I myself have not done it yet, but I have been preparing to do my own German research. To help you out a little, I can tell you that it will be a bit different than what you might be used to. First, No - the letters don't have to be in German. It helps if they are, but it isn't a problem if they aren't. Most of the inquiries will be handled through clergymen, unless you use a contracted researcher. Second the costs are handled in a "donation" manner. Since it is the church doing the work of looking the info up, they only accept donations for their work. Its the copies they make that will eat you alive! Write the letter first, then ask the costs, then choose to do it or not. As for tips, try and find the ancestor's religion. Germany is mainly half-Catholic and half-Protestant. This will tell you which church to send to. If it isn't known, there are actually branches of LDS in Frankfurt that may be helpfull in this area. As for the records, no help there - they will be in German. All you can do there is learn the few common terms on what you are looking for - Birth (Geboren) Death (Storben) Marriage (Heiraten) etc. Otherwise, a translator can be as simple as a $5 dictionary or a $25 hr person. Finally, don't expect to get a large return of records. It may be a single line entry in a church book handwritten a hundred yrs ago, or it may end up a textbook. Also, a modern map of Europe isn't too bad to have handy - you may start in Germany but end up in a neighboring country since borders changed alot. Certain records may say "Germany" but they are actually "Poland" and that is a bit of a difference when you find the names of the towns. Overall, don't get frustrated on the first attempts, Europe is big and its been there for a couple hundred yrs, it may take some time picking it apart.