Bad Brückenau:
Population: approximately 7000
A scenic community nestled in the Rhön Mountains, bordering the Hessen and Bavaria regions of Western Germany.
My new home for the next three months.
To be a bit more specific, Das Kanada Haus (aptly translated, "The Canada House") is a guesthouse located in Staatsbad Brückenau, a small settlement located just outside the town proper. In Germany it is very common to see the prefix Bad in front of many town names, and it is for GOOD reason - see what I did there?! ;) Bad (translated, "Bath") is an indicator that a given place is or was a spa town - a resort town based on a developed mineral spring. Many years ago, it wouldn't have been an uncommon occurrence for a physician to prescribe a week or two at a spa town, allowing patients to "take the waters" for their various health benefits. Just take a quick Google search of German spa towns and you will begin to see the fundamental nature of this industry in the country's formation and development.
The heritage of the spa town maintains a strong presence in Staatsbad Brückenau. In fact, on my last visit it was a unique experience to be able to choose which of 4 or 5 different kinds of spring water I'd like to drink alongside my lunch! Similar to how we might head off to the gas station to fill up our cars with fuel (although not as expensive!), residents in the Staatsbad take their refillable bottles down to the spring taps and grab their preferred varieties of drinking water. Some are a little fizzy, while others have a subtle flavour derived from certain veins of ground minerals.
One common denominator of all these varieties of water is that the supply will eventually run out. No matter how big your bottle or how much water you can carry at once, everyone will soon need to return to the spring to satisfy their thirst.
Remember the woman at the well? John chapter 4 tells us how this woman faced struggles that went even deeper than that of her daily need for refreshment. Not only was she thinking about how big her vessel needed to be in order to get enough water to last for the day, but she was probably also strategizing the best time to go out to draw water so as to best avoid crossing paths with any of her neighbours. In the heat of the Samaritan sun, no one goes to draw water at noonday... that is, unless they REALLY want to be alone.
This lady was dealing with a lifetime of shame. Five failed marriages, with no explicit detail given as to the cause of each divorce. I once heard my mom say that in that day and age, her husband could have given her a divorce for burning the toast one too many times! We have no idea of the heartbreaking situations that had led her to this point, but we do know that she certainly wasn't about to go through it again. She wasn't about to open herself up to the local critics and gossipers. All she wanted was a drink.
That's why Jesus' response to this woman was so beautiful. He chose to travel from the southern to the northern region of Israel via Samaria - which faithful, Torah-abiding Jews did NOT do - and then He sat at the well in the middle of the day - a time when people did NOT draw water. Yet despite all the seeming blunders in human judgment, Jesus was exactly where He needed to be. He was at the right place, at the right time, with the right person. And she got a drink! Not just from the village well, but from the eternal fountain that satisfies the thirst of the heart, soul and spirit.
Today you may be asking, "Emily, what can you possibly expect to accomplish in three months?" Fair question. Das Kanada Haus seeks to provide quality guest services, food and accommodations to global workers, short-term teams, and local pastors seeking a conference centre or getaway. I will be assisting with everything from meal prep to room cleaning to transportation, helping every visitor feel welcome. I will also be coming alongside local congregations to assist in worship and outreach ministries, as well as prayer walking through communities where evangelical churches have not yet been planted. But three months is not a long time, and we all know the old adage: "Life happens when you're making plans!"
For this reason, I boldly ask for you to pray for divine appointments. So often we get caught up in the "Doing" of ministry that we forget that God also works powerfully in the moments of "Being". Just as in Jesus' against-the-grain meeting with the woman at the well, I believe that God is setting up opportunities in advance for people to encounter and be transformed by the love of Christ. I'm just so excited to be one of the tools that God can use to make this happen! And as partners in prayer, YOU are also being used for His glory.
Yours in the Great Commission,
Emily