[www.kloster-volkenroda.de...] -- On Wednesday, Jo-Ann and Joe drove to visit Mark and Sarah at Kloster Volkenroda. Kloster Volkenroda is operated by a Christian community known as the Jesus-Bruderschaft (Jesus Brotherhood). In the 1990s, the group came to the ruins of an abandoned monastery in Volkenroda and began the slow process of transforming it into a retreat and training center with a small agricultural operation. Mark, working mainly in the kitchen, and Sarah who does everything from shoveling manure to helping with children’s activities during retreats, have joined a team of other longer-term younger volunteers in helping keep the operation running. Everybody was so busy the morning we arrived that it took a while to track them down. We met with Frau K. who played an important role in keeping alive the idea of what Kloster Volkenroda could become and continues to help direct the organization. She is among the German people with whom we have been working who is disappointed that GC will not be continuing to send SSTers here. She expressed appreciation for the ways in which Sarah and Mark (and earlier GC students) have entered into the life and work of the community.

At noon, we joined Mark & Sarah for the regular mid-day worship service in the Christus-Pavillion followed by lunch with other staff members. The weather forecast called, once again, for afternoon rain, so we had been thinking of visiting a cave not to far away. Alas, Sarah’s host family in Jena had already taken her there, so we risked a trip to Sangerhausen, a town with a well-preserved 16th-century center. The rain indeed poured down, but stopped just as we arrived at Sangerhausen, permitting a leisurely stroll through the old city, including (of course) stops at the town’s three main churches. After that, we visited the Europa Rosarium on the edge of town—with more than 8,000 species and types of roses, the most varied rose garden in the world. After inspecting the beauty and fragrance of that garden, we headed back to Volkenroda. When we got back we discovered, to our disappointment that we had missed a visit from Nick who had come to Volkenroda that afternoon with a group from Siloah’s children’s camp. Oh well … with just three weeks of SST left, we’ll soon see each other again.