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!

quarter three update and prayer needs

Third quarter: past the halfway point and yet still so far away from the finish line. The stretch of time between Christmas break and Easter break is often the longest and hardest part of the school year for both students and teachers. The days seems to simultaneously crawl and fly by, so full of exciting events yet so exhausting. Weekends are quickly snatched up for retreats, conferences, and birthday getaways, and before you know it the cold, dark days of January have given way to the slightly warmer, ever-lengthening days of spring.

One of the best ways to brighten up a dreary winter day is to have a spirit day! The theme was "Candy."

In late February we attended the high school retreat in Nurnberg, Germany. This was a bittersweet weekend for me because it was the last time I will attend with my small group girls. They are only juniors but since I will not be at BFA next year, this is our last year together. During retreat we were refreshed by the worship times and challenged by the speaker to be rooted in the knowledge of Christ.

attempting selfies!

Seventh graders did their big research projects on the human body and presented on the various systems. The digestive system group had a lot of fun with their project and served us "brownies" which we ate with much enthusiasm!

Our next spirit day was "Books."

Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) 

Charlie Brown 

Piglet and Pooh

During the last week of the quarter, sixth graders wrapped up their scientific method unit by presenting their science fair projects. They worked hard to come up with a project idea, plan and execute an experiment, collect and analyze the data, and present their findings to the class. I'm so proud of their hard work on these projects!

And now, I am about to enter the homestretch. We are currently on spring break and classes resume next Wednesday. The two months until graduation honestly terrify me because the end is so near. There is still so much on my list - not only my "to-do" list (the responsibilities I must attend to) but my "bucket list" (the things I want to do before leaving Germany) as well. I am already feeling the temptation to check out but I can't afford to not be 100% present over these next two months. Please join me in praying in the following ways:

1) For financial provision that will enable me to finish this school year. As I wrote a few weeks ago, my support is dangerously low. I honestly do not know where the money will come from to meet the expenses facing me in these last two months, but I do know with certainty that God will meet all my needs.

2) For focus, strength, and good time management as I not only wrap up the school year but pack up and clean my apartment, and work through the "departing staff" checklist for BFA.

3) For positive attitudes and diligence as I work with a team to plan and execute the annual eighth grade class trip. It's hard for me to accept change, and this year involves quite a bit of deviation from "tradition." This will be my fifth year on the trip and I want to see it through fresh eyes this year.

4) For diligence and boldness as I prepare for a summer of support raising so that I may continue to serve in Spain this fall. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of the people who will hear my story, and that I would be able to fully express my vision and heart for the TCKs in my care. Pray that God would provide miraculously through His people.

5) For logistics related to my transition from Germany to Spain. Visa paperwork, housing arrangements, and flight plans are just a few of the things that are causing me a lot of stress right now.

6) For healthy ways to manage my stress levels, which will hopefully keep my blood pressure down. I return to the doctor in June (perhaps the most stressful month of the year) for the final follow-up appointment to determine whether I will need to begin taking medication for hypertension. Pray especially that my blood pressure would remain low and that the doctor would get accurate readings.

I can't express how thankful I am for each and every one of you. Your prayers, your notes of encouragement, your generous financial gifts, and your interest in my students means the world to me and I would not be here today without you! THANK YOU!!

thankful thursday

Today I'm thankful for:

• Sweet times with my small group girls, and the ability to spend this weekend with them in Switzerland at the high school retreat
• Rare sunny days during Germany's darkest winter in 43 years
• Sixth graders who are willing to look silly in the name of science

• Seventh graders who are willing to tackle awkward topics in life science

• The chance to sleep until 7:00 on a school day!
• Hot lunch days!

small group Christmas

A few weeks ago my small group gathered to decorate Christmas cookies. Yummy!

While we decorated cookies, my white cocoa boiled over... oops!

For our last small group of the year, we gathered early for dinner and a Christmas party. We couldn't decide between pizza or raclette for dinner, so we compromised and made raclette pizzas! They turned out so perfect and oh so yummy.

The girls brought funny gifts for a white elephant gift exchange, and we also had a meaningful "Secret Santa" gift exchange. It was such a blessing to see my girls give each other, me, and Sue (my co-leader) thoughtful, meaningful, and even handmade gifts! There is so much love in my small group and it makes my heart happy.

I made my famous crispy Christmas wreath for dessert

A few of the meaningful gifts I received!

Love these ladies!!

Christmas Banquet 2012

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.

thankful thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

• A great Monday evening with friends that I don't get to spend nearly enough time with
• The fact that my skin is surprisingly clear for the amount of stress I'm feeling right now
• Another encouraging time with my small group girls last night
• Seventh graders who have, for the most part, worked diligently on their final project every day this week! They must be growing up!
• Strawberry-Rhubarb flavored water
• An epic spirit day to break up the stress of this week
• Ritter Sport summer flavors like Weisse Cocos (white chocolate with coconut - SO yummy)
• Evening EisCafe runs with friends

thankful thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

• Sunshine. So.much.sunshine.
• Warm nights and open windows
• Iced coffee - mocha coconut, to be precise
• Daily reminders of God's presence in my life
• My small group girls
• Catching up with several good friends on Skype this week
• A last minute invite to proctor the SAT test this weekend - yay money!

small group victories

I continue to be amazed by the wisdom and depth of understanding my small group girls possess at such a young age. Awhile ago I mentioned that for the remainder of the year I am challenging the girls to take turns leading the devotional part of the evening. I think it gives them a little more ownership within the group and also allows them a safe platform to articulate what they are learning or experiencing, and so far it has gone well.

Tonight was Joyce's turn to share. You may remember her from the guest post she wrote for me last summer. Anyway, she talked about how the last two months have been difficult for her in many aspects, and that she discovered her problem was that she had forgotten just how big God is. She talked about making her own plans, mapping out her life, and sort of downsizing God's presence, only to realize just how big she had made herself. Her challenge and encouragement for us was to remember God's presence in our lives on a daily basis, in the big and small things.

Yes, this is exactly what I wrote about earlier this week. My own epiphany that God is with me every single moment of every single day. This is the second week in a row that the message shared by one of my girls was spot on with what I had been thinking about or dealing with that week - evidence that God is using these girls to speak to me!

My time with the girls tonight, talking, praying, and meditating on this truth, was another one of those moments where I just wanted to freeze time. The stresses and worries of the next few weeks faded into the background while we focused on God's word and his promises to us. Of course the night had to end, and they had to return to their reality of homework and projects. I myself had to return to the reality of lesson planning and Lugano details... But we parted ways victorious, trusting that God was not only going before us, but going alongside us and behind us.