A New Perspective on Transition

For the past two summers, I have coordinated the TeachBeyond orientation program for the middle and high schoolers to prepare them for the transition of moving to a new country and making new friends.  My co-teacher Katie and I loved these two week-long experiences of seeing the world through the eyes of a group of pre-MKs!  These times together revealed uncertainty and trust, curiosity and enthusiasm.

This week I had the opportunity to witness transition from the "other side."  I spent each morning this week with eleven middle and high schoolers whose parents are new to BFA staff.  These students are coming from the USA, Canada, Honduras, and Russia, so they have quite a wide range of cultural experiences.  Again, we connected over games, role-playing, and conversations about culture shock, expectations, and trusting God.  This time, our sessions were specifically geared toward life in Germany - small-town customs, BFA lingo, and understanding German.  We had a lot of fun and (hopefully!) learned a lot!

Several other adults joined us for our daily "snack time" to share about different opportunities for students to get involved in community life - music, athletics, small groups, dance, school musical...

Several of our activities this week involved returning students, including a tour of the high school campus.

It was great seeing the returners and new students building friendships already!

 Practicing BFA lingo with a crossword puzzle!

Welcome to BFA!