I have to thank you again for the amazing support you have given me both through prayer and financial support in traveling to Hildesheim, Germany. I hope you were able to follow my team's online blog (speakingwithpurpose.tumblr.com) while we were in Germany. It was great updating that each day with text and pictures as we experienced the German culture and met such amazing people.

In this small town, I met people of all ages, from all backgrounds. Two of my readers were friends with each other. Mario and Leonie are both 17 years old; they grew up Catholic, and speak almost fluent English. They took Sam, Monique, and me on a tour of an Abbey outside of Hildesheim that was hosting a fair. It was neat to have them translate for us as we explored the beautiful grounds. On the other hand, I had a 61-year-old reader named Renate with two grown up sons that lived in England and Australia. I loved her complete honesty and enjoyed talking with her about art and her family. With two of my readers, Jasmin and Woo-Jeong I was able to introduce them to the NIV Bible book of James. They both found it extremely interesting and found so many ways to apply it to their individual lives.  As our friendship grew, they both admitted that they do not ever read the Bible for themselves even though both attended the local Catholic school. Jasmin has written me in the few weeks that I have been back in Texas. She told me that she really wanted to continue talking about the book of James, so she began talking with a friend of hers that is an atheist. She was curious about his beliefs and he was curious about hers. I will not know all of the ways that God has used me throughout this trip, but I am hopeful that these kind of conversations continue even though I am half way around the world.

I have been asked by many people about my favorite part of visiting Germany. Here is my answer: my favorite part of Germany was meeting these people and making life-long friendships. It is unbelievable what kind of relationships you can build in a short three weeks in a different country. It has encouraged me to take that boldness to reach out to others here in the United States. Any instant can be a hidden chance to make a new friend. Each person throughout the world has a background story, and it is a privilege to get to share mine while having the opportunity to hear about others.

God called his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations" in Matthew 28:19. He has shown me the truth, and therefore as we ventured to Germany, I learned that whether you are in the slums of Mexico or a small, neat town in Germany, everyone needs to hear this truth. With the Let's Start Talking organization they provide an amazing opportunity to talk with people about your beliefs and to allow these people to talk freely about religion, culture, and personal experiences.

I cannot express the appreciation I feel for the opportunity to be a part of this ministry and spread the Good News. Thank you for making this incredible experience possible.

Sincerely,

Alicia Carter