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.