I was totally surprised at today’s UCG-Germany National Council meeting when the board gave me a special present.

As recognition for the many hours I worked overtime on the new German hymnal to finish it by the Feast, the UCG-Germany National Council, along with editorial staff member Jesmina Allaoua, chipped in to buy me a souvenir flight on the legendary "JU-52", a transport plane used by Germany during World War II. There are only a few airworthy machines left, and souvenir flights are offered on one of them during the warm months of the year at the small Hangelar airport near Bonn. Several times I have seen the plane flying along the Rhine River near our church office, and on one occasion I described it to Jesmina as it flew overhead. On behalf of the group, at the start of today’s meeting vice-chairman Kurt Schmitz presented me the "boarding pass" for a 45 minute flight sometime next year, so I will have to write a blog entry about the flight when it takes place. Thanks everyone for the neat present!