Letter 09-2007. Sisters and pastors.

12^th June 2007

Dear friends,

As mentioned in the last letter, my Whitsun holidays meant one week in a convent. Christusbruderschaft is one of the oldest and largest evangelical orders in Germany. It was founded in 1949, and has today more than 100 Sisters, and a few Brothers. The mother house, where many of the Sisters live, is situated in Selbitz, not far from Hof.

While I in some of the other communities I have visisted, have needed to push a bit to be allowed to work, many evangelical communities in Germany have an offer to „live, pray and work with“, socalled „Kloster auf Zeit“. The stay is free when you work five hours a day. It is a great opportunity for those of us who would otherwise not prioritize the money for a week or more in a community. I thought it was an offer for potential postulants, but the others who were there „auf Zeit“ had often a decision they had to take without having a thought that the religious life might be something for them. One of my new friends made the decision to become a nurse while I was there. She worked at the home for elderly run by the community and had lots of time to reflect if this was her vocation, which she found it was. If anybody wants some time-limited community life in Germany, I can recommend http://www.kommunitaeten.de/urlaub/kur01.htm

My working hours in the convent were mostly in the herb garden. I will not say that I am now an expert on herbs, but I have learnt something, both outside in the garden, and on the top floor where the herbs were dried. After the first day with activity in muscles I did not know I had or used on my knees in the herb bed, I could feel how it might be to be an 80 years old nun – to stand up and sit down during the prayers was something my legs could not do alone, but for which they had to ask my arms for help! On rainy days we packed the dried herbs in small bags, a work similar to what I did at YWCA in Jericho. I also experienced the laundry and the dishwashing, both big projects with so many Sisters in one place. The big amount of Sisters also give the prayers rich possibilities. I have said it before and I say it again: I like the divine office.

After my week in the community I have been a trip to Norway. I have been the student representative in the supervisory board of the Norwegian Association of Clergy the last year, and last week we first had our board meeting and then a country conference in Harstad in North Norway. The subject for the conference was recruitment, and North Norway showed its best side, with culture, midnight sun and nice weather, it should make it possible also to recruit pastors to this part of Norway in the future. There were several good thoughts on recruitment presented and we students elected a new student representative, which is more practical when I am seldom in the country.

On my way back to Leipzig, I had a day in Wittenberg. The Germans love their middle age towns, and each town with self-respect has its own town festival. Wittenberg has its middle age festival „Luthers wedding“ the second weekend in June each year. I must admit I have not thought of Luthers marriage with Katharina being the most important about Wittenberg, but it is of course a nice possibility for both playing middle age and focusing on Luther (I experienced more of the first).

Thoughts about the religious life and the priesthood, and then a long, warm day in Wittenberg made me sleep the most of the Sunday rather than doing the bike and swimming I had planned. It is strange how exhausted you can be without knowing. Now the second half of the semester is here, and as „second halves“ always run much faster than „first halves“ the semester is surely ended before I manage to think.

All the best from Hanne.