Randy and Katy Smelser

Americans living in Germany but citizens of heaven

October

We have been ministering by being open ears recently.

I have talked a couple of times with the German teacher who is teaching the class meeting in our building. She had to leave quickly one day because her father was on his death bed.

At the gym one man was back who I have not seen for many months. His wife and I were in a step aerobics class together years ago. He started the conversation that he could now come back because his wife is now in a nursing home. She had had a brain tumor a few years ago and he has been caring for her but she has gone so far downhill that he can no longer carry on.

In my English class I have an English teacher. This is not my first English teacher in my class. Sometimes the teachers need practice themselves and so they come to my class. She is working with 5
th graders which means everything is new for them (grades 1-4 are elementary school and then the kids change schools), on top of the newness is the Corona regulations. She gave the first test and one boy flipped out, totally wild throwing things. We talked quite a while and I mentioned that we as a church have been praying for the teachers.

Another woman in another class (the class best) was not with it in class one evening. I asked her afterwards if everything was okay. She was surprised and thanked me that I would care to ask. No, things were not good. She works at the County Health Services and has to call all day setting up appointments for people to have Corona tests and get in touch with people who have been in contact with Covid. The work is draining. Katy and I keep having these kind of talks. We see it a mission of compassion. The world seems to be on edge (surprised?!) and we want to be beacons of compassion and love.