We are Wilrens and Franziska. For many years, we were involved with the School of Biblical Studies as well as in base leadership in Germany. Following this, we spent six years in Spain as part of YWAM Europe’s Leadership Retreat Centre (LRC) in Alhaurín de la Torre. During these years, Elijah’s Inn was “born” as a staff care ministry. In 2016, we returned to Germany to continue this ministry here.
Together, we have over 50 years of involvement with YWAM, so we lived through a few ups and downs. When we moved to Spain to join the Leadership Retreat Centre, we came out of a crisis. We looked for a place to go for a debriefing and discovered how few opportunities there are. This is one reason why Franziska decided to get involved in debriefing, coaching, and personal retreats. Wilrens continues to be involved with the Biblical Studies Circle, a network of Bible courses and programmes in YWAM Europe.
We set up this website for Elijah’s Inn. Much like the Leadership Retreat Centre, where it began, it is a place of hospitality, encounter, and meaningful conversations (as well as good food). It is also a place to retreat and be alone – with God. We are open to having YWAM staff and none-YWAMers come for a personal retreat or a time-out.
Franziska (Swiss, born 1966): BA Counseling (U of N); MTh Ethics & Christian Leadership (U of South Africa); further training in coaching and debriefing.
Wilrens (Dutch, born 1961): MS Biology (U of Utrecht); MA Christian Ministries (U of N); PhD (U of Wales & Oxford Centre for Mission Studies). Personal blog: Create a Learning Site at www.wilrens.org.
If you’d like to contact us, you can do so through this contact page. You can also stay in touch with us by signing up through MailChimp (see the sign-up form on the upper right). Have a look at our photo album, or read a few of our foundational stories!
The area where we live
We live in a small village on the north-eastern edge of the Black Forest, less than 40 km southwest of Stuttgart, within easy reach of the A81.
If you come by plane, the nearest airport is Stuttgart. There is an S-Bahn connection to Gärtringen (from where we could pick you up) that is easy and fast. However, Stuttgart is not a big airport, so there may not be a flight from your location or it may be relatively expensive.
It is also possible to fly to Zürich or Frankfurt am Main and take a train from there. Basel-Mulhouse, Munich, and Memmingen are also within reach.
If you come by train, the nearest train stations are Gärtringen (S-Bahn), Herrenberg, and Wildberg.
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