Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places—
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!
I write you from a cafe in the city center of Greifswald, a college town in northern Germany not far from the Baltic Sea.
Justus, who some of you may remember when he lived with us as an exchange student in 2014-2015, is finishing medical school here and will be a full-fledged physician at the end of this year. He and his family have been a big part of our family through the years and it has been wonderful to spend time with him again.
So, Australia, Spain, and now our final destination Germany. It’s the country of my ancestors on my dad’s side. It’s a culture I am familiar with through my own family’s traditions growing up. It’s a language I studied in college. As opposed to Spain, few people greet you on the street but the friends and family we have met through Justus are lovely.
It’s also a country steeped in history both good and bad. There are national elections this Sunday and the Nazi party is hoping to get 20% of the vote in one of the four East German states. Anti-immigration is its main platform. Still it is shocking to know that this ideology is still present here, and elsewhere.
There are a few Protestant church buildings that go back well before the Reformation. Congregations are small and struggle here as elsewhere, though the old sanctuaries are often open to visitors and provide musical venues. Two nights ago, as part of Bachwoche (Bach week) we attended an organ recital at the cathedral at midnight. And there were young people there!
Tonight we drive to Neubrandenburg, Justus’s hometown, following a concert, including Justus’s choir. Yes, Justus continues to sing and looks back fondly to Linda and the Chancel Choir for welcoming him so warmly when he was living with us.
To me this trip confirms that relationships are what are most important to us: Family and friends in Australia, family and the new friends we met and walked with on the Camino, and the family and friends we are surrounded by here in Germany.
Jenny and I are most grateful to all of you for giving us this opportunity to reconnect with those dear to us, far and wide.
Grace and peace,
Harry
Below are a few more photos of our walk on the Camino:
