Fireworks…like you never have seen before! In Germany, “Silvester” (New Years Eve) is a really big thing. We heard stories from other missionaries and friends about this holiday but nothing they said fully prepared us for what we experienced. It started with our neighbor who knocked on our door and told us to bring the girls to the window to watch. He set off two professional grade fireworks — right in front of our house! We thought to ourselves, “Surely, he is some kind of pyromaniac!” But he wasn’t alone. From 3:00pm until 1:00am the next morning there were fireworks going off constantly.
As we returned home from a NYE celebration at a local church, we discovered the streets were covered with firework shells and smoke was everywhere. It took us over an hour to return home; a trip that normally takes 25 minutes. As we saw and experienced all these explosions at close range, we couldn’t help but to think about our Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian friends. Surely the fireworks didn’t inspire all happy and joyous memories for them.
We are fortunate to be living in Germany during this crossroads in history. Both the German nationals and the refugees are more in-tune with how God is working in the world as a result of many tragic recent world events. Even something as simple as a fireworks display can evoke powerful emotions and memories — good and bad. That is what God showed us on NYE. What is He revealing to you in 2016?
