Saint Paul Lutheran High School: DAY 4 - A "Lutheran" Day in Wittenberg

After breakfast at the youth hostel, we boarded the bus and went to Trinity Lutheran Church (Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde) in Berlin. We met with Pastor Martens who told us about the missions and work he is doing at the church. He currently works with refugees who want to become Christian. He only sleeps 4 hours per night because he is so busy. It was a very eye opening experience and the students enjoyed listening to him and asking him questions. We presented him with donations raised and baptismal cross necklaces. Quite a few students said the best part of the visit was seeing his reaction to our donations. It was very moving for everyone.

After the visit, we drove to Wittenberg and had lunch in the Luther Gardens, which happened to be next to a playground. Needless to say, the playground was a big hit. There were 500 trees planted around the Luther Gardens in preparation for the 50th Anniversary next year, and we found the LCMS tree planted!

We then met with Kristen Lange at the Old Latin House (built in 1657) who told us a bit about her work then showed us around part of Wittenberg. We were able to go into St. Mary's Church (Marienkirche) where Luther preached and was also married, and saw the outside of the Castle Church (Schlosskirche), where Luther posted the 95 theses.

Wittenberg was nothing like Berlin. Berlin was a big city with a lot of people and traffic. Wittenberg was a smaller town with a lot of character.

After that, we went to our youth hostel, checked in, ate dinner, then had free time. Some students went walking through the town, others created an obstacle course on the playground, and others hung out in their rooms and played cards.

It was a good day. The students are having fun! We have encountered other groups of students at the youth hostels, and ALL of the chaperones are VERY glad and proud of our students and the way they act.

(Wifi at this youth hostel costs euros, so if you have not heard from your son or daughter last night or tonight, don't freak out. We haven't lost any of them and they are all healthy and having an enjoyable time!)