Thanksgiving Recap

So, Blogger is telling me that I have reached my maximum photo storage for this blog... no!  I have been wanting to update you on the latest events, but I've been putting it off in hopes that Blogger might change its mind.  It hasn't.  But here is the latest update anyway!  (And here's hoping that I might be able to fix it for the future...)

The past few weeks have flown by with activities nearly every day and big responsibilities on my shoulders.  On the heels of Operation Christmas Child, I switched gears to plan a motorized scavenger hunt for my small group and six other high school girl small groups!  My parents have lots of experience writing and participating in scavenger hunts like these, so I asked them to help with the planning.  They wrote the story line about a missing Thanksgiving dinner, which took groups to my favorite cafe, the kitchen of a BFA dorm, a guys small group, and the town square.  I wrote clues, contacted people at the different sites, and assembled sealed envelopes.  The girls gathered at the high school and were sent out in their teams of 7-9 people.  It was hard to sit still once the vans pulled out... I so hoped that all of the clues would work and that they would all finish in time!  From everything I have heard, it was a success and the girls had a blast!

Two days later, we hosted 18 of our friends in our living room for our 3rd annual Thanksgiving celebration!  We provided the turkeys (three of them!) and friends brought side dishes to complete the spread.  After a delicious meal, we read some Psalms and sang worship songs together, another Thanksgiving tradition of ours.  While eating delicious desserts - and long after we had put down our forks! - we chatted and laughed.  Yes, it was loud.  What would you expect with a group of 18 girls?!  You can see a picture of all of us around the table and read my friend's summary of the event on her blog.

Our Christmas tree is up and our living room is splashed with red and white, yet I am still overflowing with thanksgiving.  I am grateful for a community here in Kandern that makes this feel like home.  I'm grateful for my community on the other side of the ocean at Grace Point, which makes it possible for me to serve here at BFA.  I'm thankful for wonderful students, inspiring mentors, and a job I love.

"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."  Psalm 16:5-6

Operation Christmas Child!

While most Americans are thinking about Thanksgiving, my last few weeks have been consumed by plans for Christmas... Operation Christmas Child, that is!  From driving between all three campuses to check on their progress to wrapping shoeboxes by the light of Christmas movies to filling my roommate's van with donated items, I have been so thrilled to be a part of the school-wide OCC project.  In past years, the elementary school has completed this project on their own, but this year it became a whole-school endeavor.  The middle school students in my DIY elective set the goal of 100 boxes to pack this year.  I knew we'd need lots of people to get involved with a goal that big!

On Wednesday night, my roommate and I got our small group girls to help us wrap shoeboxes for the packing party!

It was really neat to see how different members of the community participated in different ways.  Some donated items or packed whole boxes, while others came to our packing party or donated money for the transportation costs of the boxes.  All of us were united around the same purpose -- that children around the world might know the greatest Gift of all, Jesus!

Yesterday afternoon was the first-ever BFA packing party!  We used a conference room for the packing stations and the student center (lounge area) for the checking station, collecting location, and prayer area.  Everyone who packed a box was encouraged to pray for the recipient of that box, as well as the many others who will get these shoeboxes in the next few months.

 Welcome station and the packing room

All ages were represented at the packing party!

Middle school students, eager to pack boxes!

 Making sure the box is complete!

Next stop: checking station!

Blown away by the way God works!  Together we packed 112 shoeboxes!

The volunteers even helped us pack the boxes into the van!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Operation Christmas Child 2012!

(These are just a few of our helpers!)

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.'"  Matthew 25:40

Chapel Band Workshops

Because there is no chapel tomorrow (parent-teacher conferences day!), we had a little bit of extra time in chapel band rehearsals.  We've begun rehearsing the songs for next week, but we didn't want to overplay them before next Friday... So, yesterday was a special workshop day in our chapel band elective!

Three students from the high school chapel band missed their last period classes - they weren't too upset about that - to share with the middle schoolers some tips about being in chapel band.  The two girls worked with our vocalists on singing harmony and having good stage presence.  I got to play piano for that group, and it was so fun to hear their voices blend and try new harmonies on familiar songs.

In the other room, a high school drummer worked with our two middle school drummers.  They developed confidence with different rhythms and talked about techniques for the drum set and Cajon box drum.

It was great to see these older and younger musicians learning from each other and worshipping God together!  We'll be doing this again soon.

The Treasure

"The treasure is You, there's no other

The treasure is You, more than gold

Heaven and earth, they have lost their luster

You alone are the treasure that I hold."

[Meredith Andrews]

The lyrics of this song by Meredith Andrews have been running through my mind lately, after reading a challenging chapter of Radical with my small group a few weeks ago.  Jesus is our treasure, the greatest treasure we could ever find!  Are we worth giving up everything else to pursue that treasure?

I wrote this little modern-day parable to share with the middle schoolers at our Monday morning devotions called "matins."  Several students acted it out as I read aloud.  I'm praying that we are all reminded of its truth this week!

The Parable of a Man Named Joe

(A Modern Day Version of Matthew 13:44)

Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

There once was a man named Joe.  He was out for a walk one sunny day with his dog, Bailey.  He let Bailey off her leash to run freely in the field.  This was their favorite place to come and play.  When he wanted to get away from the demands of work and finances and other responsibilities, this was where he would come.  He could just relax and breathe in the fresh air.

A scratching sound jolted Joe out of his dreamlike state.  There was Bailey, intently scratching at the ground.  

"What are you doing there, Bailey?"  Joe questioned as he jogged over to the busy canine.  He pulled Bailey away from the spot to reveal a box in a shallow hole in the ground.  "What on earth is this?"  He wondered aloud.  His curiosity got the best of him, and he tugged at the corners of the box to reveal whatever was inside.

It was almost unthinkable, unspeakable in fact.  He sat there on the ground for a minute without moving, unsure of how to respond.  The treasure inside was more than he could make in a lifetime, maybe twice that.  Bailey panted in his ear, but Joe couldn't think clearly enough to form words yet.

How many times had he jogged around this field with Bailey?  How long had this box been only a few meters away from their feet?  He couldn't ask those questions.  Not now.

Looking over his shoulder, he quickly shoved the box back into the hole and began covering it with the fresh dirt.  Bailey whimpered, as if to ask, "What are you doing?!  I just uncovered that treasure!"  Joe tossed back, "This isn't our treasure.  Not yet at least."

Joe ran into town with Bailey at his heels, millions of thoughts swarming in his mind.  But he could only entertain one:  How could he buy that field?

Joe tied Bailey up in front of the town hall and walked in.  "May I speak with Mayor Branch please?" he asked.  Without more than a nod, the secretary ushered Joe back to the mayor's office.  

"What can I do for you today, Joe?"  Mayor Branch was an old friend of Joe's.  

"Well, Hal, I was wondering about that field where I always run with Bailey, you know, down near Carter Street?"  

"Oh yes, of course I know the place.  Beautiful spot.  Great view of the sunset over the town, lots of shade from the trees.  Love that place.  What about it?"

"Um, well, who owns it?"

"Owns it?  Why, that's town land, I suppose."  The mayor typed a few things into his computer.  "Huh."

Joe waited patiently for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "What?"

"I had no idea.  There is a note here that that piece of land has been on the market for years, but no one has purchased it.  That's quite a surprise."  He read on and then gasped.  "Oh, well that explains it!  Look at this price tag!  No one could ever afford that."  Joe leaned over and his eyes widened.  It did seem a bit exorbitant.  But he knew why.

And as Joe walked out of the town hall, thanking Hal as he went, he knew.  He knew what he wanted to do.  Because he had found the treasure.

Over the next few days, Joe set out to sell everything he owned.  He met with his realtor to put his home on the market.  She kept asking him if he was really sure what he was doing, but he assured her that he had found something better.  Joe met with the stock broker to sell all shares of his stocks, and even quit his high-paying job downtown.  He went on ebay to sell his books, household items, appliances, electronics, and clothes.  What wouldn't sell there, Joe bagged up and took to the thrift shop.

"Joe!" Stan called out.  "Good to see you!  What are you doing here?"  Joe explained that he was downsizing, although he didn't go into the details.  Still, Stan shook his head in disbelief as he saw what Joe had brought in the bags, full to overflowing.  Joe left the bags at Stan's feet because he knew.  He knew what he wanted to do.  Because he had found treasure.

Finally, with nothing but Bailey to his name, he walked back to the town hall with his head held high.  Because he knew.

"Hal, I'm back."  Joe said, as he handed an envelope to Hal.  

"What's this?"  Hal asked.  And then he looked inside.  "What on earth?  Did you sell everything you own?"  Hal said, mockingly.  When he saw Joe nod his head seriously, he sputtered, "Oh my word, you did, didn't you?  Are you crazy?  I mean, that land is beautiful, but it's… land.  You're leaving behind the security of a house, a retirement plan, everything that lets you live a normal life!  You're comfortable where you are.  Why in the world would you give it all up?"

Joe nodded his head in understanding.  Because he knew.  He knew that others wouldn't understand.  They didn't know about the treasure.  Once that field was his, the treasure would be his.  And all that he was leaving behind, all of the sacrifice, all of the "stuff" was worth nothing compared to that field, compared to that immense treasure that he and Bailey had found buried in the dirt.

As crazy as it seemed, he was confident of this:  It was worth abandoning EVERYTHING ELSE to find that TREASURE.

A Full (of Fun) Wednesday!

These autumn days have been very full - full of fun, that is!  While my days are filled with many responsibilities, meetings, and events, I am truly filled with joy as I go through the day.

Yesterday's fun began with a special English lesson in 1st period.  We have been reading Number the Stars for the past week or so, and yesterday was a little break from that unit.  I did a mini-lesson on the six areas of Language Arts - reading and writing, listening and speaking, and visualizing and viewing.  The students were able to guess all of them with just a few hints!  We focused on writing, listening, and speaking during yesterday's class. The students had to do a creative writing piece on what it means to be "brave."  Some students wrote about actual people, while others created fictional heroes.  They worked so diligently!  After this writing time, I initiated a debate about the same topic.  I encouraged students to share their thoughts, respond to others, and draw in students who were on the "sidelines."  The sixth graders did a great job on their first round-table discussion, and I look forward to doing this with them again in the future.

In the middle of the day, I headed over to the elementary school to check on the Operation Christmas Child progress and eat lunch with my former class (now 5th graders).  Each elementary class has a collection box in the classroom, and the 5th graders come to collect the items regularly.  These items are then sorted into boxes by "type" (pictured below) to help the shoe box packing process go more smoothly.  It is so fun to see the 5th graders taking on responsibility and all of the students getting enthusiastic about the project!

Back at the middle school in the afternoon, we had our monthly class auction, which is part of our "classroom economy" based on the Vanguard program.  (Totally worth checking out!)  I wish I had a picture of the students raising their auction paddles to bid on fun items, such as chocolate bars, hand warmers, and coupons for one excused late homework and a free item at our next auction.

Finally, to finish off a great Wednesday, I headed to Herbstmesse for the evening.  I've written about this fall festival in Basel for the past two years, probably because it is one of the most-anticipated events of the fall.  After grabbing our wurst and Starbucks drink, we headed across the bridge to the bumper cars.  There is something unifying about the violence, the laughter, the high-energy excitement of the bumper cars at Herbstmesse!  This year was even more exciting for me, as I am now a middle school teacher.  The middle schoolers have a designated time to meet at the bumper cars to challenge their teachers and classmates.  It was a blast to ride around with students!  (Some were crazier drivers than others...!)  What a gift to be able to invest in their lives, not only in the classroom.

Roommates enjoying Starbucks!

Bumper cars with the middle schoolers!