Autumn in the Black Forest

Last Tuesday, November 1, was a German holiday (All Saint's Day), which meant I had the day off to sleep in, relax, and get a lot done. Yes, I was able to accomplish all of these things! Sounds oxymoronic, doesn't it? I slept in (for me) until 8, and cleaned up my apartment while listening to music. But the sun was too inviting to stay inside. I gathered up my hammock, a book, and my ukulele and walked a short ways into the Black Forest. I spent several hours there reading, singing, praying, and resting in the beauty of God's creation. I don't know that I recall a warmer November 1st! Finally, the late afternoon chill began to sink in, and I dropped off my accessories at home, and began to walk. There are so many different paths to explore! I walked up to the town of Tannenkirch, on the crest of a hill from which I could see the faraway Alps. (They don't show up in photographs, or I would share the beauty.) Please enjoy these glimpses of Autumn here in the Black Forest:

What are some of your favorite Autumnal outdoor activities?

Come, and Rejoice!

Tuesday and Thursday mornings, in lieu of a "homeroom" teachers have the opportunity to lead a devotion with their 1st period classes. Thanks to my dear friends, the Clavers, I own a ukulele, so I have been using this special time with my 1st period to sing worship songs! Today's selection was a Keith and Kristyn Getty hymn. It's called Come, People of the Risen King. To accompany the song, I also read Psalm 97.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,    and give thanks to his holy name!
Psalm 97: 12

On a beautiful sunny morning like today, it is so easy to rejoice in the mercy and love of God. I feel so blessed right now as I live and serve in Germany, when I know that I am supposed to be here. The process of coming here to Germany has been a long one, and I rejoice in God's faithfulness. But we also should rejoice in our sufferings and trials. So whether you are experiencing the joy of the morning, or the darkest suffering of night, know that there is rejoicing through it all.

Last night, I took a long walk through my town and up the nearby hill. At the top of the hill, I turned and saw my little town spread out below. I stood there in silence and awe for several minutes. In that stillness I knew that God was all around me. The rural community in which I live feels so quiet and empty, but God fills that emptiness. In fact, knowing Christ means that nothing is empty or meaningless anymore. And on my walk I was able to feel near to him as I surveyed the beauty of his creation.

Ich möchte une crépe.

On Sunday, some friends and I decided to drive to France for the afternoon. That's one of the strangest sentences I've ever written. Whose life is this? How blessed am I, that we can just pop over into France for an afternoon? Oh, and the town we visited, Colmar, is the basis for the animated town in Beauty and the Beast. See the similarities?

Because we were in France, I had to of course speak some French. I haven't spoken any French since freshman year of High School, when I studied it. Believe me, it's pretty rusty.

There were shops everywhere full of sweets and treats. This store sold many varieties of candied fruits (pictured above). We also made sure to get crepes. We had to stand in line and look up the French words on the menu to know what the topping choices were. At this point my German got in the way, and I may have tried to order in a mixture of German and French.

I have also been working very hard at lesson planning and preparing for students to arrive. New students arrive on Monday, returning students on Tuesday. And opening ceremonies are on Wednesday. I have tentative lesson plans completed for the first week of classes, but I really need to know where the Unit is going in order to plan the early days.

A few times this week, I have had to just sit back and say "You're done for the day," to myself. At a certain point, I need time to rest and relax and take care of myself. I'm very excited to plan my lessons and future units, but I cannot neglect my need for rest. That's why this trip to France was so fun. I left my computer and textbooks behind and didn't even think about German class. Sunday was truly a Sabbath for me, and I haven´t had one in quite some time.

Even now, I am writing this in the middle of the work day. I need a mental break from planning. I paused to pray, and now I pause to process and reflect in a blog post. Lord, I dedicate these lessons to you. Use me to share the German language with these students. Help me to share a love of language and the German people. Help me equip these students to reach out to our German-speaking community.

Mountains and Grandeur

Mountains make my heart happy. And southern Germany is full of them. Last Friday evening I was invited to go to the highest peak in the area Hochblauen to see the view.

Here is the Gasthaus, or restaurant/hotel on top of the mountain. Most of what is beyond that is Switzerland.

A peek into the neighboring valley (Germany) already bathed in shadow as the sun was setting.

On the other side, if you didn't look directly into the sun, you can see France spread out below.

This picture I took the next day, Saturday, on the drive into Switzerland. My sponsors, Stu and Phyllis, took me to Ballenberg, an outdoor history/architecture museum near Luzern. As we passed different cities and lakes, Stu shared some of the history of the region. It really was fun to learn a bit about an area as we raced past it on the Autobahn.

The museum was filled with farmhouses, barns, shops, and many other functional buildings which were built in different regions of Switzerland. At some point, if they were going to be torn down to make way for newer constructions, they would be relocated to the museum. This place is huge. It had sections for the different regions and time periods, and we only had time to see maybe half of what they had. The picture above is a thatched roof farmhouse/barn combination. Unlike museums of this nature in the US (historical homes, etc.), everything was available to be poked and prodded. They had demonstrations of bread baking, cheese making, weaving, sewing, woodcarving, bone grinding, and so much more. I could have spent weeks there. We probably spent 6 hrs there and maybe glanced at half. I say glanced, because, in order to see the half of the building we did, we had to move quickly.

Pardon the extreme editing on this one. Due to the lighting and the large overhand of the roof, much of the architectural beauty was very dark in my pictures. This way you can see the detailing on the side of the house. 

The other thing about this museum: it was quite literally nestled in the mountains. The paths throughout the museum were quite steep, and the northern side face sheer cliff face.

I call this one Cows and a Crooked Chimney. We couldn't decide: was the chimney curved for structural reasons, or just personal preference in order to have that central attic window?

Here I am practice teaching at BFA! No, not really. This is also at the museum. Each region that was represented was clustered together. This section, the central Swiss region, was the most cohesive, and most like a small town. They had a schoolhouse, a sawmill, bone mill, a game hall, several family homes, and a guest house.

Speaking of BFA, Thursday began all staff conference and the beginning of normalcy here. I had *more* of a regular schedule, and the chance to get to know my office/desk space, classroom, and the other teachers in the language department. I now know where the library is, have my keys, and have already mistaken another staff member for a high school student. It's a week of firsts.

The theme at BFA this year is faithfulness. It's really always a theme for me, because it's hard to get away from God's faithfulness. "...if we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13 ESV). Much of all staff conference is learning about how we can best serve the students and encourage them to be all they can be through "biblical thought, character, and action" (BFA vision statement), but for me it's very much a chance to learn about how the staff interacts as a whole and where I fit into that. I love my department, and all the staff really, how friendly and welcoming they are!

Please continue to pray as I get settled in my apartment. It can take a while to get used to the slower pace of life here and to adjust to not having a car. I live at least a 20-30 min walk from the grocery store, school, and many people I know. 

I also have lesson planning to complete before school starts August 31st, and it seems a bit overwhelming right now. But I have many resources at my disposal: an experience German teacher who teaches higher German levels here, as well as materials from the former German teacher at BFA and materials from my high school German teacher. So I will be well prepared.

Another vital component of the conference this week for me was learning the importance of BFA. Did you know that the main reason missionaries leave the field is the education of their children? It's important for them to know that their children are safe, well-cared for, and taught at an institution that values their child's education. Teaching German in Germany at an international Christian school doesn't sound like missions. It sure didn't to me. But God has called me here, just as he has called all the other staff here to make an impact in these students lives, in the lives of their families, the communities in which their parents serve, and in our community, in Kandern, Baden-Württemburg, Deutschland.

I'm in. . . Germany?

I still can't believe it. I'm here. I mean, I'm incredibly jet-lagged and feeling a little sick, but I am here in Germany to stay, Lord willing.

Saturday evening, I boarded the plane in Rochester bound for Atlanta. But when I got to Atlanta, and found the proper terminal, my gate for my next flight was closing in 3 minutes. So I sprinted through the terminal, because, of course, my gate was at the far end, and made it just before they closed the door. My heart was pounding! That leg of the trip was the worst. I didn't sleep a wink during those eight hours, so I watched a few films and tried to get comfortable.

My last flight was just a 45 minute jump over to Basel. You have to collect your baggage before leaving the secure area, so I knew my hosts were waiting for me, but my bags took so long! Once all the bags had been put on the conveyor belt, I was still missing one. After inquiring, we discovered that bag was still in Paris! I gave them my address, and they promised to deliver it after it arrived. True to their word, the next day, I discovered my bag sitting on the front step when I got home from orientation.

The next picture is the view I get to see every morning as I leave my house. How beautiful is the world God created! The walk from school-home and vice versa is quite enjoyable with views like these, though it is completely uphill on the way to school, and completely downhill the way home. It's almost like climbing a mountain every day. My landlords had to leave for a conference the morning after I arrived, so I'm currently cat-sitting their cat, Melly, for the week. It's nice to have a furry little friend instead of being completely alone at night. Though it is scary the first time something warm and furry is sleeping on the end of your bed when you weren't expecting it.

And finally: the other new staff members at BFA. I couldn't be prouder to be working with such awesome people. I've also had chances to meet returning staff during coffee breaks and such, including the principal, my supervisor-the vice principal and foreign language department chair-and other administrators who already work full-time.

As I mentioned in my last letter, I have a friend, Sammy, in need of your prayers. Last night she underwent a 6 hour brain surgery while feverish. She came through the surgery and is stable. Beyond that, I don't know any more. Please remember her in your prayers and trust the Lord for complete and total healing! Also, my Uncle Robert underwent surgery to remove a tumor (and his kidney) last week and is recovering well at home. Thank you for your prayers for him as well.

I really am so very grateful to all who have made my being at BFA possible. Please keep the students, staff, and all the supporters around the world in your prayers.

The Summer in Pictures

Cherry Picking!- Following a long and exhausting internet search, I found one U-Pick farm remotely near us that had strawberry picking. And they would email you when the strawberries were ready to be picked. As we launched into June, I found it odd that they had not emailed me. Turns out their strawberry crop was bad this year. Oh well. It happens. On to the next fruit: cherries! It was in season, so we planned to go the next day. When we got to the farm, they said all their sweet cherries had been picked, and there were only sour cherries left. Since we had already driven 45 mins to get there, I couldn't disappoint the kids. We had a great time picking the sour fruits (no temptation to eat these straight off the tree) and being silly.  In the picture, I had told Gisselle that we had to sort through her cherries since she mostly picked bad ones. She promptly dumped out her basket on the ground.

Saturday in Chicago- Abbie, myself, Sarah, and Emily traversed into the Windy city on a very dry, hot, summer Saturday for a vintage market, and some time on the beach. We walked a lot, drank lots of water, and generally had a good time. (Fabulous empanadas at the Randolph Street Market!) It was a very long day, but very worth it when we finally jumped in Lake Michigan!

Fishing Fun- I don't remember how, but someone got the idea to go fishing. I was hesitant, since I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that many worms and fish, but it turned out to be fun for all! We went twice: once with all the kids, and once without Naomi (as she had day camp). We biked there and packed a picnic lunch. I rented three fishing poles, but never used mine. Gisselle was to busy seeking mischief. She kept running around the park and finding new things. When she saw these fish statues, everything had to stop until I took a picture of her. Most of the time she was content picking up little rocks and throwing them into the pond. But the way she went about it, she always looked as though she were about to fall in! A total of about 5 fish (and one turtle) were caught between the two days, but hours and hours of fun! I still ended up cutting all the worms in half and sticking them on the hooks. And getting the fish (and turtle) off the hooks. Ah well. A little dirt and worm blood is good for us all.

Valley Fair- While on family vacation in Eden Prairie, MN, some cousins and uncles visited Valley Fair amusement park. (Not pictured, Uncle Andy.) Though relaxing at Aunt Sarah's house was fun, and beautiful, some of the younger generation and our uncles/father needed some adventuring out of the house.

How do we love?

Any ideas? I'm at a loss. I see so many examples of love around me, and I feel loved, but how do I know that I'm showing love to others?

I know someone who feels for others very deeply. She cries at times, in pain for her friends who do not know the Lord. If I don't cry for my unsaved friends, does that mean I don't love them?

Tomorrow I'm attending a funeral for a dear, dear woman from my church who had a hand in 90% of the ministries at our church. I know it will be well attended, and I know several people who cannot bear that they must miss it. Will I ever know if I can have such an effect on people?

Yesterday and today were hard. The people around me are hurting, and I'm hurting, too. How can I show them I'm here? How can I love them better? Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but how can we when we don't understand the kind of pain, or loss? Today, it just meant washing the dishes, offering a hug, and trying to smile. But is it enough?

How can we show the kind of love that Jesus showed us? The grace and mercy he extended to us was beyond compare: beyond anything we could ask or imagine. That kind of love doesn't grow on trees. And yet, God calls us to love him and others in that way. It's quite a task.

I'm just going to begin with the little things. And as I grow in my faith, my love for God and his creation grows as well. I'll just have to work on showing that love. So, if you're reading this, just know this: You are loved.

Priorities

Graduation came and went, and already my first wedding of the summer has passed us by! (Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Brown!!!) I enjoyed a wonderful visit with my sister and parents, and now I just have to settle into the summer swing of things. The kids have one week left of school, and I have one week left of quiet at home. I'm actually really looking forward to spending more time with these great kids, since we only have 2 more months of time together. We've been reading The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis together, but we have to keep moving if we're going to finish the series before I go.
Life is still pretty crazy, but I'm enjoying it. At a certain point you just have to realize what your priorities are. For me, it's the people in my life, and the ministries I'm a part of. But even ministry can get in the way of what's really important: my own walk with God. I'm spending time tonight in prayer and the Word, but I realized that it's been a while. Why does my quiet time go on the back burner? Do I really have my priorities straight?
So, before I write any more, I'm off to spend more time with God. He's my priority tonight.

Run with Perserverance

I've never been an athlete. I still wouldn't call myself one, but I am proud to say that I ran my first 5k on Saturday, and I did far better than I had anticipated. My friend, Abbie, ran with me, and we snapped this picture afterwards:

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When I signed up for the race (maybe 6 weeks ago?), I also downloaded an app on my phone that gave me a training plan. That plan had me running most days, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. The idea was to build up endurance and prepare for the race. However, I got sick 3 weeks before the race, and couldn't run for an entire week. I had to re-work my entire training schedule! In my training, my pace was just over 10 min/mile. However, on race day, my pace was just under 9 min/mile. I suppose with adrenaline racing, and rain falling, I was super duper speedy.

Isn't that how life is, though? We make plans, and prepare, and then a curveball hits us right in the stomach. Oh, you thought you would raise enough money to go to Germany in 4 months? Nope. Try again. But then we pick ourselves back up, and with strength that can only come from our Creator, we press on and rework the training plan.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

This Sunday is graduation! Yes, I know what you're thinking: Didn't you graduate last August. Yes. Yes, I did. But, I also wanted to participate in the graduation ceremony with my friends. So, almost a year after graduating, I'll walk across the stage in a dorky cap and gown to finally feel like I graduated. I have the diploma, I have a job, I haven't taken a class (for credit) since last July, but I never felt graduated. So here we go. Come at me, world!

The results of prayer

I have an apartment! For those of you who don't know, this has been a prayer request for the past few months. Most of the apartments in Kandern cost about 100-150 € per month more than I had originally anticipated. However, I was just made aware of an affordable, convienient, and spacious (for this price range) basement apartment only a 15 minute bike ride from the school. This is an exciting answer to prayer. Thank you for your prayers, even if you didn't know about this specific request. Please continue to pray that I will reach 100% support before August.

The past month has probably been the busiest since my last semester at Wheaton, over a year ago. I have a commitment almost every night, and work all day, plus the other nights in the week. Here's a typical week: Ethics of Education class, which I am auditing at Wheaton, on Monday, Tuesday I will either babysit or cook dinner for the family, Wednesday, maybe cook dinner and help out with youth group at my church, Thursday I have small group. Friday and weekend nights can have a variety of activities, including but not limited to, Senior banquet, babysitting, improv shows, movies with friends, getting sick and going to bed early. It's been pretty crazy here lately. I also just started tutoring a woman from Iraq in her English, so that she can get a job soon!

Senior Banquet

Basically, through all this busyness, I've been learning what's really important to me. When I realized how many activities I had signed myself up for, I really thought I should drop something. Who has enough time in their week for all of this? I do. If I wasn't doing all of these things, you know what I would be doing? Watching netflix in my room. That's not a good use of my time when I could be preparing myself for ministry. So that's exactly what I'm going to do! I found I couldn't choose something to drop, because I felt that each one was preparatory in a different, yet very important way. So, I kept everything, and my weeks have been crazy, but fulfilling. Exhausting, and yet productive.

For me, busyness means staying involved in what God is doing. I can stop being busy later. For now, I choose to work hard for the Lord!

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24

Support Update: 70% Praise the Lord! Thank you all for your prayers. Still in need of about $700 per month to get me to BFA. Please contact me if you want to be a part of what God is doing at BFA.

Spring Cleaning

Now, I know it's not Spring yet. But don't we all have junk in our rooms/homes/lives that we just need to get rid of? I sure do. I've been reading Romans lately, which is awfully dangerous if you are harboring sin in your heart. Paul just cuts to the heart of the matter. No matter your situation in life, you have no excuse for sin. So cut it out!

"So they are without excuse . . . their foolish hearts were darkened . . . therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity . . . because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie . . ." Romans 1:20-25

"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant hear, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath . . ." Romans 2:5

What are you holding back? What lies has the world convinced you of, instead of the truth of God's world?

I actually made a list in my journal of lies from the world that I have spent a good deal of time believing. Then I found scripture to disprove them. Here's a sample:

• Lie #1: Your body is your own. What you do with it is your choice.
• "You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." 1 Cor. 6:19-20. And this goes for finances, time, and other resources that God has blessed us with. God has given us gifts, but they are on loan, and we must honor him in how we choose to use them.
• Lie #2: It can't be wrong if it makes you happy.
• "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phil. 2:3-4. We should not seek our own pleasure. We are called to serve our Creator and his creation. As Christians, we are servants. We must live sacrificially, not selfishly.

I challenge you to think about sin/lies in your own life. What is God calling you to give up, to confess to him? Lay it at his feet; seek his forgiveness, and his help in removing it from your life. I'll be the first to admit: I'm weak and I can't root out the sin in my life alone. I need divine strength to resist the temptation. And it's even harder when the sin lies in your thoughts. Actions are so much easier to control than thoughts. When I was in high school, I used to pray this verse as I fell asleep, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things," (Phil. 4:8) because I felt that my thoughts were so hard to control.

Think and pray about the sin in your life. Don't hold back, because God already knows what you've done. He's already forgiven you and covered you sin in his blood, he just wants you to admit your guilt, humble yourself before him, and ask for his forgiveness.

Belated Christmas Greeting

I know it's already February. (February, where did the time go???) But, here is a quick update about my Christmas break.

Here's a funny story: I spent Christmas in the hospital. Christmas Eve we had a lovely evening with my family, including my Uncle Pat, and a friend, Lindsay, from church. We always make three kinds of soup (this year's menu included Seven Onion Soup, Broccoli Cheddar, and Minestrone) and eat a late meal following the Christmas Eve service. I went to bed that night with a full tummy, but was unable to sleep. Sometime in the night, an intense pain shot through my abdomen. I'll spare you the details, but the short of it was, I thought I had appendicitis.
Throughout the night in the hospital (accompanied by my wonderful and long-suffering Mother), while being poked, prodded, and scanned, the pain began to lessen. Around seven am, the doctors determined that I did not have appendicitis, because they couldn't see my appendix in any of the scans or tests. I went home and was back in bed before the rest of the household even noticed our absence. After a brief nap, we resumed our Christmas morning festivities. Imagine the surprise of our well-rested relatives when Mom and I came to breakfast with our tale. However, it was not over. The hospital called, requesting that I come back in for one last consultation with the surgeon, who had seen something else on the CT scan. I spent two more hours in the hospital (with my Dad), which added nothing to our knowledge of the cause of the phantom pains, but took time away from our Christmas brunch at my Aunt and Uncle's. I hope this story brings you a smile, because I can only laugh about it now. Did I simply overreact to a stomach ache? I suppose I'll never know.

Stay tuned for more (recent) updates!