 ½ hours from Frankfurt and have family visiting during the same time. Not only do they attend, they bring along a summer intern who is only around for 6 weeks.

Thanks Jesus for using my impatience and frustration to connect me to others.

We have 10 and counting.

Also at this conference, I run into a man that we met last year while discussing the refugee highway. He tells me that one of our mutual friends now lives in Frankfurt. This friend is someone that I have worked with and known for 14 years. We worked along side each other in Central Asia. He is the one that told us last year that now is the time and Europe is the place. I had no idea that he was in Frankfurt currently.

After returning from the conference, on July 5th , I connect with my friend and his wife. They have lived in Frankfurt about 2 months now. I tell him about the training. He rearranges his schedule so that he can attend the sessions that start in 6 days!!

11 with 3 more to go.

Word starts to get out at this conference that some of us are offering trauma healing sessions to different people in various places. A couple working in the Horn of Africa for nearly 20 years asked to have lunch with us. During this time, they say that we must meet a pastor that lives in Frankfurt. Sounds simple enough.

However, the man wants to introduce me to this pastor in person. So he makes plans to fly to Frankfurt to introduce us over lunch then fly back to another European country in the same day. He stresses the need to make face-to-face introductions within this culture.

So on July 6th I meet this man and the pastor at a restaurant. We eat and talk about life, family, and other matters. At the end of the conversation, the pastor tells me to send him the information because he will be attending the sessions.

Now the final two.

On July 3rd God brings to my mind a Syrian woman that I met back in November at a conference in Florida. I email her and simply asked her, “Do you know people in Frankfurt or other parts of Germany? Love to talk with them.” She responses within hours and introduces me to a Syrian pastor living within 2 hours of me.

From July 5th – 8th this pastor and I talk a couple of times. He decides to send two men from Berlin to the sessions that start in 3 days!! One is from Syrian and one from Palestine. Both have been in Germany less than a year.

14 people, 10 countries, 13 languages, 3 cities.

The Frankfurt 14.

May Jesus use them to help others heal from pain, loss, and suffering.