Ending the Year

After a rather long absence in writing, I am back! The last few months have absolutely flown by and I hardly know where to begin. I'll try and hit a few of the highlights.

Warm Weather.

So this isn't really a specific event but it was definitely a highlight of spring. We had a rather cool, gray May but June came with lots of sunshine and we took full advantage of this by spending lots of time outside playing soccer, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, badminton, and just relaxing on the front steps of the dorm. Here are a few pictures from an impromptu photo shoot one warm evening.

Beka and Caroline. They are roommates and they are wonderful.

Becca and Hannah Jo showing off the spring flowers around our dorm.

Caroline and Ami rolling in the flowers.

And just a group of us being ridiculous, as usual.

Junior Senior Banquet.

One of the traditions at BFA is JSB, our version of prom. The girls come straight home after school on Friday and we rush around to get their hair up, makeup done, dresses on, and get them out the door in a couple hours. The juniors and seniors looked gorgeous and it was so fun helping them get ready. Soyoung, my fellow RA, went with the upperclassman to JSB and I stayed back with the underclassman. We had dinner at the dorm and then got dressed up and went out for ice cream at McDonald's. Maybe not quite as exciting as JSB but we had a great time.

Here are the upperclassman and Soyoung at JSB. I must say, I live in a dorm with beautiful girls.

And here is a smattering of pictures of our underclassman night on the town.

Here we are all ready to get going.

On our way to McDonald's we decided to watch some of the sunset from a hill near another dorm. An intense photo shoot resulted. This is Alesia frolicking through the fields. The picture is a little blurry but I kind of like it that way.

I think we all have a future in modeling.

And this is my beautiful Parisian, Claire.

Don't be fooled by their innocent faces. These girls are vicious. Beka managed to catch them attacking me.

And this is all of us together. I love these girls and it is a joy to spend time with them.

Soccer.

As I've mentioned before, I had the privilege of helping coach our girls soccer team this year. It was a great learning experience for me and a fun way to meet new girls. We travelled to Ramstien, Germany for tournament and made it to quarterfinals. The girls went into overtime in their last game and ended up losing 0-1 to the team who won the entire tournament. So while we didn't make it as far was we would have liked, the girls played very well. This is me at tournament french braiding hair. Not only did I get to practice coaching this year, I also perfected my braiding skills.

And this is a picture taken by Becca, a senior in my dorm, at one of our games played in the town where our dorm is. It was in May but it felt like March. The day was drizzly and foggy. If you look to the left of the umbrella you can make out the lines of the field. The fans in the stands often couldn't make out anything past half field. This definitely made for interesting games.

Graduation.

On June 11th my dear seniors walked across the platform and received their high school diplomas. It was fun celebrating with them and getting excited but graduation at BFA is very different from any other grad I have been to. The director of our school brought the students up individually and said a few words about who they are, what strengths our community has seen in them, and gave them each a Bible verse. Each of the students, in return, gave a tie to the director. Each year the seniors give something to the director as a gift. I don't think the director will ever need to buy another tie. All in all, the grad was very personal and meaningful. After grad, everyone goes outside and for many of the kids, they say their final goodbyes. When I graduated from high school, I still had a summer in front of me to spend final moments with my friends and then probably see them again at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and maybe a few times in between. For this class, the students are headed for colleges all over the United States and even the world. Because of this, BFA's grad was the most emotional grad I have even been to.

Here is a picture of the class of 2010.

And this is Anna, one of Blauen's seniors, receiving her diploma.

And that is about it. I spent the day the girls left cleaning up and then we had the dorm checked out. The next few days were full of cleaning and packing up my own room and spending some time with friends. Then I took off.

Now I am back in the States and would love to see you. I am trying to figure out how to connect with everyone and have meaningful time with people here. I would appreciate prayer as I try and not only rest and get ready for a new year, but also spend quality time with people that I love here. Also, I would appreciate prayer for a little more monetary support. I am in need of a new computer, my current laptop is five years old and barely hanging on, and I don't have enough support to purchase a new one at the moment. Pray specifically that I would find the right computer, at the right price, and have the money to purchase it.

That's about all for now. If you are in Bluffton area, I am presenting a brief update on life in Blauen at St. John this Sunday during the sunday school hour. I would love to catch up with you more there.

Peace.

A Day in the Life

7 weeks of school remain. 8 weeks until I fly home. I cannot believe how quickly time as gone by and looking back, I wonder how so much time has passed. While thinking about this the other day, I decided to keep a log of a day here and see where the time really does go. Now, I feel slightly narcissistic posting this but I thought it was interesting and I thought you all might enjoy seeing what a day in the life of an RA looks like. Here we go.

7:35 am - Rise and shine. This is a sleep in morning for me so I don't have to be downstairs until a little before the girls leave for school. Soyoung did breakfast and I get an extra couple hours of sleep.

7:52 am - I head downstairs and make myself some tea. I am currently on a detox from coffee so a cup of rooibus will have to do.

8:15 am - Time for the girls to catch their bus. Everyday the staff lines up to say goodbye to the girls and give them hugs. I love this part of the day.

8:24 am - It's my laundry day so I head to the basement to see how many loads I have and resort and organize the mess that is waiting.

8:33 am - A forgotten lunch phone call interrupts my laundry sorting. After finding the forgotten lunch and making a couple phone calls, calm is restored. No one will go hungry today!

8:51 am - Finally start the first 3 loads of laundry.

9:03 am - Get out the vacuum and head for the kitchen. The floor is in desperate need of a good cleaning.

9: 12 am - And time to mop. I actually don't mind mopping the floor. There is a satisfaction in looking back on the clean, wet floor and seeing the job accomplished.

9:28 am - Relax with a little piano playing. I took years of lessons I didn't like and wasted too much of my parents money years ago but for some reason this year I've come back to the piano and it's become a kind of therapy for me. I'm still not good but just sitting there and interacting with the music is so soothing to me. Anyways...

9:50 am - I realize from my stomach growling that I haven't had any breakfast. Time to get some.

10:13 am - First round of washing is done. Three loads in the dryer, three more into the washers.

10:27 am - Take a minute to check my email and facebook. There is a lot of smack talk about my cousins right now with our upcoming reunion. Reading them always makes me smile. My dad is actually on too (it's 4:27 am his time, crazy) so I chat a little with him.

11:11 am - The dryers are done. Time to fold three loads of laundry, put what's in the washer in the dryer, and start 2 more loads.

11:44 am - I need to get a run in today and this is the only place it fits so I quickly change and get going.

12:23 pm - I get back from my run and need to be out in door in 20 minutes I take a quick shower and get ready for the day.

12:51 pm - Running a little late, I head for my small group meeting in town. I'm in a group with 3 other RA's and our leader is a wonderful woman from the community. We meet every other week and it's a good time to relax and talk about what is going on in our lives.

3:53 pm - Leave small group and go to soccer practice at the school.

5:28 pm - Soccer practice is finished. I have absolutely loved being able to coach soccer this spring. I don't know much about coaching and it's been awhile since I've played consistently but I enjoy being back on a team and getting on the field again. I am learning so much but the other coaches are patient and the girls are amazing.

5:57 pm - Pick up dinner from the central kitchen. Monday through Friday our evening meals are cooked at the school and then we pick them up and take them back to the dorm. As much as we may complain about the food it is a huge relief not to have to cook every night.

6:22 pm - Get back to the dorm and unpack dinner. We eat family style in my dorm so we take the big pans of food and put them in smaller bowls and platters. It makes the meal a little more intimate or family like.

6:30 pm - Call everyone down for dinner time.

6:58 pm - The girls start their evening gratis or chore and I pack up the leftover food with Soyoung.

7:18 pm - I remember that I have the evening snack today and that there are some fresh strawberries that are about to go bad in the refrigerator. Time to find a new recipe.

7:37 pm - After a checking out what Betty Crocker has and then doing a little googling I settle on a strawberry cake. Time to make it.

8:43 pm - With the cake cooling and snack in 15 minutes I remembered that I still have unfinished laundry downstairs so I head down to tumble the dry clothes a few more minutes and then put the last two loads in the dryer.

9:06 pm - Snack is a little late but it's finished, put out, eaten, and, I have to say, pretty good.

9:22 pm - Run down and check the laundry. Not done.

9:45 pm - Finally, the laundry is dried and folded. Done until next week.

9:48 pm - Start the dishes left from snack.

10:07 pm - The dishes are done, the kitchen is clean, and I am glad the day is almost over. Time to wait for the girls to finish up whatever homework they have and get to bed. Some of the girls have bed times but the upperclassman have a little more freedom. I curl up with a book tonight and say my goodnights as the girls head to bed.

11:13 pm - Everyone is off to their own rooms so I do a final check of the dorm and then lock the doors and go to my room.

11:20 pm - Before a go to bed a make a phone call to a dear friend. I usually make my phone calls home late at night.

11:48 pm - Finish a chapter of my book.

12:08 am - Turn out the light and get some sleep.

Now, my days aren't always this busy and sometimes they are busier. Life in the dorm means you're always on call and have to be ready for anything. I love that about it. Having a schedule that is somewhat consistent but has a thousand variables is exciting and keeps my life very interesting.

Also, this is a run down of my tasks for the day. My job here has tasks but those tasks usually come after the girls. Relationships are first and most anything can be delayed if it means spending a little more time with one of my girls.

So, this is where my time has gone. Incredibly exciting? Not really. Hard work? Sometimes. Rewarding? Always. I love this job and thank God He brought to it.

Playing Catch Up.

This is long overdue and for that, I apologize. So much has happened since my last post and I hardly know where to begin in catching up. To keep this post as short as possible (which isn't very short at all), I am going to skim the the past couple months and look at some highlights. Here goes.

Christmas.

Tim and Jean were able to come for Christmas break and it was absolutely wonderful. We traveled around the area, played games, went hiking, and just enjoyed being with one another. One of the highlights for me was making buckeyes. This is a family tradition and it's just not Christmas without them.

Here is my favorite picture of Tim and Jean from the trip. We took it one day when we went hiking up by my dorm. It was a beautiful day and the snow was perfect.

Break was a nice change of pace and though this Christmas was a little unusual (for example, we had a Christmas lamp instead of a Christmas tree), I wouldn't change at thing.

A new semester.

Now the girls are back and we are settling into schedules and finding the rhythm of life here once again. So far, this semesters has been filled with basketball games, dance parties, and lots and lots of snow. One weekend the basketball games were cancelled due to the snow and the girls took the opportunity to spend the day sledding next door on Sonne's hill. Here is a series of shots from our adventures.

SO much fun. I love the energy and life that these girls have. They bring me so much joy. Living life day in and day out with them is refining and teaches me so much about what it means to live in community. We see one another at our best and worst and learn to love each other in spite of our faults.

In more recent news, we are beginning to hope that spring is on the way. We had over a foot and a half of snow throughout the past few weeks and it has finally almost completely melted. This weekend the weather was "warm" and though I don't have the heart to say we won't see anymore snow, I enjoyed the break from the frosty weather with a hike up to Hoch Blauen (the high point behind our dorm) with two of my girls. The sun was out and we felt brave so we did this in shorts. There was a lot more snow on the path than we had anticipated but we had a great time. This is Beka and I somewhere along the path.

And Anna conquering the snowy logs.

And our poor bare legs. They were a little red by the end but it was great to feel the freedom of wearing shorts again.

And of course, attempts at some jumping pictures. We never completely succeeded but had fun trying.

When we finally reached the top and received many a strange look from the Germans we passed, the view was spectacular. Only on very clear days are the alps visible from here but we could see them so well. This is us enjoying the view.

And here is the view. Incredible. I still have a hard time believing that I live here.

That's about all for now. Things are going well here. I continue to absolutely love what I do here and though I miss my home, family, and friends so much, I know this is where God wants me.

A few things to pray about.

- I will be coaching soccer this spring which will be fun but will keep me extra busy. Pray that I will balance my time well and not get burnt out.

-Spring break is coming up which means our girls will once again be traveling all over the world.

-Joe, our dorm dad, has been gone due to his mother's death for the past few weeks and will be returning to the dorm tomorrow. Pray that it will be a smooth transition.

That's all for now. I will try to update this more regularly again. Thanks again for all your support!

Peace.

Oh. My. Busy.

Busy busy busy. That is what these past few weeks have been, but we're almost through! I took the first of our girls to the train station this morning at 4am. By tomorrow afternoon, the dorm will be empty. It will be strange and, although I'm looking forward to a break, I will miss these girls so much.

The past couple weeks have been full. We had Christmas banquet, BFA's version of a homecoming celebration without the dancing and with food. We also celebrated St. Nick's day, a German holiday where kids put out a shoe when they go to bed and get some sort of treat in it the next morning. All our girls put out a shoe and "magically" it was filled with candy the next morning. It's a fun tradition and who doesn't like waking up to candy filled shoes in the morning? This is Ami and Hannah Jo's shoes.


We also had a cookie baking/decorating competition. The girls were so creative and made some delicious and beautiful cookies. Here's a couple pictures from the event. This is Soyoung and Betty, our dorm sub (it was the dorm parent's weekend off) setting out the cookie decorating materials.


Team number one, Rachel, Claire, and Hannah Jo.


Team two, Caroline, Anna, and Ashley.


Team three, Alesia, Karis, and Stacey


And team four, Svenja, Ami, and Hannah.


During the baking we also had some visitors. Carolers from Witt, another girls dorm. Here they are singing to our girls.


All in all it was a really fun time and put us all in the mood for more Chistmas activities which came this past weekend. We went ice skating, shopping in Friburg at the Christmas Markt, to the school Christmas concert, and then had our dorm Christmas party. After all the craziness it was time to settle down, study, and get ready to go home. The last finals will be done by 2 today, to the relief of all the girls.

That's all the activities going on here. I am thoroughly enjoyinig my German Christmas so far. It is a slower, more relaxed kind of celebration than in the states. I did go through a time of "mourning" not spending the holiday season back in the states with my family and friends and my home. I miss everyone so much but I know this is where I'm supposed to be serving and if that means spending Christmas here, I'll make the best of it. It will be different, new, maybe a little hard, but it will be a sweet time with Tim and Jean, my brother and sister-in-law and new friends here. I'm glad I was able to "mourn" before, and now I'm ready to celebrate.

To help me celebrate, there is SNOW! It is beautiful! Here are some pictures from a hike I took the other day. These first two are of Hochblauen, the highest peak in our area.



And this is the sun shining down on to our valley. This picture doesn't do it justice, it was gorgeous.


And some clse ups.



I hope I never take for granted the beauty that I see every day and continually praise God for His creation.

That's all for now. Tim and Jean come in 72 hours! Yes, I'm so excited that I'm counting down the hours. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season and thank you for all your prayers and support!

Peace.

The Stones.

Saturday, the 14th, I had the opportunity to go to Freiburg, a university city about 45 minutes north. I spent a few hours wandering around Ikea with friends and then went downtown to wander some more and find mexican food for dinner. It was an enjoyable day and the mexican was okay, (although I am officially giving up on finding a good burrito here. Germans just don't get it.) The highlight of the day, however, was an unexpected find, Freiburg's munster, or cathedral.

I have been in this cathedral before but this time we took time and looked at it more closely. The building was started in 1120 and completed in 1230. I'm sure I learned about the architecture design in Christianity in Western Culture 1, and though Dr. Litfin tried his best, all I can say is, it's beautiful. (I do believe there are some flying buttresses, however.)

After exploring the inside we wandered back outside into the drizzly, fall evening, and were about to leave when we saw that there an access to the bell tower. 220 steps later we paid 1.50 euro only to climb more stairs. The view was increble though the weather was maybe less than desirable. Here is a picture of the tower from the ground. (Note that this was not taken by me. I, unfortunately, forgot my camera. Thank you Google images.)


While looking over this university town from the top of the cathedral my friend Amanda and I began to dialogue about what this church has been through. In the main part of the building there are many statues. One of Mary, some of the apostles, even one of a crusader. This history and the phases of church history that this building has gone through astounds me.

Amanda and I also talked about Luke 19:40 where Jesus says, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Now, I don't want to misinterpret this passage. Jesus is actually talking to the pharisees during the triumphal entry and saying that He will not quiet the people. The munsters, or cathedrals, in the cities throughout Europe seem to cry out in praise to Jesus. Here, where so many of the people have gone silent and no longer praise the God who lives, the munsters, left empty, still cry out to the existence and truth of our God. It was an incredible and thoughtful time and left me pondering what God has planned for this continent.

On a completely different note, we just had the dorm Thanksgiving! We celebrate a week early here and though I wasn't quite ready for it, we had a good time. I baked my first ever completely from scratch pumpkins pies and I must say, they were pretty good. One of our guests, a substitute when the dorm parents have their day off, told me that I was ready to get married which is definitely a compliment. Here is a picture of one of the pies. (It got a little singed, I'm still figuring out the convection ovens and pumpkin pies are especially tricky in it.)


To celebrate we had all of our dorm subs up. The preparation was a lot of work but fun. I have a new appreciation for all the work that my Mom, Aunt Ann, and Nana have done for every Thanksgiving in the past. I also know why Thanksgiving should not happen more than once a year, I won't be ready to go through it all again until next year.

Here are a few random pictures from the night. This is what Ami would look like with blond hair.


And this is what I would look like with black hair.


While we do love each others hair, we're pretty sure there is a reason God gave us the hair color we have, wouldn't you agree?

And finally, we can say that we have kicked swine flu's booty and everyone, minus one girl who is currently getting tested for mono, is back at school! Thank you so much for you prayer and please continue to pray as we could have new cases showing up in the next week. We hope that we are done with it and will be able to finish out this semester with no more quarantine!

That's all for now. I need to go grate some cheese, fry some bacon, and sautee some onion for cheddar, bacon, onion biscuits tomorrow morning. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday, know that I am so thankful to have a community of people who love and support me!

Peace.

3 Months!

I sat in church on Sunday morning and realized that it was the first of November which means I have been here for 3 months! Unbelievable. In some ways I feel as if I have been here forever but in most ways it feels like I just flew in yesterday. Whether I like it or not, the fact is time is flying by. The semester is more than half over and the girls are beginning their countdown to Christmas break.

There are a few important events to note in the past few weeks. We had out second outbreak of lice and this time...they got me! I can know tell the girls that I understand their pain and annoyance at these little guys that just love our dorm. Thankfully there weren't as many girls with it this time. Unfortunately we found them the day of Herbst Messe, an annual fall party in Basel, Switzerland. This festival has been going on for 500 some years and it's a tradition for BFA to go one Thursday night at the end of October. Because of our little friends, however, 5 of us ended up quarantined and couldn't go. Instead, some of us went the next night after one chemical and two vinegar washes. This is a picture of the ferris wheel set up in the church square.

And this is Hannah and I on the bumper cars, another BFA tradition. This was our first experience on the bumper cars but I think we are both big fans of them.

And here is Hannah Jo and Ashley. They are old pros at the bumper cars.

After the bumper cars we did one more ride and then hit up Starbucks. This made me feel more like I was back in Chicago than in a foreign country. And to finish off the night we got some roasted chestnuts, a must if you ever end up in Basel for Herbst Messe. So, while we were a day late for the festivities we made the most of it and had a great time with just the four of us. Even though it's blurry, here is a picture of the four of us on the Rhine.

It was a beautiful night and the city was alive with activity, the atmosphere was incredible and I enjoyed just drinking in all the culture around me. One thing I know for sure, Europeans know how to throw a party.

Even with our little epidemic, things are still good here. I am learning to much about what it means to live in community. I'm seeing what it means to live sacrificially in order to love others better. This isn't a sacrifice that leaves me drained and useless but one that energizes me. When I see those that I live with growing and learning and thriving, I have all the more motivation to give what I have. Sometimes it's hard, and I get frustrated at times but I'm learning life lessons that I wouldn't trade for an "easier" job. I am continually amazed at God's goodness to faithfully bring me to a place feeds my soul and stretches me to trust Him more and more.

A few things to pray about...

- After going through a lot of paperwork and working with my mission I found that I'm still 8% short of what I need for two years. While this doesn't mean I have to come home now it does put a strain on my longer term finances. I'm only a little over $100 short a month of my goal which is incredible but I do need to reach 100%.

- Continued growth in my relationships here with my girls. Also the the opportunities to go deeper with them.

- Energy. November is a daunting month in the dorms. The staff is getting tired and the girls are stressed. Pray that we will find ways to break up the monotony and enjoy this season.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. It's so good to hear from you and know that you are praying for me! And as a parting picture, here is a picture of took on a walk the other day. The leaves are beginning to fall so we are enjoying our last bit of color for the year.

Peace.