Editor's note: Thabelo Mukhuba has been a South-North volunteer at ELM since the beginning of March and reports on the impressions she has gained in Germany.
Same mission, different continent
What happens when you send young volunteers from six different countries to a small German town and let them master life together?
Quite a lot, as it turns out. The South-North volunteers spent their very first week in Germany in 2026.
This place has always been a missionary centre
Hermannsburg is no ordinary place. Nestled in the Lüneburg Heath of Lower Saxony, it is the birthplace of the Hermannsburg Mission, which was founded in the 19th century by Ludwig Harms, whose name the Ludwig Harms House still bears today. This is one of the few places in Germany where faith still characterises everyday life. It is therefore no coincidence that the volunteers also start their year in Hermannsburg.
Every February, a new group of young volunteers arrives here - selected by partner churches and organisations in South America, Africa and India. They spend their first week together at a welcome seminar before setting off for their places of assignment in Lower Saxony. From 20 to 27 February 2026, the ELM's newest South-North volunteers gathered at the Ludwig-Harms-Haus in Hermannsburg for their orientation seminar - seven days of meetings, devotions, sightseeing, cultural workshops and shared meals, all with one goal in mind. The ELM counsellors want to prepare the volunteers as well as possible - mentally and practically - so that they are confident and motivated for their year.
It is precisely this goal that makes this week more than just an orientation. It represents the next chapter in a decades-long history of global church partnership.
It starts with a hello
The volunteers arrived on Friday 20 February and spent the first day introducing themselves to each other and remembering each other's names. With people from six countries and speaking several languages, this first step was both practical and meaningful. It set the tone for everything that followed - a week where human connection was paramount.
Sent out with a blessing
On Sunday, the group went to St Peter and Paul Church for a morning service. For many of the volunteers, this was their first experience of a German church - a moment that brought the ecumenical heart of the programme to life in a very tangible way.
St Peter and Paul is a partner church of the ELM Lutheran network, and the pastor's blessing that morning reflected the importance of this relationship, which shares the same global mission that brought them to Germany in the first place.
It takes a whole village. Getting to know the ELM team
On Monday, the group visited the ELM office, also in Hermannsburg, where they met the staff who had worked behind the scenes to make their year possible.
The seminar was led by Katharina, one of the ELM staff members responsible for the organisation's international cultural and volunteer programmes. At her side were two former North-South volunteers - young Germans who had previously completed voluntary service in Brazil and were now working as assistants and translators.
"The speakers were so friendly and made sure we had all the information we really needed to live in Germany."
However, the former North-South volunteers were helpful beyond language support. They had once sat in exactly the same chairs themselves - for Paula, returning to this role brought back her own memories of her seminar in Brazil.
"Talking about our reasons for being here has given me strength throughout the year."
A taste of the year ahead
On Tuesday, the volunteers split into two groups to visit real work sites - a taste of the work they would soon be doing full-time across Lower Saxony. One group travelled to Lebenshilfe Bergen, a facility for people with disabilities, while the other group stayed local and visited the Pusteblume daycare centre, a kindergarten. Both visits gave the volunteers an honest, hands-on insight into what their year would entail.
"It is palpable how much they care about everyone's well-being - I am very grateful for all the joy and learning in our first seminar."
The game that said more than words could
As part of their intercultural seminar, the group took part in a structured simulation game designed to teach cultural empathy through experience rather than explanation.
The game involved something that weeks of lectures might not have been able to convey: the disorientation of entering a new culture, where the unspoken rules are invisible until you break them. It challenged each participant to observe closely, remain patient and keep trying - skills they would need every single day of the coming year. Beyond the game, the sessions throughout the week provided space for volunteers to share their personal experiences and have open conversations about what life in Germany feels like.
"It made me feel understood and connected - and now I feel more motivated and confident at my project site."
Where the day found its meaning
After the day's sessions were over, the group gathered for a short prayer service prepared and led by the volunteers themselves, with regional groups taking turns.
Latin American volunteers led the prayer one evening, bringing their own traditions of prayer and worship. It was one of several moments during the week where the philosophy of the programme became apparent: that learning flows in all directions and that each and every volunteer has something to offer.
Dinner was served every evening in the Ludwig Harms House. At the table, conversations wandered far from the day's programme - to questions about home, faith, family and what a year in Germany could really mean.
"It was like family - I'm already waiting for the next seminar."
Becoming German in one day
The volunteers learnt how to separate and recycle rubbish, navigated the deposit system (Germany's bottle deposit scheme where glass and plastic bottles are returned to supermarkets for a small refund) and explored local shops to understand how everyday errands work in their new country.
The week ended with a small farewell party where the volunteers celebrated what they had built together before going their separate ways.
Stay tuned. The mission continues
These twelve volunteers are not just coming to Germany to work. They come to grow, to make connections and to carry the mission of the universal church into their everyday lives. A week in Hermannsburg has given them the foundation. Now the real adventure begins - and you, dear readers, have a front row seat. Stay with us.
