Twenty-six years ago my husband's brother and his wife introduced us to their friends, Steve and Robin Henderson, on graduation day at Dallas Seminary. The following morning, as I recall, we all worshiped together at a church the two guys were planting. When we moved from D. C. to Dallas the following year, Steve and Robin had transitioned, and they led our young marrieds' Sunday school class at the church where we ended up.

Okay, fast forward twenty-some years: I ran into Steve at a theological meeting and learned he was a pastor in Bavaria. You know, that place in Germany that has goodies and after which Christmas villages are patterned? Jokingly I said, "Bavaria? Du-ude, invite me to speak sometime. I'm so there!"

Well, to my great delight, last year they indeed invited me over to speak at their women's retreat. I was all set to go in November when I fell down the stairs, broke my clavicle, and had to have surgery. That meant I had to cancel on them at the last minute. Fortunately, my pal Mary DeMuth is church-planting with her hubby in France, and she hopped over to Germany and did a lovely job speaking in my place.

This year the church was kind enough to ask again, this time for an October conference. October in Germany? I said, "Shoot, yeah!" and we bought tickets. But then my doc told me I needed surgery again. I pleaded with him to let me speak in Munich before going under the knife, as I wanted to avoid that whole leave-them-scrambling-at-the-last-minute thing two years in a row. One of my friends at DTS, upon hearing about my surgery, told me she was going to pray and fast specifically that I would get to go.

Well, her prayers (and mine) were answered this weekend.

The church has about three hundred adults involved, fifty-plus of whom attended this retreat held at a Word of Life conference center on the edge of a massive you-can-see-the-rocks-on-the-bottom lake. We stayed in a lovely old schloss (German for castle or mansion) overlooking the lake. (Scroll down for a photo; my window was the last one on the left on the ground floor.)

Last year I planned to stay after for a day and take in Munich sites with the Hendersons. This time I focused instead on just getting there and back because we didn't know how my body would hold up. Actually I did just fine, and I never needed more than a couple of Tylenol tablets.

I had some of the local food--Döner Kebab--which is roasted veal cut in thin slices served on fantastic pita-like fresh bread with fried onions. Yum! It's actually of Turkish origin, but quite popular in Bavaria. Also, I sampled some meat they liken to Spam, which I thought tasted pretty good. No beer, though. Sort of sad to be in Germany in October and miss a fest, but that just means we'll have to go back as a family "on holiday."

On to the retreat... The women were of high calibre spiritually, intellectually, and relationally. The church ministers to the English-speaking community in Munich, so they were a great mix of folks from business and the arts (an opera singer, musicians) and students--many of whom know three or more languages and have lived all over the world. And I have never been with women who prayed so much and so deeply. They had forty-five minutes set aside for an optional prayer time before I spoke both mornings, and the room would be packed out.

Here's what the schedule looked like: Thursday I flew to Zurich, Switzerland, where I had a four-hour layover; then on to Munich, arriving mid-day Friday after "second breakfast." Steve and Robin took me to lunch and gave me a quick sampling of their city before taking the scenic route to the retreat site, an hour away. Think rolling hills and old houses dotted with window boxes draped in purple and fuchsia.

I spoke Friday night. The focus of my messages was on God's big story and how every person is a story of God's faithfulness waiting to be told. I spoke again Saturday morning followed by some great one-on-one time with some women, and then a "meet the speaker" Q/A session. Many there wanted to know how to write. These are articulate folks with fascinating backgrounds, many of whom should be writing, even if only for their existing circle of influence.
I had dinner with Steve and Robin, spoke again, and then Steve led us all in communion.

Sunday morning I gave a final message, then left pronto for the airport. Think doing 100 mph on the Autobahn--something between "Whee!" and white knuckles--and you have the idea. (Thanks for praying, Mom!)

I grabbed some good minutes with Robin before flying to London/Heathrow. I stayed overnight with friends there and caught a cab to Gatwick yesterday morning. That got hairy when the driver didn't take credit cards and I had only Euros and dollars but no pounds. So I had to leave my bag with him as collateral and run inside the airport seeking money changers. Then, because my luggage had left my sight, we had to subject it to an extra x-ray search.

The flight got delayed and I arrived home about four hours later than planned. So ten hours stretched to fourteen. Boy, was I whipped last night.

But on the way home my seat-mate--a delightful, brilliant woman who's writing a book on Christian fundamentalists and their views on Israel for Yale University Press--made the time go much faster. Picture an adjunct prof at an evangelical seminary talking theology with a well-read agnostic and you have some great conversation. Providential, I thought.

My daughter lost a tooth while I was gone and wondered why the Tooth Fairy had not come, but fortunately said fairy arrived in the nick of time to bring joy this morning. Whew!