The Homestretch

Tonight marked concert number 14 for the A Cappella choir. With only one stop left to go and two concerts left to give, the reality is starting to sink in; in four short days, we will be back home. This opportunity we anticipated for more than a year will soon be behind us, preserved in thousands of pictures, hours of video, and seemingly endless stories and memories our group has made in the last three weeks. It has been a whirlwind of terrific experiences, beautiful places, exciting opportunities, heartfelt emotions, and deep appreciation. It is hard to believe that our time here has gone by so quickly, and yet, like it or not, here we are, on the homestretch.
On the homestretch... excited to reunite with loved ones we've missed while we were away. On the homestretch... looking forward to the time we will have to reflect back on all that we experienced while in Europe. On the homestretch... ready to be back in the familiar surroundings of home, our own beds, free bathrooms, and a language we can understand. On the homestretch... a place that, as Christians, we find ourselves every day. For from the moment we are born into God's family, we are on the homestretch, the homestretch to heaven. 
Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:7, talks about the race we run as Christians, and it is no walk in the park. Paul says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Finishing the race with our faith intact is a fight. It takes patience and perseverance, two traits among many that we are not able to produce on our own. On our own, we are running a race we are neither equipped nor ready to finish. If there was one thing our choir was not ready for in coming to Europe, it was the weather. Like springtime was for us in Nebraska, the beginning to their summer here has been unseasonably cool. Rainy days and cloudy skies were a familiar sight to see out out our bus window. And although those days have a beauty all their own, after about a week of gray weather, we found ourselves waiting for the sun.
On those mornings we looked out the window and saw it peeking through the clouds, the excitement in the air was noticeable. Moods brightened and smiles widened. The sun lifted our spirits and gave us energy. It is the same way in the life of a Christian. We are here on earth, waiting for the Son. He is our light, our salvation. It is His message of salvation that we take to those stuck in the gray skies of sin. The light of the Gospel breaks through and gives abundant new life and immeasurable joy to a heart once trapped in the prison and shame of sin.
The effects of this beautiful message in the lives of God's children has certainly been visible on this tour. During concerts when we felt less than ready, days of long travel, and weariness that accompanies a schedule such as ours, it was the message of the Son that renewed our sense of purpose and brought joy back to our hearts. Night after night, as we shared the Gospel through our music and our words, we found the very words we sang comforting and touching us, just as we prayed they would our audiences.
Without the Gospel message, without our nightly concerts, without the bond we share as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we are just a group of college kids sightseeing through European countries. It is truly the greatest privilege in the world to carry the message of the Son to a world awaiting His return. During the past few weeks we have been reminded again and again of the presence of the Son in our lives, and the power of the Spirit to spread the news of that Son to a world in the darkness of sin. We are incredibly humbled and amazed by the work the Holy Spirit accomplishes despite our imperfect efforts. What an amazing blessing we have to serve our Lord with  the musical abilities He has given us.

-J'nae Rempfer (Senior, Alto II)

Mmmm... Chicken Liver

Hey all, back home! Good evening from Poland! It's been a full day for A Cappella. We started the morning with our first experience taking part in a foreign church service, by singing songs and sharing testimonies of faith. The testimonies were given by our very own J'Nae Rempfer and Zach Klatt. The service was concluded with a very well appreciated mini concert. 

Shortly after it was done the church provided an incredible three course meal of five star restaurant quality much to everyone's delight. As the title states, we had chicken LIVER and noodle soup which was surprising delicious! After the next two courses complete with tender chicken, potatoes, homemade coleslaw, and kolaches (spell check?haha) it's safe to say that we were all filled to the brim with sweet and savory Polish goodness; incurring a well deserved standing ovation from us to our cooks. We ate near the church in what was essentially the synod office for the Lutheran Polish church, kind of like St. Louis for us LCMS'ers. 

After a very enjoyable morning we had a short drive back to the hotel. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we all used the next two hours for much needed rest and relaxation and overall just a huge group nap. Two-a-day concerts and a busy schedule has started to test our stamina, and it was nice to have some extra time for a Sunday nap. With our nap clothes off and our formal attire back on, we left for a quick 45 minute drive to the church. The drive back into the Czech-Republic was incredibly beautiful, and the blue skies made it all the better!  

We entered the enormous church ready to go for concert two of the day and got all set up with time to spare. In this time, we took in the words of Dr. von Kampen and came to the realization that we are almost getting too used to these magnificent evangelical churches. The immense size, incredible grandeur, and wowing sound resonance seems too much to ask, but we are being blessed with it night after night. 

 At the concert was somewhere in the range of 100 people. By the end they were well fed with the 

gospel message of Christ and hopefully what they believed was some pretty good singing! Another testimonial from Katie Keily was given before the end of the concert, reminding the congregation, 

and ourselves for that matter, the reason for which we sing. 

We are thankful for and amazed by the power of the Holy Spirit to work through the imperfect humans that we are. The mission we have to spread the gospel of Christ to people around the world renewed our tired voices and weary bodies. We were reminded yet again that the tour is not really our tour after all. It is not about us but about the people that we have come to sing to and The Lord we are here to serve. Regardless of how we are feeling or mistakes we might make the Holy Spirit works through our music. Thanks be to God for the work He continues to do through the A Cappella Choir!

To Him be the glory!

Briar McCoy (Senior, Baritone)

Concert in Czech Republic

We are so blessed to be able to announce that the attendance at our concert in Prague, Czech Republic last night ended up topping at 1,080 people! Praise The Lord!

Weissenbrunn; The little town with a big heart!

After a busy day in Frankfurt, the next morning we departed to find our way over to Bayreuth, the home of Richard Wagner's Festpielhaus (a fancy concert hall essentially). We took a walking tour around the small city, and visited a few areas that had significant historical meaning, including Wagner's grave. The area was  undergoing a lot of renovation, so we didn't get to see the museum dedicated to Wagner's work.

Wagner's Grave

There is no inscription on the grave because it is "obvious that no one but Wagner could be buried there."

After our tour stop in Bayreuth  we headed to Weissenbrunn, a small town of about 3000 people. The village was about as picturesque as little German towns can be, with small winding roads and rolling hills. We pulled up to a hotel in the middle of town for dinner and the distribution of students to host families. After a very quick change, we headed to the church with little to no time to spare before the concert. What awaited us was a church full of eager ears and loving hearts. Without any preparation, we launched into songs with only an organ to accompany our piano pieces. God more than provided though, in that church there was something that I can only describe as the warmth of the Holy Spirit flowing through each and every person in the building as we shared a gospel message in song.

The people were surprised at first. They thought that we were just another college choir. To quote the mayor, "We didn't know you would be good!"  The people wouldn't stop clapping, and their faces could not have been lit any brighter. They joined in making animal noises on Old Joe Clark, and prayed when we sang The Lords Prayer. In our devotions we have talked about letting the Holy Spirit work through us to reach people. I would say that this evening, the Spirit worked even more strongly through those people to reach us. I don't think any of us expected a night that we wouldn't forget in the small village of Weissenbrunn, but it was something to behold, and our prayers will be with those people in that place, that they may continue to be a blessing to all those around them. We also have a lifetime invitation to return again someday, and I hope that a strong connection is built between Concordia and this village. God works in wondrous ways, and this was truly a once in a lifetime experience, one that I cannot put in words for you to imagine.

We continue on our tour with renewed energy and a cheerful spirit, that we may continue to spread the message of Christ's Love through music.

-Joshua Weishaar (Sophomore, Bass II)

I have been taking a lot of large panoramic photos, if you would care to see any of the wonderful places we been including some of the churches and tours, I Probably have at least 1 panoramic of the scenery on this website.  http://gigapan.com/gigapans/130042

Pentecost Monday (and more)!

What a busy few days these have been! We had our first official concert for tour on Thursday night in Morges, Switzerland. Our original plan for the day was to go and spend the day in Morges, but we woke up to rain. Instead, we went and toured the Cailler Chocolate Factory with some free samples at the end (I guess that means we can't complain about the weather). Later in the afternoon we drove to Morges and had a delicious meal of fresh Perch fillets from Lake Geneva. We then went to the Temple of Morges for our concert. We were joined at the concert by President Friedrich and the Alumni Tour Group.

Friday, we drove into France to Paris where we arrived at our hotel in Zone 3 at Joinville le Pont. A few of us went into the city that night via the RER railway. After walking around for a few hours (and not checking the official train times), the groups all flocked to the RER station to take the train back to the hotel. A certain group of people who will go unnamed had a full 30 seconds between rushing onto the platform and the last train of the night pulling into the station.

Saturday was our free day in the city. We all took the RER into the city, and were let loose into Paris. I'm sure thousands of photos were taken by all of the choir members, and you can probably check them out on the social medias as they get uploaded over the next month.

Sunday the bus got packed up again and drove to Frankfurt, Germany. Our second concert of tour was held at Trinity Lutheran Church. Here we had a delicious meal of tacos prepared by the many Minnesotans who all seem to have flocked to the Motherland to work in the church. Obviously, the Minnesota Nice attitude of the people of the church helped construct a great atmosphere for the concert. After the concert, we dispersed to our homestays for the night.

Today, out of celebration of Pentecost, we were able to go and proclaim the Gospel at various locations throughout Frankfurt. Out of the spirit of Pentecost, we sang our vast repertoire of multiple languages. It was really neat to be able to experience a festival in a different country that speaks a different language where there were people gathered from many different places. It's astonishing to think of how we can unite under the language of our music to proclaim the Gospel message that is universal to all languages. Regardless of what language we speak, we all gather to hear the Word of God proclaimed. Being able to go about this today at the Pentecost festival makes me more and more excited for the concerts that we will be putting on over the next two weeks.

-Steven Whitney (Graduated Senior, Tenor II)

One of the workers through the LCMS Eurasian Mission Office followed us around today, and put together a video of what the choir has been doing for the past couple of days. The link to the YouTube video is attached.

LCMS Eurasia Mission A Cappella Video Link

Interlaken and Wengen

Today was an eventful one for the A Cappella Choir!  After breakfast together we boarded a bus and drove two hours through the beautiful countryside of Switzerland.  We arrived at Interlaken just around lunch time and spent time enjoying the shops and incredible scenery this gorgeous little city had to offer.  A short jaunt up the mountain in a rail car and we found ourselves in Wengen, an unbelievably stunning town with some of the most incredible views some of us had ever seen!  We spent time exploring the trails and admiring God's breathtaking creation.  An improvised picnic dinner of local cheese, chocolates, breads, and wines filled us up and we were ready for the ride home!

-Holly Saalfeld (Graduated Senior, Soprano I)

Day 1: We Made It!

After 9.5 hours on a plane, "fancy" airplane food, a downstairs isle of toilets and individual tv screens, we have finally made it to Lausanne, Switzerland! The time here is 9:33p.m. and we are tired so the post is going to have to be mostly pictures but we'll talk more tomorrow!

Some Omaha airport travelers! 

Sporting the boat shoes!

Kate is ready for the long plane ride!

Before Europe....

After Europe!

At the airport in Munich, Germany!

It's this kids' birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Joel!!

Finally!

One of the cathedrals! 

Passport stamp #1!

21 Hours and 33 Minutes

It is almost time. In approximately 21 hours, and 33 minutes, 40 members from Concordia University's A Cappella Choir will get on a plane headed for Lausanne, Switzerland. We have the awesome opportunity to travel to 8 different countries (Check out the CUNE website link at the bottom of this post for the itinerary) and preach the Gospel through song.

This is a blog that will be a good resource for parents, family, and friends of the choir members to see what we are up to. You will be able to watch videos, see pictures, and read what we are all experiencing! As we prepare for the 24 day adventure, we ask that you keep us in your prayers. As a choir, we are hoping and praying that lives are changed on this tour and the God works through us to reach the people in Europe. Pray for safe travel, good health, fun times, and ultimately, again that people hear the good news of Jesus through our music! Thank you all for supporting us and keeping us in your prayers!

-Jenna Karlin (Sophomore, Alto II)

http://www.cune.edu/arts/music/a-cappella/