BFA Grad 2015

I had the awesome privilege of passing through Kandern for a few days on my way home from Spain in mid June. Part of my reasoning for this detour was so that I could drop off the majority of the luggage I'd taken to Spain with me, and the other part was to take some dedicated time to say goodbye to some very special people. It was such a gift for me to be able to surprise the middle schoolers at their year-end awards ceremony, attend graduation and watch my first seventh grade class turn their tassels, and have some time to say goodbye to the friends of mine who will not be in Germany this August when I return. I enjoyed running the old familiar trails of the Black Forest with my friends, and I also had the opportunity to hep students study for their finals and participate in several planning meetings for this upcoming school year.

Surprising the middle schoolers! (Photo: Heather)

Running in the forest - I've missed this!

Reunited with my best friend after a year apart

A special family I've taught - the first of this "Kingdom" to graduate!

What a joy to have known and loved these girls since they were in seventh grade! 

The first of my reigning "Dynasty" to graduate!

My small group girls graduated this year!

The first of this "Kingdom" to graduate!

These grads (along with several others not pictured) were in my very first seventh grade class at BFA.  Words can't express how grateful I am to have been able to stick around to see them graduate!

eighth grade dinner

At the end of each school year we take time to honor our eighth graders for the work they've done during their time in the middle school. It's our version of graduation, and the emotions are just as real. It's a bittersweet evening of celebrating their achievements and congratulating them on a job well done, combined with the mourning that comes with saying goodbye. The festivities begin with a fancy dinner at a local guesthouse and is followed up with an awards ceremony at the high school, where we are joined by the parents, as well as the sixth and seventh graders. At the awards ceremony each eighth grader is honored with a tribute that was written by the teachers. Other awards are given for being the top scholar in each grade, for showing aptitude in a certain subject, for demonstrating leadership, excellence, and encouragement. While there are still exams to take after the awards ceremony, this is considered by many to be the conclusion of our school year in the middle school.

The dashing 8th grade guys

The gorgeous 8th grade girls

The magnificent middle school staff

We're crazy and we know it!

Our "family" photo - M and E are the last of "our" kids to leave the MS House

Reading a tribute for a student I've taught since sixth grade

Once again, THANK YOU for the role you have played, whether big or small, in allowing me to serve these students for the 2012-2013 school year. I hope that you have been blessed this year as you've followed along on our journey, because you have been a huge blessing to me.

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.

all grown up!

As you know I've been spending some time in Greencastle, Indiana visiting a supporting church and catching up with old friends and former students. I just have to take a minute to gush over one of my former students, who walked up to me on Saturday and with a startingly deep, manly voice said, "Hey."

I met Tucker on the first day of my senior practicum (student teaching) in January 2008. He was such a cute little second grader. On my last day, he wrote me the sweetest goodbye note that revealed a spiritual maturity that I'd never seen in someone so young. He also made me this adorable Spider-Man pencil can to take with me to Austria...which I'm pretty sure I still have in a box somewhere because I'm too sentimental to throw anything away!!

isn't he CUTE?!

I became his third grade teacher that fall when I took my first teaching job in Greencastle, and now Tucker is a thirteen-year-old with a manly voice who stands almost as tall as me! Where has the time gone?! He will so hate me for posting these pictures... I love you Tucker! ;)