February 13

Last weekend was a bit interesting. Friday, Feb. 13, marked the 64th anniversary of the bombing in Dresden near the end of WWII. If you haven’t heard about it, or read much about it, you can go here. The most devastating destruction was the falling of the Frauenkirche. The church wasn’t completely destroyed in the bombing, but the fires in the aftermath caused it to entirely collapse 2 days later. There is a memorial service held every year in remembrance, and this year it fell on a Friday night. The service was held at 7 at night, with singing and speeches. One speaker was a POW in Italy during WWII. All 4 of us Hands-on girls, along with Jason (our supervisor) and Amy (journeygirl), attended the service. We spoke as little English as possible that night. Neo-Nazis were coming to town, and they aren’t exactly the biggest fans of foreigners—especially Britons and Americans on that weekend. They usually have marches on the anniversary date, but because the anniversary was on a Friday, they saved their marches for Saturday.

Saturday was very uneventful for us because we were practically in hiding. There were protests held all over the city, including a place near our apartment, so we spent all of Saturday at the Dietz’s house. There were rumors of anywhere between 4,000 to 6,000 Neo-Nazis in town for the marches and protests. Over 4,000 police were here, as well as almost 10,000 Anti-Neo-Nazis. The Anti-Neo-Nazis had their own marches protesting the Neo-Nazis. As you can see, being in heart of the city was the last place we wanted to be. Fortunately, nothing big occurred, and we Americans are back out in the city once again.

Also, thank you to everyone who has been praying for my team and I. We have truly felt the prayers and have seen some of them answered. God is so amazing and deserves to be glorified!

German word:
groß—big