Proof

Game Day!

Post game frenzy with cut-out Juergen. We LOVE Juergen here... Wir brauchen dich, Klinsi.
Me with the good ole English lads
SM with her Swedish admirers. Did you know IKEA comes from Sweden?
Yes, we bleed black, red, and yellow...
J with really dedicated Swedish fans. She only likes them because she is Swedish. WHATev. SCORE!!!!!

Germany vs. Ecuador in an outdoor cafe

Weltmeisterschaft 2006

Fussball Fieber hit Deutschland about a month ago. I have been meaning for the longest time to post about all the chaotic energy that has embraced this country over the last month, and now...sigh.. it will all be over with tomorrow. I am preparing myself for a bit of a feeling of loss or maybe something akin to a sailboat that has no wind in their sails. (is that a bit wierd of a comparison?) I would not have traded being here and experiencing this last month for anything! It has just been amazing. The energy has been palpable, especially on the days that Germany was playing. I have tried explaining this to people but the simple truth is that really unless you were here, and even have lived here for a period of time, you just aren't going to fully grasp it. A month and a half ago this country was a country full of people who either didn't know their own national anthem, or were too ashamed to sing it publicly, much less belt it out at the top of their lungs! They had no sense of nationalistic pride and were self-conscious about displaying flags, much less wearing them as skirts or capes as I and thousands of others did just last night. What a transformation a month can make! To be able to see an entire country united behind a common cause and not be afraid that people will think they are reverting back to the days of WWII... I just don't feel like I can explain it well. This last month has been beautiful to watch. Many people (outside America) call Football (soccer) the beautiful game. I think it is true. But the thing is, is that here in Germany over the past month it hasn't been just about a beautiful game. It has been like Aloe Vera, Neosporin, and ice packs all rolled into one healing band-aid. Germany is not going to play in the final tomorrow night. The Mannschaft came in 3rd last night in a consolation game against Portugal. But as some of the pics from earlier in the month and the video from last night will show, this game was no consolation for the Germans. They were every bit as proud of their team, as they would have been if they had won the World Cup itself. Please join with me in asking that the "Fieber" (fever) does not end here, and that perhaps even when that palpable energy has fizzed a bit like the fireworks did last night, and when they are left feeling something akin to a football hangover not related to the vast amounts of alcohol they have consumed ;-), that God can even use a beautiful game to introduce the kind of healing and energy that lasts for an eternity. (and doesn't come with a morning after hangover. )