European Theological Seminary.

ETS for short. Some students playfully called it Engagement Training Seminary, owing to the fact that quite a number of students enroll at ETS as a single person and end up finding their spouse, getting engaged and married during their course of study at ETS within ETS. Nonetheless, whatever the acronymn  may stand for, to many who have had a taste of it, it is better known as

‘that little piece of heaven’

in the holy mountain of Kniebis. Therefore, it is for me, an extra-terrestrial space.

As early as the age of 11, having been raised in a devout Roman Catholic home, I already knew that the Lord has placed a particular calling in my life which  I could not yet determine at that time. I felt I ought to be a nun. However, the Lord has changed the direction of my life and several years later, I found myself living in Europe. Yet, nothing has changed in that tug in my heart. It was in 2008 when I first felt that I should take up biblical studies of some sort, through online or distance learning. While still slaving over my PhD which ate up all of my time, even my weekends, I knew I could not manage to. Having also checked how much it would cost, I swept my plan away to the side, realizing it would be difficult for a PhD student living on stipend.

The year 2010 opened up doors for me, however. Our church, affiliated with the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) which has just transitioned from being a center for US military servicemen to an international church, has started a program to train leaders. I underwent discipleship classes which finally led me to my first step in the Church of God ministerial program – the Military Pentecostal Resource Leader (MPRL) training in 2011. A year later, a very good friend and brother who also went through MPRL was called to study in ETS. His continuous amazing stories about the school and its students have encouraged and convinced me to take a look at it for myself. ETS became  so real and alive for me even before I first set eyes on it.

It was the 15th of May 2013. My brother picked me up from the Freudenstadt Train Station at half past three and then we drove to Kniebis. Although I already had an inkling that the visit will land me in ETS as a student later, my heart still fluttered at the very thought that the drive from the train station is to become the start of something new in my life. The drive was nothing but enthralling. I was astounded by the beauty of late spring in the beautiful Black Forest. After a panomaric fifteen-minute ride with all the catching up between my brother and myself, we arrived in ETS.

I was brought to the room of my wonderful sister Sima, an Indonesian student on her third year, where I will be staying for the two nights I would be spending in the school. She was not in her room but her next-door neighbor, Sophie was slaving over a paper in her room and noticed that I arrived. We spoke for almost half an hour and I learned that she has been to the Philippines for missions twice. What an awesome welcome I had! Afterwards, my brother gave me a tour of the school and although I did not tell him, I had a dream and as he was showing me different areas of the school, it was as though my dream was unfolding again right before my eyes. Our tour of the school was followed by a walk through the nearby woods. After that very moment, I knew, ETS is for me.

That moment when you laid your eyes on something or someone then you knew. You just knew.

Later, I came to know some of the students many of whom left strong impressions in my heart. I also sat in some of the classes and one class I particularly took to liking was the homiletics clinic of the third level students. It was a student named Daniel´s turn to preach. He spoke on Isaiah 61 and it was so powerful that I said to myself, “If this is a class, how much more can these people preach in the pulpit?” I was very impressed. The same Daniel became my classmate later. On my first evening, there was also a special community prayer and the students sang worship songs in various languages. It was an experience I would never forget!

On the last day of my three-day visit, I have met with Paul and Carl, the school president and dean of students, respectively. Our meeting sealed my decision. I am going to study in ETS.

My first semester and first course had been particularly challenging. I was the only female in a class of four and all my classmates studied Theology as their Bachelor´s degree. The teaching style as well as a lot of theological jargon were foreign to me. The three guys, however, had been very helpful. Ruben is of German-Italian descent. Daniel is German-American. Micah is German-German (but later I learned that although he works like a real German does – finishing assignments ahead of time, he is not strictly German in a sense. In a very good sense. Well, in the other good sense). (I still live in Germany.)

I learned a lot from them. Yes, they taught me by godly example and through their discipline. (I typed that last word hoping I won´t be struck by thunder :-))

In fact, they taught me a word on our first few days of class. Such intelligent guys. The word is “Kanake” – something I would rather not touch on in here, after the little personal research I did afterwards. They said that in our class, we are all Kanake except for Micha.

Enough said.

Catching up with the school work and assignments during that first semester had been very taxing considering that I was also doing my Ministerial Internship Program (MIP) at the same time. I had to study for my exams for my MIP courses and do all my assignments for my courses at ETS. But it was all very worth it. All the studying I needed to do has helped me to lean closer to the Lord for strength, considering that I was also working full time as a research biologist. It was a crazy and hard time but I enjoyed every bit of it.

I remember a very trying moment when I had a lot of pressure at my workplace and I have to knock off all my remaining MIP exams. My Pastor advised me, “Ellaine, you should choose between doing your MIP or continuing with ETS.”

Like most of the time, I was stubborn. I chose to continue doing both.

Time flew so fast. I went through language courses namely Hebrew and Greek each of which consisted of a two-week intensive course followed by personal home study and exam. The intensive weeks for both at ETS, learning with the other students, had been quite challenging but fun and lighter. Continuing the courses through home study, learning all by myself and then taking the exams afterwards, however, posed the greatest diffculty for me. I am no German and I am not that disciplined! But the Lord was faithful. He saw me through and our teachers plus the other students had been very helpful to me.

I was always in full anticipation of the next course each time I get to finish one because it meant that in a few months´ time, I would be coming back to ETS. It has become my secondary home in Germany. Since I had to take some time off from work everytime I need to attend a course, I used to joke to the other students that whenever I come to ETS, I am on my vacation. That was actually truth. I spent all of my  work leave to go to ETS. Thus, for more than two years, vacation for me equaled going to school. Vacation for me had meant burning my eyebrows over theological articles which almost always have sprinkles if not entire stretches of Greek and Hebrew and Latin phrases all over them. Vacation had meant staying until 12 midnight in the school, finishing or polishing a presentation. Vacation had meant staying in the holy mountain, having community prayer every evening, morning prayers before breakfast (at those times I lodged in the school dorm), devotion twice within the week, Wednesday chapel service, great lunch everyday at the cafeteria, dining out at a Chinese restaurant once during the course week with my Master class buddies, talking to my sisters in their rooms after prayer, and having the best brunch on the Saturday before I leave again for my home in Bavaria.

“Not sisters by blood but sisters by heart.”

(I enjoyed every moment with all my beautiful sisters and of course, two of my most favorite brothers at ETS who happens to be Filipinos!).

For three years, ETS has been my second home. Through it I have made friends, met wonderful people, expanded my family with loving sisters and brothers I know I can count on despite the distance. Through it I had been challenged intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially. Through it I learned many things – not only in class but through each soul I was given an opportunity to get to know. Through it, I grew.

Exactly a week ago, on the ninth of October, I graduated from ETS. Although none of my Bavarian family was able to make it, I was glad that I had my ETS family and one piece of home family who was able to attend the graduation – the same brother who made ETS come alive in my heart even before the moment I first stepped in it. At a quarter past seven in the evening, he drove me to Freudenstadt Train Station, the same station where he picked me up three years ago. Then, sitting on the train home, I knew in my heart that I´m going to miss my extra-terrestrial space called European Theological Seminary.

However, it was not goodbye because the heart always heads back home. Maybe not now, but again it will. Even after a very long time.