July 8, Day 5

Today was busy but wunderbar day. We spent the morning taking in the sights of beautiful Neuwied, Germany. We were guided by the pastor of Evangelische Mennonitengemeinde Neuwied, Martin Schmitz-Bethge. He gave us insight into the history of the early Mennonites of the area. Several centuries ago, the prince of the time granted land to various denominations, including the Mennonites, to build a church. This was to give religious freedoms to everyone. The Mennonites were given the property which is located across the street from the royal palace. The building still stands today.

One particularly gripping memorial was to the Jewish people who brutally lost their lives. They had been living as neighbours with the German people until November 9, 1938 when the Nazi order came to destroy the Jews. Neighbours turned on neighbours, and over 200 people were slaughtered. These orders had to be followed, or the German people would have lost their own lives. There are 'stumbling stones' on the sidewalks of that area with the names of the Jewish people killed.

After a delicious lunch at a micro-brewery restaurant, we traveled to the Marksburg Castle overlooking the River Rhine. It was originally built in 1283. We had a fascinating tour. Well worth the MANY large, uneven and treacherous steps we had to climb to get there.

Our host church, Evangelische Mennonitengemeinde Neuwied, provided us with a scrumptious potluck supper. We then performed at an evening concert. Despite the sweltering heat, the audience was enthusiastic. They even asked for an encore! It was very special to sing our German selections in Germany for the first time.

Some personal highlights:

Hildy Doerksen was thrilled to meet the mother of Alex Wall, her future church choir conductor.

The Neuwied congregation was excited to see that Ingrid Moehlmann married the tour guide (our current tour guide, Lothar) from her last trip to Neuwied.

Gute Nacht!

Submitted by: The Hotel Hooligans