fall party: the final frontier

Our theme this year was perhaps one of my most favorite topics in the universe: SPACE! Here are some fun pictures of the middle school staff from the most epic fall party ever!

middle school fall party: comics

last small group

The end of Lugano brought with it the beginning of "the week of lasts." Unrelated to my responsibilities in the middle school was my last small group of the year on Wednesday. For the first time all semester (with the exception of high school retreat) all seven of us were together and I was so happy they could all make it. Schoolwork and other extracurricular activities have made it difficult for some of the girls to attend consistently, and for a good chunk of this past semester I was very discouraged and frustrated by this. I felt like my small group was not thriving like those around me, and I felt like I was failing them because I didn't know how to lead a small group. We finally had some time to talk about it and it turns out I was very wrong. The girls were growing. They were learning. Even though we weren't all together every week, those that were able to come participated fully, shared freely, and made efforts to engage with each other. And when given the opportunity to take turns leading the discussion in our final weeks together, each girls' message applied directly to something I'd been struggling with or thinking about that week! No doubt, God has placed these girls in my group on purpose and I am pleased to share with you that I will continue to lead this group next year when they are sophomores!

For our last time together we gathered early for dinner at the Döner Kebab shop and then hiked up to the Gazebo, a popular lookout perched on the edge of town offering a lovely view of Kandern. Naturally, a photo shoot ensued. We had a time of sharing summer plans and praying over each other as we meditated on Romans 15:13.

my beautiful Kandern



[that awkward moment when you're setting the timer on your camera and
it takes an unflattering picture of you instead]

squinting into the setting sun and waiting for the slow pokies

After treking back down into town we went to the Eis Cafe, the local ice cream shop, where I treated them to ice cream cones using a gütschein (gift certificate) I'd received earlier in the year. There I also gifted them with special matching necklaces that I'd made for them. The necklaces contain a metal washer stamped with the words Faith, Hope, and Love as well as pearls of graduated size for each attribute. It reminded me specifically of a message we'd heard at retreat about these three things, and how Love is the only one that will remain when we get to Heaven. If Faith is the belief in things unseen, we won't need it when we get to Heaven and we can see clearly. If Hope is an expectation for the future, we won't need to wait anymore because in Heaven the future becomes our present. But Love, Love will become perfect because we will be in the presence of the Perfect One. I had never heard it explained that way before (and I really can't do justice what the speaker actually said!!) so it really stuck with me and was the motivation for making these necklaces.

It has been a great year getting to know these ladies outside of the classrom setting, laugh and cry and pray with them, and walk through the first year of high school with them. I can't wait to see what next year holds for us.

coffee cupdate

If we were to sit down for a cup of coffee, I'd have a lot to tell you.

Most assuredly I would take a slow sip of coffee, close my eyes, and take a deep breath as I declare that not only are we a mere three days away from Spring Break, but that I may be anticipating it more than my students! I would share how the weather has taken a lovely turn towards spring, and that the sunshine has been good for our souls. I'd share with you how I've been spoiling my afternoon advisory class with outdoor reading sessions!

I would probably ask you if you've seen the Hunger Games movie yet, and unless you're living under a rock you would say, "Yes, I have!" I would probably be nerdier in my dissection of the movie than you since I've read the book five times, but together we would most likely agree on the following points: the casting, setting, and costumes were spot on; the movie was (mostly) true to the book; and neither of us can wait for November 2013.

With an impish grin I might confess to you that I took place in a talent show act last weekend that brought the high school students to a standing ovation! I'd gush over how much fun it was to play handbells (yes, handbells) with a group again, wistfully reminisce about my two-year stint as a handbeller in WCC during my Moody days, then show you this video since you weren't able to make it to the show.

Oh, and I would wait until after showing you the video to ask if you noticed anything weird happening at my end of the table, then proceed to tell you how approximately five seconds before we were to begin playing my music was knocked onto the floor and that it wasn't until about ten measures in that I realized the pages were all out of order! I'd grimace as I recalled the panic that welled up in me when it dawned on me that I would have to play the rest of the song by memory because 1) the person next to me couldn't read the measure numbers to get me back on track, 2) I literally played every beat of every measure so there was no time to "compose myself," and 3) when I finally did stop playing and try to get myself back in order, my brain stopped working and I couldn't remember what number came after page three.

I would wrap up our conversation by sharing that I am in desperate need of new monthly supporters to "close the gap" and allow me to finish this school year. I'd ask for your prayer in this area, and if you aren't already supporting me I would humbly ask you to pray about the possibility of investing in my life and the ministry to which I have been called.

As we drain the final drops of coffee from our cups I would ask you how I can be praying for you.

What would you tell me?

carryin' the banner

This week my newspaper class published their second newspaper of the quarter! To honor our final publication of the school year (the class isn't offered fourth quarter) we had a mini spirit day and dressed as Newsies to distribute the paper. The kids had a blast and I'm so proud of their hard work!

thankful thursday - a day late

This week I'm thankful for:

• The chance to sing in a choir again
• My German class, even if it DOES make me want to stab my eyes out
• The fact that my car battery has held up during the deep freeze we've been experiencing
• Warm clothes, functioning heaters, etc.
• Students who don't try to be funny but always make you smile (see below)
• A new opportunity to serve at my church here in Germany
• An awesome 8th grade class party involving nerf guns, zombies, and mass chaos

Quotes from everyone's favorite 8th grade Swede. Please read these with an accent.

• [after asked to respond to a skeptic's argument against Noah's flood] I think...he is...word I cannot say in front of the class.
• [when asked if he knew how to set up a PowerPoint] I am...eh...a computer genius.
• [when asked which topic he had chosen to write about for English] There is a cake in the oven, and it will be better if you wait for it to be done. No licking!
• [after being divided into two teams for nerf wars] They are the Imperial Force and we are the Rebel Alliance. We will defeat them!

bringing you the news for a penny a pape

You may remember this post from October in which we published the middle school newspaper. We decided to take a break from the paper and did not offer the class during the second quarter. After Christmas break, however, we brought it back as a third quarter option. Five students signed up, and at first I was a bit nervous until I realized that I would be able to keep track of five students working independently much more easily than I could the TWELVE in my last class. The students in my newspaper class are highly motivated by this project and extremely responsible, so despite only having one hour a week for class, we accomplished in four weeks what my other class accomplished in nine!

The second issue of the Middle School Minds was published today and distributed during lunchtime, much to the excitement of my little newsies. I love that they are so proud of their accomplishment, and that they are willing to share it with their classmates.

train-ing

Today was a day of travel. Thankfully I had a group of nine others from BFA to accompany me so it wasn't as stressful as some of my past train experiences. We left Kandern at the ungodly hour of 6:00 am to take a morning train out of Basel, Switzerland... a total of three trains brought us to the hotel where our conference will be held. I have to hand it to the Germans - they have developed a railway system that is efficient and comfortable, at really reasonable prices.

wrapping it up

The last few weeks of school were a flurry of Christmas activities and meetings, in addition to writing finals and preparing my students to take them!

For my last small group we had a yummy raclette dinner, exchanged gifts, and reflected on God's incomprehensible love for us. My "Swiss Miss" Joyce even brought us authentic cheese from Switzerland!

Seussical

November 10-12 was the combined middle school and high school musical, Seussical. This was the first combined production of middle school and high school, and also the first musical. (Well, since I've been here, anyway... there may have been others in the past!) When the idea was first presented there was a lot of push back from middle schoolers and their parents, who were at the same time learning that the middle school was moving away from the high school campus. Students were worried that they would lose all of their special middle school traditions, one being the middle school play. Sadly, there probably won't be a play this year, but I still think the Seussical was a huge success. Middle schoolers made up a significant number of the cast and crew, with the main role of Cat in the Hat played by one of my eighth graders! My heart swelled with pride and I was blown away by the talent of the middle school students, as well as the rest of the cast, the majority of whom were former students of mine. Here are a few shots:

7th grader Abby played a Bird Girl (center)

fall party: movies

Alice in Wonderland

Staff: Toy Story

Beauty and the Beast

Carl from Up

Remember the Titans

Despicable Me

Inigo Montoya and Mr. Potato Head

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!