Life Faith Maturity

Finally

2009-10-09T21:27:00.002+02:00

The new dorm parents for Sonne have arrived. They arrived last weekend and transition into their new position. Sonne has had substitute dorm parents since school started who have done a fantastic job.

What to pray for? Transition. There is lots to happen. From the new dorm parents taking over for the subs to the students adjusting to a new authority in the dorm. With this change there will be lots of leaning on the RAs. This will also be hard on them as they learn how to work under a new couple in providing care.

But it is great because the sooner the transition starts, the sooner it is over. Greatness be in Sonnenhof.

Hardness and Reality

2009-09-24T19:06:00.002+02:00

It has been three months since I left Germany. And I sit here waiting, searching, formulating, looking,... Many verbs that don't include working. This is a hard and frustrating fact for me, yet I am here. This is where life has led me of course with divine guidance and more than a fair share of human frailty.

Where is it going next? I have no idea. I just wish it would happen soon. He still loves me. I must remember that. Without that I have nothing. With that I have everything.

School's back

2009-08-26T20:02:00.002+02:00

School is back. BFA started yesterday. For eight of my guys last year, this is their final year. They are big bad seniors. Pray that they will lead the dorm well. Also continue to pray for Sonne and the new dorm parents. They have not arrived yet and Sonne has some people subbing as dorm parents until they get there. Pray that they will be able to raise the appropriate finances to get to Germany as quick as possible.

A little transition story. When I first went to Germany, I needed to exchange my US dollars for Euros. I went to the local bank and they did it in about 2 minutes. I have yet to find a way to exchange my euros back into US dollars here in the states. There are either outrageous services charges or something else goes wrong. I never knew that it would be so complicated to do.

I'm here, they're there

2009-08-15T01:58:00.002+02:00

Yes that is how it goes. For the last three years, at this time I have been at the dorm preparing it for the arrival of 27 teenagers. It usually involves lots of cleaning and painting and who knows what else. I would also be meeting many new RAs that were joining the awesome BFA staff.

This year, I sit in the states searching for a job and a place to live. It has started to become a tough trying time of my life. I have been through these before and have not looked forward to being here again.

But in all trials, there are still good things that happen. It is important for me to keep that mindset of looking for the good.

Please pray for me and that what I need will be provided. Also pray for the new dorm parents at Sonne. As far as I know they are still raising support to get to Germany. It is so important to have them there early so they can be prepared for the awesome guys that will greet them in two weeks.

Life Without

2009-08-06T03:13:00.002+02:00

It's been a while. Even though I am back from Germany, I hope to continue this and keep you updated with news, prayer requests and other things that are happening at BFA and Sonne.

This last Sunday, orientation started for Residence Life at BFA. This is the first time since 2005 that I will not be a part of this. From what I have been told, it is going well. The new staff are adjusting well and the veterans are welcoming them. As of now they are still short two guys RAs. This will be tough to go through the year with. Two of the three guys dorms will only have 1 male RA. Please pray for their strength and that things will go well.

There are three new sets of dorm parents and in a change from before, they are all young with young children or no children. I am praying for them, especially the new dorm parents for Sonne.

Well, I hope you all out here in cyberspace are well and enjoy the summer.

Changes

2009-04-20T20:18:00.002+02:00

I was in the local Lidl grocery today. Most weeks in the year, they have a section that contains different cultures' food. Sometimes, it is Mexican or French or Asian or many other cultures. This week is the Americanische woche. Foods like marshmallows, potato chips, peanut butter, hamburger buns and other items that are associated with the US over here in Germany.

I have lived in Germany for three years which is far shorter than the time that I have spent in the US. I met a fellow BFA person in the grocery tonight and we were both at the American section. We stopped and looked and commented on the items in the American section. Then we left. But as we were leaving, it was remarked that neither of us picked up anything from the section.

Interesting....

Kindness goes a long way

2009-03-30T16:26:00.003+02:00

Today I was in the local Lidl grocery store doing a bit of good old food shopping. I went to the check out and breezed through that process. I didn't get a bag, because they cost money and it wasn't a very long walk back to where I currently am staying.

I was loading all of my stuff up in my arms, when one of the yogurts took a fall. The casualty had broken open on the ground. I thought to myself that, oh well, I dropped it so I am out a few cents.

No sooner could I react when the lady behind me in line, picked up the broken yogurt for me. Very kind of her. Then the cashier looked at me and told me to go get another on. I just don't think that would have happened in the states. Maybe it is just my cynicism, but the lady was more than willing to allow me to replace the yogurt that I had dropped.

Kindness changes you. It makes you want to pass that kindness received on to someone else. I was very grateful for the kindness I received today and hope that I can pass it on to someone in the next couple of days.

Privilege

2009-02-17T10:29:00.002+01:00

The year has been eventful for Sonne staff. Many things have happened to us with the most recent development being a fire in my fellow RA, Tommy's room. Due to his stealth in fighting the fire, it was contained to his room and extinguished. But many things that he had in the room have been lost. He did suffer some smoke inhalation, but has come out okay.

Please pray for him and us as we get back to normal. There have been many things that have happened over the year and those have caused some pain. But as I look back over the situations, they could and many times, should have been much worse. I am very thankful to God for his protection of us.

With all the things that have gone on, I am still very grateful that I live here and have come back for a 3rd year. God has blessed me greatly over here and I praise him for that.

A small blessing. in time

2009-01-21T15:44:00.002+01:00

This morning I was having a conversation with a fellow RA. We were commenting about dorm life and how it feels a bit dreary. The students are just looking for things that cheer up their days. So are we. The weather hasn't been very helpful either. It has been cloudy rainy and cold for the most part. Anyway, she made the comment that it would be nice if it got warm. I said that I thought snow would be a nice thing.

I was sitting in my room relaxing this afternoon, when wouldn't you know it...it started to snow. Then I had a small epiphany. I got the feeling that God had something to do with it. And that he wanted to remind me today as to how much he loves me. I sometimes forget how much he does love me. And choose to take a comment that I made this morning and use it as a reminder of his incredible love for me.

A blessed day

2008-12-26T15:01:00.006+01:00

Happy Boxing day everyone. After a wonderful Heiligabend and a joyous Weihnachtstag and sit here on the 26. Although I have missed my family I am surrounded by some amazing people who have become dear friends. God has blessed me with this group here. I got to spend Christmas eve with a family and later a few friends. We had raclette and watched Elf and in general just enjoyed the night.

Christmas day started off wonderfully with a Christmas brunch of ten non-familial people that are around for the holidays. There was laughter and good food and I was grateful for the chance to spend time with them. Moving on to Christmas evening, we had another about ten people get together for a wonderful dinner and fellowship. The evening included time of laughing, white elephant gift exchanges, a movie and some worship.

Christmas in Germany is a special time and I have been blessed to experience for three years now. God has brought me to a place of sole reliance on Him and blessed me in ways that I cannot express. I pray that you have a wonderful holiday time and enjoy the blessings that you have been given.

I read this a couple of days ago while watching the snow fall

2008-12-05T10:10:00.002+01:00

Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for you.
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.
Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Germany

2008-11-24T21:05:00.002+01:00

It has been snowing for the last few days. It looks pretty and just white washes everything. Marzell is so beautiful in the snow. The guys have had a lot of fun playing in it. Breaking out their snowboards and going down the hill out back.

Christmas banquet is coming up and the guys are getting themselves ready for what Saturday will look like. Break is still four weeks away which is longer than usual. I hope that y'all are doing well.

When Spetember ends.

2008-10-01T14:07:00.002+02:00

Hey all, It has been a crazy yet wonderful fall so far. We have had a soccer tournament and a football tourney. We have taken students here there and everywhere. We as staff are learning how to work together best as a team.

Tomorrow is a big day. The seniors leave on a weeklong tour of Italy. One day in Venice, one day in Florence and six days in Rome. They should have a lot of fun. Many of these students have been looking forward to this trip for four years.

The juniors also leave tomorrow for a three day trip to Normandy. It is very much a history trip and they get to learn a lot and have some fun in Normandy. Sonne has 8 juniors. The exciting thing about this is that I have been asked to go as a chaperone. So I get to ride the bus all night long with them. And experience the impact of such a place. I am really looking forward to it.

With both of these trips, please pray for safety and traveling and that people will bond together. Also pray for me that I will have the energy to come back strong. Normandy is a pretty tiring trip.

Thank you for your prayers and support. I am healing very well after my fall with the lawnmower. God is and was very good to me. Fall is just starting here. It will be beautiful with many colours over the next 6 weeks or so.

God bless,
Matt

God is Amazing

2008-09-11T15:39:00.002+02:00

Well, I have quite the story from today. I was out starting to mow the lawn. We have a creek that runs along our property and a hill that goes down to the creek. I got the lawnmower stuck along the creek. In trying to get out I ended up sliding down the hill into the creek. In the process, the lawnmower actually went over top of me. We both landed in the creek.

Now here is the amazing part. No major injury happened. I didn't even need stitches. I went to the emergency room and got checked out. Although I am beat up, I am okay. God protected me. I am in about the best shaped that one could be after that kind of situation. Thank you to God for that.

Life is going well here besides this little story. The guys are awesome and I am glad that I am here for a third year.

It is time

2008-08-24T20:43:00.001+02:00

Well so far today we have had 12 students arrive. It is great. Please pray for the safe arrival of the other 15. I am so excited that they are finally coming. It is going to be a good year with many guys getting a lot of love.

Please continue to pray for me as I minister to and serve these guys. They are a true blessing.

Come and gone

2008-07-31T21:48:00.002+02:00

Well, everyone...

It has been a fantastic five weeks. I have loved talking with you and enjoying life with you. There is so much that I get to experience over here yet I sem to miss so much of your lives. Thank you all for your hospitality. I have loved the time that I was able to spend in the US.

Germany has decided to greet me like I never left the mid Atlantic. Hot and humid. This is very strange weather for this area, but it is what it is. The last two years we had the fireplace going in the house we are all staying. Not this year. It has been many a warm reunion with many good friends over the last day or so.

Please pray for us as new residence staff comes that we will bond together to create a great staff to serve these wonderful students.

Blessings

2008-07-23T19:36:00.004+02:00

I have had the great opportunity to talk with many of you over the past few weeks. It has been wonderful to touch base and see how God is working in your lives. It also is a nice thing to have you ask me questions and through those questions, process the last couple of years. These times also bring some simple revelations about how awesome God is.

One of those things is God and how he loves to bless us. I have been amazed at how much God has blessed me. In the last two years, I have been able to visit some amazing places. This would have not have happened if I hadn't been willing to say yes and follow God to Germany. It was such a simple yes and just saying to why not to the option of moving across the ocean.

Looking back it doesn't seem like that huge of a decision and God has just blessed me more that I could expect. I sometimes forget to look at these things in life and focus on the harder things, but it is much better to focus on all the ways that God loves to bless me.

School's Out For SUMMER!!!

2008-06-26T20:29:00.003+02:00

Well, the year is done. The class of 2008 has graduated and the BFA community has emptied out. That doesn't mean that work stops, just that it takes a different form. Work has started out on the dorms. Palmgarten has everything cleared out and the rooms and hallways got new carpet and paint. I helped with that one. Haus Bad Riedlingen had the whole first floor torn out with walls being taken down and dust everywhere. It will look very different next year and will function more easily as a dorm with the changes.

There was a 20 year reunion already this summer and there will be graduate classes that can be taken taught by Philadelphia Biblical University. The dorms will have English Camps take place in July. These camps are an outreach to German teenagers. They have a chance to learn some English and we have a chance to share about the amazing gift of Jesus. It is such a great opportunity to reach out to the community.

As for me, I am in the states for 5 weeks to rest and make contact with many of you that read this.

Last Day

2008-06-06T21:46:00.001+02:00

This is the last night. Graduation happened today and the seniors are off on their cruise. Tonight will be an all-nighter of watching movies and saying good-bye to each other.

Tomorrow night I will be able to sleep. Yippee!

What a beautiful world

2008-05-05T19:55:00.001+02:00

So it was a pretty incredible day today. Blue skies and 75. Everything is in bloom. Green is everywhere and the sun just illuminates the beauty. I had the chance to sit by a creek and just listen to the water flow over the rocks.

This past weekend BFA had their big soccer/track and field event. It takes place in a local city Lörrach. There is a track and soccer field right next to each other. The event starts at 10 am and goes till about 5.30 pm. There is a whole track meet and four soccer games. This year it was a wonderful day. Beautiful blue skies and warm weather. It was nice to root my guys on and see them succeed.

There was a moment towards the end of the day that the track meet was done and the last soccer game was finishing up. I laid down on the grass and my view consisted of the soccer game, a grove of blooming green trees and a castle in the background. It was amazing. God is such an amazing God to give such a wonderful gift of relaxation.

European Cities

2008-04-15T12:24:00.002+02:00

This past weekend, while 9 of our guys were away playing soccer games in Belgium, we loaded up 10 guys that wanted to go, in a couple vans and drove to Freiburg, Germany. This is a city about 40 minutes north of us and is something easy to do on a Saturday afternoon. Giving the guys a chance to get out of the dorm and do something completely different is good.

I was walking around Freiburg and realized that I just love walking around European cities. There is such an international flare to them. You never know what language you are going to hear next walking around the corner. German is the main thing you here, but French, Italian, Spanish and many others are just wafting their way through the streets. It is just such a nice happy comforting feeling. I guess that is proof that I have gotten a bit used to this place.

Welcome Back!

2008-03-31T12:05:00.002+02:00

The guys are coming back today. After a nice two week break, the dorm is a busy bustling place again. Two months to go till the end of the year. Wow, things go so fast.

Spring break

2008-03-25T23:51:00.002+01:00

We are into the second week of spring break here at BFA. All of the missions trips are back and people are resting before school kicks up for the sprint to the finish. It has been a good year so far with many people doing many different things. We here at the dorm have over two thirds of the students involved in sports this spring. We had 12 people go on missions trips.

The seniors are gearing up for the end of their schooling, trying to decide what they are going to do next. They have so many choices and many of those involved, they are considering going to college in a country they don't know. Most of them are US citizens, yet very few have spent even a quarter of their lives in the states.

As usual, living in a dorm that is filled with so many people, change is the most consistent thing. Oh, and by the way, Germany is absolutely beautiful in the snow. Easter was a snowy day here and very enjoyed.

Venezia

2008-02-17T16:10:00.003+01:00

Recently I had a weekend off and had the privilege of going to Venice. A student in my dorm lives in Venice and I was able to spend a weekend with his family. The was a nice thing to do because I was able to have a long conversation with his family about the ministry that they do. At the same time, I was able to see a wonderful city of Europe.

Venice used to be a very powerful trade city in Europe. Many palaces were built along its Grand Canal. When you see Venice this is very evident, but at the same time something else is very evident. That power is no longer there. Some of these palaces are still very much in use and ornately beautiful. Others are uninhabited and falling apart. They look dirty and broken down on the inside and outside. Only around half of the buildings in Venice are inhabited. It is an interesting combination of extremes.

It is also an interesting representation of the spiritual life of Venice. The family that I stayed with have been there for four years. They are working as church planting and in a like Venice, it is tough. Many people will go to the local Catholic church for the major holidays, but really don't have time for God. The family realizes that it won't be through them that the most effective ministry will be done, but through the local Italians. They are the ones that can relate best to their fellow Venetians. So the ministry is as much sharing the gospel as empowering the local Christians to share.

So please pray for Venice and not just Venice but all the other places that families of these students at BFA serve.

They're Back!!!

2008-01-08T22:58:00.000+01:00

The guys have returned from their wonderful Christmas breaks and are starting up the second half of the year. It was exciting to welcome them back and see them again. After living with many of the same guys for a year and a half, I miss them when they are gone for 3 weeks.

But it is also important for them to spend as much time as possible with their families. Life is busy again and will be crazy and exciting at the same time.

Journey

2007-12-30T00:23:00.000+01:00

This is a reflective post that has nothing to do with the band. Sorry all. Recently I have been thinking about the word 'journey.' I think that it is one of my favorite words. It is a word of action. It is a word that describes my life. I am on a journey. I started out being born and physically, mentally and spiritually I am progressing through life. I don't really have a choice about this, but I think that is a neat thing.

No matter what I do, I am either moving forward or backward. Every action or lack of action impacts the life that I am living. There is progress that can be lost or gained and the lost can be made back up. And there are all kinds of little journeys that make up the big journey.

This journey over here in Germany is part of that big journey. It feels like the primary journey right now, but it is just part of life affecting the big journey that I am on as I grow in life, age and hopefully grow in God. That I guess is the whole point of the journey. How I grow in my relationship with the amazing figure of Jesus as God and learning how to glorify the one that sacrificed so much for me.

A hard time of the year

2007-12-24T13:27:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone,
It is December 24th and I am sitting in beautiful Germany. And it is hard. I don't know why, but this year is harder than last. I miss my family and friends more than last year. It is harder being away. So if you wouldn't mind, just please pray for me.

And I pray that you enjoy the season with family and friends and find a time to sincerely thank God for his incredible gift.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."...Luke 2.12

Schon Weihnachten

2007-12-10T14:15:00.000+01:00

What's happening around here? Well over the last week we have been quite busy. With the break coming so soon(this Friday), things are wrapping up. Last Wednesday were all of the parties for the small groups. Gift exchanges, scavenger hunts and many other crazy activities were carried out by small group members.

Thursday was Kandern's Christmas market and BFA offered some entertainment. A mime and all kinds of music were performed by these very talented students.

Friday and Saturday were our first basketball home games of the year. One thing I can say is that although the results weren't necessarily what was hoped for, the guys and gals played hard and were good sports.

Sunday was a very busy day as the Christmas concert was in the afternoon and the dorm Christmas party was in the evening. The students had been practicing for the concert throughout the first semester and it showed as they did an excellent job. It was a short concert at about an hour, but filled with many good sounds and memories including a funny song about the "12 days after Christmas."

Sunday evening we prepared all kinds of wonderful food and sugary type things. We sat down for a wonderful meal and enjoyed eating many different assortments of things. Then we cleaned up and moved on to the gift exchange. Everyone brought a lot of laughter to our living room for the next hour. There were funny gifts and serious ones. In the end, everyone had a wonderful time.

This week brings exams and more exams. The guys start to leave at the end of the week and have expressed that they can't wait to get back and see their families. It will be good for them and a good break for us.

Busy Weekend

2007-11-26T12:39:00.000+01:00

This past weekend has been quite the eventful weekend. The guys had Friday off so they got a long weekend free which means that we as staff had a very long weekend. I nice surprise was getting 2 hours off on Sunday though. Very nice surprise.

Thursday evening, we as a dorm had Thanksgiving. It happened to actually be on Thanksgiving this year which is unlike BFA. But we had one of our student's parents come and help us. They brought turkey too. So the ladies did wonderful cooking and Jeff and I went to decorating the dining room. We put up all kinds of lights and green garland everywhere and it looks nice and Christmas treey. The dinner was enjoyable and there were plenty of pies for dessert. We got a football game taped and watched it after dinner. Overall a good day.

Saturday night was the Christmas banquet. All of the guys had fun asking the ladies to go to the banquet. And finally the night brought guys with corsages dressed very nicely and waiting for their dates. There was much happiness when everyone arrived and finally sat down for the meal and program. People turned in Christmas wishes over the past few weeks and then on Saturday night probably around 30 of them were granted. Ranging from having a song sung to the wishee or to fuzzy pick slippers. There were also musical acts galore, some serious and others funny. In the end the Christmas court was announced and everyone cheered happily. It was an enjoyable evening and a chance for everyone to do something different.

Those were the two biggest events of the weekend.

Well, a first of a season

2007-11-14T17:37:00.000+01:00

It snowed today. Really it has been flurrying for the past week, but last night and today it decided to pick up. Probably got about a couple to a few inches on the ground. Also broke the shovels out for the first time of the year. I shoveled for two hours and man do I hurt. We have a long driveway. I only got about half of it done then other people came out and helped. Yippee! Let it be known that it was not required, but I went out on my own free will. A wonderful surprise was some ladies from the dorm across the street bringing me a cookie and some hot chocolate. Very nice of them.

It looks beautiful and is nice to have a different start to the winter than last year. Right now it is about two months ahead of our first snow last year. I could be in for quite the winter. Anyway, just wanted to say 'Hi.'

November

2007-11-03T16:14:00.000+01:00

Hello all,
It has been a while, but I am coming to you with a prayer request. The year has started out quite smashingly. But it is now a bit over two months into the school year. That honeymoon period has worn off. School is a long boring day for the students and the dorm is just a place where there are a bunch of rules.

For staff, we are tired. It has been busy and will just get busier. My reactions are not what they should be and aren't as gracious as they were at the beginning of the year. Overall, it is just a hard time for everyone. Please pray that I will respond with grace and love to people and that November will be a happy time rather than a tired and stressed time.

Strange hours

2007-10-22T13:36:00.000+02:00

Since we over here are from the USA, we need and want to connect back to the states every once in a while. This can lead to some strange hours. This was brought on by my fellow RA staying up to watch a baseball game of his Red Sox that started at 2am. Another RA I know calls her family in Alaska at 5am.

Last year we watched the Super Bowl which wasn't over until 5am. We frequently will call people back in the states between the hours of 11pm and 1am. This is when they start to get back from work.

Strange hours are held by us who long to connect with our other part of our life.

New in Life

2007-10-21T16:46:00.000+02:00

Hello from cold Sonne,
It is snowing today. Nothing major, just flurries. The first of the year. The guys are really excited about that. It has been pretty cold for going on a week and finally the flurries broke through. It has been a busy week with things happening everywhere. We got to go see the US men's national team play Switzerland in soccer. That was very enjoyable and hopefully I will put some good photos up soon. We took a van of guys up to Freiburg yesterday to walk around and do some shopping.

Things are going well and I am tired. That is just part of things here though. I pray that all of you are doing well.

October in Germany

2007-10-04T11:51:00.000+02:00

Es ist Oktober hier in Deutschland.

After September was in the 50s most of the month, for the first week of October we are in the 70s at least. It has been a nice change. Today the seniors leave for Rome. They spend a week traveling with stops in Venice, Florence and a couple days stay in Rome. Most of them have been looking forward to this trip their whole BFA life.

The juniors are gone to Normandy this weekend. They will stop in Paris on Friday and then be in Normandy on Saturday. They will be exhausted when they get back, but will have a great time.

That is the latest here.

What's happened

2007-09-24T14:57:00.000+02:00

It has been busy. Sports are in full swing with tennis, volleyball and girls volleyball. We have 2 in tennis, 6 in guys vball and 1 in girls vball (dorm parent's daughter).

I was creeked a couple of weeks ago for my birthday, but I don't have any pictures yet. I'll get them at some point. A two friday nights ago was the fall party. The theme was movies and tv shows. I joined 5 other RAs to go as the Gilligan's Island crew. I was the skipper. Here is a pic.

Last week was Spiritual Emphasis Week. The topic was 2 Peter and talking about being fully equipped in God. The week ended on Friday with a very powerful service where many people took some big steps in moving towards God. It was nice to see the students make some important commitments.

Hard things

2007-09-15T22:43:00.000+02:00

Many great things are happening from being over here. Some really hard things happen too. Today is the wedding of one of my best friends. I can't be there because I am here in Germany. It really stinks and I wish that I could be there.

It hurts that I can't be there.

I just have to trust. Sometimes, even the good things in life throw you nasty curveballs.

A Week In.

2007-09-03T12:49:00.000+02:00

Here I am, a week after the students have arrived. We got 11 new students and most everyone seems to be integrating quite well. Our last guy arrived at 11.30 on Monday night. It was good to see everybody. Many happy reunions from all of us which haven't seen each other all summer. It was a busy weekend here at Sonne. Friday night the school had a big party called Chillin' and Grillin'. A chance for food and fun and everyone to meet new people. The RAs here at BFA did a fashion show on the different things that we as RAs do. Sonne was the sports dorm. I portrayed soccer, basketball, golf and fishing. It was quite fun. We all did Zoolander's Blue Steel to end the skit.

Saturday we took the guys to a big shopping area called Carrefour. They got all kinds of school supplies. Saturday night we played a bunch of soccer and then had a fire in our fire pit. The Blauen girls from across the street came over and we all had a wonderful time. Yesterday we played floor soccer. In Sonne we have three floors which have the same number of people. This year second floor won. Then we had a water balloon fight. All in all it was a crazy weekend and I am glad to have this be my first day off.

Coming Attractions

2007-08-23T18:47:00.000+02:00

It is sunny today. I haven't seen the sun since Saturday so that is nice. We are getting the dorm ready for people to arrive. Starting Sunday 27 guys will unload their stuff at Sonne. It will be great to see old faces and to enjoy the year with them while having some history. The new faces will also be exciting because they will find out how wonderful it is to be a part of the Sonnenhof dorm.

Please pray that everyone arrives safely. Thanks.

Orientation

2007-08-20T16:37:00.000+02:00

Well, orientation has been going on for the past two weeks. So far things have gone well as we get ready for the new year. Here at Sonne we got a new RA. Her name is Kristy and it seems like she will be a good fit for the dorm. There has been a lot of time to get to know people and develop those relationships that will take us through the coming year.

We are learning different things and the new approaches to how things can work this year. The Residence life leadership team does a great job of putting sessions together for us which are very useful.

On the fun side, we have spent time in Freiburg, Germany walking around and this last Saturday 8 of us went to the Alps for some hiking. My word is it beautiful. The Gimmelwald/Murren area is amazing. God has a great imagination. So that is what is going on.

Back Again

2007-08-09T22:22:00.000+02:00

Well, I am here in Germany again. Not sure what is happening, but many memories from the beginning of last year are coming back. Lots of RAs are here. Many returners and 8 new people. It is interesting to see where the new people will go. I am glad to be back and very thankful for the time that I was able to spend in the states visiting many of you. Thank you for your kindness. Life will be crazy for the next year, but I am excited and am glad to be going.

Back in Germany

2007-08-01T22:04:00.000+02:00

Well, after a quick four weeks in the States, I am here in Germany again. When I got back it felt like I hadn't left. Very comfortable. That being said, I know that I left and I am very glad that I did. I got to be around some wonderful people that I know and love. Life wouldn't be as good if I hadn't gotten to see them. These people are dear to me and pour their wonderful lives into mine.

I had a great time in the US and got to do many things that I enjoy and that are harder to do over here. I lost my luggage coming over here, but that was my only hiccup. My luggage showed up the next moring though. So God is good and I have some clothes to change into.

Thank you to all who I met with over the last month. I appreciate your generosity and relationship.

Where do I fit?

2007-07-22T06:41:00.000+02:00

I definitely don't feel like I fit here. It is great seeing all kinds of different people. But I don't fit in here. I don't know if people actually understand this experience that I am going through.

I know that I fit with God. That is a comforting thing.

I fly back to Germany in 9 days and start the second year. Yeah.

Things I have done so far

2007-07-14T18:56:00.000+02:00

-Gone to see a baseball game.
-Eaten at Fresco Cafe
-Had hoagies and Chic-fil-a
-Seen live jazz
-Given a presentation at a VBS
-Shown tons of pics and talked constantly about Deutschland
-Taught a few people some nice German phrases
-Enjoyed time with lots of people
-Actually updated this blog

I still need to write a letter which will be done in the next week or so.

Things to do in the states

2007-07-09T04:21:00.000+02:00

-See live music
-Sleep
-Watch movies
-See family and friends
-Watch baseball
-Go to eaterys that don't exist in Germany
-Enjoy life
-Etc.

I'm still alive

2007-07-06T02:06:00.000+02:00

As July has come, a change has come. I have flown back to the states for the month. This allows some wonderful time with the family and hopefully some great time with friends. This past year has been very tiring and the most important thing that I can do over this month is rest. That will prepare me for the coming year and allow me to be ready for the energy of 27 teenage guys.

June brought times of painting and yardwork while working at the school for a couple of weeks after the students left. All projects that need to be done while the kids are gone. These weeks also allowed for some more normal work/free time as the work was done during the day and we could enjoy having free time on evenings and weekends.

Have a wonderful summer and I hope to see many of you who read this over the next month.

The End?

2007-06-07T14:00:00.000+02:00

Well, tomorrow is the graduation of all the seniors. School ended yesterday and people are cleaning up and enjoying talking to each other and signing yearbooks. Many good things are happening right now although it is very tiring and emotionally draining. Just a short update, but wanted to give one.

The End Comes...

2007-05-15T14:07:00.000+02:00

Well,

The year is winding down. There are only 3.5 weeks of school left. It gets busier and busier. The seniors are slowly starting to get ready to say goodbye. The rest are looking forward to the summer and time away from school. It will be a crazy few weeks but a good few weeks. So many people have done so many great things this year.

The sports teams head to tournament this year. It should be a great time and maybe some winning. As for me, I am sliding into this RA thing and having a blast. It s great to be here and enjoy all that God is allowing me to.

Romania

2007-04-11T11:42:00.000+02:00

Recently I had the privilege to spend 9 days in Romania with 11 wonderful high school kids and another wonderful adult. We spent those days in Marga, Romania at a youth center. This youth center is for kids of the village to come to and have a chance to learn about God and also hang out and play ping pong, soccer and other assorted activities. The center is run by a married couple. She grew up in Marga and he has been in Romania for about 12 years. She really has a heart for the kids of her village.

We presented a program which included a Bible lesson, music, games, crafts and a mime. After that was over and dinner we would just hang out with the kids for many hours into the night. These were long days.

We also did some work projects. We helped a family plant their potato field. We got done in 3 hours what would have taken them a couple of days. It wasn't that we were that good, we just had 13 extra people. We also added on to the ministry center's basketball court. Pouring concrete can be fun.

Romania is so poor and it was shocking at times to see how people lived. It does seem to be improving though. That is good. Overall it was a great experience and I was really blessed by it.

2007-03-20T11:52:00.000+01:00

Well,

After the lame winter for cold and snow, or lack of, it seems that March may actually bless us with a bit of the wintry stuff. We have about 6 inches of snow here and it is supposed to snow off and on until Saturday. Maybe we will get up to a foot of snow eventually. That would be nice.

Anyway, in honor of the snow, the school has granted the students a snow day. So they are all staying home and enjoying the day off. Up here in the hills, we have enough to to play in, I am not sure what they will do down the hill. Spring break is coming up in a week and that will lead me to Romania for a week. It should be quite enjoyable.

That's the news for now.

Curling

2007-03-07T17:34:00.000+01:00

So there is this sport called curling. It got pretty decent coverage during the last Olympics. Well today I had the opportunity to try it out. The entire Residence Life guys went. We made teams and everything.

Let me just say something. It is a lot harder than it looks. It is definitely a game of touch and balance. I was hilarious to watch. The first couple-few times I tried to slide the stone, I wiped out.
I also found out that Canadians are much better at this sport. Maybe it is because they do things like learn it in their PE classes. I got to do everything except what the guy is doing in the above picture. That was better left with someone that knew what they were doing.

Now this is what I did most. Sweep. They tell me to sweep. They tell me to stop. I just try to get it done. Overall, I really enjoyed myself and want to do it again. Once I learned how not to wipe out, it was cool.

In other news, we had our high school retreat this weekend. It was really good. Maybe I will write more about it later. Some kids are definitely asking themselves tough questions though.

Up-to-date?

2007-02-28T17:02:00.000+01:00

Well, it is the end of February and school is starting to wind up. Basketball just ended and next Monday soccer and track start up. Soccer is the big sport here. The doldrums of February are being left behind and this weekend will be a help for that as the entire high school heads off to Nuernburg for a winter retreat.

Now you wouldn't even know that it is winter here due to the warm weather we are having, but a winter retreat will be attempted anyway. Either way, an enjoyable time should be had although I will most likely be exhausted.

Does anybody know what time it is?

2007-02-15T11:53:00.000+01:00

Hey all,

It has been a while, but here I am. February is upon us and March is just around the corner. It is amazing how fast time seems to move. February is known as a hard time around here. It is a long stretch to a break and the guys are feeling it. Attitudes are hard and many aren't happy.

Please pray for us as we navigate and help the guys make the best of it. Also that we don't get stressed out.

An added opportunity

2007-01-31T15:13:00.000+01:00

It was very unexpected, but it looks like half of my spring break here is going to be full. I am going to Romania. I was asked to be a leader to go on the trip. There are ten students going and 2 leaders. We are going to a center that works with youth where we will do a Bible school thing and also a building project.

I wasn't planning on this and I was looking at a relaxing time, but there was a need. Please pray that I will have the energy for this and that the trip preparation will go well. If you could also pray that the finances for the trip would work out well that would be great.

Thanks.

Pictours

2007-01-26T16:33:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone, I decided to post some pictures of where I live with snow. These pictures were taken out of my 3 windows in my room.

This first one looks up the hill. Hochblauen is in the top right of the photo. It is a bit concealed by cloud cover.
This is the second pic. It looks down the hill towards Kandern.

This is the third pic. It looks up to the middle of Marzell and beyond. The Blauen dorm is the first house across the street on the left. Those are our vans in the driveway.

You can click on them to make them bigger!!

Oh the weather outside.

2007-01-23T22:28:00.000+01:00

Well it took a while, but winter is finally here. It started to turn cold on Sunday and has gotten colder ever since. We had snow last night and then again it started tonight. It is falling lightly and beautifully and isn't supposed to stop until tomorrow night. Yeah, I am happy.

Also, if you could pray, fellow RAs Matt and Sarah recently had a baby. Her name is Anna Pearl. I had said before that the right side of her heart didn't work. She has heart surgery tomorrow. They are putting a shunt between her aorta and pulminary artery. Please pray for her and them.

Windsday

2007-01-19T15:07:00.000+01:00

Crazy weather. I have been told that the weather was wonderful here and have yet to see any snow. January has been rainy and in the 50s. What crazy weather. People here are even shocked about how it is. We also have had crazy winds over the last couple of days. I don't know if you have seen it on the news, but Europe has been getting pounded by a system that brought winds upwards of 120 mph. We here have experienced winds around 60 or so mph.

Oh well, besides that the guys are back. They have come back rested and excited which is crazy. Unbridled energy can be a scary thing, but it is good to see them and I am glad that they are back. I hope y'all are doing well.

Announcement

2007-01-09T17:24:00.000+01:00

I HAVE A PHONE!!!!!

That's right. After 5 months of not having a phone, I have one. It has been a hard thing, but this is a great happy thing. Much better now.

YIPPEE!!!!

It's coming

2007-01-05T17:15:00.000+01:00

Well, it is about to start. The next semester of stuff at BFA. The guys start coming back on Sunday. And then school starts back up on Tuesday. The fun insanity will pick back up.

God give me strength.

New Year's

2007-01-01T13:36:00.000+01:00

This was quite the strange night to behold. The bigger towns and cities have an official fireworks thing, but a small town like Kandern doesn't have anything. That does not mean a lack of fireworks though. The grocery stores sell a bunch of fireworks for anyone to buy. And then at midnight people come out of their houses and spend 30 minutes or so lighting fireworks. Some are bigger than I expected, but there are a lot and there is trash just everywhere.

It is a very un-German thing to do to just make a mess and a lot of noise late at night, but it seems that 1 night a year they let loose. In other news, yours truly had to light his share of fun stuff on fire. Yippee.

Christmas in Germany

2006-12-29T13:23:00.000+01:00

So what is Christmas like here. Definitely a bit different. There is nowhere near the craziness here. I am not really sure what German families do for gifts, but there aren't the huge malls for anyone to crowd during the holidays. Houses aren't all lit up on the outside. That is different too. They have trees and lights up inside though.

People seem to enjoy Christmas here, but it seems to be a lot more about family and friends and simply getting together. They have these cool things here called kinder-eggs which are hollow chocolate eggs with a toy in the middle that you can put together.

Overall, it was weird experiencing Christmas in another country. I personally don't even feel like I really experienced Christmas. It is a really odd feeling. That being said, I really miss you all.

But we ARE in Europe

2006-12-18T16:27:00.000+01:00

Not sure how a bus can be heading to Europe while in Europe, but that is what it says.

Anyway, I hope that everything is going well for everyone. The guys have all gone home for the break and it leaves us with a bit of a break from the busyness. It is well timed relaxation. Especially for one like me who had a not-well-timed bout of sickness decide to nail me. Oh well, I shall conquer eventually.

The Home Stretch

2006-12-12T22:24:00.000+01:00

It is almost here. The first half is almost done. On Friday, classes are done for the 3 week Christmas break. Between now and then, there are all kinds of exams and dorm cleaning. The guys will be traveling anywhere and everywhere this weekend.

And there is the fair share of sickness going around. Please pray that all of this goes smoothly and all of us staff hold ourselves together.

Christmas Markets

2006-12-06T14:13:00.000+01:00

Europe has these things called Christmas markets. In the center places of towns they set up all these little booths and lights and you just walk around eating food and looking. I have had the pleasure of going to 2 in the past week.

The first one was in Colmar, France. What a quaint little town. It is pretty old and the shops were set up in about 5 or so different places. It was nice and relaxed and some really old churches that I got to see.

The second one was in Heidelberg, Germany. I had the privilege of spending the last weekend there with 12 fellow RAs. Their Christmas market was much bigger. There were lots of people too. It was all down one main street in the different squares. It was quite nice and relaxing. Oh, and to boot, there was a Roman castle above it. Pretty cool.

As for the dorm, we are coming down the homestretch. The guys leave in a week and a couple of days. They are coming into exams and life is just crazy right now. All we have to do is make it 2 weeks. Please pray for the guys.

Something to know

2006-11-21T17:34:00.000+01:00

Hey all,

I just wanted to ask for your prayers. Two of the people that I work with are married and expecting a baby. They found out last week that the baby has a heart condition where the right side of the heart is not developing. There is nothing that can really be done before the baby is born and then the baby will have to have surgeries to help correct the problem.

Here is a link with more information.

Matt

Herbstmesse

2006-11-15T14:47:00.000+01:00

Here are some pics that were taken at Herbstmesse. It is a big fair thing that was in the end of October into the beginning of November and the whole school goes on October 31. The rides were in the open areas of Basel. These pictures were taken by BFA people. Here is a link to the BFA photo gallery with lots of neat pictures. Here is a link to the specific photo gallery for Herbstmesse.

Here is Basel. That is the ferris wheel that I rode. It was really high, but I survived. It was an awesome view of the city

Here are two of my boys on the bumper cars. The guy on the left is Tim and he is the student body president. The guy on the right is John. He is one of 4 brothers in our dorm. BFA has a time when everyone gathers at the bumper cars to ride. Over 500 tickets were sold to BFA. There was no set direction to drive for these bumper cars.

Here is a picture of staff. The guy on the left is Jeff and he is an RA with me at Sonne. The 3rd from the right is Sarah. She is pregnant and also RAs at Sonne along with her husband Matt. I don't know who the guy all the way on the right is.

This is a pic of more RAs. The Rhein river is beautiful, especially going through Basel.

This is the view from the top of the ferris wheel. It was pretty.

Have a great day. Now that we have faster internet I hope to post more pictures.

Picture

2006-11-15T14:40:00.000+01:00

Here are my boys.

More pics coming

Thanks to the one...

2006-11-11T15:57:00.000+01:00

This past Thursday, BFA celebrated Thanksgiving. We cooked up all the fixins as well as 6 turkeys and 4 hams. We had 43 people all together around one big long table. It was loud and the food was good. Then we watched some good ole American football afterwards to polish the Thanksgiving feel off.

It was nice to have a little feel of North America here in Germany. I think that the guys really enjoyed it too. After the meal, we all went around and said something that we were thankful for. Some really good things came out. There are many neat things that people are thankful.

Tonight I go into Basel, CH with some guys for an outreach thing. It should be fine. Basel is a great city.

Eclecticism

2006-11-02T16:06:00.000+01:00

It sleeted last night. That is right, snow is just around the corner. I like snow but everyone here tells me that I will eventually be sick of it when it gets to be April and maybe May. We shall see.

Today the guy RAs walked up to the World War memorial in Kandern. It was nice and has a nice view. It is weird to think that I am in Germany who had a pretty significant role in both World Wars. Ah, history. I like it.

Not a sermon, just a thought

2006-11-01T12:10:00.000+01:00

Some may say that this RA position here at BFA is a pretty thankless job. I have thought it at times. The guys don't notice what you do and your fellow staff members expect you to hold up your end of the work. In the end it ends up being pretty thankless.

This got me thinking. How often is God in a thankless 'job'. If things are going well, we just expect them to. If things are going bad, we may blame God. How much do we thank Him? How much do I thank Him? Not much.

I got to work on that. I have been told before that it is a good thing to thank God for something or 5 every day. I think it would be a good practice.

A Wonderful Thing

2006-10-23T11:58:00.000+02:00

Two Sundays ago, I had a wonderful privilege. I got to lead some worship at church. There is a church that has services on Sundays in the auditorium of the school. It is an English speaking church that many of the people that serve at BFA go to.

As many of you know, I love worship through music. I love music so that helps. It was a great opportunity that God gave me to do it. Many times God gives us gifts beyond what we can do to serve Him. This whole position at BFA is like that. The worship was just another example. I am so thankful for that opportunity.

I'm sorry

2006-10-13T10:36:00.000+02:00

I want to do a mass apology to everyone who has emailed me. I have been horrible at getting back within a reasonable time. Sorry about that. I could make some excuses but that won't help anyway. I just need to work on it.

In other news, I thought that I would give you some information about the dorm. The house's first part was built in 1820. And the second part was built in 1899. It is an old building with a really homey feel. It used to be a guesthouse so it transformed well into be a place for 28 guys to stay. We have a soccer field near us and the Blauen dorm is across the road. I should try to get some pics up for you. Oh, I wish I had a digital camera. Oh well.

Peace all.

A New Experience

2006-10-05T16:09:00.000+02:00

Granted I am in a completely different culture so new experiences are probably the norm. But today I did something I haven't done before. I took a guy to the German doctor. Doctors here are pretty different. First off, the waiting room was actually a room with a door. And then it was quick. Within 20 minutes of walking in the door, we were walking out.

Another interesting thing about German doctors is that they don't tell you what is wrong. They just tell you what to do to fix it. It doesn't seem to matter to them what it is and they could care less about telling you. This observation is based on more than just one experience. So I have no idea what is wrong with my guy, but we got medicine to make him better. Yippee.

One of these days I will eventually tell you about the Alps, but not now.

Also, I miss live music. I didn't realize how much I went to.

Over the river...Almost

2006-09-28T14:33:00.000+02:00

Recently I had a birthday and it involved a certain watery tradition of the dorm. I have been wanting to get pictures up for you so you could see some of it. It took me a while, but here it is.

This is me giving my birthday speech. It was a grand thankful speech and way too long for the impatient guys. They were really eager to creek me. Notice the water on my shirt as a foreshadowing to the event.

This is half way down to the creek. They started singing, 'Nah, nah, nah, nah...nah, nah, nah, nah...Hey, hey, hey...Goodbye!" and didn't stop until I went in.

And this is me going in. They had great joy in doing it and after I went in, I was sure to give giant hugs to whomever I met on the way back to the house. That is why they are running.

Well, enjoy and have a good laugh at this.

It's been so long...

2006-09-19T13:33:00.000+02:00

Wow, there has been lots to do recently. Many things are happening right now. The guys are getting a lot busier with extra-curricular activities and I get to take them to such places. Laundry finally went smoothly today. Hopefully I will continue to smooth everything out as I get used to it.

Football is something that I thought I wouldn't get to watch, but there is this wonderful channel called NASN(North American Sports Network) and I got to see two games this past Sunday. A little taste of home.

Nothing of great significance has happened recently, but I seemed to be reminded often that I am not in my comfy North American environment.

Please pray for me that I will respond well to the students and also work well with my fellow staff members.

Other prayer requests are a bit more personal. Probably my hardest adjustments since being here have been losing my independence and also leaving my support structure back in the states.

God bless

A weekend of Germany

2006-09-11T12:53:00.000+02:00

This is where I, with a couple of my guys, hike to on Saturday afternoon. Round trip it was about 6-7 miles. It was pretty neat. The castle started sometime in the 1200s. I could give you more information if I knew some German, but oh well. We were able to climb up to the top of the turret and look around. Pretty cool.

On Sunday, we went into town to a festival called Budenfest. There were all kinds of food stands there were you could get pretty much anything. They also had a polka band that I got to hear. It was pretty interesting to be submerged into complete German culture for a bit. I got myself a nice and juicy bratwurst to celebrate the day. A neat experience to be sure.

A website for y'all to search. It is all in German so I apologize for that, but it is the website for the town that I live in. On the left you can click on something called 'Fotos". There are some nice pictures there.

Weekend Update

2006-09-08T13:48:00.000+02:00

Okay, so it isn't really the weekend, but it is close enough. It has been crazy busy this week. So much has been going on. We are definitely in the middle of the school year already. Running people everywhere. Trying to keep up with everything. Nothing like doing 10-15 loads of laundry on one day.

I am slowly starting to get into a rhythm which will be nice. Crazy stuff is happening though. The ceiling in our dorm parents apartment fell in on this past Monday. A headache that wasn't really needed. I got my first day off since I got here this week. It was nice to just sleep in and do what I wanted to.

I have some contact info for y'all. If you want to mail something you can send it to one of two places. Either the dorm or the school.

The dorm address is:
Kanderstrasse 8
79429 Malsburg-Marzell
Germany

The school address is:
Postfach 1109
79396 Kandern
Germany

And my phone number is: 00 (49) 7626.8504

No Room in the Inn

2006-08-29T22:50:00.000+02:00

Well, they are all here. We have have 26 students living in the dorm. This is a good thing and has made it a lively place. We wished them off to school today. At the opening ceremony today we had kids stand up who are from or live in 52 different countries. It was really neat to see.

These kids have so much more international experience than me. I hope that they accept me in spite of that. There are so really neat people here. It will be great getting to know them.

Please pray for a family from here. They just found out that their son who is a freshman in college has cancer. He is in Canada right now and they are going back to Canada to be with him. He is having surgery on Wednesday.

It's the day

2006-08-27T23:02:00.000+02:00

Today, it started. 15 of the students staying in our dorm came. I met people who live in Italy, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and many other countries. Very cool. Four brothers came, all living in our dorm. Very cool.

Tomorrow the rest of the 26 students arrive. It is great to start meeting the people that I will be spending the next year with. Right now the computer room is full here. Us RAs are just chilling a bit after a long day of welcoming kids and parents. I met many different varieties of many different people.

Please pray for safe travel.

Sperrmüll

2006-08-22T21:33:00.000+02:00

This is the German 'large trash' day. Basically what happens is that 3 or so times a year the German people put out all their big items that they want to throw away. The night before, they put the stuff on the side of the road. Some of it is nice stuff that they don't need or want anymore. There will be couches, chairs, tables, skis, and pretty much anything else that you can imagine.

Here is the kicker. The night before, you can drive around and hunt for things that you can use or like. If you decide that you want it, you pick it up, put it in your vehicle and take it home. There are some very interesting things that you can get. It is a great way to bargain shop, especially since it is free.

Laugh your head off!

2006-08-21T22:55:00.000+02:00

That's right 2 posts in 2 days. I had something too good not to share.

Tonight I was in a German pizza place. I was necessarily in the mood for pizza so I decided to order something different. I thought that I would go the pasta route. I looked through the menu and found something that I thought looked very delicious. This whole time I was enjoying the fact that I seemed to be figuring out what was on the menu even though it was in German. I ordered my meal and then waited.

When the food arrived at the table, everyone's food looked right except for mine. Why? Because what I ordered was not what I thought I had ordered. Instead of a nice plate of pasta, I got a plate of rice and cheese. That's right. Think of macaroni and cheese and instead of the macaroni, substitute a large plate of rice. Rice and cheese. What a great dinner. I laughed quite well for a while over my fumble. I hope that you enjoy laughing at it too.

Maybe tomorrow I will talk about Sperrmüll.

Where am I going?

2006-08-20T15:37:00.000+02:00

This is where I am headed. On Tuesday I found out that they choose me to be an RA in Sonne. This is a house with 28 guys and I will be on the first floor. It is up in the hills of the Black Forest and very beautiful. There are new dorm parents for Sonne and me and another RA are also new. There are 3 returning RAs. Please pray for me as we try to come together as a team to best minister to and serve the kids.

We talked this week about 'Whose home is it anyway?' We have 28 guys coming to live here. We also have dorm parents who are creating there home here and are in charge. Add on top of that, 5 RAs that want to create a feeling of home for themselves and have been living in their own homes for the past years. This is an interesting situation and really requires us to treat each other with love, grace and respect.

One week until the students come. This last week we will do projects around the house and go to an all staff conference. Hopefully I will get some pictures up soon of where I live.

1 week down...or so

2006-08-12T10:44:00.000+02:00

Well, I just finished my first week. Guess what I am doing today? Shopping! Oh yeah, how I love shopping. No, seriously, there are a few things that I need to get and this will be very helpful.

This week has been very eventful. I have had the pleasure of having German every morning. I have learned some to make me a little dangerous and stick my foot in my mouth, but not enough to have a conversation.

The residence life staff has taken us through training in the afternoon. That has been helpful but a bit of information overload. After dinner, I have had some driving practice. It has been useful since I will be taking 8 high school kids in van when school starts.

I have headed into a couple of small cities and done some enjoyable little things.

Please pray that I develop good relationships with the other residence staff and that I take information in and not just in one ear and out the other.

Quick one

2006-08-10T22:32:00.000+02:00

With what has happened today with airports, many problems have been created. Many teachers and returning people are arriving from the States and Canada over the next few days. Their travels will be turned into nightmares. Please pray for all of this, especially the ease of travel. At least as much ease as possible right now.

What a place!

2006-08-09T23:41:00.000+02:00

Okay, I finally got these pictures to work. First off, these are not pictures that I took, but they are pictures of a place I was to on Wednesday. All this week we have had driver's training. The group of people I am in all know standard show driving has been a pleasant experience. So pleasant that our trainer for the day decided to give us a more advanced route. He decided to take up a mountain. The name of it is Hochblauen. It is 1165 meters tall which is about 3800 feet.

Wow, it was beautiful. It looks over the Rhine river valley into to France, Switzerland and also into the other bits of the Black Forest in Germany. On a very clear day, one can see the Alps. Yesterday was not that clear. We got there a bit before sunset. Wow, God's creation is amazing. I wish that I had had a camera.

Am I actually here?

2006-08-03T20:37:00.000+02:00

Well, I am here. After 15 hours of traveling, I arrived in Germany. God has been good and everything has arrived safely. I am tired from virtually no sleep, but that's okay. I'll get some over the next couple of days.

It doesn't feel real at all. It just feels like I am visiting a different part of the US. I wonder when it will hit me?

I'M THERE!!

2006-07-24T22:00:00.000+02:00

I am going. It is just a matter of time. I need to be at 80% of more of my support raised to be able to go to BFA. As of last night, I am at 90%. Thank you for all you have done.

God is great and is blessing me incredibly throughout all of this. In 10 days, I will be in Germany. Please be praying for my safe travels.

Blessings

2006-07-17T22:04:00.000+02:00

As this process has continued I am constantly reminded of God's blessings. It is amazing how He works things. He has continued to work many things out for Germany. Right now, I am getting ready to go. I still have to do something with my car.

I know it was a while ago, but here are some pictures from my orientation. These are some of the people that I will be working with at BFA.

Right Now I'll be in Germany

2006-07-06T22:14:00.000+02:00

That's right. 4 weeks from today, I will be in Germany. I have reserved my plane ticket for August 2. It is getting closer and closer. I am currently at 73% of my support raised. I still need more, but only need to get to the 80% level to be able to go. It is very exciting.

Thank you to all who have supported me.

The Next Step

2006-06-28T05:33:00.000+02:00

Hey y'all,

It's so much more real now. I spent a week up in Canada participating in orientation for Germany. It was put on by Janz Team Ministries which is the missions organization that I am going through to get to Germany. It was really nice to meet another 15 people that are also going to BFA. We all have such a heart to minister to these kids.

We learned so much about cultural differences and the term "Third Culture Kids." These are missionary kids whose parents are from one country, yet they are growing up in another country. Neither country is their culture, so they are somewhere in the middle. They deal with different things from regular kids. I hope to show them the love of God.

So with getting to meet a bunch of great people and learning more about what I will be doing and how to do it better, I had a great time.

Please pray for me as I continue to raise support. I currently have 35-40% of my support raised. I need to have 80% before I can go over and I have around 6 weeks left before I am supposed to go. Also pray for my fellow peeps that I met in Canada that they will also be able to raise their support.

God bless.

TEAM

2006-06-09T17:16:00.000+02:00

Things are slow here because I am not in Germany yet, but they will pick up when I get over there. Anyway...

Team, such a simple word but a word that means so much. It especially means much in this situation. The reason is that this is what needs to be created for me to go to Germany. It is about a group of people caring about reaching to missionary kids in Europe. These kids are away from home in a strange country and if I can live with them and support them, it will serve them.

I am nothing special. I am amazed at how God wants to use such an imperfect person as myself. I am just able and willing to go. Many people can't go. That doesn't mean that they can't join together to accomplish a ministry goal.

That is what I want to create. A team of people gathering together doing different things to accomplish one goal. I am only one person and at most I am just the hand, but I can't do anything without the body contributing. So in prayer and finances, or many other ways, I ask you to team with me. This isn't about me going somewhere. This is about serving God and doing His work.

New Stuff Added!!

2006-05-24T18:41:00.000+02:00

To make the process a bit easier, both my support letter and support pledge form are now on this site. On the side menu under 'Support documents' you will see links for both.

If you are looking for another copy of the pledge form or support letter, just click on the subsequent link and a .PDF form will open up for you.

Ministry

2006-05-17T22:11:00.000+02:00

I have been blessed to have the ministry opportunity come along. This is just another example of the local church reaching out and touching the world for God. I would not be here without my church which has helped me to grow and has given me ministry opportunities to flourish in. I don't view this as any different. This chance just happens to be somewhere else.

It still is no different that any other opportunity that comes up in the local church. It is just blessing different people. It is no more or less important that the things that are done in your church every Sunday. I just happen to have the ability to go elsewhere to assist in ministry needs there.

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

2006-05-16T02:05:00.000+02:00

So why am I starting this blog? I have been given a unique opportunity to minister to high school students that don't necessarily feel like they have a place to call home. I have been accepted by the Black Forest Academy to be a resident student in their housing for missionary kids. These kids are sent by their parents(missionaries) to this school to get a strong education while keeping Christ as the root of their learning. I have a great love for students and bringing them closer to their Christ who saved them while preparing them for their adult lives.

The Black Forest Academy is in the southwest corner of Germany in a small town called Kandern. It is located about 1/2 hour north of Switzerland.

I am leaving for Germany at the very beginning of August and will be there for two years. For this I am not paid a salary. This allows the Black Forest Academy to keep their costs to the students down. I therefore will have to raise my own support and go through a mission organization. The one I am going through is Janz Team Ministries. I need to raise around $1500 a month and also some first time startup costs. Hopefully in the next little while, I will have my support letter and pledge form on this blog so that you can download it and read and use it if you feel called.