Seeds of Destruction

Sitting in the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris the following morning after leaving the States, I was wide awake and excited as John sat napping while awaiting our connection to Frankfurt. He had barely adjusted to the time change when he had to turn around and leave the country again. There to meet us at the Frankfurt airport was Gretchen, a cute, vivacious red haired German girl about Maggie's age, who sped us around the autobahn in a Mercedes to our temporary apartment in Sachsenhausen. Our apartment, leased by Litton for people in transit, was right across the Main River from downtown Frankfurt, and we had a lovely view of the city from our balcony. John showed me around the apartment and then led me to a little market around the corner to buy a few groceries.

We were both very tired and in need of sleep, so I tried to figure out how the buttoned up sheet around the comforter worked and also the pillow cases with the large square flat pillows. Finally, we piled into bed and fell asleep as a gentle breeze wafted through our 20th floor window bringing with it the happy sounds of children playing on the playground below. The next thing we knew, it was midnight, and we were wide awake! Then I understood John's reasoning behind our marketing venture that afternoon: We were hungry and appreciated the food he had bought for our midnight snack. John had learned on his first trip exactly what we would need. Feeling as if morning had already begun, we tidied up the apartment, took our baths and prepared for our first day in Frankfurt. Sunrise found us out on the balcony watching the city come to life as we enjoyed our morning coffee, cereal and orange juice.

As in Morocco, I found myself involved with the American Women's Club and managed to get a ride to the luncheons with some of the other wives. One of my friends, who lived in Morfelden, just down the road from Walldorf, invited me over to her house for lunch one day, so we could make plans for riding together to some of the luncheons and to our German language class, taught by one of the Litton wives to give us enough basic German to get around Europe. The luncheons of the AWC were held at some of the most prestigious restaurants and castles around Frankfurt and the food was always great, so it was to my advantage to attend them as often as possible. We also learned about the upcoming trips and were able to sign up for the ones we wanted before they became overbooked. I felt greatly privileged to belong to the AWC of the Taunus, which provided some of the very best international tours available, and took advantage of our opportunities to travel with them. I also learned to book bus tours at the Rhein-Main Recreation Center (AFRC) and signed us up for a four-day bus trip to Paris over Thanksgiving weekend.

I had been so caught up in seeing Frankfurt and learning about German life, making trips around the area and shopping for furniture, I had neglected all summer to get involved with the activities of the Rhein-Main AFB Chapel. After finally signing up for Bible study, I received a phone call from a young Korean woman inviting me to join them on Thursday mornings at 9:00 am. Her name was Jung, and she was group leader of the Inductive Bible Study Course. She told me that the group was about to end their study on "Spiritual Gifts" and they were planning to begin the study of "Romans" in a couple of weeks. When I told her that I would rather wait and start at the beginning of Romans, she exclaimed, "So you're the one we've been waiting for!" She went on to tell me that she had ordered twelve workbooks in the spring and only eleven people had signed up. When she asked if I would be interested in hearing the tapes on Spiritual Gifts, I told her that I would love to. "That will give me something to do while John is gone to Saudi Arabia for two weeks."

I placed all my study materials on our little round table in our bedroom which looked out over our beautiful, tranquil backyard and put in the first tape. Every day while John was away, I sat there listening and taking notes all day long. Edict after edict was given by Roman Emperors to put Christians to death in the most horrendous ways. Wild animals, kept under the Roman Coliseum, were unleashed upon gladiators for the amusement of the blood thirsty crowds who came to watch as people were tortured to death. No wonder Rome fell!! The people had grown so callous that life held no meaning whatsoever, so it meant nothing at all for them to bow down to Caesar and worship him as their Roman god.

On my first day with the group, we introduced ourselves and joined hands around the table to begin our meeting with prayer and asked God to open our spiritual eyes and lead us into all truth. As I read the introduction to Romans, I felt so privileged to be taking this Bible course and to be part of this prayer group of young ladies under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I was surprised to learn that our inductive Bible study instructor had served as guest speaker at the two previous Berchtesgaden Retreats and had been so well received that Bible study groups had sprung up all over Europe among the American military community. As a gifted Bible teacher, she encourages all of us to be diligent students: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

            "Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk…For precept must be upon precept; line upon line…precept upon precept…; here a little, and there a little." (Isaiah: 28:9-10)