Just a quick update in the middle of the crazy moving process. We are still working on order a kitchen, because we didn’t realize that Ikea needs to come and measure it in person before they will order it for you. The kitchen will then take about a month to be delivered, so we will be without one for that time. Thankfully some friends here are lending us a small burner, and we will have a mini fridge! I’m looking forward to it finally being installed and life to get a little bit more back to normal.
If you didn’t see our recent email update, our kitchen in Rostock currently looks like this! This is completely normal in Germany, and when people move they either take their kitchen with them or sell it to the people moving in. It’s also common for people to stay in rentals long term (understandably!).
We’ve been back and forth to Ikea many, many times and were able to find an amazing deal on a couch that was less than 1/3 of the original price! However it was fully assembled and we had to get it through the cash, then disassemble it ourselves before it could be delivered. That meant we (mostly Matthew) were taking the couch apart in the hallway of Ikea, while we had both kids with us! It was a little bit crazy but we got it done.
After the fact, we really saw God’s hand in that situation. Firstly the couch was my dream couch, but we had decided not to get it because it was way out of budget. Sometimes God is so kind to us in tiny ways! Secondly there was another little kid in the customer service area who Clara made friends with, and they played together almost the entire time. Thirdly, they unexpectedly had availability the following day to deliver the couch to our apartment in Berlin so we can take it up to Rostock in the moving truck.
That’s all for now! Please pray for good sleep, focus, and teamwork for us during this truly crazy time.
It’s been a while – life has been crazy since Otto was born at the end of December! We are finally getting back into a more normal schedule, though of course that will all change since we are moving to Rostock in a couple of weeks. I’m reminded of December 2022 when we were selling and packing everything before flying to Omaha and moving to Berlin. There were a hundred things buzzing around my brain and it was really hard to focus on just one thing at a time. Right now I’m going around in circles thinking about the living room layout – how many couches do we need, how many people do we want to seat? Our home will be a part of our ministry and we will be hosting small groups as well. But there are just so many choices that making decisions feels overwhelming. Hopefully I’ll have some positive updates in the next blog post!
Matthew’s parents were here for two weeks and I wanted to share a little bit about their visit. We were able to show them around Berlin, and having them a part of our daily life was a blessing. Many rounds of Uno were played and baby cuddles were had. During the visit we all went to visit Colegrove family near Darmstadt. It ended up being a beautiful sunny weekend, and just the most relaxing time! Here is a picture from a ‘walk around the block’ where we were staying.
It just felt so good to be somewhere new, where we could quiet our minds and be refreshed. We were also all able to go together to pick up our keys for the new apartment in Rostock last week. It was exciting to show them our future home and neighbourhood!
That’s all I have the energy for at the moment. Though Otto is sleeping well, he’s only two months old and I’m up multiple times a night!
With so much love, Matthew, Katarina, Clara & Otto
Hello friends and family, As we get closer to Christmas and wind down through the end of the year, we just wanted to wish you all a time of peace and rest. Looking back at 2023, it’s been amazing to see how much we have learned and grown during our time in Berlin. We just finished our language/culture cohort – a monthly meeting when we would meet with other missionaries in their first year in Germany and discuss cultural differences and challenges. There are still significant language milestones to achieve, but it feels good to have this big task completed. In light of this, I wanted to share a few German Christmas traditions!
St. Nikolaus Tag
On December 6th, German children wake up to find one of their boots filled with chocolate, fruit, and nuts. This holiday commemorates the death of St. Nicholas of Myra in 346, who is said to have slipped gold coins into poor children’s shoes. In Southern Germany, Nikolaus is often accompanied by Krampus, a scary devil like creature who scares children who weren’t good that year (yikes!). We were in the middle of sickness and hospital visits on Dec. 6th – thankfully our local grocery store actually filled a paper boot for kids who brought one in the week before!
Herrnhuter Stars
Something new we discovered this year is the presence of Herrnhuter stars everywhere! These are three dimensional, hanging, lit stars usually made out of a hard plastic. Smaller stars can be hung as a garland, and larger ones are hung in the middle of a window. There are also sometimes larger electric candles in the window as well. The effect is really beautiful as you walk down the street and the apartments are warm and lit up! This is especially needed when it gets dark so early and almost every day is grey and gloomy.
Christmas Cookies
There are so many delicious Christmas treats! Here are a few of our favourites:
Zimtsterne: simple yet amazing cookies made out of meringue, cinnamon and ground almonds
Vanillekipferl (vanilla crescent cookies): nutty, melty cookies covered with icing sugar
Lebkuchen: the German version of gingerbread cookies, which are so heavily and deliciously full of spices and orange peel
Advent Traditions
Contrary to our experience in North America, the season of advent is a big deal in Germany even for non-Christians. Advent calendars are very popular, though not just calendars filled with chocolate. Many are simply beautiful Christmas images, with a little picture of an angel or star behind each door. In Southern German, traditionally the Christ child and his angels deliver Christmas presents to children, rather than Santa Claus. This has lead to images of sweet, childlike angels being really prevalent in Christmas decor!
Advent wreaths are also very popular, and it is normal to wish someone a happy first/second/third/fourth advent. Families will light the appropriate candle on Sunday afternoon, which in smaller cities is also “ruhezeit” (quiet hour) – when you are not allowed to make any loud noises for two hours. This includes recycling glass, drilling, or even kids stomping! Shops are also all closed on Sundays, reinforcing the emphasis on quiet family time.
Thank you for coming beside us on this journey, and praying for us as we step into God’s calling for our lives. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas season, filled with love and light!
Love, Matthew, Katarina & Clara (next time you hear from us we will be a family of four!)
Hi friends, what a month November was. Not only were we consistently sick, as you’ll see in our recent prayer update I also developed a pregnancy related liver condition that completely changed my plans both for the birth itself and has necessitated twice weekly hospital visits. It has certainly been a lesson in holding our own plans lightly. Honestly most of November was spent sick, recovering, or waiting long hours in the hospital but there were a few highlights in and amongst all the craziness.
Sankt Martin’s Tag
This is a special German holiday commemorating St. Martin who is known for generosity, especially for splitting his cloak with a beggar on a cold winter’s night. There is special bread to split with a friend, and a lantern procession to symbolize hope and Jesus as the light of the world.
Baby Shower
Some sweet friends from the GEM Berlin team threw me a Harry Potter themed baby shower in November! It was so thoughtful and fun, and really special because due to Covid I did not get a baby shower before Clara was born. I had family visit, as well as a new friend from my community choir here. I felt so supported and loved.
Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)
As a family we found one evening to go visit a beautiful Christmas market in the square in front of the Berlin state opera. It was exactly how you might imagine a German Christmas market to be – delicious food and drink stalls, cute tree decorations and winter apparel, beautiful lights… and a singing/acrobatic Mozart? We enjoyed sausages, mashed potatoes and hot chocolate as well as the snow which we were told is very unusual for this time of year.
When things don’t turn out anywhere close to what I anticipated, I find it difficult sometimes to see the good things right in front of me. Here’s to finding unexpected joy this Christmas season; to looking around and seeing that God is good and God is here.
This month has gone by incredibly quickly, even though nothing huge has happened. We have been busy with day to life – Matthew going to German class, me working at home, preparing for the baby, visiting Rostock, supporting friends… With all of the big changes coming up next year, this slice of normalcy is certainly not a bad thing. I can often feel overwhelmed when I think about how we will need to adjust to an entirely new place once again (though still Germany!), so I’m really enjoying the little things right now.
[left/top photo] My friend Rachael (another GEM missionary in Berlin) went to see Hamilton in Hamburg – translated into German! I definitely did not understand it all (I couldn’t even understand everything in the English version!) but the production and the music were beautiful and it was well worth it. Even though we were both exhausted by the end. [right/bottom photo] Clara and I went on a small hike in Viktoria park, only 10 minutes away by bus from our apartment. The park features a manmade waterfall and a beautiful lookout. Clara especially had fun searching for fall treasures (acorns, chestnuts etc.) that she brought to kita the next day to share with her group.
[left/top photo] Our close friend from Rostock came to visit Berlin, and we stayed up late to attend the Berlin festival of lights. For a few weekends every October, all the major Berlin landmarks downtown are lit up with a beautiful, animated lights show. Each show is created by a different artist and highlights an aspect of the building or monument. It was super crowded and busy, but still a really special experience. [right/bottom photo] The other day I went to pick up a bassinet that I purchased second hand. When I was heading back to the train, I saw this plaque and realized that I was walking over a very significant landmark. It’s called the “Bösebrücke”, which is named the Bornholmer St. Crossing in English, but literally translated it means “angry bridge”. After the news announcement on Nov. 1989 that the border controls between East and West Berlin were to be removed, this is where people gathered. As the crowd continued to grow and the confused border guards didn’t know what to do, they eventually let the first people from the East into West Berlin. You can read more about the fascinating history and see pictures HERE.
Thanksgiving is not a holiday that is celebrated in Germany, but more seen as just a season of being grateful. As a learning experience for the kids, Clara’s kita and all the parents attended a thanksgiving church service at the church across the street (she attends a Catholic kita at the moment). The kids sang some hymns they had been practicing (including “Give Me Oil in My Lamp”!) and the older ones spoke about what they are thankful for. Then all the kids brought something to share with food bank and we all prayed together. It was such a sweet, precious time.
I’m so thankful for all of you reading and following along at home. It means so much to know that we are not alone as we try to bring God’s light and love to Germany.
With love, Katarina, Matthew & Clara
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Here are some more snapshots from Berlin, and little differences about our life here!
Grocery Shopping
We visit the grocery store 3-4 times a week (sometimes more!). The fridge in our fully furnished apartment is the size of a regular college/bar fridge so don’t have much room for groceries, if we want to save any leftovers at all! This may seem very often, but it’s actually typical of daily life in Berlin as the majority of people are getting around on bikes or with public transit so it’s not possible to carry too much at one time. We often visit the grocery store on the way home after picking Clara up from kita and pick up meat or fresh veggies for dinner. We will also visit the local market which is open twice a week to pick up fresh produce, spices, or our newest obsession – whole smoked fish. German grocery stores stock items much more seasonally than in North America – it took me a while to stop looking for broccoli in July, or strawberries in March. They just aren’t there!
Our local market at WinterfeldplatzClara with her “mini cart” at the grocery store
Coffee Shops
The biggest difference in coffee shops, at least here in Berlin, is that many of them don’t open until 10 or 11 am! I don’t know where these Berliners are getting coffee before work… maybe they are all responsibly making it at home? Every grocery store has a bakery with a small coffee machine in it so maybe that’s what people are doing. In general, Germans seem to enjoy coffee that is darker and has a lot of foam. Often people will order a Latte Macchiato – it’s similar to a latte but comes in a tall glass with a large layer of foam. This isn’t the style of coffee we enjoy, but thankfully we have found a couple shops that we enjoy. Also different is the coffee shop culture – people tend to stay around, chat and drink their coffee rather than rush off. In fact, it’s common for coffee shops not to have to-go cups or especially to-go lids available! Yes Germans value working hard, but they also really value taking breaks and truly enjoying them. Taking time for a proper coffee break (with a piece of coffee) is seen as an important part of work life balance.
Since the vast majority of people in Berlin live in apartments, community life outside the home is very important. There is at least one community centre (called a Family Center) is every city district, and they have the usual programs you might expect such as groups for seniors, help with taxes, or visa help for newcomers. What I didn’t expect, though, was the ‘family room’ feel – there are multiple free family hours during the week for families to come and chat, while the kids play and eat $1 waffles. They also offer language cafes for people learning German, which Matthew has had a chance to be a part of. Every group I have been a part of so far (children’s music, yoga, and choir) has been very well attended with a waiting list, and the participants seem to really enjoy chatting together about the activities. Being able to spend time with people outside the apartment is really a lifeline in such a busy city!
Playing in the park beside the community centreThe family centre across from our apartment
My sister’s wedding recently took place on September 10th. Leading up to our trip to Ottawa was a rollercoaster of emotions. We applied for our work visas at the end of March, and the usual processing time (at least as it stands on the website!) is 6-8 weeks. At the end of August we still not have our visas and it looked like we would be unable to go to the wedding, since we would not be allowed to come back into Germany. Our tickets were booked for September 3rd, and on August 31st we logged on to try and change the flights to give us another week to hopefully receive the visas. It turned out we had missed the deadline by a day, and would only receive a refund of 10% if we cancelled the tickets fully. We decided to wait until the afternoon of the next day to cancel our tickets, thinking that we would almost certainly not be flying. The next day, I had just gotten off the phone with my sister to tell her that there was almost no chance of us coming when I checked my email again – and we got our visas! At 10am on September 1st we received the email, and at 5am on September 3rd we were already on our way to the airport. It was a true answer to prayer, and an absolute whirlwind.
After a long but smooth flight, we arrived exhausted but happy to be with family and eat Chipotle. The jet lag was pretty rough, but we were able to lay low and relax for the first few days. The rest of the first week was spent doing small errands for the wedding, tying up some loose ends with the government of Ontario etc., and eating some favourite food that we had been missing! I personally gobbled up so much chips and salsa and cheese popcorn! Satisfying my pregnancy cravings felt pretty great. There was also a new family that moved in next door to my parents, and they had a 3 year old boy who was looking for a friend. Clara was shy at first but then ended up becoming great friends with him, and they played together almost every day! It was such a blessing because she has been having a hard time making friends here in Berlin, and it gave her the opportunity to see just how much fun friends can be.
On September 9th we went to the wedding rehearsal and Clara was SO nervous to practice her flower girl role. She was unwilling to even walk down the aisle, and she cried the whole time. Let’s just say that we did not have much faith that she would be able to do it with a church full of people….
But she did fantastic! In fact the whole day getting ready for the wedding was so much fun, And Clara loved watching everyone get their hair and makeup done. It was really special to be a part of the preparation and excitement, especially since we thought we would not be able to make it.
The wedding itself was beautiful! The ceremony was at my parents’ church St. Peter’s Lutheran, which is also where Matthew and I got married. Clara surprised us all and was the PERFECT flower girl! After the ceremony and a few pictures, we drove about 45mins away to a ranch where the reception was held. A special highlight was the surprise first dance on a little peninsula with fireworks above. My heart was full not only being able to be present for my sister, but spending time with extended family and friends, some of whom I had not seen in a very long time because of covid. It was a great party that I did not want to leave.
We left Ottawa on the evening of September 13th, and it was definitely bittersweet. I am so thankful that we were able to be there, and am feeling the sadness that comes with not knowing when we will be back. Missionary life means that we will now have a home in more than one place – our family home, and the home where we grew up. This dichotomy is not always an easy one to live with, but it is what God has called us to and we are in a community of others here who can support us and understand what we’re going through.
Sending you all lots of love and prayer today, Katarina, Matthew, Clara (& baby #2 on the way!)
Since we have lived here for almost 7 months (how time flies!) I thought it’s time to share some details about what our neighbourhood and daily life is like in Berlin, since it’s something so many of you ask about!
We live on the very northern border of the Schöneberg region (in the Southern area of the map, in the orange Tempelhof-Schöneberg area).
We are on a relatively quiet side street, which goes between two major streets in the neighbourhood. In one direction there is a large church (pictured above), and across the street is a community centre. We are also really well connected with four subway stops right around the corner! Food wise, there are four grocery stores within two blocks of our apartment which is handy since we have to go to the store 3-4 times/week due to having a tiny fridge (about the size of a college dorm mini fridge). A fun cultural difference is the use of “pfand” in Germany. For every bottle you purchase there is an extra charge added, usually between 30 – 60 cents/bottle. When you go to the grocery store you bring your empty bottles and feed them into a machine, where you then get a “pfandbon” – a receipt for all that money back which then you use for money off when you pay!
There is also a pharmacy and a Shoppers/Walgreens type store nearby – in Germany you can only get prescriptions and many other medications (including cough medicine, ibuprofen, pregnancy tests, etc..) directly from a pharmacist.
Clara’s kita/kindergarten (preschool) is a 7-10min walk away from our apartment. She spends most of her day on the third floor in her little classroom which has tons of things to play with, and then they have a private playground in the backyard where she plays as well. In contract to preschool or kindergarten in North America, kita focusses on kids learning social and life skills. The kids will take turns setting the table and cleaning up after lunch, sweeping the classroom, and they are always responsible to put away toys they play with. They are also encouraged to play and develop relationships with other kids to learn how to interact. Over all of this is a focus on play and ‘letting kids be kids’ before they go to school at 6 years old. It’s really interesting!
Nearby is a large park called Gleisdreieck which is a huge multi-use park playgrounds, food/coffee/icecream, a skate park, running tracks and so much more. We have enjoyed picnics there and recently went to a pizza festival! Having such a big park in the middle of the city is so great just for resting, people watching, playing soccer (Clara’s favourite activity!) and looking at the subway go by (pictured below).
Next post I’ll share some more cultural differences and snapshots from around the city. It really is a joy to be able to spend this short time here in Berlin as we get our feet under us before moving to Rostock.
With love, Matthew, Katarina & Clara
P.S. Pictured below: a girl who is crazy about visiting the library! 😀
Hi friends and family, we we are having trouble getting into our email service at the moment but our August prayer update is on the way! In it we share about our time at the GEM annual conference in Bad Nauheim (near Frankfurt). This was a week long gathering of all GEM employees across Europe and North America, including partners and board members if possible. It was physically demanding with scheduled activities from 7:30am – 7:30pm every day, but it was emotionally and spiritually nourishing. It was an incredible blessing to be able to be there – here are some snapshots from the conference!
During every large group session it was wonderful to listen to musician Andy Flannagan and his band perform worship music. Before the conference he emailed GEM members asking for some key words and phrases they would use to describe their ministry. He took all of this input and wrote a song for us all to sing at conference! “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” was an opportunity to gather with our “North Central Europe” region which includes Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, and Ireland. Milestones were celebrated, advice was given and many laughs were had. In the final picture you see a member of GEM’s Share team talking about resources available for missionary kids (TCKs – third culture kids) and their families as part of a breakout session. Share helps parents in GEM navigate children’s education in their country of service, as well as supporting TCKs and their parents through cross cultural challenges they experience.
Meeting up with other GEM staff who are alumni of Matthew’s university – Grace University in Omaha. Some friends are serving with us in Germany, and others are serving in Italy. Worshipping and listening to the keynote talk with all GEM staff in the mornings and evenings.
Going into September, please pray: – For our German work visa. We still have not received it and if we do not get it in time, we will not be able to leave on September 3rd for my sister’s wedding – For Clara’s transition to kita (German preschool/childcare). She is very shy with the other children which can mean that she feels lonely at kita.
Thank you for your love and support in our journey!
Katarina, Matthew & Clara
Bonus! Photos from visiting our good friend in Rostock over the weekend, going to Hanse Sail (a large ship festival) and visiting the beach in Warnemünde. 🙂
It’s summer in Berlin and it is HOT. Most days are around 30 degrees and the sun just feels more intense than it did in North America. There is no air conditioning, but we are used to that life! What’s really great is how the city comes alive. People are out on every patio drinking coffee or beer, and kids are swimming in fountains. Yes, little children will be in their underwear running around in public fountains on every corner! Clara has done this and of course thought it was the best thing of all time.
We celebrated Canada Day/4th of July with another missionary family. We had a little barbecue at their house, and the kids just got to run around, play and be crazy together.
Clara also started Kita last week, which was so exciting! (see below for a picture of her on her first day!) This is the German equivalent of pre-school though in practice it’s really different. The focus of Kita is on learning social and life skills before kids start school at age 6. They are taught to clean up after themselves, set the table, brush their teeth, and of course share and play well together. The teachers are very well trained and equipped to take care of children, as the profession requires 3 years of school study.
The name for these teachers is “Erzieher” which essentially means ‘helping someone grow up’. It’s a supportive and really fun environment for Clara to be a part of and she loves it! Shortly there will be a summer break for 3 weeks, and then she will be in Kita full time. It is such a blessing to be able to have some time both for her to learn German and meet other kids, and for us to be able to have some quiet focus time for language and culture study.
It slowly feels like we are getting more and more settled here in Berlin and it really feels good. We prepared and waited for so long to be able to come to Germany, and it’s amazing to have it starting to feel like home.
A Warm Haus & Home 