Saturday, June 18: The Missionary Lifestyle

 Shadowing a Missionary Family

Today the team got the chance to shadow one of the long-term missionary families based in Berlin. They showed us around their neighborhood of Shönewiede while sharing their testimony of how God brought them to Shönewiede and what he has done through them in this neighborhood. It was truly beautiful to hear their stories of how God has used themselves and others to advance his kingdom.

We continued shadowing the deBruyn family by going to their oldest son's American Football game. Here Kiera and I were able to connect with their daughter, who is near our age, on how God has been working in her life. After the game, we girls including Lindsey all went to a shopping mall where we were able to ask questions and encourage each other in our walk with God. Dave was also able to meet up with a couple exchange students from years ago and catch up with them over a meal.

Prayers for Shönewiede

Prayers of encouragement for the deBruyn family.

Friday, June 17: Learning the City

 Learning the City

So sorry for the late daily blog posts. I know some of you supporters, were looking forward to a day-to-day recap of the trip. While on the trip, it was difficult to attain a strong Wi-Fi connection. The only place with good enough Wi-Fi was the hotel room. However, in the evenings, we would get back to our hotel too late in the night. While I am now posting the day-to-day recaps, many apologies if I was not able to keep you updated. 

Tourists for a day

Today the four of us took the day to get to learn about the city and its rich history. We began by pausing to reflect on the Berlin Wall Memorial. This time in history severely damaged the culture of Berlin by creating distrust between all peoples and strangers.

Next, we saw the Kaiser Wilhelm Church which is one of the few remaining buildings that survived the WWII bombings. After climbing many steps we took in the beautiful Berlin skyline at the top of the Berliner Dom.

We took a walking tour with a few of the Berlin team's six-week Apexers. Here we were able to stop by and capture a few photos of the Brandenburg Gate. 

We finished the evening off with a tour of the Reichstag. This building serves as the German capital building which holds the German parliament. 

Prayers for this City

Thursday, June 16: Ukrainian Refugees

 Immigration 

First full-day in Berlin went on without a hitch! Again we began our day with a full German breakfast. Later we met for coffee with Emily who is one of ReachGlobal Berlin’s missionaries focused primarily on immigrants and refugees.

She was able to present both of us with a clear picture of what exactly does as a missionary focused on the refugee crisis in Berlin. 

Berliner Stadt Mission

Inside the central station in Berlin hung banners and flags urging support for Ukraine. The white tent on the left side of the photo is the refugee tent. This tent is where all the Ukrainian immigrants go through before catching a train. 

Apparently many Ukrainian refugees go through Poland and next Germany. Today we worked at the very first entry point for refugees entering Germany right outside the main train station in Berlin. After getting off their train, they follow signs in the train station before coming into the tent outside, have some food, health, and other resources offered, and then are able to go from there on a bus that leaves every half-hour to an overnight shelter that was set up at an old airport before going on to their temporary housing. 

Us four along with Nicole deBruyn were able to volunteer inside the tent and meet the Ukrainian refugees face to face. I stayed at the food line handing out sandwiches while Dave and Lindsey switched between the food line and entrance greeters. Kiera was able to hangout in the kids corner and play so the games and toys with the eager children. 

This was truly an impactful experience. In our 3-hour shift we had the remarkable privilege of being able to show the love of God in the little things we did. Whether it be handing out water bottles or having meaningful conversations with people, we were able to share the immense love of God to everyone.

A mere 3 hours was loaded with stuff to process, not just for me, but for the other 4 team members, too. We were able to process some together, but I imagine we’ll continue to do so for some time. And if 3 hours leaves us reeling, it’s hard to comprehend what it must be like for those living it. 

Prayers for Ukraine. 
Prayers for the displaced. 
Our refuge is in Him.

Wednesday, June 15: Beginner Berliners

Welcome to Berlin 

After kicking off our week in Germany with a classic German breakfast consisting of sausage, bread, cheese and muesli, we immediately rushed towards the local train station to catch our 2-hour train ride to Berlin. Unfortunately, we missed our original train ride, and we ended up having to hop from station to station in order to reach Berlin therefore setting us behind schedule 4 hours. 

Once we reached Berlin we were met at the train station by our ReachGlobal Berlin team leader Nicole deBruyn. After quickly checking into our hotel we met at a local restaurant near Alexanderplatz to meet a few of the ReachGlobal Berlin Apex team leaders. There, Kiera and I were able to hear and learn all about what the full time missionaries there do. From the history of Apex Berlin to the different ministry outlets created, we were able to uncover more and more on how God has used these full time missionaries to benefit the city of Berlin for his glory. 

Tomorrow we will have a very exciting opportunity waiting! 

Tuesday, June 14: Welcome to Germany

 Welcome to Germany!

After a 7-hour flight we made it safely to Amsterdam for a 9-hour layover. Once we left the airport, we were able to walk around the city and see all that it had to offer. Along with a canal cruise boat tour, we ended our experience with picking up dinner at a local restaurant in Amsterdam. Next we continued our journey by flying to Hamburg, Germany. We ended the night by settling into our hotel and enjoying dinner at the Harbor in Hamburg 

Meet the Team

Meet the Team!

Join us in Prayer

Come with us on our mission to Berlin Germany! Join us in prayer as we embark on this journey God has called us to. Our 2022 Apex Lite missions team has been given the wonderful opportunity to engage with EFCA's ReachGlobal team in Berlin. We will be partnering with local ministries to serve people by focusing on refugees, anti-trafficking, and café ministries. Along with this, a door has been opened for us to work alongside and with Ukrainian refugees as well. 

Meet the team! 

From left to right. Our mentor and chaperone, Lindsey Atkins has a big heart for international missions and has been a part of Constance Free Church for 6 years. Along with being the wife to pastor Greg Atkins and the mother of three beautiful children, she has had an extensive background in international evangelism. 

Student, Olivia Friesen is a senior at Legacy Christian Academy and has been attending Constance Free for 3 years now. Olivia has always had a passion for youth ministries and loves the idea of evangelism as a future vocation.

Our trip leader Dave Beckman is a Jesus follower, husband, son, father, and grandfather who lives in Andover and has been involved at Constance for 27+ years. 

Student Kiera Thurston is a 2022 high school graduate who has been attending Constance for a 4 years. Whether it be future overseas evangelism, relief work, or attending a University, Kiera is eager and ready to see what God has planned for her future.