God Is Bigger Than the Culture Shock!

I sit here in a quiet hallway catching my breath from a whirlwind week.  I led the upper elementary/middle school program at TeachBeyond's new staff orientation, which means that I got to spend the week with five hilarious, bright, and Jesus-loving kids!  In the other moments of the day, God provided opportunities for me to connect with many of the new TeachBeyond staff attending the conference, including some who will be joining the staff of BFA.  Here's a glimpse of our week...

Monday: Expectations

We talked about what they expect will happen in the new place, acknowledging that things won't happen exactly how they think it will!  We can be flexible when things happen differently than we expected.

We also took a field trip to the local library, where the kids researched and then presented about their host countries: Hungary, Germany, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Tuesday: Identity

Who we are doesn't change when we move, but we may find things about ourselves changing as we fit into a new place.  These students will also be adding the "TCK" (third culture kid) dimension to who they are.  We also did some team-building activities to build communication and encouragement among the students.  It was really neat to see the siblings working together, as two of the girls were sisters and the other three were from the same family!  We ended the day acting out skits about how to react to culture shock.  

Making collages about ourselves

Obstacle course team-building

Wednesday: Trust

We studied the characters in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), especially focusing on Abraham who followed God to a new place without even knowing where he was going!

We then reflected on how we need to be trusting God in transition.  The students compiled a list of things that they know or think they'll be sacrificing as they move overseas.  (No, these kids aren't going to Germany - otherwise they wouldn't be sacrificing chocolate!)  Then, they prayed over this list, committing themselves to following God, regardless of the sacrifice involved.

Thursday: Being Observant

We talked about being observant as a strategy for adjusting to a new culture.  We studied how Paul was observant to the needs of the people he served in Athens (Acts 17), so we can emulate this as we enter new cultures.  One of the kids' favorite activities of the week was what we called "Culture Improv."  My co-teacher, Katie, and I would start acting out a scene, and the students had to observe to figure out how to enter into the scene.  We acted out several vignettes including checking out at a grocery store, riding a train, eating a meal in someone's home, and attending a church service.

The kids also decided to write a parody to the Veggie Tales song "God Is Bigger Than the Boogie Man," entitling theirs "God Is Bigger Than the Culture Shock."  What fun to hear their creativity in the lyrics and enthusiasm to practice and perform the song!  We even recorded it and then showed the video to the adults during one of their sessions - it was quite a hit!  You will also notice in pictures below that this song title showed up on the t-shirts we created.

Friday:  Saying Goodbye

What makes a good goodbye?  How do you say farewell well?  We discussed the commonly-used acronym RAFT: reconciliation, affirmation, farewell, and talk about past/present/future.  Per the kids' request, we also had a photo shoot at the local park!

To end our time together, the students even made and floated their own "rafts" out of cardboard and balloons!

... And I didn't even mention the wonderful sessions, meals, testimony times, and conversations I had with the adults!  How special it was to build connections with the TeachBeyond new staff this week.

I have said many goodbyes recently, and the end of this orientation week brought on another wave of farewells.  But this time it was perhaps a bit easier, as these "see you laters" are met with the hope of "hellos."

Hello to my brother flying back from Kenya today!
Hello to the new BFA staff I'll see again in August.
Hello to TeachBeyond friends around the world at our staff conference in April.

And I'm thankful that, whether or not we see each other again in this lifetime, the Lord has brought us together for this time to be encouraged in His global mission.  May we serve Him well in the work He has called us to around the world!

Silence on the Blog

It's been two weeks since I updated my blog - not because there hasn't been much to say, but because there hasn't been time to put into writing all that has been happening around me!  The end of the school year is always a busy season at BFA, but this year has been even more of a whirldwind...

-- We had a fancy dinner to honor our 8th grade students "graduating" to the high school.  Following the dinner, we drove back to the high school for an awards ceremony with all of the middle schoolers.  There were academic and music awards given, as well as teacher-presented tributes for each of the 8th grade students.  I had the privilege of presenting the 6th Grade Top Scholar and my subject awards (English 6 and Bible 6), as well as tributing one of our 8th grade chapel band members who truly embodies worship as a lifestyle.

The awesome staff I got to work with this year!

Giving K.J.'s tribute

J.O. received the 6th Grade Top Scholar award

-- I also took time with my sixth grade class to talk about transition.  Four out of the sixteen sixth graders are leaving BFA this summer, whether for a year away (because of Germany's "totalization" rule that requires us to leave for a year after every five years of service at BFA) or for good as their families accept a new assignment elsewhere.  These students shared a little bit about where they are going next, some even brought pictures of their new homes and schools.  Then, we affirmed these students in order to help bring some closure to their time at BFA.  I got tears in my eyes as I heard the students honor their departing classmates with words of kindness, hope, and fond memories.  We will miss these students - we entrust them into God's hands!

One of the departing sixth graders

-- The "parade of lasts" culminated with BFA's high school graduation.  Graduation is a special time at BFA, a two-hour ceremony that personally honors each graduate and challenges them to continue pursuing truth as they transition to colleges, universities, and gap year programs around the world.  I love the way a fellow colleague describes graduation here.

-- While the past month has felt like a foot race, this final week before leaving for America was more of a sprint!  Brittany and I have spent nearly every waking moment packing our belongings, selling or donating unwanted items, moving boxes, cleaning the apartment, and painting a fresh coat on two ceilings.  Moving is hard work!  Our stuff is now all in storage in my classroom, as our apartment will not be ready for us until we return in mid-August.  Despite the necessity of a double-move, we are so incredibly grateful to God for providing a place for us to live next year that is closer to the main campus of BFA, which will give us more of an opportunity to host students and friends in our home.

Everything stored in my classroom for the summer!

Saying goodbye to my home-away-from-home for the past 3 years!

-- In the midst of this, I've said goodbye to some dear friends - these fellow travelers on the journey that have walked the same path as me for a little while.  Now their path branches off as they follow God into marriage, relocation, or a new job.  The longer I stay here, the harder the "goodbyes" become.  Each year, I know more of the graduating class and a higher percentage of the departing staff.  And each year, I become even more convinced that "bittersweet" is a term coined for the end of the year at BFA!  It's sad to see them leave, but there is peace in knowing that they are following God's leading.

How grateful I am for the opportunity to invest so deeply that goodbyes hurt so much.

And praise be to the God of all comfort, who does not leave or forsake us!

Field Trip auf Deutsch!

After spending a few classes talking about "ich möchte..." (I would like...), "es kostet..." (it costs...), and food vocabulary (a favorite for all of us!), I decided to take my German class on a field trip to the grocery store and a local bakery.

First, the students gave directions to the driver in German.  Of course, everyone knew where the grocery store was, but they had to remember a previous unit on giving directions in order to get the car to Hieber's.

At the grocery store, the students completed a scavenger hunt.  They had to look for different types of apples, the price of a salmon filet, and other information throughout the store.  All the while, they were to remain quiet and subdued, so as to blend culturally with the German shoppers.  (As if holding a piece of paper and pencil in a grocery store wouldn't make them stand out...)

After the scavenger hunt, we drove to Heitzmann's to order pastries and drinks.  If they didn't use correct vocabulary or grammar, I got to eat what they ordered!  Needless to say, no one messed that one up. :)

Das machtet viel Spaß!

Back to the Recording Studio!

"I lay me down, I'm not my own

I belong to You alone

Lay me down, lay me down

Hand on my heart, this much is true

There's no life apart from You

Lay me down, lay me down

It will be my joy to say

Your will, Your way always"

[Chris Tomlin]

These are the words that the middle school chapel band sang at the recording studio today!  (You may remember my trip to this same studio with the elementary chapel band last spring.)  The students were thrilled to be in a "real" recording studio with "real" equipment!  Brittany and I were thrilled with their enthusiasm, focus, and musicianship.  And the studio manager was impressed with their work, too!  We are looking forward to getting the mp3 of the recording soon.  

My prayer is that these students continue to choose to glorify God with their music and their very lives - that it would truly be their joy to surrender to Him!