Two lights in the darkness so that many people are able to see

Burkhard and Irmela Elter in Lychen

Lychen is a wonderful place on earth in the Uckermark.  However, the spectacular countryside is not the reason why Mr and Mrs Elter decided to move from West-Germany to North Brandenburg.  Even more so the two of them want to make a difference as Christians in an area where the churches are almost empty on Sunday mornings.  Over the course of time they have been able to build up deeper friendships with the locals.  People hold the doors open for each other as they visit the city-known opticians.

Yesterday the Elters had invited a missionary doctor from Peru to the attractive St Johannes Church.  Since the 13th century many Lycheners have placed their trust in God within these ancient walls.  But 41 years of Communist dictatorship leave their mark.  Thus, most of the inhabitants of Brandenburg are atheists.

The audience – a surprisingly-high turnout – is a 50-50 split Christian to non-Christian.  But irrespective of one’s worldview Diospi Suyana’s story touches everyone’s heart. Speaking to an atheist after the event, he commented: “It would be nice, if one could believe!”

In the question and answer session after the presentation Dr John spoke about the importance of belief.  “That what Jesus Christ offers sounds almost too good to be true.  Forgiveness for everything we have done wrong in our entire lives, comfort and direction in the present and eternal life in the future.  Diospi Suyana shows that faith in the God of the Bible is no philosophical construct.  It is not about dusty holy sayings, but about hard and real facts!”  At Diospi Suyana everything is about facts, nothing is about fiction.

In the SehWerkstatt (the name of the local opticians) you get a clear view of the big picture.
The St Johannes Church is a real tourist attraction.
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