Summer Snapshots!

I have been blown away by the many God-ordained opportunities I've had to reconnect with friends and family in just the past few weeks that I've been in America!  Only He could arrange a schedule so perfectly balanced between busy and rested, connected and rejuvenated, pouring out and being refilled.

* I've spent the majority of these weeks at my parents' house, with my brother also home for an internship in the area.  We also got a visit from our cousins from Michigan during my first weekend back!

* I've seen friends from growing up, church, high school, and college since being back!  We've shared meals, coffee dates, walks in the park, and Rita's water ice... and many, many conversations!  In fact, I almost lost my voice last week :)  ... totally worth it!

* I had the opportunity to speak briefly in church my first weekend home.  I shared this video with the congregation, which only gives a taste of life at BFA!  I also connected with many people at my table in the hallway.

* I've had two dessert nights, one at my parents' home and one in western PA near my college.  If you missed these, try to come to the final Sundae Celebration on July 22 in Newtown! 

* This past Sunday, I shared about my ministry with Kids Point, the children's ministry at my home church.  I've shared in Kids Point the past two summers, as well - since their theme for the summer is usually missions - so some of the kids even remembered my initial decision to go to BFA!  They loved hearing about the "hats" I have worn this year and seeing a video I made about the students at BFA.  Together they created cards and video greetings for the students at BFA, which I will share at the beginning of the school year.  It is so cool to see my two "worlds" interact with one another!

I'm so thankful to the Lord for arranging these times to encourage others, seek their advice, and share stories of His faithfulness.  And the good news is... there's still another month of this!  If you're in the area, please let me know so we can find a time to meet up!

Culture Shock Moments!

I've mentioned before how odd it feels to experience culture shock when returning to America.  Since being back in Pennsylvania for a week, I've noticed that...

... Computer paper looks so short!  In Europe, we have A4 paper, which is 11.7 inches instead of 11 inches long.

... Neighborhood streets seem so wide!  Sure, we have highways in Germany.  (I'm sure you've heard of the Autobahn...)  However, streets in the town where I live are notoriously narrow.  In fact, it's completely normal for everyone to go up onto the curb/sidewalk when pulling over or parking their cars.  I think I'd get strange looks if I pulled onto the curb here in PA!

... People here have an accent!  Somehow being away for 10 months has made the Philadelphia/New Jersey/New York accent seem a bit stronger this time.  And apparently I have a "European accent"?!  I'm not sure what that sounds like...

... Cars are so big!  It doesn't seem as easy to "zip around" when most people are driving SUVs and minivans.  (Not to be confused with 15-passenger dorm vans, which are a common sight at BFA.)

... I can use cruise control!  Adjusting back to driving an automatic car wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be, and I am loving using cruise control again!  Better make use of it while I can this summer.

... I don't stand out when I'm speaking English in public!  When I hear an English conversation in Starbucks, I'm not guaranteed to know that person.  And I'd better be careful what I'm saying about that person just a few yards away from me on the beach.

... So many people look vaguely familiar!  Do I know them from high school?  Church?  College? ... Or do they just look like someone I know from BFA?!  (Okay, maybe this is a problem that comes with age, not culture shock!)

I'm thankful for the richness of experiencing life in different cultures!  Culture shock is worth it to stay connected to life here and life there.

You're Invited!

Checklist for tomorrow:

-- Make sure all of the lights are off, windows shut, plugs unplugged...

-- Leave house at 5 am with 3 suitcases

-- Flight to Brussels

-- Flight to PA

-- Hug my family!

And I can't wait to see YOU, too!  I look forward to catching up with you at church, at Starbucks, at your house...  I'm anxious to hear how the Lord has been working in your life this year, as well as share stories from my time at BFA.

Also, you're invited to my summer celebrations!  I'd love to be able to share with you about what God is doing here at BFA.  I'm thrilled to also have a western PA gathering this summer, so I hope to reconnect with friends in the Grove City area, as well as Newtown.  Let me know if you plan to attend one of these dessert nights with yummy food and German giveaways!

Accelerating to the End!

Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate -- BRAKE!

That's how the end of the school year felt!  With so many special events, "last" this and that, and goodbyes to say, time seemed to speed up to the finish line.  Now, dorm students are gone, and many staff fly to destinations around the world this week.  And I'm left here reflecting on the whirlwind these past two weeks (and months!) have been.

To end well with my small group, I had them over for pizza dinner.  We shared prayer requests, decorated picture frames together, and just enjoyed conversation together.  It was a bittersweet time, as one of the girls also announced her recent decision to move to America to live with her parents now that they have received a permanent visa.  We will miss Jin greatly next year, but I am confident that the Lord will continue to work in our lives here and Jin's life as she moves to Hawaii.

My class wrapped up our Medieval Times unit with a second annual knighting ceremony, class trivia game, and shield-making contest.  The kids and I wore medieval-type clothing, and we listened to music of the period (although that wasn't their favorite!).  Some of my students with no prompting from me at all, created a shield that said, "Thank you for being my teacher!"  Warmed my heart. :)

On the second to last day of school, all of the English-speaking staff and students (because the Germans have a holiday right now) hiked to Sausenburg Castle, a long-standing tradition for the elementary school.  It was a fun time to be together as a school before the end of the year.

The last day of school always seems to go so quickly!  We began with an hour in the classroom, and I was super excited to do something new with this time.  Ahead of time, I asked each student to give a one word or phrase description of each of their classmates.  I then used these words to create a Wordle for each of the students, which I glued onto a piece of construction paper with a picture of our class.  On the reverse side, we created a sort of class yearbook by signing each other's papers.  These were laminated before the end of the day and will serve as placemats for each of the students (and their teacher!).  I did also give class awards ("blessings") again this year, which the students enjoyed as well.

Zoomed in on the Wordle on my placemat

The students' comments to me - so sweet! (names removed)

Next, we had our closing chapel time.  We prayed for each of the students and teachers leaving our school, which actually included me as I am going to be working at the middle school next year.  How special to have one of my fourth grade students pray a prayer of blessing for me.  After a soft pretzel and drink, we all headed outside into the surprisingly nice weather for our field day!  

And just like that, the year is finished.  This weekend we had high school awards, graduation, and staff picnic... and slowly, this town is emptying out as students and staff alike spread out around the globe.  We are going from here to be refreshed and to share about our experiences at BFA this year.  We're processing many feelings and changes, and we've faced different challenges this school year, but we can say with joy that God is faithful!