SENTINEL WATCH July 14, 2003 Issue

The ever-enlarging family

By Dave Hohle

Recently I had the opportunity to work with a team to plan the youth component of a two-day conference in Berlin, Germany. Half the members of our team live in Berlin, so we used phone, e-mail, and several visits to Germany to accomplish our task. It required focus and considerable effort from all of us. Members of the team worked unselfishly—often late into the evening. Together we addressed and resolved a variety of challenges, and in June we were pleased to be able to deliver a successful program.

As we worked through various aspects of the project over the course of four or five months, we got to know each other pretty well. Individual talents and strengths came forward. New ideas emerged as we wrote and rewrote plans and schedules, and as we developed, tested, scrapped, and replaced program elements. Hundreds of documents needed development and revision before we had workable solutions. As we moved through the process, we grew to value and respect one another.

Our American team members learned a little German. With our new friends as guides, we learned a bit about Berlin's past and its present. We walked, rode in cars and taxis, and shared meals together. We visited our friends' homes and churches and met their families. The love and hospitality expressed to us was so great that at the conclusion of our work together, I was torn about leaving. On one of our last days together, I realized that these people had become my friends, members of my ever-enlarging family.

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