Finally, a photo of our German family!

It looked like a cross in the sky!













Almost home!













Sandwiched between layers of cloud













A bendy bus













A normal bus













In the Victoria train station before leaving for Gatwick airport













Mr. and Mrs. H, our hosts in London













PS and M













The men playing ping-pong













One of many train rides













Posing with R and R V.













O kids with M and S V.













Playing music with Mr. H













Checking out Mr. H's cello






































St. Paul's Cathedral (although to get a great picture is extremely difficult because of the size)













The inside of St. Martin in the Fields













The pianist who we heard play













St. Martin in the Fields



















A better picture













The basement cafe of St. Martin's













Westminster Abbey



















The first UN meeting place



















Big Ben



















Buckingham Palace













The Queen's park













Posing with the Os













Lunch at a food stand in the Queen's park













The Christian McDonalds manager













Fish and Chips with Mr. H













English telephone booths













Flying to England



















Bye-bye! (Daddy's brother, sister, and brother-in-law waving to us in the airport)













The Hundertwasser house (a photo does NOT do it justice!)













The O kids in the Frankfurt forest













L-R: K, P, R, T (Daddy's sister's family with whom we stayed in Germany)

Nov. 7
Yesterday, we took a walk with the Staschs through the fields and forest, and after awhile, the boys headed off to play soccer. Daddy and I followed so I could video a little bit. They practiced shooting goals and then Daddy and I walked back home. In the evening, Timo, Peter, Paul Stefan and I (Kay was still sick) played Karkassonn, a game we have at home but haven’t played yet, and had a lot of fun.

We took our last trip into Erlangen this morning. First, we visited the grave of Daddy’s mother and father. How wonderful it is to know that the grave is not the end. Christians have the hope of instant transfer from this world to Heaven when they die. Walking through a graveyard is an experience which can make one ponder the purpose of life. What is left when one is put into the ground? Only what’s done for Christ’s kingdom will matter after life. Unfortunately, non-christians cannot experience everlasting joy and peace in Heaven. It is the job of us Believers to further the knowledge of Christ in the world and pray unceasingly for His drawing of souls.

Next, we did some shopping in the large shopping center, which I remember from our last time in Germany. Then we walked to the McDonalds from old days, and which seems like a tradition for our visits. It has been remodeled inside since the last time, and we enjoyed our drinks before driving back to Uttenreuth. Our afternoon was filled with packing and doing necessary things. The boys also played some soccer on the computer. Before dinner, we watched Timo play soccer once again. We were happy to witness his team win 4-0.

Nov. 8
We got up around 6:00 and finished the rest of our packing before breakfast at 9. Uncle Peter and Timo left later than usual, so were able to say goodbye. Aunt Rosi and Kay were able to eat with us. At about 10:00, we drove off for Frankfurt after hugs and handshakes, hoping to see each other in America in not too long. And our journey back began.

We arrived at Aunt Hanne’s in the early afternoon. Aunt Hanne had prepared a light meal for us, after which we took a walk through the woods and fields close to the house. Thereafter we drove to what used to be a fortress for kaffeetrinken. On the way home, we went by a Hundertwasser house, build by a man who employed many interesting ideas in construction. His houses are very colorful and irregular.

Uncle Andreas had a delicious meal prepared for us at home, for which Uncle Hermann, who was working nearby, joined us. We all drove to the airport at 8:20. Following our luggage check-in, we sat down to drink something at the airport McDonalds. And then it was time to say goodbye, again with hopes of seeing them in America. We left waving, and heading for the security checks. We had to go through two of them, and at the first, they had me open up the bag and box with my violin.

The plane trip lasted less than an hour to Heathrow. I sat in a window seat and enjoyed glimpsing the fascinating lights below. What was really interesting was seeing the moon in the distance as though it was lower than the plane. At Heathrow airport in London, we got into an underground train which took us to Manor House in about 45 minutes, arriving at 12:30am. Mr. Hutchinson drove us to his house where we had some water to drink and exhaustedly got in bed for sleep before breakfast at 9:00.

Nov. 9
Following breakfast with Mr. Hutchinson, we went for a walk in the nearby park and old filter beds, one of the first water purification systems in the world. It was amazing to walk in the city, but through an area which seemed to be in the middle of the country! Some of the water beds are set up for the birds to live. It was also interesting to see the different progressive stages of the water beds when not maintained. For lunch, we stopped at a center for golfers, and had fish or chicken and chips. Chips in England are French Fries, but the ones we had were better than McDonalds. Fish and chips turned out to be a good option of a British specialty. Mrs. Hutchinson was at the house when we returned, and offered us tea. Mr. Hutchinson had a meeting, so left soon after dinner, and we spent the evening with Mrs. Hutchinson.

Nov. 10
This morning, we took the 9:47 train from Clapton Station to Liverpool Street. Liverpool Station is very busy, and masses of people were in a hurry to get somewhere. From Liverpool, we took the Circle Line to Charing Cross. We couldn’t find a cross, but there was a large monument with a small cross on top, which we figured was the place where our friends, the Odells, wanted to meet us. Because there was still some time before our meeting, Daddy stopped in a souvenir shop to buy some postcards. The Pakistani store owner, after I asked for a receipt, said “Ah, in the footsteps of her father!” He then was full of curiosity why we ask for receipts. So Daddy explained some of his views on money, which is an interesting conversation to get into with a total stranger!

Next, we stepped into McDonalds for a drink. Surprisingly, the manager approached and said “A good table for a lovely family!” This comment was a bit unusual. Daddy, as he was ordering, had another encounter with the manager, who asked where he was from. The manager, apparently from Brazil, then brought up the subject of the World Cup, hopefully including Germany vs. Brazil. Daddy displayed his condolences in advance for his team, which of course stimulated disagreement from him.:-) After we finished our drinks, he stopped us before the exit, and asked if we were Christians. Apparently, he had noticed something different as we walked in, and God had prompted him that we were. We stood there for several minutes, listening to him talk about the faith, as he turned out to be an evangelist. He was very on fire for the Lord, and heartily called us his brothers and sisters. What an amazing encounter to have in a McDonalds in the heart of London! It was quite encouraging to us.

We then met Mr. and Mrs. Odell, whom Daddy and Mommy know from being overseas, and they proceeded to give us an informal tour of that part of London. We walked past Saint Martin in the Fields church, after which came Trafalgar Square, a common place for large gatherings. There came a road lined with British and Chinese flags (apparently there was a meeting with the president of China). This road eventually led to Prince Charles’s house on the right and Buckingham Palace directly at the end. There was also a beautiful royal park through which we walked and stopped at a stand for a light lunch. Next we proceeded to walk through another park on the other side of the road, a place where a river and many ducks are to be found. The Parliament buildings came next, and we looked down the street where Tony Blair lived. We stopped at a building across from Westminster Abbey for tea. Mr. Odell showed us the United Nations first meeting place before we visited the gift shop of Westminster Abbey. In the garden of the church, were hundreds of small crosses to remember those who had died in the wars.

From Westminster, we walked by Big Ben, the famous clock tower on the end of a long government building. The Odells then soon had to leave, and we had to leave as well for our evening appointment. We parted and headed off by train to Islington. From the station, we walked a bit, including past the church we attended and lived at when I was 3, to Adrian and Polly Arthur’s house. Polly was fixing dinner and heartily welcomed us. Adrian was single when we lived in London, so it was great to meet his wife and hear about how God brought them together. Adrian arrived from work after awhile, and we talked while they finished dinner. Following the meal, we showed our photo album and looked at their album of wedding photos. Adrian walked with us to the bus station when it was time to leave, and we waited for an unexpectedly long time for a bus to finally arrive. We sat in the upper level and enjoyed our one double-decker ride during the London visit. Getting back to the house quite late, we headed straight to bed.

Nov. 11
Today was our day free from engagements with friends, so we spent the day walking partly where we had been the day before. We had lunch in the basement café of St. Martin in the Fields church before attending a piano concert in the Auditorium by a Japanese lady who studies in Germany. From there, we tried to walk to Oxford Circus, but entered a Borders before reaching our destination. Leaving Borders, we took the train to St. Paul’s Cathedral, since we hadn’t seen it yet. I was amazed at the size of it as we walked along the side to the front steps and entered the amazingly architectured building. Not that others had been less impressive, but this one was especially huge in my opinion. Because one has to pay for entrance, we just saw what we could before the way was closed off.

We spent the evening with the Hutchinsons. They are both musical, and we played some impromptu music together with violin, piano, cello, and guitar. We showed them our album as well.

Nov. 12
We took a morning train to Westcliff on Sea, where our friends the Verrinders live. Daddy was shown great hospitality by Ruth Verrinder’s parents when he attended their church in England. Since that time contact has remained with Ruth, who got married to Richard, and now has two sons, Matthew and Samuel. The men just got back from soccer training when we arrived, and we sat down for lunch. Following the meal, we took a walk down to the sea, enjoying the great view. The pier is the longest in England, and at one point Christians began seriously praying that God would do something to stop the worldliness which went on at a bar located on the pier. On a Monday they started praying, and on Thursday a large fire destroyed a part of the pier, including that bar and other restaurants. God surely does have His ways!

After getting back, we had a tea break while the boys played table tennis. They then came in and watched the England vs. Argentina soccer game, which England won. In the evening, after a Chinese meal, we showed my recital dvd.

Nov. 13
We attended the Verrinders church today, and Paul Stefan and I were asked to join the music team for the service, which we did with our violins. The service was a special Remembrance Day one. One of the songs was to the tune of Be Thou My Vision, but with totally different words. I was glad to be able to keep the music we played. Daddy was also interviewed about literacy ministry. After the service, Daddy spent some time talking with a German man and his family. We drove back to the house and had a great typical British meal with Yorkshire pudding, chicken, potatoes, and other vegetables. We showed our photo album and the boys enjoyed playing some games together before leaving for the train station at 4:30.

We spent the evening with the Hutchinsons who had prepared tea (dinner). Their suggestion was to quickly pack our things and then drive them with the car to a chapel close to the bus station for tomorrow, which would be easier than walking with all the luggage in the morning. So that’s what we did.

Nov. 14.
Mrs. Hutchinson had breakfast prepared for us, and walked with us to the chapel to help us with our luggage and getting the correct bus. We bided farewell to our very hospitable host for the time we were in London and got on a bendy bus headed for Victoria Station. The long ride was a challenge with all the luggage, but the large space where we could keep it was very helpful. At Victoria, Daddy got our tickets for the Gatwick Express, which would quickly take us to the Gatwick airport.

While on the train, at about 10:30, Daddy remarked to Mommy, “We have a big problem.” Mommy thought we maybe were heading to the wrong airport, but Daddy showed her the tickets which said our flight was at 10:05. We had missed our plane. We somehow thought our flight was at 2:00. At the airport, Daddy immediately went to try to get things sorted out. Amazingly, we were offered a flight at no extra charge 24 hours after our scheduled time. A British Airways employee was very kind in advising us what to do with our luggage and about a place to stay the night. He even helped Daddy to book in a hotel nearby and told us that we could check in our luggage after 4:00. So we spent time in the large waiting area, eating lunch in the McDonalds, perusing shops, and making phone calls. Surprisingly, the employee went out of his way to find us and offered to show Daddy the way to the hotel so we could walk instead of paying for a taxi, which he did. We wonder if he is a Christian.

We checking in our luggage after 4:00 and walked to the hotel. An hour of time before dinner in the restaurant allowed us to relax a bit. The unexpected time to relax in a nice hotel was actually good for us. Our waiter at dinner turned out to be from Bangladesh, and spent some time talking to us. One topic was the different in getting water in India and in the West. In Europe, water is not automatically free. One has to say ‘tap water’ in order not to pay for it. In India it is normal to get free water with your meal. The waiter also spoke about the government of India. I believe Daddy has a way to get people from Asia talking because he spent many years there. Four of us had Thai curry while one had a pizza, all of which was delicious. After devotions, we went to bed, anticipating a somewhat relaxed morning because most of the airport business was done already.

Nov. 15
We rose early because two of us had to take showers and we wanted to be at the airport early. Before 8:00 we were there and ate breakfast at McDonalds. A bit before 10:00, we made our way to the departure gate, and finally entered the plane which would take us back across the ocean. Taking off is the best part, in my opinion, and it happened at about 10:15. We soared above the clouds and were then between two layers of cloud, which was a breathtaking view. Our last authentic British tea was enjoyed on the flight, as well as the food which was given. The flight lasted 10 hours, but for me it seemed not as long as one would imagine. Interestingly, Mommy met a lady who works in India as a missionary and is now going to visit family and friends in the US. She may also be coming to Tulsa! Isn’t it amazing who God causes you to meet? Also, a steward was from Germany, and asked Daddy where he was from. As he was working, he spent a few moments in conversation with Daddy. The whole flight was during daylight, and we saw on the radar that we were flying over Tulsa. Then it didn’t last very long until we finally landed on American soil, or pavement, whichever you prefer.

Thankfully, customs was not a big problem, and Uncle Lin was waiting to take us back to his house. Everything fit either in his car or on the roof. Amazingly, everything fit into our car as well! We got to see the whole family and have a drink before saying goodbye and driving off for the actual last bit of the journey. By this time it was after 4:00. We got in the car, with our feet on luggage and luggage on top of us, but a squeezed ride would have to be endured. Why not have just a little more adventure to end our trip?

On the way, some of us slept, as we were quite tired out from the travels and our bodies were probably still accustomed to England time, 6 hours ahead. We arrived home after 10:00. Then we began unpacking, washing, and sorting mail. Originally, we would have had one day at home before driving to Atlanta, GA, but now we had just one night! Daddy got to bed first because he would be the driver tomorrow, and I got a couple hours sleep after midnight. I don’t know how much sleep the others got, but it probably wasn’t much.

One thing must be said before I continue, though. Considering how much hassle could have occurred as a result of missing our plane, we are really grateful to the Lord that He caused everything to run so smoothly. His ways are amazing!

Nov. 16
I have been typing these last several entries while the laundry is continuing. It is presently 6:10am, and we need to finish packing as well as drive to Nashville today. We are committed to representing Literacy and Evangelism International at a missionary convention in Atlanta for a few days which ends on Sunday. So actually our travels have not completely ended. Probably Thanksgiving will mark the beginning of getting back to a normal routine.

Mrs. Weber showing us the manger scenens













Posing with Mr. Werner and the violins he made













Aunt Rosi demonstrating the curriculum she teaches













Uncle Andreas with Peter and Paul Stefan













Ana Marie, Shannon, and Aunt Nisha













Watching Timo's soccer game













The four Ort siblings - Georg, Hanne, Rosi, and Hermann













Varun and Shannon Ort - our cousins













Watching Timo's soccer game













Timo - in the middle













All the ladies in the family













Shannon and Ana Marie, the two girl cousins (on this side of the family)

Nov. 2
Our outing today was to the old home of Franz and Betty Weber, Daddy’s uncle and aunt, to see his collection of manger scenes. His collection containing about 300 is quite famous, and we wanted to see them again. Mrs. Weber showed us around the place and explained various tidbits about the scenes.

Thereafter, we drove to see their new apartment in the house of their daughter, Daddy’s cousin. Mr. and Mrs. Weber are in their 80’s and at this point it is good for them to live with someone who can care for them when needed. The apartment is new and practical for them, and it is good to see them happy in their new situation.

Nov. 3
Mommy left with Aunt Nisha in the morning to get her hair done. Daddy, Paul Stefan and I took one violin back to Mr. Werner, and bought the one I had chosen. We also played our Hallelujah Chorus duet for him, which he appreciated. Our last visit with Mr. Werner was very nice. It is special to have gotten violins from a personable person.

In the afternoon, Daddy, the boys and I drove to Hessdorf. They left with Uncle Hermann for an Adidas store, after which Aunt Nisha, Mommy and I sat down for a cup of tea. In the evening, we had dinner together followed by the watching of my senior recital dvd, dessert, and a long time of talking, culminating with us arriving home after midnight

Nov. 4
In the morning, Aunt Rosi and Uncle Peter showed us the house where Daddy grew up, and which they now rent out to people. We got to see one apartment whose renters are planning to move out soon. Although a bit ancient in appearance, there are parts of the building which have been renovated and now look very good.

Next, Aunt Rosi took us to the school where she works, Montessori School. The curriculum she teaches is very hands-on and individualized, in fact, very similar to homeschooling. She demonstrated some lessons and showed us classrooms, giving us a very comprehensive tour.

Early evening, Timo had a soccer game, which we watched. His team won 7-1, which totally pleased us! After dinner, Timo and Kay’s parents went to a party, and the rest of us watched Fussball Gott(Soccer God). It is a story of two men who are trying to put together their own dream team. Along the way, they interview good players and learn about their faith. In it we heard the testimonies of some very famous soccer players.

Nov. 5
Today, all the Ort siblings, Hermann, Georg, Hanne, and Rosi got together with their families for a special time together. We started with lunch at a Chinese buffet in Erlangen, after which we left for Timo’s soccer game, followed by Kaffeetrinken in Uttenreuth. This, of course, lasted into the early evening. Later, we looked at old family pictures, watched sport overview on tv and The Climb, a dvd we found in German. Not everyone did the same thing at the same time, however. There was always a group talking around the table. Long after 10pm, the Hessdorfer Orts were the last to leave, and around 11 we headed to bed as well. It had been an absolutely wonderful time together, and only God knows when we will be all together again. Everyone is growing up, and schedules keep getting more complicated. But, we still hope to come back before 8 years have passed again!

Nov. 6
Today was our last day in our church here. People kept coming to us after the service and wishing us farewell. They always presented us with words of blessing, which is special. In the afternoon, we went for a walk with the Staschs in the forest, after which the boys played some soccer. This evening, we are planning to watch a dvd of pictures from the last 6 weeks which Uncle Peter has put together. Although most of the photos were taken by me, I am interested in what he put together!

Tomorrow our plan is to spent some time in town and on Tuesday morning, we will drive to Frankfurt for some time with Hanne and Andreas before we fly to England at around 10pm.

Paul Stefan helping Uncle Peter with computer problems













With the Baummüllers in Hessdorf













Looking at old family photos













With relatives in Dechsendorf













The other half of the group