I (Ben) have recently finished reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" -- I had never read it before, but thoroughly enjoyed it.  I found it very funny that not once in the book did Holmes ever say, "Elementary, my dear Watson".  Maybe that comes in one of the later books...

Either way, one thing that I noticed throughout the stories hit me in a big way.  Watson narrates his way through some of Holmes' interesting cases -- where either villainy or misunderstanding was behind each tale -- and recalls how Holmes came about to the conclusions of the different cases.  Watson witnesses and hears many of the same things that Holmes does, but cannot and does not see through all the small little details in the same way that the master detective can and does.  Yet no matter what, Watson is there and willing to stand by Holmes' side and help him out in any way he can.  Once or twice, Holmes asks Watson to do something for him -- something could be extremely dangerous -- and Watson agrees to do so, even without completely knowing what Holmes is planning or what outcome could possibly arise.  Watson, following and helping out in a completely trusting way, is faithful to Holmes, even in uncertainty and peril.

Hmmmm... -- the connection between Watson's relationship and Holmes and my relationship with God seemed to scream out at me through the literary beauty.  I have this strong trust in God, and He is able to see so much more than I could ever see with my own eyes -- even when I "see" the same things as He does -- yet when He asks me to do something that I do not fully understand, because of my limited sight, do I obey and follow Him in helping out however I can?  Do I trust Him in His wisdom enough?  Do I really believe in what He can see, believe and trust in His reasoning, fully trust that He does know exactly what is going on, exactly what will happen and exactly how I fit into all of that?

God is good and trustworthy -- and is not just all-knowledgeable, but all-wise...

Thanks, Watson & Holmes.

...thanks...

Last Thought: there are many quotables in the book, but here is just one of them -- Holmes, after solving the case of the Red-Headed League, says, "My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence.  These little problems help me to do so."  Beautiful.

We recently enjoyed our vacation these last couple of weeks!  My (Ben's) parents were here to visit for their first time, and I think we had a fantastic time together -- we were able to show them around the city, show them our day-to-day life and, in general, share relaxing life with them here in Berlin.  It was nice to have a break...

However, vacation is only a temporary thing, and we are constantly on the move here, keeping up with our ministry and trying to move forward in our lives here...

--This past weekend, I went down with Don (our teammate) to Erbach in southwestern Germany to speak at the local MAK (Missions-Allianz-Kirche) church there -- the first time I've "preached" completely in German, from the front, from a pulpit -- so it was great that it went well, and I was very encouraged that others were encouraged as well by what God shared through me...
--Travis started in the Kita (educational daycare, as I like to call it) last week -- he'll be heading there in the mornings from about 9am until 12noon, and so far, he is doing pretty well and is enjoying the new environment -- he gets along well with and likes his teachers, and from what Sarah has told me (as I've been staying with Hannah during the mornings), he's playing more with the other kids and learning and using more and more German...
--we have another brunch in a local church this week, and we're praying that we have a great turnout and that words and interactions will stick with people long after the brunch...
--Sarah is working with a couple of ladies to plan and pull together a big event to invite women to in November -- we're praying that all the little details will come together for them, and that God will provide everything that they need, following what He desires for this new endeavor...

These are just a couple of things that we are working with and through these days -- we would, as always, appreciate any thoughts and prayers and encouragement, and are so thankful for you and your interest in our lives...

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Here's a few pictures from our vacation...