What I’ve Learned: Germany (Tinus) 1 September 2009

I guess I knew I was behind schedule when we revisited Germany before my post on what I learned the first time round, was published. Ironically (or tragically, to be more truthful) the very thing I chose to remember from my Germany experience is the axiom: "Do it, do it right, do it now."

Slightly embarrassed, I am thus doing it right now.

Every time I visit Germany (OK, I have only been there twice, but it is certainly true of both those occasions) I am struck by the efficiency and excellence with which the Germans do everything. From the passport control to the coffee machines to the bathrooms. Everything just works. I respect them for that.

Funny though, that it was a Lufthansa airplane (on our flight from New York to Munich) that had a malfunctioning in-flight entertainment system.

Elaborate on my axiom, I cannot do too much of though. You'll agree that it does not address a part of my life I am particularly proud of. All I can do is shorten it even more: "Do Right Now" and make a few comments.

• Doing the right things adequately is far better that doing the wrong things beautifully.
  
• Do whatever you do to the best of your ability, as for the Lord.
  
• Do not postpone.
  

I realize that this installment on what this tour has taught me is woefully short, but true it is nonetheless. I can also proudly assert that I shall continue learning...especially in this regard.

Various degrees of chilling - 27 February 2009 (Tinus)

Traveling is hard work. You need to rest every now and then when traveling, or else you'll burn out (if anything heat related is possible in freezing Europe, that is.)

Therefore, our tour plan includes several days of tranquility and relaxation: our time Germany and Phuket being constituted primarily thereof. It is thus, at this juncture between Thailand and Singapore...between rest and work...between fantasy and half reality (since it would be ludicrous to refer to our present situation - even within a week set aside for intensive labour - as reality) my pleasure to testify to our time of sanctuary.

Those who know the Fourie family, will know however that even in our holidays, we rarely slow down. We mostly just shift our attention from work to utter immersement in the joys of having fun. The same was partly true this time round also. As you can relate from the posts of my family members this is certainly true of Germany and is also of Phuket. But, I will not be writing about our busy experiences in Phuket, but our tranquil ones. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and relax...

Anyone that has ever driven with my father to Swakopmund or Oshakati when he is slightly late, can testify that we as a family (excluding my mother off course) love speed. Imagine therefore our bliss at being in Germany. Fail to understand our jubilance? Well, the Germans thought it bright to drape their landscape in huge roads with no speed limit. And we were driving an Audi... (Oom Rolie, I think I am starting to understand your fascination with the four circles.)

Driving was thus a breeze. The times we were cruising for hundreds of kilometers at 180. The periods we were blazing at 220. And then that other time..

We were driving from Heidelberg back home. It was fairly late and the road, all 3 lanes thereof, was quiet. We were driving at about 170 (slow and steady in other words) and my brothers were asleep. My parents were talking in whispers up front and Nianel from our I-pod was streaming across the stereo. That was wonderful! More than an hour of watching the landscape change. The slow and powerful movements of the numerous windmills. Resting, Thinking, Relaxing... Oh, that was wonderful!!!!

Well, just to stay accurate, I must remind all that immediately after this relaxing experience we had to hike in the snow...

---|Off topic a little. The road system in Germany was fast, but the infrastructure in Switzerland just awesome. Hundreds (and I'm not exaggerating) of tunnels. One moment you're in one valley, staring up at insurmountable mountains, the next you're in another valley all together. WOW |---

Back to my story. From chilling in the chilly Germany to chilling in the scorching Phuket.

Well, we had a great many wonderful experiences here. Many of them were relaxing and thus earn their right to be written about in this post. Writing about all of them, however, would hinder my relaxing this last few hours, so I shall write about one... No, I shall let the photo do the talking...



Chill, I mean cheers all.

Last on Germany - 24 February(Dawie)

One of the special aspects of our tour, for me, was that we started our tour in Europe...the place where our forefathers came from. The Fouries from France and the von Gerickes from Germany.

I very recently read through the first five books of the Old Testament again. The family-inheritance-line in the Bible is one you can't miss. The most valuable thing in my life is the fact that I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This good news was brought to my forefathers through missionaries or the church from France and Germany. Many church leaders like a Martin Luther and Calvin came from areas we traveled through.

We, therefore made an effort to visit churches...old ones...not only from the 1800 but also from as far back as 1400 and 1100. One of our last visits in Germany was to their oldest town,Trier, apparently founded decades before Christ!. (Some claim it is older than Rome.) We visited the oldest "bisschopskerk" called "De Dom". They took a photo of me standing in front of their "leadership"board. A board with the names of their leaders since incorporation which went back to 250 years after Christ. Yes, you read correctly, they were founded a generation or two after Christ was on earth.

In the church there is a special place they call "die heilige rock", where they keep a part of the original cloth of the robe of Jesus. There is a whole history behind this cloth which was last shown to the public in 1969. They plan to open and show it again to the world in 2012.


WE spent quite some time in the church...worshiping God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes, we as leaders want everything done through a 3-5 year strategic plan...maybe we should learn from the past...sometimes it takes many, many generations...

From 1 Cor 3:13 it is clear: our work will be tested...

"O Heavenly Father, may our work bear fruit for not only this generation, but for many to come... for your Kingdom, for your honour and glory... in Jesus Name...Amen"

From freezing to steaming 23/2/09 (Charlie)

I am now writing from a very hot Phuket, thinking about the interesting physical exercise scenarios thus far, happy to share them with you! Before I do that, I just want to talk about a few things that's going on in my mind and in my heart.

The last few days have been like a rally: of emotions, time, traveling and finally relaxation. Some of those emotions were laughter and happiness inside while at other times they were regrettably exhaustion, impatience and worry. My mother already shared all our travel frenzies with you and thus you can understand the above emotions. I felt unsure inside with all that was going on around me but then, during one of my silent times with the Lord last week, I felt in my spirit that the Lord said to me He knows my thoughts and feelings and He will be there to comfort me. It was then that He gave me Acts 2:25 "Nothing and no one will let you stumble"! It was then that Jesus' teachings hit me, "You of little faith". I realised then that I just have to have more faith in Him and trust Him to guide me and to protect me. From there on , after asking the Lord's forgiveness, I began to enjoy everything to the full again, not stressing or worrying about future road blocks, but giving it to the Lord and deciding to praise Him no matter what.I was stealing my own joy, because I was thinking about myself and not about the people around me who were also having a tough time traveling. God came through for us thus far and I believe that He always will!

Having talked about that I decided to write about all our perspiration and exhaustion. It began in Switzerland... My father (previously manager of my WHS rugby side) did not want to send back an unfit son to Namibia, especially because the reason for going back to Namibia was to play very tough rugby. Thus me and Tinus started jogging and running in the mountains. Those first few jogs were devastating. Not only because I was unfit at the time but also because of the high altitude and because everything was up hill. The icy cold weather didn't help either. I didn't know my fingers and ears could burn that way without heat, sometimes after a jog I couldn't even stretch my frozen face enough to smile... At the end I enjoyed all the mountain running a lot not only because I knew it was great exercise but because I had a breathtaking view every time.

When we arrived in Germany about two weeks ago, it was a whole new experience again. Being in the woods with a slight drizzle and no snow(not for long) me and Tinus decided to go and jog in these woods. Except for still being very cold, everything was different. We had no view, just trees. When it snowed the following few days there it made all the jogging in the woods even more interesting and more tiring. Leaving Germany with all it's traveling and driving to Frankfurt and back I knew that my exercise routine was going to go up a notch, in toughness and degrees Celsius.

Arriving in Singapore with all the humidity and searing heat I knew this was going to be a mental battle, but I was determined to win... "Traveling is amazing" I thought when standing without a shirt on the beach in Phuket after our first jog. I was sweating all over after a steaming hot, blazing fast run. No more cool mountain jogging. This was extreme! What made it more exciting and tough was that my Father got a whistle and wanted to see sprints... A lot of them... Although this wasn't easy I tried to slow time and think about God's grace and goodness to give me a healthy body to use all energy and to move most of my body on full capability. This made running exciting and gave me the feeling of freedom.

I am glad to inform you that my father is going to another gear with me and that it is going to get a lot worse. I Praise God and trust in Him.

Till next time I write, be faithful with your time with the Lord and trust in Him because He is There for you as well(Psalm 11 - 13)! Sorry That is all for today, I have to go and run sprints now! God bless!

Charlie

P.S. "Come on Charlie you can do it!

What happened the last 2 weeks? 20/2/09 (Chrisna)

Travelling is not for the fainthearted! Or in good Afrikaans: reis is nie vir sissies nie!

The 2 most important things you need when you travel, especially low budget and long term travel, is: A tough mind and a soft heart. Without those 2, you can rather stay home…

We are in Phuket right now, but let me take a few steps back to where we last wrote in this journal, that is where we last had good internet.

We left the chalet in Switzerland early Friday morning. The sun was shining and we could travel down the mountain on a dry road. That we saw as answer to prayer, since the weather forecast said there will definitely be snow. We travelled all the way out of the Valais and then started to cross the Alps towards the north.

It started snowing. It looked as if a feather duvet were torn open above our heads, and the snow came down in big feather size flocks. The snow was deep and the roads were slippery. We could not see much further than the front of our own vehicle. Should we go on or stop or turn around? We prayed: “God, please help us!”

Within the next minute, a road sign diverted us off the road and on to a train, that took us right through the mountains! Never before did we pay 30 Swiss franks so easily! God always answers prayers and help us where we cannot go on!! You can imagine the “thank you” prayers that was said while sitting in our car on the train. No map said anything about not being able to travel that road in winter and the GPS said “railway connections ahead” when we were halfway through the mountain(on the train) already!

On the other side of the mountain ,we went down an impressive road and through numerous tunnels. We saw green for the first time in weeks and thought that we have said goodbye to the snow. We were content. We visited Lucerne along the way and reached the destination as were indicated on the resort map on the internet. There was one problem: our resort was not there. It was 80 km to the west… The navigator lost a few points, but every one was forgiving. What we went through earlier the day, made that this obstacle was a small one! We reached Landal Hochwald, a RCI resort after 22h00, VERY grateful and full of praise unto God.

Saturday and Sunday were both days of rest, after what we‘ve gone through the previous day. Monday morning early, we drove to Frankfurt. We had to go the Thailand embassy for visas for Phuket. When we came there, they were closed for the 1 day, we had to come back the next day! Luckily it is only a 2 hour drive. We went to Heidelberg the rest of the day and enjoyed the old town with cobblestone streets and churches and castles. Then we went back to where “home” was for this week.

It started snowing along the way. It kept on snowing the whole way… The last 10km of the way, we prayed without stop. Our car could hardly move . The “snow tyres” they gave us in Gap, was definitely NOT snow tyres.( We once again saw God’s Hand of protection on us for the time in Switzerland, keeping us in the house, keeping us safe.) Back to Germany and the last 10km home. We literally crawled with our car uphill and very carefully also crawled downhill, with just enough speed to take us over the next hill. Dawie did an excellent job, driving in those circumstances, while we prayed. Two km from our house, the car could not, would not go any further. We had to stop. We walked home in the down pouring snow, on ice slippery roads, with our Namibian running shoes and got home ,once again, safely. We praised God for taking care of us in so many different ways. I must say that not 1 of us was moaning or groaning. We tackled this obstacle as a team! Dawie J got a new name along the road. Since he and his dad walked next to each other and looked exactly the same from behind, only the size differed, he was called “Mini-Paps”, because his dad is “Paps”! See for yourself on the photo!

The next day ,we had to go back to Frankfurt ,again. Going with the same road ,again. It rained through the night and the snow was washed off the roads. Dawie walked back to town to fetch the car, and we were off again. Although it started to snow again on our way back, we could make it back home IN the car. We were very grateful when we saw where we came from the previous night ,that we only had to walk 2 km.

The resort had a heated indoor swimming pool, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Wednesday and Thursday were schooldays, with lots of catch up to do. The limited internet was only available in the restaurant at certain times of

the day, only enough to deal with important e-mails. We visited Trier, the oldest town in Germany on Thursday afternoon, but Dawie will tell you more…

Friday morning early we had to leave for Frankfurt again, to fetch our visas, which was ready, praise the Lord, and fly out on Saturday. The place that was green when we got there, was snow white when we left. We were ready to leave the snow and winter behind.

Yes, we had the privilege to be there in Germany and we enjoyed it.

We also gave thanks to our Lord for allowing so many life threatening situations, because it strengthened our faith, practicing being dependant on Him and Him alone and realizing once again: Plan WITH God and ask Him to Bless you. Do not plan and then ask Him to bless your plans.

We greeted the snow and headed off on Singapore Airlines towards summer, which will last now until next year May! We flew for 12 hours into time, spend another 10 on the airport and arrived in a hot and humid Phuket on Sunday evening.

Thank you God for being with us in Europe and in Asia and with our family and friends in Namibia. Surely, you are alive and almighty and I praise your name, now and forever more!!