At home worldwide: colourful, musical, and dry

A colourful youth convention in Indonesia

Colourful balloons, an awesome atmosphere, and deep discussions … This is what the participants of the youth convention in Desa Wisata Garongan (Indonesia) experienced on the weekend of 15 and 16 July. Young members from 16 congregations of the Yogyakarta district had come together for their Hari Kaum Muda Yogyakarta.

“Victorious with Christ together” was the motto of the gathering in South-East Asia. District Elder Sumarmo opened the festivities with a prayer and then released balloons into the sky. A big surprise was a Colour Fun event: pounds and pounds of vibrant cornstarch transform you into something akin to a bird of paradise. Sports and other activities followed as well as presentations of a spiritual nature, such as such “Life Companion”, which is intended to help the youth choose a life partner with God. In the Night of Arts and Talents the young brothers and sisters showcased their talents and presented what they had prepared in smaller groups. And, as a timeless keepsake, the young people decorated white T-shirts with their handprints.

Music and blessing marks diamond wedding

On Sunday, 7 August 2016, Fritz and Lieselotte Nehrkorn celebrated their diamond wedding. The retired District Apostle and his wife have been married for sixty years. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider came to Leipzig to conduct a service and administer a blessing on the couple. He dedicated Psalm 92: 13–14 to them: “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.” Many brothers and sisters attended the service to hear the Chief Apostle and celebrate with the couple.

A concert the evening before was dedicated to the anniversary couple. It took place in the church. There was thundering applause by the audience of five hundred.

Fritz Nehrkorn was District Apostle in parts of eastern Germany from 1985 to 1992, including north-western Russia and Slovakia.

Trip through semi-arid north-eastern Brazil

District Apostle Raúl Eduardo Montes de Oca is responsible for the congregations in Brazil. Just like the other Apostles he is constantly travelling through his district to celebrate divine services, visit members, and to teach ministers. At the end of July 2016, he went on a nine-day trip to the north-eastern part of the country, a semi-desert region. The region receives very little precipitation. It rains only three or four times a year so that life in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe is hard.

In the area that the District Apostle visited there are quite a few congregations: Gramado (Rio Grande do Sul), Mucunã and Crato (Ceará), Mossoró (Nord-Rio Grande), Exúe Milho Novo (Pernambuco). The members either walk to church or come on their bikes. Sometimes they even come on trucks that have been reconfigured to transport people.

District Apostle Montes de Oca conducted the last service of this trip in Milho Novo in the state of Pernambuco, located about 650 kilometres from Recife, the capital. The special thing about this congregation is an artesian aquifer that provides water for the people in the region. The aquifer is situated in a depression below the water table, which allows the water level to rise naturally to the ground surface. The well is a meeting place and a blessing for the local people.