Month: July 2017

Update on our sick student

Here is an update on our student that is in the hospital here in Berlin.

The doctors have diagnosed him as having ADET (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis)  so far his symptoms match and the treatment is working.

The student’s mom and sister flew in from the USA to be with him.  When they are not at the hospital, they are staying with us at St. Michael’s Heim.

Prof. Nielsen arrived in Berlin today (as originally scheduled). This afternoon the three profs (De Rooy, Plaisier, Nielsen) went to visit the student.  He is doing much better.  He took a few walks down the hallway with the help of a walker.  He spent some time outside with his mom including spending some time pushing his wheelchair.

His sister says that he is starting to argue and tease her – which she is saying is a sign that he is getting better.

He still has double vision and is cross-eyed, but the doctors have indicated that in time this will heal as well.

At this time, we are waiting for the doctors to determine if and when he can fly back the the USA.

Please continue to pray for him and his family.

Regards,

Leonard De Rooy

The Holocaust Museum and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

During our trip to the Holocaust museum, I was surprised by the power that personal stories had. The Holocaust museum here in Berlin tells in detail the stories of families and individuals who suffered in the Holocaust. The stories of individuals helped me better empathize with the victims and made that time seem very real and very recent. As I spent those few hours in the stories of those people, I was overwhelmed by the grief and pain they endured. I have never been faced with someone else’s suffering in that personal kind of way.

Continue reading “The Holocaust Museum and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp”

What I Love and What I Miss

Having the chance to live in Berlin is so far pretty amazing. Life here seams to be on a tight schedule 24/7 in terms of the public transport system. I wish I could bring this home with me. The Chicago public transit looks like garbage compared to the Berlin public transport.

One key thing that I was really surprised about Berlin is the wide range of people. I don’t just hear German as I walk down the streets. I hear Polish, Russian, English, French, and possibly Arabic? And the people are not only varied, but the food as well. Continue reading “What I Love and What I Miss”

The Adventure That Is Berlin

Berlin is an incredible place. I enjoy the easy to use transit system and getting to explore with the group, eating doners and curry wurst, and checking out new food places. The monuments that to this point in your life you’ve only see in pictures come alive. The Brandenburg Gate was my favorite. The architecture of pillars and large amount of engravings intrigued me.

The German people don’t drink as much water. That is one thing I would change. More water fountains and availability at restaurants. I would bring the culture and the diversity of it home if I could. Excited to see what the future holds here in Germany.

Blog post #3

Both the holocaust museum and the Sachsenhausen concentration camp expressed the complete horror and destruction caused by the actions of Hitler and the Nazi party. Though through both you could feel the German peoples dislike for this subject, also was a clear want to make all its history known so something like this never happens again. One of the saddest parts was walking around the outside of the concentration camp where different people and groups could place grave stones for their fallen. These stones came in all shapes and sizes from large stone sculptures to one which was carved from a tree which used to stand at that location. These stones also came with inscriptions in all different languages, from Russian to Finnish, to German. There was only one that I found which was in English. It was for the British Expeditionary Force. The inscription ended with a verse. It read, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 5:13)”. To have the courage and love for your fellow countrymen to have the courage to be willing to go through the torture which these men went through in the concentration camps is beyond words.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

As I slowly walked around Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, I felt an air of finality everywhere. In the air where the guards may have watched the prisoners walking below; in the morgue with blood stains in the concrete; in the high fences with rolls of barbed wire and weather-beaten skull and bone signs. I never realized how big it was, and how many people they fit into the camp at one time. Continue reading “Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp”