Trip to the U.S.

Dear friends, today is a German holiday, "Karfreitag", all stores closed as with all national holidays. We had a worship service with communion this morning. While we were singing a wonderful old hymn, God reminded me of Good Friday in 1974. I had been a Christian for a long time, but I had fallen into a 3-year-long depression that had left me stifled and almost unable to live. Then on that Friday, God spoke to me through John 17. He touched my heart and soul and made me well again. That was 39 years ago, and I am still as thankful for this experience as back then. One blessing I got from having gone through this was that I can feel with people who go through such a time. I know the pressing darkness AND the rescuing light. And John 17 has always been special to me since then.

Last Monday, my dear friend Barbara's 84-year-old mother passed away. When my friend was planning her wedding 33 years ago, her mother was so opposed to her Christian faith that she told her daughter: If you invite Mark and Maria - I won't come to your wedding. I told my friend that a mother is more important at a wedding than friends. BUT a few week before the wedding, my friend's mom accepted Christ as her savior and personally invited us to the wedding. And now she was allowed to join the big feast in heaven.

These two thoughts followed me throughout this day and increased my thankfulness for the gift of salvation. Then I listened to Handel's Messiah and thanked God for giving this composer such wonderful music to write. The great Hallelujah topped it all!

Now to our travel plans. We booked a flight out of Basel for May 14, and this is how we would like to fill the 16 days in the US:

Wednesday, May 15: Saranac, MI

Thursday: back to Indiana to Mark's parents

Saturday: Doris' and Chad's graduation at Huntington University, IN, where Lisa is planning to join us, then on to Rockford, OH, where Chad's family lives.

Sunday night: McConnellsburg, PA, with Anna Richards (and the Hodges)

Monday, May 20: Beltsville, MD, to the Franks where Lisa lives. Cathrin will join us there for her 26th birthday. She will travel with us for a week.

Tuesday: Annapolis, MD, where we will stay with the Skinners.

Thursday, May 23: down south to Fayetteville, NC, where we will stay with Joan Bitterman and her family and be at Church of the Open Door.

Monday, May 27: up north to Kentucky where we will drop off Cathrin

Tuesday: back with Mark's parents.

Thursday, May 30: flight back to Basel.

If anyone would like to see us at one of these places, you now know where to find us.

This is a very short and tight trip, but we cannot get more time off from school. We are thankful that it is possible at all, especially considering the fact that Mark does not have to undergo radiation instead.

But we hope to see as many of you as possible in this short time and greet you in the name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Maria Walker