Please help to ignite the Great Re-Awakening in Europe

Rogerthefourth

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I came across this thread with considerable interest, I've done a good deal of ministering in Europe. Germany's been mentioned as especially fertile ground for doing missionary work and settlement by Christians from North America and Australia/NZ who learn German, there are IMHO 2 big reasons why. BTW, if you haven't considered emigrating to Germany yet, then definitely consider it now-- both in terms of ministry opportunities and also quality of life for a working person and family, Germany really is without peer today due to some unique historical circumstances, with room for millions of Christians to enter and flourish as emissaries of the Gospel over the next decade. It'll probably take you at least a couple years between the time you decide to emigrate and when you actually go, so definitely keep the option in mind early!

One reason is that Germany is an explicitly Christian nation, one of the very few remaining in the Western world. Note that most countries in Europe and even in North America deny any explicit Christian nature in spite of their history. Germany however, is still specifically and legally self-declared as a Christian country. The current ruling party in Germany for example, is called the Christian Democratic Union, and many other important institutions in Germany explicitly make reference to their Christian nature. So in contrast to other Western nations that don't question the trend toward secularization, Germany explicitly welcomes efforts to again instill the Christian faith throughout the land.

This is why so many have been perceiving a surprisingly favorable environment in Germany for missionary efforts by Americans, Canadians and Australians who speak (or learn) German, and especially those who want to emigrate to and actually settle in one of the German states. There actually is such official support, or at least a favorable inclination, for what we're doing.

The second factor, is that Germany is working hard to attract Christian migrants (especially those with some Germanic or northern Celtic/Slavic ancestry, and thus some ancient connection to what became Germany) to populate the east of Germany in particular.

Remember, Germany was only recently reunified just over 15 years ago, and since then, eastern Germany has been depopulated since the former East Germans were so eager to move to the more economically vibrant western Germany. The German officials recognize a need therefore, to repopulate eastern Germany in particular, which is why they look favorably on immigrants from e.g. the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who move there, especially if they have an interest in promoting ministry and function in German as soon as possible. That's another reason why so many of us here have apparently been perceiving a favorable environment, it's real there.

As has been mentioned, eastern Germany is a dream region to settle in, as it's very advanced, with some of the world's most gorgeous cities from Leipzig, Berlin, Potsdam and others, but with a low cost-of-living and low housing costs due to recent developments. And of course, numerous opportunities to establish new churches and undertake ministry.

I know I've been emphasizing the language here but it bears repeating: you don't need to be fluent in German when you're starting out, but you have to become at least proficient after you get there. Germany is an extremely advanced country and you simply cannot function there, in ministry or anything else, unless you are at least willing to put in the effort to learn the German language, then actively use it as the language of your home, job and of course, your ministry itself. If you have children or soon will have them, make sure they get as much German immersion learning as they can. As others have been pointing out here, it really is very, very easy to get fluent in colloquial German from a native English-speaking background.

Besides Germany, I'd agree that much of France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium are great places to minister. (Though, again, learn the local language in each case!) I actually think that the Netherlands is a good place to minister as well, their outlook has really become much more receptive to us in the past few years. They're a well-educated population but much more Christian at heart than many of us realize, both in the big cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam and elsewhere. Though, once again, you have to learn Dutch to be effective there. You don't need to know it at first, but they will kick you out if you don't at least make efforts to learn and use the Dutch language there. Besides, you will need it for your ministry efforts.
 
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Karelin9

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Welcome to our community, Roger. Saw your valuable contribution here and couldn't help adding: In the past few weeks have spoken with several of my old colleagues affiliated with the church, now living abroad in Europe, and have been hearing the same kind of thing.

From everything I've been hearing, Germany in particular really seems like a new Promised Land today for Christian missionaries and Christians in general. Germany today, especially in the east, is perhaps something like what the open USA was in the mid-19th century, a land open and hungry for the Gospel, combined with practical considerations (such as low cost-of-living) that generate an unusually felicitous environment for our efforts.

I suppose it has something to do with the phenomena you're talking about, but apparently they're so eager to bring in new Christian families to help correct the demographic and cultural dislocations that took place after Communist East Germany was merged in, that the German functionaries have all but rolled out the welcome mat for us.

An old friend now living with his wife and 3 kids in Halle, another city somewhere in eastern Germany (I must confess my general ignorance on all things geographical here), says it's been fantastic beyond anything he imagined, a truly magnificent place to live and minister. Aside from a few minor raised eyebrows, he said his work with the church there has been welcomed far beyond what he expected. And since becoming more proficient in his German-speaking skills this year, he's been able to increase Christian interest not only among the native German population, but the thousands of otherwise secular Eastern Europeans who live there.

As far as living there goes, he echoes the consensus here: Halle is a magnificent city like the other eastern German cities, genuine eye candy to look at and take in, invigorating, historic yet also modern-- http://tinyurl.com/3x4ztz
Yet at the same time, he said it's very affordable to live in compared to almost anywhere in the USA, Canada, UK or Australia. It's essentially getting to live in a top-drawer first-world high-tech (and reemerging Christian) nation for the prices of maybe somewhere in South America. IOW, Germany now seems to be presenting a once-in-a-few-centuries opportunity for Christians who move there. It warms my heart to hear this-- obviously Germany has a special importance for many of us due to that country's fundamental role in shaping the Protestant faith in the first place (though Catholicism flourishes there as well), and I'm glad to hear that the people there themselves are starting to increasingly recognize this.

I suppose all the upheavals that occurred after the Communist East German region was taken in have been a serious problem within the country itself, but it's our gain for those of us considering a move there and an opportunity to perform missionary work and even build new churches. It's left a native population hungry to rejoin its heritage apparently, while also fostering a low enough cost of living-- combined with relatively high salaries, paid in Euros.

And based on what you're saying, with the authorities inviting millions of Christians there to repopulate the region, it really is perhaps something like the USA after the Homestead act. And like the USA then, Germany is especially inviting to Christian immigrants with families or planning them (especially if some Germanic/Celtic heritage), even more so if we have a skilled background. The only issue is that they really do seem to be sticklers about learning German when you get there, but sounds like again, that's not all that tough to do for folks who've taken the plunge.

Again, I've been more inclined toward the Francophone section of Europe, so I also should mention some encouraging reports I've heard from those who are now living and working in France and Belgium. Again, apparently not quite as fertile ground for the Gospel as Germany has become, but my old friends who are resident there generally have very good things to say and heartwarming news about their ministry success and raising their children there. Again, you have to learn French (or Flemish/Dutch in northern Belgium), but it's not all that difficult to do as I personally can attest-- le Francais c'est vrai facile a apprendre!

(FWIW, though the Netherlands in the past has apparently been a tough place to minister, a good friend in Rotterdam has said it's changed there and the Dutch are very welcoming to Americans/Australians who learn Dutch, raise families and preach the Gospel there. Great news for our efforts!)
 
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*Soulwings*

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Hey everyone,

This is an awesome thread. I haven't read all of it, but it has encouraged me to know that there are many out there who are called to evangelize in Europe.

I'm an 18 year old girl from the Netherlands, and for years now it has been on my heart (actually, it is more like an obsession which drives me crazy :D) to pray and work for revival to come to the Netherlands.
I feel Jesus is going to pour the Holy Spirit out on the Netherlands in a great awakening and revival fire, and He is calling the youth here to stand up spread that fire. It's just that there are so few christians here who hunger and seek the Lord deligintley. More workers need to come here.

I would like to ask if anyone here would please pray for the Netherlands and the revival which is soon to take place as the Lord wills it. Also pray for the youth here, as He has a special calling and purpose for us.

Thank you all, and God bless your ministries!

- Soulwings
 
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Parabler

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Hey Soulwings, hello from a fellow Netherlands admirer. :wave: I used to visit Holland all the time years ago when I was working and ministering in Sweden and Norway, and I just came to adore Arnhem, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and some other lesser-known but gorgeous Dutch cities. And I do agree that something like a Christian revival has potential in the Netherlands, it's perhaps not as advanced as in some of the neighbors (and perhaps has faced more resistance), but based on my experiences in Arnhem and Eindhoven in particular, I have no doubt that the Netherlands is indeed ripe for its own Christian revival as well!

Anyway, just chiming in to offer some of my own helpful hints to anyone taking the OP's advice and focusing on Scandinavia. The Scandinavian countries-- Sweden, Norway and Denmark in the core, along with Iceland and sometimes taken to include Finland-- are often thought of as quite secular, and being a tough crowd for young and aspiring ministers. But what's apparent when you scratch the surface is how strong the generous Christian spirit still is in Scandinavia-- remember, these countries were at the forefront of Protestant Christian evangelism centuries ago, and Scandinavian-Americans in US states like Minnesota continue in that spirit today.

If you want to minister in Scandinavia, first take a few trips to the relevant countries there. Although the Scandinavian countries are large in size, their populations are generally rather small. The Gulf Stream current keeps the countries from becoming too cold, but it *does* get dark very early in winter and stay bright for a long time in summer, just like in Alaska. You'll get used to it, don't worry, but if you have a history of something like seasonal affective disorder, be sure to get a doctor's advice and any relevant preventative treatment. When traveling in these countries, visit both the major city hubs as well as the smaller towns and villages to get a feel for them.

Remember, just like the original post said, many of you ministering in Scandinavia will likely move there and raise your families there, so get a feel for the places and decide if you'd actually like to relocate in a particular city, whether or not you eventually do. FWIW, Scandinavian cities are clean, modern, technologically advanced and just wonderful places to live, so don't be surprised if you are drawn to them enough to decide to move. Talk to expats from the USA (or from Canada or Australia if you have roots there) to get more information, and obviously get in touch with the relevant local church organizations.

As far as language: I'm not trying to burst any bubbles here, but you absolutely must learn the relevant Scandinavian language wherever you're living and working, to actually get anything done. I know, you've probably heard that Scandinavians have remarkable English-speaking ability for a non-Anglophone country. Well, yes and no. It's true that an awful lot of Scandinavians are very good at English, and if you're staying there for no more than a few weeks or even a couple months, you could probably get by in e.g. Norway without learning Norwegian.

But the Scandinavians almost never use English among each other, and their own languages, with their own evolved literary traditions and sophistication, are in active use for all things official. In my years there, I also got the sense that their English is variable depending on where you go, which is hardly surprising since after all, they use Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic or Finnish to run their affairs. And as has been pointed out, if you want to minister to people, you have to use the language closest to them. Finally, the Scandinavians do get a bit annoyed if you stay there for more than a few months without picking up the local language. It's considered impolite among other things, and it won't do you much good in attracting people to your ministry.

Luckily though, languages such as Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are easy for an English-speaker to pick up. They're Germanic languages like English, Dutch and German, and so closely related that once you learn any of them e.g. Danish, it's only a few months to master the others. Icelandic is a bit tougher, and Finnish is in a totally different language family, much tougher to pick up. You shouldn't have much trouble if you move there, though.

Also, German just comes in very handy wherever you are and it's useful to know if you're working in Europe, since it's the language of the continent's major economic driver. I worked some in Eastern Europe when I was based in Scandinavia and German is a kind of lingua franca, plus widely understood throughout much of northern Europe and even in many places in southern Europe such as Lombardy in Italy. Also, obviously if you work in a technical field, German is indispensable. I'm an engineer by training myself and if you never set foot in Europe, these days especially a bigger and bigger proportion of the literature you should know (and write your own papers in) is in German, so it's good to have on board. Definitely consider picking it up if you're going to be in Scandinavia for a while!

Still, remember that you'll have to do your critical work in the local language, not German or English. So get some basic software or audiotapes in Swedish, Norwegian or another relevant language, however best you learn, get started and practice when you get there. The rewards will come immediately, and before long you'll be able to order your frukost and middag (breakfast and dinner in Swedish) with no trouble!

Lastly, as far as economics it's obviously a big help if you have some technical school or business-starting plans in Scandinavia. Having some Swedish or Norwegian heritage is probably a plus as well but not necessary off the bat-- they mainly want to make sure you can be productive there. Scandinavian countries are fantastic places to raise children, with great schools and lots of community support. Remember that Scandinavia is mostly outside the Eurozone, but the local currencies are great especially with the slipping dollar. Above all, remember your objective to bring the word of the Gospel to the locals here, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the reception you get. God Bless and jag hoppas att du lyckas! (Best wishes for your success!)
 
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wearelegion9

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I was in Germany, France and Italy last year, and I was pleased to see American, Canadian and Australian missionaries there already in droves. They spoke perfect German, French or Italian, and were rearing children there, fully integrated.

I was especially amazed at the number of Australians and New Zealanders in Germany, Belgium, and France in particular, who were at the vanguard of the re-Christianization of the European Continent. We all owe them a debt of gratitude, and I look forward to seeing more Anzacs and North Americans settling in places like Germany and France in the near future; I myself may join their ranks.

For what it's worth, anyone considering a move to minister in these countries, please start preparing ASAP. Learn the languages-- especially German no matter where you settle-- and look at residential opportunities, both for working and raising children, and of course for preaching the Good News to our reviving Christian family in Europe!

Due to the strength of the Euro and the region's economies, led chiefly by Germany, there's been a flood of migrants from Canada, the USA, South Africa and Australia, moving for work-related reasons. This is naturally increasing housing prices, and it could make it more difficult in about a decade to move there for someone involved in ministry. So if you want to help in this great effort, please don't hesitate!
 
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Mattymatt

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Wow, so great to hear that efforts like this are already being organized and getting off the ground! Believe me, Europe really does need us and it's good to see the efforts being undertaken!

I'm probably a little different than most people here in that I'm Catholic and have done ministering in Italy, a Catholic country. Naturally, our form of ministry isn't the same as most examples here b/c we don't establish our own churches ad hoc, yet there's still a lot we can do-- community outreach, recruitment, fund drives, charities and other efforts to increase awareness and bring people back into the fold of the Church. I welcome efforts by all my Christian brethren here to help bring the Gospel back to Italy-- loss of faith and overwhelming secularism is a problem for all of us, no matter what our denomination.

I'm also happy to report that many people from my home communities in California and upstate New York have been doing exactly as the original post had been suggesting-- not only helping with ministry, but formally emigrating and settling down, with their children, in Italy.

Almost anywhere in Italy is wonderful to live in, but some of the medium or more smallish cities such as Perugia, Bologna and Genoa, are both less expensive and excellent places to raise kids.

It does admittedly help some if you're Italian-American or have some Italian (or even Irish) ancestry, but the Italians are flexible. You must absolutely learn and use Italian, and your kids must be enrolled in Italian schools, but you'll pick it up there. Especially if you have special skills and want to help in ministering, you're welcome to help there!
 
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tottor

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Dear friends in Christ,

I'm very happy to read your article. I live in Norway - which explains whatever error you may find in this text. We could definitely need some of you folks up here too! Being Christian in Scandinavia is not very encouraging because we see that the sosciety is drifting away from the Lord more and more rapidly.

If any of you plan to come to Norway, I would give you two advises:
- Learn Norwegian before you get here. People in Norway are often very interested in speaking English so you would probably end up speaking English all the time.
- If you're a republican, change to democrate before you get here. Otherwise you will end up spending all your time defending US foreign policy instead of preaching the gopel. As far as I know this is even more important at the European continent.
 
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Inhocsigno

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This sort of European ministry really is gaining traction, and just as talked about here there is a push to not only minister but emigrate, and raise families in the relevant countries. I alone know or am familiar with over a dozen people who've done this, with over half of them actually moving and living there now. Germany really is the hub for this I agree, though the destinations are diverse-- people spread out from France, Finland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Denmark. I'm especially impressed with the ones in Finland and Estonia, German or Italian is comparatively easy to pick up, but Finnish or Estonian, now that's a challenge! I have some background on this, I'll post a little more when I'm less tired.
 
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eduardo89

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Hey guys,

we should know why our religion had declined,according to my opinion,I think it's just because of a secret organization,it's called the Freemasonry.
Yes guys, no doubt,it's behid the decline of it,they encourage the secularism,and they are against christianity,that's their main goal.
moreover,it's Jewish goods,it's satanic organization,so if somebody wants to know about them.
watch them on youtube.

thanks
 
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Edmond89

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hello all,

guys we have to know the specific reason for decline of our religion(christianity),I think there is something behind all of these declines,it's no doubt the satanic organization it called the "Freemasonry"

the freemasonry encourages the secularism,it's against all the religions,hates all of them,deny christ,and the bible also.
it's just because of them,they tempt people to join them.
so guys it's the major reason behind the decline of christianity.

thanks,
Edwar
 
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Inhocsigno

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An update, just spoke to an old friend of mine today who has emigrated to and been doing some ministering in the Netherlands outside of Rotterdam. He was nervous and at first wasn't having much success, but he said recently that the effort has been bearing fruit!

His church started mainly with just a few other American emigres and their families, but from that nucleus it has grown strongly and now boasts a following consisting of both emigres (from the USA, Canada and Australia mainly) as well as native Dutch people, with services being conducted in the Dutch language.

He said this to me and it bears repeating-- you have to learn the local language (in this case Dutch, though he said in practice German is also essential there) to have any success. Part of the reason for his lack of headway initially, he said, stemmed from his own difficulty with Dutch and his initial effort to conduct English-language services. This turned out to be a total failure-- while the Dutch are famed for their ability to speak other languages such as English and German, you absolutely must speak to them in their own native tongue to reach them at a spiritual level. So after getting his own moorings there, he practiced his conversational Dutch and got to the point where he could help produce sermons in it, and gradually began having more success.

German is also important in the country for reasons of business and commerce as well as some old cultural links, and so anyone in the Netherlands should also learn German. Which is not hard in practice-- Dutch and German are extremely similar so if you learn one, you'll quickly pick up the other. But when it comes to ministering, it has to be done in Dutch.

In fact, he said this is even more important if your church has a lot of emigres from the US, Canada or Australia there. It's the same (and even more so) if e.g., you are doing the ministering in a place like Germany for example, even if your church has a majority of expats and emigres, you have to make sure you can conduct it in German. This is the only means to ensure that the emigres increasingly do their own thinking and conduct their business in the language that's used throughout the country, which in turn makes them better emissaries of the church's aims through the rest of the country. In turn, this attracts natives alongside the emigres.

I really do like the heart of the original suggestion in this thread, which is that to rekindle the Church in the European Continent, we need millions of Christians from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to emigrate and set up in these European countries, as integrated citizens alongside their neighbors, working in the countries as they preach, and raising their children as members of their new countries.

This is the only way to revive the Church there, I agree entirely, and while the first part (emigration and getting work) isn't too difficult over the long run, it can take some mental adjustment to move from a place like the USA or Australia, into a German city, and start thinking of oneself and one's children as Germans and German citizens all the way up to conducting one's ministries and daily business in the German language. But we need this level of commitment if we are to be at all successful, and ensure that this crucial effort bears fruit for us and for the European heartland.
 
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*Soulwings*

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^ Uh huh, Dutch people are known for their ability to speak multiple languages (mostly English, German and French next to Dutch), and we don't mind speaking English to outsiders, but it's generally more respectful to attempt to speak Dutch. We don't care about how well foreigners speak the langauge, just as long as they make the effort. I guess it's because we ourselves do the same when we are in a foreign country, we expect others to try and do the same when they are in our country for a longer period of time.
It will definitely gain some respect :thumbsup: .
 
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Inhocsigno

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Hey folks, just spoke to an old friend in Grenoble, France, who will soon be 3 years doing ministry work in that eastern French city. He is Australian originally from Perth (hello to any fellow Perthites out there!) and his wife from Pennsylvania, of Huguenot stock. But they both moved out to France with their daughter back in 2005 to spread the Gospel among the French people. They've recently added a little boy to the family too!

He admitted that the first year in France was really tough: He is a metalworker by craft, and he spent much of the first year trying to make a living and beginning a small business in Grenoble. Also, he and his wife spoke only basic conversational French, and it took some time to feel comfortable communicating in the language. But with faith and persistence, they persevered, stabilized themselves there, got a handle on their French and were able to commence their ministry work, based in a small church that itself had been founded by a Canadian from Vancouver who had emigrated to Grenoble some years before.

Now, he says, the church has grown by leaps and bounds, and both other emigrants to France and native-born French count themselves as members.

It's brought him and his fellow congregants great joy to assume such an important and historic role in this effort-- as others have emphasized here, countries like France, Italy and Germany on the Continent are where our faith originated in its modern form, and it is wonderful to be part of this historic movement to bring the Gospel back to the people there. Despite the secularism that has pervaded so much of daily life in France, people there really are anxious to hear the Gospel again and bring our faith back into their lives, and we are the vehicles to provide this to them!

By the way, yet another blessing from my friend's efforts is that his determination and success have inspired others to do the same. My friend's cousin back in Perth, Australia, has recently emigrated to southern Germany himself, with his wife and 3 kids, to initiate ministry efforts there. It was also very tough for him initially-- he's a plumber by trade and his wife a computer administrator, and the first few months took quite a bit of adjustment. But he stuck it out and became comfortable in German faster than he expected. He's now commencing his own ministry efforts in Eberswalde there along with other recent emigrants, all in German, and they're already attracting locals to attend and connect with the Gospel! Great things are already happening for us, and excites me every week to hear more news on these efforts.
 
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pearlofthehearth

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My cousin recently came back home briefly for a holiday family visit-- we're all Canadians (scattered across Manitoba) but he now lives in eastern Germany with his wonderful wife and their 3 wonderful children, spreading the Gospel and rebuilding the church there.

For those of you interested in encouraging ministry efforts in Germany, which sounds like a decent number of people here, I'd strongly encourage focusing on eastern Germany. As my cousin has said, the former East Germany suffered from the depredations of the openly hostile and anti-Christian Communist regime there, and needs ministry support even more than the West does. It's also less expensive in terms of cost and living, yet with outstanding schools for your kids and decent public transportation, so from a practical perspective, it's more manageable to get started there and initiate ministry work-- you'll need to be gainfully employed there to support your efforts, but it's a little easier in eastern cities such as Potsdam or Leipzig than western ones.

My cousin's only real complaint is the rather unpopular prime minister in Germany (Angela Merkel), who despite being in the "Christian Democratic Party" hasn't exactly been very supportive of Christian efforts or even Christian ethics. She has been unrelentingly hostile to Christians in Southeastern Europe while looking the other way at atrocities committed against them by Muslim Albanians in the region. It's not the identity of the peoples themselves-- my cousin would be against such a policy even if the roles were reversed, innocent people should not suffer like this-- but Balkan Christians have seen their churches torched and razed with the tacit approval of
Angela Merkel, and this is unacceptable. Fortunately, Ms. Merkel is very unpopular in Germany and disliked even by her own party due to her incompetence, and she will be kicked out of office soon, likely ousted by her own party due to the nature of her fragile coalition and replaced with someone more capable (and more respectful of Christian communities, such as Edmund Stoiber, as my cousin mentioned).

In any case, other than this, my cousin has had no complaints about the new life for him and his kids.

Make sure that you learn some German before you go over-- you don't need to be fluent, just basically conversant and with at least the motivation to learn the language. It's not just in Germany-- German really is the biggest European language and it's spread across the Continent, a big language of engineering and business so you should really learn it wherever you go. Of course if you minister, you will absolutely need to speak it to bring people into your ministry. It should be the first language of your children as well-- make sure they attend and flourish in German schools, otherwise you will be considered an outsider. But again, focus on the east. For our efforts, both the greatest need and opportunity are there.
 
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Inhocsigno

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To all brethren here, considering the move to European countries like Germany, France or the Netherlands to minister: Some encouraging news. There has been some economic difficulty hitting many countries there, and being in touch with my old friends and colleagues recently, these challenges have been affecting them as well. But with faith and perseverance, they are weathering the challenges quite well. All of them are on the path to citizenship in their new countries (predominantly in Germany, but a few in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, even Finland), all have been able to support themselves, and all are continuing apace in their ministries. Also, it heartens me to know that it is not only the professional class, but craftspeople, artisans, hard workers of many sorts-- originally from Australia, Canada and the USA-- who are now thriving in their new European homes. Having some kind of ancestral relations does help in making the move, but contributing to the community is the key to being accepted there and beginning the building blocks for one's ministry.

The suggestions in this thread, i.e. not only ministering in such countries but actually emigrating to them and raising children there, seem to be helping enormously to bring the Gospel back to the heart of Europe-- since so many of us have ancestry there, and since these too are First World countries, this is a plan that works uniquely well for this part of the world. Glad to hear that we are already seeing the effects!
 
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Inhocsigno

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Hey everyone, just wanted to pass on the well wishes from some old colleagues in northern Italy. It's a group of Americans and Canadians who emigrated to raise their children and establish ministry there. (They're in the Tirol region of Italy, which is a German-speaking location around the Alps.)

They just wanted to encourage others to follow in similar footsteps. They acknowledged that their first 3 years really were much more difficult than they expected-- besides the culture shock and getting settled in, it takes some effort to build up the social networks needed to even begin ministering. But they persevered, and are now being rewarded for their efforts!

The message for others who've just moved into Germany, Italy, France or other places to live and do their ministering-- hang tough and stay with it! It can be very discouraging early on, tougher than almost anything else you've done, but as with anything else worth doing, it just takes some grit and persistence. Stay with it, you'll soon enjoy the fruits of your success!
 
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