green pastures

Tomorrow we embark on the annual eighth grade trip to Lugano, Switzerland, and I still need to pack. This is the typical story for me, your chronic procrastinator. While I have grown much in this area over the years, I am still the girl who often ends up paying what my dad calls the "stupid tax" as a result of my actions. Regardless, this will be the fifth year that I have had the privilege of chaperoning the trip, and while I do have a good idea of what to expect, I also know that every year, every class, every trip ends up being just a bit different than the previous.

When you have experienced an annual event multiple times it's easy to have certain expectations. My personal motto for this year's trip is "no expectations." This is because many times my disappointment is a result of reality not meeting my expectations. With this being my last time in Lugano for awhile, I want to remember it not as a disappointment because something didn't go the way I thought it should. Rather, I want to remember it as a special and meaningful time with my eighth graders, the third class that I have seen through all three years of middle school - with my upcoming transition to Madrid, it will be a few years before I can say that about another class!

I also want to be fully present and fully engaged during this trip. This is going to be difficult as my finances are still weighing heavy on my mind. It will be easy to "unplug" since I won't have a wifi connection at any point during the trip. That's right, no hashtagging for a few days! And while I am going to be "working" every minute of the day, this work is different than the daily teaching routine. I will have no choice but to leave everything behind when I board the bus and step out of reality for four days as I embrace a temporary reality: to show 28 eighth graders a good time and make sure they all get home in one piece.

I mentioned in my last blog post that I have been meditating on Psalm 23, and every time I think of this trip I think of the phrase "He makes me lie down in green pastures - he restores my soul." It's hard to fathom a week with teenagers being restful or refreshing, but I think that with the right attitude it can be. When we return from this trip it will be "go time" for me - the end of the school year will be in full swing and I will be just over three weeks from my departure date. I will need strength, focus, and good health to get through it all. My hope is that this week in Lugano, despite the schedules and activities and general stress that comes with taking someone else's kids to another country (!!), I would find the rest and restoration I need to persevere through those final weeks.

Join me in praying for this week's trip in the following ways:
- For safety on the roads, during our hikes, and while swimming in the lake
- For cheerful and helpful attitudes from the students
- For sunny weather, if only on Tuesday when we go on our three-hour hike!
- For walls to be torn down between students and true friendships to be cemente
- For students' hearts to be receptive to what the Lord might want to teach them this week

Lugano 2013

"Sono Libero!"

As their voices echoed off the surrounding mountains, I looked around at twenty-four smiling faces. They'd made it. After a whole year of eighth grade, of anticipating and planning and preparing and waiting, they'd made it to Lugano.

The week flew by in the blink of an eye. During those four days spent on the idyllic Lake Lugano bonds were strengthened, laughter was shared, and memories were made that will last these students a life time. It was a time to challenge the students physically, spiritually, socially, and academically, and everyone grew at least a little bit.

With this being my fourth year on the trip and the second year leading, it was easy to look past the joys of each new moment as the students experienced them. I found myself struggling to let go of the schedules, the headcounts, and the details and take in each day through the eyes of the students.

Through their eyes I saw magically epic castles in Bellinzona, took in breathtakingly beautiful scenery, felt my legs burn on the hike down Mount San Salvatore, let the wind whip through my hair as we rode the ferry across Lake Lugano, got a headache trying to draw the topographic map for Miss Bertschi's class, jumped into the freezing lake as often as possible, laughed until my stomach hurt, and was challenged to take my walk with the Lord to a deeper level.

Here are just a few highlights from the week. Thank you so much for the role YOU have played in allowing me to give this experience to the students here at BFA. I couldn't do this without you!

 

Lugano Prayer Requests: Day 4

This week I am in Lugano, Switzerland with twenty-two eighth grade students and four other staff members. The purpose of this trip is to stretch the students academically, physically, spiritually, and socially. Throughout the week they will be experiencing "school without walls" and completing activities related to their history, English, science, art, and physical education classes. I'll post a day-by-day update with pictures when we return, but while we are gone I would like to request your prayers for some specific things each day. Even though I am going "off the grid," I have scheduled posts so that there will be new prayer requests posted each day.

* * * * *

This is the day students always dread - the homecoming. All good things must eventually come to an end. After cleaning up the hostel and packing the vans, we will venture into downtown Lugano for students to enjoy the boardwalk, visit souvenir shops, eat lunch, and take pictures. From there, we will head back to BFA and hopefully arrive in time for students to enjoy dinner with their parents, who will be anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Ways to Pray:

• Positive, flexible, helpful attitudes from all students as we clean, pack, and check out of the hostel
• Pleasant weather for our time in downtown Lugano
• Safety for the students as they are given a bit of freedom while downtown and aren't in our line of sight the entire time!
• Safety for our caravan as we drive home via the autobahn
• For no vehicle complications or delays
• Meaningful connections/conversations with and among the students
• That everyone goes home happy, healthy, and maybe even a little bit stretched :)

Thanks so much for your prayers this week! Check back next week for pictures and stories from our week!!

Last year's class in front of Mt. San Salvatore (May 2012)

Lugano Prayer Requests: Day 3

This week I am in Lugano, Switzerland with twenty-two eighth grade students and four other staff members. The purpose of this trip is to stretch the students academically, physically, spiritually, and socially. Throughout the week they will be experiencing "school without walls" and completing activities related to their history, English, science, art, and physical education classes. I'll post a day-by-day update with pictures when we return, but while we are gone I would like to request your prayers for some specific things each day. Even though I am going "off the grid," I have scheduled posts so that there will be new prayer requests posted each day.

* * * * *

Day three of our trip involves several smaller activities: a trip to the Alprose chocolate factory, a mapping activity for science class, and some writing assignments for English. Students will also have several hours of free time in the afternoon to use as they choose - swimming, reading, playing sports, etc. Dinner is followed once again by games, worship and devotions. Traditionally this is the night that students are challenged with their devotions, and often times there are some great conversations that take place following evening activities. It is our last night together, as we'll pack up and head home tomorrow.

Ways to Pray:

• Safety in the vans as we drive to Alprose
• Good attitudes from the students as they complete on their "school work"
• Pleasant weather so they can swim and spend time outside rather than cooped up in the hostel
• Meaningful connections/conversations with and among the students
• That students take away something meaningful from their devotions

Thanks so much for your prayers! Check back tomorrow for new requests!

Students at Alprose Schokoland (May 2011)

Lugano Prayer Requests: Day 2

This week I am in Lugano, Switzerland with twenty-four eighth grade students and four other staff members. The purpose of this trip is to stretch the students academically, physically, spiritually, and socially. Throughout the week they will be experiencing "school without walls" and completing activities related to their history, English, science, art, and physical education classes. I'll post a day-by-day update with pictures when we return, but while we are gone I would like to request your prayers for some specific things each day. Even though I am going "off the grid," I have scheduled posts so that there will be new prayer requests posted each day.

* * * * *

Today our main event is a four-hour hike down Mount San Salvatore. Students will ride a cable car up the mountain and then spend the morning and early afternoon hiking down. We will break for lunch along the way and eventually end at a small coastal town where we will catch a ferry back to our starting point. By the time we return to the hostel it will be dinnertime and then we will have our traditional games, worship and devotions lineup afterwards.

Ways to Pray

• Safety in the vans as we drive to and from the trail
• Protection from injury as we hike the rugged terrain
• Meaningful connections/conversations with and among the students
• Pleasant weather - warm and sunny would be nice!!
• That everyone has fun!!

Thanks so much for your prayers! Check back tomorrow for new requests!

Last year's hike leaders (May 2012)

Lugano Prayer Requests: Day 1

Today I am departing on a four-day trip to Lugano, Switzerland with twenty-four eighth grade students and four other staff members. The purpose of this trip is to stretch the students academically, physically, spiritually, and socially. Throughout the week they will be experiencing "school without walls" and completing activities related to their history, English, science, art, and physical education classes. I'll post a day-by-day update with pictures when we return, but while we are gone I would like to request your prayers for some specific things each day. Even though I am going "off the grid," I have scheduled posts so that there will be new prayer requests posted each day.

Day one of our adventure involves about three or four hours on the Swiss autobahn, and we will also spend some time exploring castles in the Swiss town of Bellinzona. We will arrive at our hostel late afternoon, get settled in with room and chore assignments, have dinner, then spend some time playing games and having a time of worship and devotions.

Ways to Pray

• Safety for our four-van caravan as we drive, and that nobody's van gets lost!
• Pleasant weather since our main activity for the day, exploring the castles, takes place outside
• Positive, helpful attitudes from the students as we load and unload vans, assign rooms and chores, etc.
• Wisdom and grace for us leaders
• Meaningful connections/conversations among and with the students
• That a great time is had by all!

Thanks so much for your prayers! Check back tomorrow for new ways to pray!

Last year's 8th graders in Bellinzona (May 2012)

May newsletter

Please click the image below to read my latest newsletter with time-sensitive prayer requests!

Lugano 2012 - Day 4

Well, I guess I left y'all hanging there when I never finished my Lugano posts! Sorry, the rest of the week and weekend got away from me - but that's a whole other post.

On the last day we got students up early for a delicious baked oatmeal and then put them to work packing, cleaning, and loading the vans. The kitchen still needed a heavy-duty cleaning so during that time we gave the students some independent activities to work on while we cleaned. (well if we're being completely honest, Ruth cleaned while the four other leaders played Trivial Pursuit on Daniel's iPad... she was just so efficient!!)

First, the students practised and performed skits of their favorite scenes in the book Bloomability, which they had studied in English class prior to the trip. SIDENOTE: If you want a bit of insight into my students, I highly recommend reading this book. It's a quick read and a great story, set in the area of Lugano at The American School in Switerland (TASIS). They also finished working on their art/history assignment from earlier in the week.

Acting out a scene where four female characters are rooming together on
a class retreat and talking about their crushes! A fan favorite.

Since it WAS a Thursday, I had the privilege of gathering the students up one last time before leaving and leading our traditional Thankful Thursday prayers - something I have done with them every Thursday in homeroom this year. It made my heart smile to hear the students praising God for both big and little things from the week - relationships, friends, the trampoline, the hike, sunshine, teachers, safety, free chocolate ... the list went on and on. I pray that my students will take with them an attitude of gratitude when they leave the middle school!

Before hitting the road, we allowed the students about an hour and a half to walk around and explore downtown Lugano. They strolled along the lakefront, bought gelato, rode on the paddleboats, and just enjoyed each others' company. We took a group shot, then released the students with strict instructions about where to go, who to be with, and what time to be back. It was a good exercise for them in showing responsibility, and gave us leaders a few minutes to relax and clear our heads before we would climb into a van full of hyper students for the ride home!

Katrina, best friend and fellow trip leader

Two lovely ladies that I've taught for all three years of middle school!

The drive home was fairly uneventful, with just one dinner stop at one of the world's most expensive McDonald's! I'm ashamed to admit how much I paid for a simple McChicken value meal ... but what can you do?!

Watching the students say goodbye as their parents arrived to pick them up was too sweet. Their partings were full of dramatic group hugs, cheers, and even some tears. Each time a car pulled into the parking lot the students sighed in unison, "NOOO!!!" It was so affirming for me as the trip leader to see how their relationships had been strengthened during our time together. I'm sure part of it was still the adrenaline of the trip playing on their emotions, but I have also heard from parents of previous students how this trip has been a key moment in solidifying both the students' relationships with one another but also their relationships with God. Some of these students will be leaving BFA after this year so this trip will be one of their last memories and it needed to be a good one! And for as much as I complained about leading the trip this year, I am SO thankful and humbled to have played a role in making this experience what it was for the kids. I am also fully aware that it was most definitely NOT my doing, but God's work through me.



BFAMS 8th Grade class of 2012 in front of Mt. San Salvatore

Thank you SO much for your thoughts, prayers, notes of encouragement, and even the financial support that has allowed me to be a part of these students lives this year. Thank you for thinking of us and lifting us up in prayer while we were on this trip - it was evident each day that God was with us!

Lugano 2012 - Day 3

The third day of our trip was divided up over several smaller activities. Our first event of the day was a visit to the Alprose Schokoland. Here we toured the factory, learned about the process of chocolate making, and were able to see chocolate being molded, checked for quality control, and then wrapped up and packaged for selling. Students completed a scavenger hunt, then gorged themselves on the all-you-can-eat free chocolate sample buffet. If you like chocolate, this is the place for you!!

Watching the chocolate move through the factory on the various conveyor belts was pretty cool. There was a walkway over one of the belts and as we watched the chocolate move underneath us, I was reminded of the game Pooh Sticks (see video below).

When our time at the chocolate factory ended, we returned to the hostel for a mapping exercise related to the hike and utilizing skills we had covered in science class.

Photo by Daniel Meade

Following lunch, students had a good chunk of freetime to play games, swim, relax, and just enjoy each other's company. There was an old barn up on the hill behind our hostel that had been somewhat renovated to house a ping-pong and fooseball table as well as a climbing wall, an overhead walkway, and a zipline! It was all very cool, and the kids enjoyed hanging out up there.

Traditionally the last night in Lugano involves a grill-out, with hotdogs and s'mores. Following dinner we played an awkwardly awesome round of Ducky Wucky (well, we teachers just watched...). The kids always hear from previous students that DW is a Lugano tradition and beg to play it, but then afterwards they complain about it being awkward .. even though they are laughing and having a blast the entire time the game is in play.

A pillow is our awkwardness buffer.

Again, I am praising God for another fantastic day in Lugano! Thank you so much for your prayers.