July Newsletter

Today I sent out my July Newsletter. In it, I explain what my role will be as I return to Black Forest Academy this fall. I also share how Germany's new minimum wage mandate affects religious workers such as myself. Check it out by clicking the link below, and join me in praying for God's miraculous provision in the next five weeks!

July Newsletter: Back to the Forest

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fall in the black forest

Over the last few weeks I have loved enjoying the sights, smells, and traditions of fall here in the Black Forest. From handcrafted pottery to freshly-pressed apple juice to tip-toeing through the pumpkin patches, I have found myself savoring every moment of this season. Something about this fall has captivated my senses. Perhaps it's the uncertainty of not truly knowing whether this is my last fall in Germany, but regardless of the reason, right now I am content to simply soak up the warm autumn colors and the memories that go along with them.

Annual pottery market in Kandern

Fresh pumpkin soup and apple juice at the Holzen (neighboring town) festival

The makings for pumpkin soup!

A beautiful fall day with my best friend Megan

it's Christmastime in the city

One of my most favorite things about spending Christmas in Europe is going to the Weihnachstmarkt, or Christmas market. It's something that has become a new tradition for me as I learn how to spend Christmas in a new place. Many of the surrounding cities host markets during the Christmas season, with booths selling handmade goods like scarves, wooden items, candles, soaps, ornaments, and other items. Food booths sell local cuisine, as well as warm kinderpunsch and glühwein in special mugs that you get to keep after you finish your drink (or you can return for a small refund!). Visiting the Weihnachtsmarkt always means a good time with friends and getting into the Christmas spirit. I usually get a good amount of my Christmas gifts at the markets, and sometimes I even find a little something for myself.



Colmar, France

 

some of my best friends and I checking out the HUGE tree in Colmar

 

Freiburg (Germany) market was cold and rainy...

...but I had a lovely evening with these ladies!

Hauptstrasse (Main Street) in Kandern

mehr als genug

Today I went on an adventure.

I got into my car, drove to the next town, and walked into a German church where I didn't know a single soul.

Except, of course, Sefora. During my sophomore year of college I took voice lessons with Sefora as part of her vocal pedagogy class. The catch to the free lessons was that I had to "perform" in front of the entire vocal ped class at the end of the semester - basically, we had a typical lesson in front of an audience. I remember being terrified to sing in front of an entire class of voice majors, many of whom were my friends! But somehow I made it through unscathed, though she was the one being graded, not me!

After I moved to Germany, we reconnected on Facebook and I saw that she was touring in Germany. Last year I tried to make it to one of her concerts but it didn't work out, so when I saw a few weeks ago that she was coming to Lörrach I knew I had to make it work.

So I got into my car, drove to the next town, and walked into a German church where I didn' t know a single soul except Sefora, who was doing a mini-concert during the morning service. Except for the German being spoken, it looked a lot like any other church - coffee bar, PowerPoint song lyrics, chairs in rows, casually-clad congregation gripping Bibles and to-go mugs, and LOTS of children running around. So I found myself a seat towards the back and tried to look as normal as possible. As long as I didn't have to speak, no one would have to know that I didn't speak German.

I took my cues from the people around me - when to stand, when to sit, when to laugh, when to bow my head for prayer (thankfully "Amen" sounds pretty much the same in German!). And I lucked out with the PowerPoint song lyrics because I could attempt to sing along during the worship time. The exciting part was recognizing familiar words amidts all the umlauts, and when they sang Chris Tomlin's "Our God is Greater" in German, I actually understood the whole song (and learned a few new words!). Small victories. The sermon was the hardest part, because my German listening skills STINK. From the reaction of the congregation, the pastor gave a very engaging, funny, and moving message but sadly I didn't follow any of it. I did hear him repeat the phrase "I am a child of God" many times, though!

So on my way home I was listening to Sefora's new CD, and I heard this beautiful song. Here's the chorus:

Deine Gnade is mehr als genug
Deine Gnade is mehr, als ich brauch
Deine Gnade is mehr als genug
jeden Morgen neu

Your grace is more than enough
Your grace is more than I need
Your grace is more than enough
Every new day

I need this reminder on a daily basis. God's grace is more than enough for me, and his mercies are new every morning. If He can have this everlasting and unconditional patience with me and all my screwups, then certainly the least I can do is extend the same to my students. It's easy for me to start Mondays with a fresh slate, but as the week progresses it becomes too easy to start a "tab" of all their wrongdoings. Pray that this week (and every week!) I would remember that God's grace is more than enough for me - that He would heap so much grace on me that I can't help but pass it on to my students, too.

PS, you can hear Sefora's music here. It's so lovely.

hello monday

Hello Monday. You are my first Monday back in Germany!

Hello new apartment and new roommate. I have chosen the vagabond lifestyle in that this is the third apartment I've lived in, in the past three years! Because so many BFA staff must leave for a year at a time, I become a glorified house sitter by subleasing a place for one year. There are pros and cons to moving every year, but I enjoy the variety and the ability to "start fresh" each year.

Introducing my new roomie, Lexi, to Heitzmann's bakery for the first time!

Hello German bakeries and pastries. I am happy to see you again, though my waistline is not.

Hello new staff members! I have had the chance to meet countless new staff members at BFA over the course of this week, and am looking forward to meeting many more in the weeks to come as the school year kicks off and we jump into things full speed.

Hello old friends! It has been a joy to be reunited with my friends and former students who I have not seen all summer long. Having such joyous reunions lessons the sting of saying goodbye to friends and family in Ohio.

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!

weihnachtzeit aus deutschland

Of all the new situations and traditions I've observed during my time here in Germany, the Christmas celebrations are probably my favorite. The season begins a bit earlier than in the States because Thanksgiving is not recognized in Europe and there's no pressure to wait for that holiday to pass. Decorations go up on the streets, making nighttime in my fairy tale village almost magical.

Burg Rötteln

Yesterday I hiked to the Burg Rötteln castle in Lörrach with some BFA staff. Here are pics from a beautiful day exploring castle ruins!

ten year reunion

Now that I'm 25, I've been coming to grips with the fact that I am old enough to remember clearly ten years ago. Ten years ago this summer, I had my first summer job at a lovely place called Camp NEOSA. Perhaps you've heard of it.

[blurry Facebook download - can you find me??]

That summer was my first extended stay away from home, my first real job, and my first taxable income. I was on the "junior staff" called the GRACE Team (Godliness, Responsibilty, Action, Character, Excellence...if my memory serves me right) and was inseparable from these two friends:

Yep, I was (well, still am) a dork. Leanna, me, and Caroline.

I also got my first intoxicating taste of international community in that Camp Neosa employed young men and women from several other countries through Camp America. Enter Christof, recent high school grad from Germany, who began dating Mindy, fellow Ohio resident. They were both counselors.

ahh... junge liebe... [young love]

Fast forward ten years: Christof and Mindy are married, living in Munich, Germany, and pestering me about when I will come for a visit. Also, they have welcomed this little one into the world.

Noah had a boo-boo

Last week I had the opportunity to travel by train to Munich to visit Christof, Mindy, and Noah. I stayed with them for four nights and had a great time exploring the city, meeting their friends, seeing their workplaces, and partaking in Bavarian traditions. Aside from exporing the inner city and geeking out over the beautiful architecture, the most fun part of our time together was having Bavarian breakfast. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the table all decked out, but we dined on fresh-baked bretzeln (pretzels), weißwurst (white sausage), and obst salat (fruit salad). Yummy.

So, here are some pictures from my time in Munich and my first ever ten year reunion. Man, I'm getting old.