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June 24, 2011
We wanted to let everyone know that we arrived back in Cologne yesterday afternoon. This means that we were able to raise enough of our support that GEM released us to return to the field! Thank you to everyone who made that possible through your faithful giving and your prayers. God did some amazing things in the last few weeks!
The actual trip back was pretty brutal. If anyone ever tells you that 2 hours is more than enough time to get through check-in at O’Hare, don’t believe them. I have never come so close to missing an airplane before. We were running through the airport Home Alone style. Thank goodness, all of that is behind us now, and we’re back home getting settled into our apartment.
In the next few days, I’ll post a little bit more on our time in the US. It was a challenging time filled with many extremes.
March 31, 2011
After almost 2 years, we again set foot on American soil last week. We flew into Chicago on Tuesday after a grueling 10 hour flight from Germany. Actually, things went relatively well. Aside from a few freak out moments, Micah handled the traveling very well. After a few days in Chicago, we started making our way across Illinois and Indiana back to Ohio visiting friends and family along the way. We are now back in Kathi’s hometown, Dellroy. Thank you for all of your prayers for His traveling mercies. We definitely felt them.
Right now we are enjoying a little time off giving us a chance to rest and Micah the chance to get to know his grandparents. But, next week we start the process of support raising. The week we left from Germany we found out that our monthly support was in a very dire situation. In the past few months, we have lost a number of substantial supporters dropping our support well below 80%. This is putting a severe strain on our finances and our ability to continue ministry in Germany. On top of that, our missions agency, Greater Europe Mission, has (justifiably) made it clear that we will not be allow to return to Germany until we have raised enough monthly support to fill our current deficit.
Please be praying for us in the coming week. In total, we need to raise almost $1,200 a month in support in order to return to our ministry in Germany. It’s a tall order, but we are confident in God’s provision. If you are interested in either becoming a new supporter or increasing a current commitment, please let us know as soon as possible. Most importantly, please be praying that God would raise up all of our needs according to His will and purpose!
March 16, 2011
As most of your probably already know, we will be heading to the United States for a six week tour starting March 22nd! We will be spending time traveling around the Midwest visiting friends and family, as well as meeting with some supporters. The following is a tentative travel schedule:
March 22 Arrive in Chicago
March 22 – March 26 Chicago & NW Indiana
March 26 – April 10 Dellroy, Ohio
April 11 – April 19 Dayton, Ohio & Indianapolis, Indiana
April 20 – April 25 Dellroy, Ohio
April 26 – May 4 Chicago
May 4 Depart from Chicago to Germany
We are currently working to schedule visits with people in these various locations. Our ideal is to organize some group events so that we’ll be able to see as many people as possible.
Please be praying for traveling mercies, especially for Micah. We’re not entirely sure how he’s going to handle the flying and long road trips. Pray also for the various support raising activities we’ll be doing along the way. We’re currently in need of raising new monthly supporters. Pray that God would lead us into His provision.
We’ll keep you informed while we are on the road with blog posts, pictures, and perhaps a video or two. See you soon!
February 23, 2011
 Perhaps the most constant challenge throughout the career of any cross-cultural missionary is the continuous improvement of one’s language skills. When we talk about learning a foreign language, we throw around words like “fluent” and “proficient”. These words can be very decieving as if one can finally “arrive” in a language. If there’s one thing I’ve discovered after a year and half of being immersed in the German language, it is that you are always learning, always improving.
Language is such a tricky thing. Language coarses and dictionaries will only get you so far. To really speak and understand at a level even resembling a native speaker can take years of constant practice and observation. The gulf between a native and non-native speaker is immense and ever present. It’s probably what’s most difficult about our time here so far. I would say that my knowledge of German grammar and vocabulary is pretty advanced. But, when it comes to how you comfort someone who just lost a loved one in their language, for example, you enter a whole other realm of communication that you never learn in a classroom.
The past few weeks I have gotten a renewed desire to be disciplined in deepening my mastery of German. Like I said, grammar books and flashcards will only get you so far. I’ve realized that one of the most essential things I can do is simply listen. By taking time to intentionally listen to Germans speaking, you can slowly over time develop more of intuition and feel for how the language functions on a more routine and social level.
To this end, I’ve started watching 30 minutes of German television in the mornings. This may not seem terribly noteworthy, but I decided that my programming of choice would be German soap operas. That sounds silly, but it turns out that soap operas are a great way to learn language! Generally, plot lines and dialogue aren’t too complicated and the language used is typically very colloquial.
Soaps were the natural choice also because that is what’s on TV during the time that I have free in the morning. So far, my soap of choice has been Lena: Liebe meines Lebens. It has already given me some good language insight, and I’m dying to find out who shot David von Arensberg!
Needless to say, Kathi is having a good laugh. She thinks its hilarious that I’m turning to soap operas for my language practice. She finds it funny explaining to Micah that Daddy has to go now to watch his stories.
February 7, 2011
 I always get a kick out of cultural quirky things particularly when they are of a spiritual nature. Typically, Germans take spiritual things very seriously, so there’s seldom much market for religious kitsch. Well, we came across a rare example of relgion meets pop culture in Germany. A friends of us sent us a link for the Gebetomat or, essentially, the Prayer-O-Matic in German. Basically, it is a booth that is being set up in public locations around Germany where you can go and pray. But, it doesn’t end there! The Gebetomat has pre-recorded prayers from all of the world’s major religions in 65 different languages. So, for only 50 cents, you get 5 minutes of lead prayer in the religion and tongue of your choice!
At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this gizmo. It just seems to me to be another example of modern technology replacing genuine human contact. Prayers in this context have traditionally been done in community. However, sensing the modern need of one-stop solutions, the Gebetomat can give the busy commuter a connection to God in just 5 minutes.
I don’t want to be overly cynical. It’s an interesting idea, and I shouldn’t knock it until I’ve tried it. But, it just seems to be missing some crucial advantages of traditional forms of personal and cooperate prayer. At the very least, it’s an interesting novelty and curious cultural phenomenon. I hope that I get to come across one at some point!
January 27, 2011
 This past Sunday, I delivered my second sermon ever in German. This time we were the guests of the church plant, Cologne in Motion. This particular plant was started by another couple with GEM in the neighborhood of Cologne we’re now living in. It’s a really great church that has an amazing core of very dedicated believers. As Kathi and I continue the process of discerning God’s next steps for us here, we are contemplating the possibility of hooking up with this ministry in some way as we move forward.
The sermon itself was on Matthew 13:44-46, or the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl. I’ve always been fascinated with the pattern of exchange throughout the New Testament. Repeated we are called to exchange our old lives for the new life of Christ. Whether its Jesus calling us to take up our cross or Paul declaring his previous attachments garbage, this idea of exchange seems to be one of the foundational principles of the New Covanent. The thing that really stands out to me about the Matthew 13 parables is the role of joy in that exchange. Our absolute surrender to Jesus is supposed to be a joyful surrender!
This idea was really brought home to us this morning in fact. We found out that another missionary family that our sending church back home supports suffered a tremendous tragedy. The husband and wife are long-time missionaries in Mexico along its dangerous border with the US. Yesterday while the couple was out driving, the wife was shot and killed by a gunman (CNN story). Please be praying for the Davis family right now. It’s a sobering reminder that our surrender means our very lives as well.
January 20, 2011
 One of the things I love about living in a major city is that it’s a place where the lives of people from all over the world intersect. In terms of ministry, that means in a small, confined area, there are manifold opportunities for the spread of the Gospel to nations. In terms of the church, it provides the chance for believers from all over the world to meet and fellowship.
Last week, the Evangelical Alliance of Germany put on a nation-wide event of prayer. Here in Cologne, the local Alliance organized prayer meetings around the city each evening in which the various members of the alliance took part. On Friday, I headed up to another part of town to one of these prayer meetings. This particular event was held in a part of town that has a heavy immigrant population. So, at this meeting were members from the nearby Russian-speaking church as well as the Turkish church in the city.
One of the “rules” that was given at the meeting was that people were encouraged to pray and worship in their native language. What a sight! It was amazing to witness one man praying to God in Turkish, then a woman in Russian, then another in German. In all, four different languages (I threw in English) were used to give worship and praise to One God! The Turkish believers there even blessed us with some worship music in their own style and language. What a blessing it was.
I love moments like this. It’s one of the reasons why I’m here. If you could have seen the love these Turks, Russians, Germans, (and a crazy Ami) displayed toward one another, it would have made you long, like me, for a deep experience of what it means to be the Church.
January 4, 2011
With the craziness of the holidays finally behind us, we finally have time to share with you a special experience that Kathi had last month. For those of you who don’t know, my amazing bride studied voice and opera for her undergraduate at Ohio University. And, for those of you who haven’t heard heard her sing, trust me, she’s amazing. Singing has always been something close to my wife’s heart. I have really seen how God has used it to communicate His glory to her and through her. However, for many years, she has not been able to use this gift in the ways that she so desperately wants to. Needless to say, this has been a continual open hole in her heart. Well, two people on our team were able to open that door if even a little bit for my wife.
One of our very good friends and American teammates here in Cologne is a woman who also studied voice as part of her education. In coming to Cologne, she set out to combine this love of and talent for music in bringing people the Gospel of Jesus. In the short time that she has been here, she has become very connected in the music world.
 One of our other teammates is a potter. He uses his unique gifts to create some pretty remarkable opportunities to reach to our city. For this past Advent season, he arranged a type of “Potter’s Advents calendar”. In the front window of his work studio, he laid out 24 earthen vessels with numbers for the 24 days of Advent on each of them. Each day, he would break open one of those pots, and would then hand out a special gift to people passing by his shop. One day it was chocolate, or another it was free Glühwein. This outreach created some of the most unique opportunities to share Christ with his neighbors that he has ever had.
What do these two friends have to do with Kathi’s love of music? One of the gifts that our potter friend prepared to give away as part of this outreach was a free Christmas concert in his shop to the people of his neighborhood. He enlisted the help of several professional musicians to give their time and gifts toward this outreach concert – including a classical guitarist, our other opera singer friend, and Kathi.
 So, on the 20th day of Advent, Kathi was able to pass on that gift to God’s glory once again. The concert was amazing. They sang several classical and contemporary Christmas pieces, both Acapella and with the guitar accompaniment. The crowd that gathered was really blessed by the gift, and it helped to serve our friend’s continued work in reaching out to his neighborhood.
As we continue to make our home here, one of our deepest prayers is that Kathi finds more opportunities to take this special gift and utilize it for His service. It’s been difficult, to say the least, to have to wait for the time when that would happen. But, I know that it will. My bride has a special music in her heart. I’m positive that God wants that to be shared with the world.
December 24, 2010
 Merry Christmas from the Cram family! We hope all of your are having a great holiday. We’re enjoying our second Christmas here in Germany, and it’s been a blessing that so many of our friends here have been around that we not out on our own this holiday. But, of course, it hasn’t been any easier this year being away from our friends and family back in the States.
That is to say, some of our friends and family since my family made the long trek from the US to Germany to be with us this holiday season. My father, step-mother, sister, brother-in-law, and their two kids just left Cologne yesterday after spending two weeks here with us. It was a blessed time. Not only was it nice to have family around for this time, it was exciting because it was the first time that any of them had met Micah.
 After two weeks of family fun (including coming down with the stomach flu), they left for the States yesterday, which means things are slowing down here for Christmas itself. Thankfully, we have really close friends here with whom we’ll be spending Christmas day, so we’re looking forward to that. We hope and pray that all of you are blessed to be with your loved ones as well this Christmas. Merry Christmas, everyone!
November 26, 2010
 It's an expat Thanksgiving! Out of all of the holidays, I think that Thanksgiving is probably the most difficult being away from friends and family in the States (expect maybe Arbor Day). Kathi’s family has yearly traditions centered around the Thanksgiving feast that we really miss. On top of that, Thanksgiving is the one major American holiday that is not celebrated here as well. As hard as Christmas is to be away from family, the extravagant German Christmas celebrations help make it a little easier. Not so with Thanksgiving. Turkey Day is just another Thursday here.
The past two years though we’ve been really blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving with another American missionary couple here in Cologne. For the second year in a row, our friend Dave cooks up a big turkey with all of the sides and Kathi bakes us some pumpkin pie. We spend the entire day feasting on bird and enjoying each other’s company. The holiday takes on a new special meaning when you celebrate it with other Americans in a foreign land.
Of course, there are just some things that aren’t the same. We found ourselves longing to veg out in front of the TV watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (even though we don’t really care for parades). And, there’s nothing like falling asleep to John Madden’s voice as he calls the Lions game (even though we don’t really like football). And, most importantly, we miss the joy of spending that time with the people back in the States who are so dear to us.
Having those relationships with our American teammates here is so important us. Sometimes we just need an evening where we can chat in English and eat a cheeseburger together. As much as we miss our friends and family back home, we are so thankful that God has given us a good community of people here that we can find those times of fellowship and encouragement.
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