Our small team consisted of TACO resident team members David and Misun Graeser and TACO partners Dustin and Katie Kelm. In 10 days we did 10 presentations around Switzerland, promoting OM as well as TACO, inspiring people to action with how God is using the creative arts to reach people around the world.
Our program typically began with a "hip hop violin" act which combined David's edgy hip hop dancing with Misun rockin' the violin. We threw in some world class unicycling from Dustin, a dance duet by David and Katie, a brief history of TACO and inspiring stories of how God is using these creative arts to reach unreached people with His love.
We shared with several youth groups, a prayer meeting, street outreach, 2 Bible colleges and Operation Mobilization Switzerland's staff gathering. Though many of our events were small, it was obvious God was directing our steps and used this tour to make an impact.
After one Sunday morning youth event, we were told the stories and testimonies we shared really connected with the students. One student who hadn't been around in a while because of his gaming addiction, told Dustin afterward that he wants to start attending church regularly again.
Swiss former TACO team member, Susanne, now attends ISTL Bible College in Zurich. It was a happy reunion to join her and her classmates for their weekly street outreach. It was really cold outside and Misun's fingers nearly froze as she played violin. But we did 3 presentations followed by a message from some of the students. Afterward there was a buzz from the students who were really inspired by how the performance drew people and gave a platform to share openly with more people.
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| Reunion with Susanne! |
We presented at The Factory Bible College and then David taught "Street Outreach 101", including a simple step dance for students to use in their future street outreaches. Students really got into the training and step dance and were very excited to put what they had learned into practice.
Because of high crime rates in an apartment complex near Zurich where mostly immigrants reside, the Stjgj student center was created 13 years ago. In this apartment building basement, students know they are always welcome to play fuse-ball, air hockey, chill, get snacks, take photos with available costumes and interact with adults who care about them. Leaders noticed a drop in crime rates immediately after Stjgj was open.
We had the privilege of joining this ministry one Friday night. Most of the students involved in Stjgj come from North African or Middle Eastern backgrounds so it was exciting to be able to share the Gospel with them during our presentation. Though the leaders are believers, they don't often have the opportunity for spiritual conversations with students. Leaders were thrilled with the clear Gospel message Dustin shared and said students were asking about what they had heard. They will be building on what we shared to help students grow in their understanding of what Jesus has done for them.
Our last event wrapped up well at a Sunday morning church service in Bern. We were told we had freedom to preach, present and perform. After the service we received great feedback, including the pastor seriously inquiring about taking his family on a short-term outreach to Turkey. One man also told us he's now thinking hard about the challenge Dustin gave to use what God has given him to share Christ's love. Another church member approached us afterward with tears in her eyes, encouraged by a story David had shared about how God reached a girl in Turkey during a very small outreach which had seemed almost pointless.
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| Beautiful city of Bern. |
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