Excitingly, the first of this year our church, the Garden Valley Chapel, CA, had one of its supported missionary families from O.C. International, to visit and give a report on their work in Germany. Well this missionary family turned out to be the previously mentioned youths, Keith & Kathy Copely and their family of 5 children. We had not seen nor heard from these youths from our previous church home for over 25 years. They have been working in Germany for 13 years and all their children were born there. During our conversation with Keith & Kathy we mentioned our past missionary activities in Peru and later in Russia. Keith said you and Mary are just the kind of mature Christians that OCI would like to provide to the Pavilion of Hope for this summer. On the spot the Lord confirmed to both Mary and I that this was His direction for us. So we and made our applications to OCI and POH.

SO, WE DOVE INTO THE WATERS

From June 1 to October 31, 2000, over 187 nations and international organizations will present the first World EXPO in Hannover Germany. Forty million visitors are expected, from which 40 percent will be from other countries. There will be, on an average 240,000 visitors daily. Half of the youth will be younger than 25 years old. They expect 1200-1500 youth a day through the Pavilion. World’s largest youth evangelistic outreach to the world.

World Expo 2000, with the theme, Humanity, Nature & Technology, will present methods of cultivating peace between humanity, nature, and technology. Many people are afraid of the future as we enter the new millennium. Global threat of AIDS, crisis in world economy, changes in climate, natural catastrophes, political conflicts, 15 continuous existing wars are present without concrete solutions in sight.

People are searching for orientation in a highly technical, multi-cultural, multi-religious and individual-oriented world. We can present Christian solutions and a sign of HOPE through Jesus Christ, the source of our Strength and Faith.

The organizers of Expo2000 invited the YMCA, World Vision Germany, and German Evangelicals Alliance to develop an arc with the theme of HOPE. This honorable status is granted to only a few organizations. It includes the privilege to have the same rights and duties as the nations have in their official status. That also means that each participant is responsible for creating and financing their own pavilion.

Many youth from many countries will be volunteer help at the Pavilion of Hope. They too will be receiving a multi-dimensional World Expo and a living message of Jesus Christ for the world. They will experience intense feelings of community and spiritual growth with Christians from around the world. They will belong to many different churches and congregations, but are all connected through their faith in Jesus Christ and the teamwork which will bring new ideas of evangelism and inspiration that they will take home to their churches and countries.

The Pavilion of Hope is also managing the Expo youth camp for the Expo Park. It is more than a large accomodation area or campsite with a supermarket and a large manmade lake. It will be opportunity for us (the volunteer Staff and Christian youth) to evangelize them.

The Pavilion of Hope is accommodated in a giant glass whale. The building is architecturally modeled after a whale; the exterior consists of a transparent glass construction. On three levels the theme of Hope will be unfolded, in order to start the New Millennium with a new Christian impulse. The facets of hope reach from global future perspectives to individual questions of life and it/s origins. The whale is 175/ long, 75 / wide and 50/ high, the tail of 87’ high and all this three floors.

SHOWING OUR STUFF!

The Pavilion starts with inviting visitors to an encouraging journey in the Amphitheater that starts in the entrance area where young Christian artists from around the world offer to these visitors a versatile program, which ranges from music to acrobatics and pantomime. In the amphitheater a cinema film will be shown of the Prodigal Son, pictures of which will have been brought to life by modern computer technology. It takes up a Biblical story transforming it into a futuristic world.

From the amphitheater they are invited to the *Room of Hope* that is an oasis of reflection in the middle of EXPO2000/s hectic activities. Here visitors can meet for personal discussions with members of the Pavilion Staff Volunteers (us) or meditate quietly on the film and/or the interactive Exhibition.

The Interactive Exhibition *Windows of Hope* occupies the largest room on the wale/s upper level. In the five months, about 30 different hope projects will be presented to visitors. Conversations with young people from developing countries, creatively prepared presentations, and colorful show programs are intended to present promising solutions to the problems of out times in dialogue with the visitors.

There is also a *Communications Island” which will present a special link to the visitor. A completely equipped TV studio where visitors can exchange ideas with experts from politics, sciences and economics or draft visions for the future with prominent guests.*

YES! THERE IS HOPE!

With all these activities the Pavilion of Hope wants to encourage young people from all over the world to discuss prospective for the future to question resignation, and to demonstrate Hope from a Christian point of view. The goal is manifestly done by the overall concept of the Pavilion of Hope.

The Pavilion of Hope contributes towards International understanding from a Christian point of view. Approximately 1600 Christian young people from all over the world will work together as volunteers for the Interactive Exhibition and for the entire Pavilion.