A Root out of Dry Ground

Page 5 — Other Countries

The Little Flock

Meanwhile, Dieter and Martin, two Germans who had become disciples while visiting the United States, had come to the end of their visas and needed to return to their native land. The Communities in America couldn't imagine those two young disciples thousands of miles away trying to make it on their own, so they sent Gene and Marsha to help them. It was difficult even to find a place for the couple to stay, but when Martin introduced Gene to his old "alternative" friends in the little town of Steinenberg, something unexpected happened. Most of Martin's friends fell in love with the Savior that Gene was talking about, the Man who loved them enough to take their place in death. They wanted to live their lives for Him. Almost instantly, the little communal house in Steinenberg changed its flavor. A few of the former residents who didn't want to give up their dope or their politics moved out, and Gene and Marsha were faced with lots of new disciples to be cared for, not just two. In response to the need, the Communities sent a young couple from the States, Arthur and Judy, to live with the little flock of disciples and teach them how to obey all their Master's commands. Others were sent later to support in various ways.

For a few years the house in Steinenberg was the home of these disciples. During that time they were faithful to look for others in Germany who were open to the message they had received. They sang and danced in the markets where they sold their bread; they printed papers in German; they even put on backpacks and searched the roadways and small towns. But not many joined them, and they remained a "little flock." Then the owner of the Steinenberg house decided to tear it down, and suddenly they were without a home. Neither they nor their friends in America had the resources to buy a house, and it was not clear where they should relocate. They found a landowner who let them camp on his land, but it wasn't long before the authorities told them to move. Looking a little like a gypsy caravan, they set out in search of a home.

For a year they wandered — out of Germany, through France, into Portugal and Spain. All the while, they, as well as their friends in America, were praying daily that they would find a big house. Everywhere they went they asked people if they knew of a big house that wasn't being used — or if they knew of people that loved God with all their hearts. Every lead they followed turned out to be a dead end. Finally, they explained their situation to the owner of a hotel on the coast of Spain, and she offered an old run-down chateau in southern France that belonged to her family. The price was out of their reach, but the "little flock" could stay there as caretakers of the property until the family had to sell it.

When that time came, a couple of years later, the disciples in America couldn't bear to see their friends in France wander about for another year, so they labored day and night to help come up with the money to buy the house. Just in time, the necessary money arrived in France and the community finally had a home of their own. Meanwhile, new disciples were being added to their number, not only from France, but also Germany, Spain, and amazingly, Australia.

Unplanned Expansion

It was evening and Mark had just bicycled past the old chateau in southern France when a young man came running after him. The fellow wanted to know if he had a place to stay for the night; if not, he would be welcome to stay in the big chateau. Mark was impressed with the man's genuine hospitality and accepted his offer.

Mark was only one of hundreds of guests who had spent the night at Tabitha's Place, as the chateau was known. But he was different from most — not just because he was an Australian, but because everything his hosts told him made sense to him. He was drawn to the radically different life that he saw there. Eventually he decided that he wanted to have his sins forgiven and forsake his old life to become a disciple. It wasn't long, however, before Mark had to return to Australia. Since no one from Europe could be spared at that time, the Community in Vermont wound up sending some of their best people to support the new disciple.

Meanwhile, several Canadians had learned of the Vermont Community and gone to visit there numerous times. Over the course of several weeks they considered the uncompromising message that they had heard, and finally decided to pay the cost of becoming disciples. Jean quit his job as a machinist, Denis stopped selling pharmaceuticals, David gave Air Canada notice that he would no longer pilot their planes, and Richard resigned from his position as chief accountant for a multi-national corporation. But none of them, except possibly Richard, whose wife was a U.S. citizen, could live in Vermont. So, in spite of many needs at home, the disciples in Vermont sent some of their most responsible members to Canada to help establish a community there.

For many years Bob, whose missionary parents had raised him in Brazil, had expressed a deep desire that the Brazilian people would hear the same message he had heard. Since he had become one of the Community's most responsible leaders, there had always been a great need for him in America. But finally the Community realized they would be selfish if they kept him any longer and willingly let him go where the burden of his heart led him.

And so it went. Often because of difficult circumstances, and always at great personal cost, disciples were sent out to establish communities. But that, after all, was the foundation they had been on from the beginning: meeting the pressing need, giving out of what sustained them, doing whatever love demanded. They hadn't sat down and planned out how to spread their beliefs or their lifestyle. They had certainly never intended to become a worldwide network. Nevertheless, by 1990, Communities had been established in four countries besides the U.S., several were going in the New England area, and one had been founded in the Midwest. By the year 2000, Communities had been added in Spain, Germany, Argentina, and England, and others had been established in the Midwestern U.S., with outposts on the West Coast and in the South.

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