Dear Loved Ones,

As I look back on my first week in Germany, I am both amazed at how quickly it has passed me by, and weary that it is only the first of many weeks to come. I would have to write to you every hour of everyday to keep you accurately updated on all things new and exciting. This is not possible, so instead I will share some of my favorite experiences from AMBEX week #1.

Bright and early, all ten of us packed our sleepy selves into the cold, frostbitten van. As I shivered waiting for the heat to kick in I couldn’t help but reminisce the days when my own family would do the same. But today, today was different. Instead of going to California to see the family or to Reno for a volleyball tournament, I was off to Rothenburg Germany.

Rothenurg stands today as one of the oldest towns on what is known as the “Romantic Road” and many say that it only exists today because of a single man’s bravery. During the Thirty Years' War not even the three city gates could withstand General Tilly’s army from penetrating the heart of the city. After threatening destruction for three months, the cocky general facetiously proposed a challenge: he would spare the village if one of the locals could “empty in a single draught a tankard of wine”. Translation: a local needed to down 6 pints of wine in one raise of his very large glass :). Twenty years later, Mayor George Nusch has made the history books as the man who saved Rothenburg.


Awe struck, I placed one foot in front of the other on the very fortress that so many men fought and died. In my mind the antiquity of shroud stone path and hand crafted steps collided head on with modern vehicles passing below. A short walk later the Rathaus (City Hall) towered above us along with the beauty of countless Baverian shops. It was surreal!

After a short tour around town, we congregated around the sack lunches that Tony (our cook) had packed for us. In place of a pbj sandwich and a bag or chips were a variety of German sausages, a rainbow of juicy peppers and fresh roll. As we enjoyed the spread, the air was fringed but it was the view that was breathtaking.
Today completes day 10 of my Germany adventure. With that in mind I would have to would have to disagree with the cliché that “time heals all wounds”. As the days pass the heartache of being away from the most important people in my life has not passed, but has merely numbed me. It is my hope that the voice that speaks through my writing is one of adventure and contentment. At the same time I must tell you that no matter the beauty, not matter the location, not matter the history or culture, nothing can replace my longing for you to be here, witnessing it with me. Here, 5000 miles away from you, “Home is where your heart is” doesn’t seem so cliché anymore.

I miss you dearly, yet I find peace in knowing that I am exactly where I am suppose to be. Please pray that through this experience and the Holy Spirit’s work in me, I will grow in my relationship with God and into the woman that he would have me be.

Love,

Heather Dawn