On a Mission

Ian's first few weeks

2009-02-11T16:38:00.002-08:00

Sorry, I have removed all pics of Ian. I don't want to put pics on the blog until I figure out how to protect the pics. Any ideas? If I am not able to, I will discontinue the blog and create another place to share pics and information about our lives.

A New Journey.....with Ian Kristofer

2009-02-10T10:05:00.001-08:00

Febuary 10, 2009

Well, I was going to start a whole new blog for Ian, but decided to continue with this one since our journey with Ian really started in Germany. Life with Ian is a new mission. Even though we are home in the States this year, serving overseas is still something we are seeking. Continue to pray for us.

However, we have taken this year to transition back to the States and to begin a new journey with Ian Kristofer Lucas. He is the joy of our life now. We are blessed with a beautiful, healthy little boy. We chose the name Ian, well first because we just liked the sound of it and it was Scottish/Irish, and the fact that it means "God's Gracious One". God is gracious! Ian is also a form of the name John, which is one of my favorite books in the bible. The name just fit. Kristofer was chosen because we wanted a Germany name. Well, its origin is not German, but we took on the German spelling. We simply liked the sound of the name and how it fit with Ian. We spent months thinking of a middle name and decided finally the week Ian was born.

This blog is for family and friends to follow Ian and his life. You can also check on facebook for updates and pictures.

This blog is also a way to communicate our next steps towards missions, whether it be here in the States or overseas. Remember, all Christ believers are called to missions......to serve, love, and share Christ to others wherever you are.

We're Home!

2008-07-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Our year in Germany has come to an end. We are so thankful for all the prayers and encouragement given to us this year. This year had its challenges, but it has been a blessing to serve students at BFA. It has also been a blessing to serve Germans in our community. One of the most precious moments is when I went to say goodbye to our former landlady. She gave me the biggest hug!

We will miss all the missionaries we met and worked with in Germany and Switzerland. We will always keep them in our prayers....and definitely stay in touch.

Stay tuned for what next mission field god calls us to......

BFA Graduation 2008

2008-06-16T05:09:00.001-07:00

Congratulations BFA graduating class of 2008!

Merrit Harris and his band performed

The class sang "In Christ Alone" for the audience

Mr. Shuman, director of BFA, receiving a live fish from one of the graduates. Tradition is that every year graduates present a gift to the director

Lining up for their grand entrance. Notice Nolan in the picture :)

So here are some highlights from graduation which took place on Friday June 8. Even though I did not teach the seniors, I had the privilege of getting to know some of the students either at Blauen dorm, Nolan's guitar students, or from just hanging out at the school. Both Nolan and I are proud of them and pray they will continue to seek God in all their future endeavors.

Updates

2008-06-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been busy packing and cleaning for the past couple of weeks. We leave next week for good ole USA. I am excited to see family and friends, and eat some American delights....like Mexican food.

We are spending this week saying good byes to friends we have gotten to know pretty well while being here. It will be sad to say good bye to them. We have dinner with a friend each night this week....and even some lunch dates too. We hope to get in one more day trip before leaving too.

We are beginning to narrow down the options. We returned yesterday from a quick trip to Casablanca, Morocco to look at some teaching jobs. It was a wonderful but busy 3 days. We met with so many people and even had the opportunity to teach some classes, which was a lot of fun. I taught a 5th grade ESL class and Nolan taught an elementary music class. We also had the opportunity to see some of the city. I think everyone should visit a country in Africa at least once in your life.....it is life-changing.

We will continue to pray for future opportunities for teaching in Morocco.

Continue to pray for us as we make decisions. We hope to head out to Montana as soon as we get back. I also re-applied for Williamson County Schools, where I was teaching before in Tennessee. These are 2 more opportunities we are praying and seeking about for the future.

Our prayer is that we are obedient. We don't want to follow our ways, but God's way. We pray for clarity in being obedient to His calling.

Again, thank you to all who have supported us by prayer, encouragement, and finances.

Elementary Spring Concert

2008-06-07T03:58:00.000-07:00

I am a little out of chronological order with the blog. But last Sunday was Nolan's elementary school spring concert. And let me say, it was way too cute. The theme was "country" and Nolan added a twist to the concert by throwing in some of his own songs, and he put together a live band, which consisted of some friends in the community and at church.

Nolan and the students wore "country" attire of boots, bandanas, or anything else country they may have had in their closet. Too cute. They had little dances to go along with the songs too. I was so proud of Nolan and his final spring concert. I even had some tears come to my eyes while watching and thinking this it it. The year is finished. What a great way to close the school year.

The Crunch

2008-06-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Since my last entry, it has been a whirlwind. Nolan's parents arrived here in Germany May 22 and have been here for 2 weeks. We saw a lot of Germany, France, and Switzerland with them. And there was still so much more we wanted to see. It is usually when family visits that we actually get out and see things. At the same time, our friends from Northern Ireland came for a weekend trip while Nolan's parents were here. We had a house full, but it was so much fun.

Also, while they were here Nolan had Middle School Awards and Elementary Spring Concert. It was nice for family to attend these events. I think they enjoyed seeing the programs and meeting the students and families.

Yesterday I gave my final exam and today I am busy grading. Only 5 more research papers to grade, but 50 final exams still left to grade. Nolan said he would help me with the exams :) All seems quiet now. Noone in the house, grading almost finished. I don't know what to do with myself.

Nolan and I need to take the quiet time and pray about the future. We have some options to consider and pray over. Here are some prayer requests for the upcoming weeks.

1. Moving to Montana to work with a church plant

2. Teaching at a school in Casablanca, Morocco

3. Moving back to Nashville and picking up where we left off

4. Continue with International Mission Board and attend orientation

Please keep us in you prayers as we consider all of these decisions. We want to be obedient in following the Lord. We don't want to make decisions based on what seems "right on paper", but what God is truly calling both Nolan and me to do.

Staff Appreciation Dinner

2008-05-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Bethany and Meagan...will miss those girls when we leave!

(At our table) Starting from the back; the Kronks, the Leavitts, the Stefans, and us. We had the most entertaining table!

A couple of weeks ago, the school treated all the teachers and staff to a nice dinner at a banquet hall with catering. The food was excellent and so was the company. It was nice to get together in this setting and just socialize. What a nice ending to the school year....well, we have 2 weeks left, but feeling the end is closer and closer.

Junior Senior Banquet

2008-05-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

(left to rght) Blauen girls with Lexi, one of the Resident Assistants. Hannah Kim, a cutie and my teacher asisstant

(below, lft to rght) Blauen girls again being silly :) Jack and Ellyn..BFA's cutest couple

Ariel and Andersen, both girls in my 1st period class. Ernie and Josh, both in my 7th period.

(lft to rght) Meagan and Brandon Post. Deloris and Nakul, both in my 7th period class.

The HBR dorm boys. All in my class. Koreans representing: Ernie and Sooji (middle) in my class.

Natasha and Bethany, both in my 1st period class.

Sign team. They are awesome and use my classroom after school to practice on Fridays. I get to hang out with them!

Nolan and I with Deloris and Ivan...dorm parents at Blauen, where we help out Mon. nights

Cameron Prenger and I....she is one of my juniors in 7th period American Lit.

Stephanie Miller and I....she is another student in 7th period

And another sweetie in my 7th period....Ellen Purpero

(lft to rght) Meagan, Stephanie, Me, Emily, Ellyn, and Hannah. Beautiful, young girls!

Banquet hall where the students and some staff ate dinner and watched the program. Nolan and I sat in the balcony

Last Sunday was the Junior Senior Banquet or JSB they call it here at BFA. The students get all dressed up with their dates and have a nice dinner. The school rents out this banquet hall where the food is catered. The juniors decorate the banquet room for the seniors. Their is a program where the juniors in each dorm pay a tribute to the seniors who are leaving. Some of the performances were really heart felt and nice to watch...others were interesting to say the least....

Teeanagers will be teenagers :) The whole evening was a success and Nolan and I enjoyed ourselves.

Baptism Services

2008-05-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Mikeala, one of the Nolan's middle school students. Her father is bible teacher at the school

Lukas, one of my 11th grade students. His parents are missionaries in Germany. Here is his mother praying and sharing with the the audience

(sorry for the blurriness) Lukas and his dad during the actual baptism

Lukas' dad sharing with the audience

Lukas giving his testimony

Lane and Jack Young. Lane and his family have been serving at BFA for 5 years. He works in Residence Life. Jack is one of Nolan's guitar students. This family has become special to us!

Lane and Meagan Young (the middle child) right before being baptized

And this particular bapitism brought tears to everyone's eyes. Pastor Herrop of the school's church and his daughter Hannah (5th grade and Nolan's student). Pastor Herrop cried as he shared about his daughter...sweet, sweet moment!

This past Sunday was the baptism service for students. Even though we are a Christian school with missionary kids, not all students come as believers in Christ. Sometimes teachers or staff have the privilege of being a part of a student coming to know Christ. And then also have a part in watching students make a public profession of their decision. Sometimes students partake in baptism because they have made a recommitment to Christ. But for various reasons, it was special to witness students in this event. What made it even more special, was some students' parents flew in so they could be a part of the service. Talk about bringing tears to the eyes as parents shared with their child in this occasion. Watching parents pray over their child was also heart touching!

The procedure was first the student gives his or her testimony, the father peforms the baptism, and after the baptism, the mother prays over the child. In some cases, not all parents were able to come, so a bible study leader or teacher would pray. Here are some pics from the service.

Blauen Dorm

2008-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Deloris pooped out on the sofa

Starting left....Vangie from Alaska, Lexi from Pennsylvania, and Deloris and Ivan from ???? Can't remember :)

Here is the whole map showing where all the girls, RAs and dorm parents are from..pretty cool, huh!

Not sure who is on the left, but Brad Pitt and Dr. Phil have their presence at Blauen. This was actually part of their theme night for open house

I guess the girls were offering their grass-cutting services to the German community?

We go every other Monday night to a girl's dorm to help out. We love it! I love hanging out with the girls and Deloris, the dorm mom. The 2 RAs and Ivan, dorm dad, have the night off. We usually get there around dinner time, and eat with the girls. We eat at a long table, and it totally family style. Crazy, but it is the only day of the week where Nolan and I actually eat a table. I know what you are thinking, we should take more time together and eat the dining table :)

After dinner, Nolan usually plays the piano with some of the girls who are quite talented! I usually help Deloris out in the kitchen, baking something for breakfast or snack. One particular night I had to bake for weekend event, and I calculated 3 dozen muffins and 2 cakes. I have never baked that much before! I was dreaming muffins in my head when I went to sleep. Anyway, so I baked a blueberry coffee cake last night, and it was yummy. Deloris always lets us take a little home with us!

It is such a treasure to hang out with the Blauen girls and Deloris. What a blessing to know such people! Here are some pics of the dorm. Next time I will get pics of the girls rooms, but I didn't want to disturb them during study hours.

High School Retreat

2008-04-28T03:24:00.001-07:00

Students taking a break

Team-building activity

Micah Powers (small group leader and assistant principal of school) leading bible study

Sam Stemple (Chaplain) leading bible study

Meagan (right side)-enjoying down time with girlfriends. Meagan's parent are IMB missionaries here in Germany and are good friends of ours

Girls being silly

Worship time with Jack and Noah

Ellyn Purpero and Eddie

Girls bible study time

Having more fun. Anna Dunn (left side) lives at the dorm where we help out

High School retreat was back in March. Nolan and I did not attend for various reasons. But the kids had a great time! Here are some pictures students took over the weekend.

BFA Soccer and Track

2008-04-28T03:18:00.000-07:00

Our team in the royal blue

Girls in their prayer huddle

Going for the ball

"Cheerleaders" on the side

Girls going for it

Soccer boys cheering for the soccer girls

A couple of weeks ago the soccer had their first games. It was kick-off for the season. Here are some pictures from these games. This coming up weekend, both track and soccer will have home games. I hear it is a big weekend for staff and students. We are planning to attend and will post some pictures of our undefeated teams!

Mission Trips

2008-04-24T03:21:00.000-07:00

More soaking of culture in Scotland

Josh Manley in Slovenia, where his family works

Kids in the community

Duisburg, Germay mission trip. I have no idea what students are in these costumes :)

Lukas Schindler, reading to kids in Scotland

Students on a prayer walk in Scotland. Spring Break Mission Trip '08

The whole group on Scotland Mission Trip

Slovenia Mission Trip, the whole group

Having fun at the airport

Austen and Lukas soaking up Scottish culture

Thought I share some pictures from the various mission trips taken over spring break. These students had amazing stories, and pictures, to share. Even though these are missionary kids, some had never been on a mission trip outside of their parents' missionary countries. For some this was a whole new experience.

M&Ms in a Trail Mix

2008-04-24T03:14:00.000-07:00

The other day in class we read Alice Walker's "Everyday Uses", a powerful story set during the Civil Rights movement. She addresses the importance of recognizing one's heritage. I had the students discuss and write about their own heritage, knowing this would be a sensitive and challenging task for these missionary kids, and being that they have lived in so many places and have trouble identifying their own heritage.

But I wanted them to dig deep and think about it. During our discussion one student saids, "We are like the M&Ms in a trail mix." This cleverly describes how sometimes these kids feel about heritage. They are a mix of so many heritages...blood and adopted. But they are like m&ms....just part of a mix....but a good mix! M&Ms are the best part.

Mosaic Gatherings

2008-04-20T01:58:00.000-07:00

The Mosaic Basel church plant that we are a part of met Wednesday night for the first time in a couple of months. We are under some reconstruction, and a new team is kind of emerging. We met to discuss our next outreach for the community. We will gather somewhere in Basel, still praying about a location, to have coffee and music and share about the hope of Christ in a hurting world. We will model Derek Webster's gathering called Noomas that take place in Zurich. Please see the following attachment for info and prayer needs. Biggest prayer need is to find a location in Basel (praying for Starbucks to open their doors) for our gathering. The cool thing about Mosaic is we are trying to meet people where they are in community, and the one place you will find people is a cafe...especially in Europe. Here is an email Derek sent to us....please read to see what we are doing and what prayer requests we have concerning Mosaic Basel. Notice the last pss...the Moenches, an IMB missionary family here in Germany, just celebrated their 25th anniversary. Congratulations!

Dear Mosaic Basel,
I really enjoyed our time at last nights Gathering. I promise that next time I'll be there at least 15 min till start so that we can get going promptly. We won't go past 20:30 next month.
I just wanted to quickly remind you to pray during the next two days about Nooma Nights Basel. Pray if it is God's will and pray for possible venues. Know that I'll be praying for your contacts in your prayer triads, and more specifically, that as relationships continue to develop there, we would have ideas and insight to help you reach out to them.
Also please be in prayer about a venue for our next Mosaic Gatherings. Amanda and Aaron are easily some of the most gracious people I know, and are awesome hosts! At the same time, we don't want to abuse their hospitality and want to be able to have a 'neutral' venue to which we can invite others. Besides, wouldn't it be cool to hear Lucas amped? So please ask our God the Provider to provide a meeting space for that 1x/month.
If you have any questions or thoughts, our leadership is here and available to you.
In His Grace,
Derek
p.s. Those booklets that Roger passed out are hugely helpful. I want to encourage you to review them at some point during the next month.
p.p.s. Once again: A very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY for the huge 25th milestone that the Moench's are celebrating!

Nolan's Birthday

2008-04-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

Aaron, Nolan, and Chris

Casey and Nolan

Nolan, Johnathan, and Christian with matching South Carolina shirts....Christian and Sandrine gave Nolan this old t-shirt as a white elephant present. Anyone familiar with this game?

Ilona, Sandrine, and Amanda

Casey had fun "decorating" Nolan. Static electricity was effective.

Christian (proud of K-2, the church he will be pastoring beginning in July in Utah), Klara, Nolan, and I

Wow, it has been one busy week. By Friday I was completely exhausted, and it was all I could do to get through the day and finally crash on the sofa.

Monday was Nolan's ?????th birthday. He rather I not share with the public :) Some friends of ours had a party at their home for Nolan. A few of our closest friends here in Germany attended. We had wonderful German carrot salad and banana cake (which I made). We spent the evening sharing most favorite memories about Nolan thus far. Most ended in much laughter. Then we played a cool German game called Wizard.

Late evening, but worth every minute. Nolan shared the next day that this was one of his best birthdays in the past few years.

Go BFA Soccer!

2008-04-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

The soccer teams left today for a weekend full of soccer games. Pray for the students and staff who will be traveling this afternoon. Pray that their weekend is filled with good times...and many wins! :)

Because so many students will be out tomorrow for these soccer games, it will be interesting how class goes. Hopefully, it will be a relaxed day! I love Fridays!

And one more thing, Nolan's birthday is Monday! I will not disclose his age.....we will leave everyone who reads this blog to guess. We will have a little get together at our friends Sandrine and Christian. Stay tuned for pictures.

Have a blessed weekend! And thank you for all the prayers and encouragement.

My Hometown Roots

2008-04-09T01:51:00.000-07:00

Most of you know my fear coming into this new position of teaching American Literature. I had been teaching high school ESL, but not specifically American Lit. This past week I have been reflecting on this past school year, now that we are approaching the end. I see that American Literature was the right place for me. It had been awhile since diving into American writers and seeing what beautiful stories they bring to the Lit world.

Interestingly, a lot of the stories in the textbook are from the deep south. I had forgotten about the wonderful authors of my own region. By reading these stories, such as Huck Finn or "A Worn Path", it makes me proud of where I was born and raised. I never really thought much about my roots when living in Tennessee. I knew I was proud of my roots, but never really reflected on them. These stories have brought a new level of appreciation of where I come from. I also can bring my knowledge of the south to the class...and of the United States in general.

To look at the spiritual implications, I see that God knew I needed to be in this class teaching for various reasons, and not just easy ones (those who know of my struggles with certain behaviors in the classroom). The opportunity has brought more meaning in my life in many and diverse ways. I am thankful for the opportunity to teach American Literature. It has been a crazy journey this year, but in retrospect, I am thankful and honored.

More closing thoughts are to come as both Nolan and I finish out the school year. Even with this new found appreciation, both Nolan and I sense this is not where we are to be long-term. So continue to pray for us as we make decisions.

Spring Fever...and Prayer Request

2008-04-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

So back to the reality of lectures, assignments, and grades for both the students and teachers. Actually, this first week back after 2 weeks of spring break, wasn't so bad. Students, including me, were in good spirits. Half of my students went on one of the mission trips and had wonderful stories to share.

I came back refreshed and ready to hit the ground running until the end of the school year. We only have 2 months left until summer break. Pray that teachers and students can endure and finish the school year strong.

Prayer Requests:

1. 2 opportunities Nolan and I were persuing for next year have closed. So we are at square 1. Please keep us in your prayers as we make decisions regarding next year. It was kind of a rough week, but we are staying positive and trusting the Lord. Trust and Faith are the key words....we have to hold on to this.

2. Mosaic Church plant. It is going under some reorganization. Pray for the team and for the outreach opportunities in the community.

3. My sister-in-law (Carol Cooper) has either cysts or tumors of the ovaries. She will go to another doctor Tuesday to get a 2nd opinion.

Final Day of our Northern Ireland Trip

2008-04-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

McGladdery Family (newborn Johnathan), Becky, Brid, and I

Everyone again but with Nolan in the pic this time

So the last day of our trip was spent having coffee and tea with the McGladdery family before heading to Dublin. Another wonderful family we have gotten to know over the past 5 years. Another family who is also devoted in helping their community. Once again another great day spent with friends.

More Hanging out with Friends

2008-03-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Nolan, Ian, Nicola, and I-Sunday afternoon drive on the coast

Brid and I at Hillside Community Church

Paul and John at the Saturday night party

Hayley and Becky

Paul's mom and Nicola

Naomi and Shannon

The Bonar family: Fiona, Hazel, and Sam (Sam is one of the elders and leaders at Hillside Community Church)

The Fam: Nicola, Ian, Me, and Brid

The Hunter Family: Stephen, Anne, Jordan, and Amy

From Saturday until Monday, we just spent more time with friends. Saturday night, Ian and Nicola had a party for us, so everyone could come by to say hi...especially friends we had not seen yet. It was nice to visit with friends, and Nicola and Ian made the party so special. After the party, Brid and I helped clean up and we stayed up late talking and sharing....and laughing a lot! Brid stayed the night with all of us.

Sunday morning, we headed to church. Nolan and I were asked to read scripture, and then Nolan was asked to play his guitar and say a little word to the congregation. Nolan spoke of how God brings believers together to serve Him...and that is what God has done with Nolan and me and the Hillside Community Church friends. Such an encouraging word!

After church, we had dinner and Nicola and Ian drove us to the coast for one more last look before leaving. We stopped and had scones and tea by a fireplace in a quaint cafe. Another nice afternoon.

Sunday evening was devoted to spending time with the 4 interns from the US serving in the Dunlug community, where they also live. {Dunclug is considered a project housing area that is predominately Catholic and is infested with drug use and alcoholism. This is the same neighborhood we have been going to for the past 5 years on our Northern Ireland mission trips}. We had such a nice time hanging out with the interns and learning about their ministry.

While at their apartment, a few of the neighborhood kids came by, and one particular girl who came by, I worked with 2 summers ago. Many of us have a burdened heart for her because her brother was killed 2 summers ago due to "the Troubles" between the Catholics and Protestants. So much has been done to create peace, but situations still take place because of the problems between the two groups of people.

We can only pray that God intervenes in the kids hearts, and they realize that God is perfect peace. It is incredible when we see one child, teenager, or parent come to know the Lord as their Savior, then their Love for God overflows to others. Pray for Ballymena and its people. Pray for the workers who are committed in helping their community.

We are thankful for our Ballymena friends and are blessed God brought them into our lives. Thank you friends for a wonderful and meaningful trip! A special thank you to Nicola and Ian for opening their home to us and for all the wonderful meals and conversation. May God bless you and your ministry with the youth at Hillside Community.

Friday Night Dinner with the McMillans

2008-03-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Andru McMillan...the older McMillan son. We gave him a surprise visit at work.

Kathryn McMillan and I

Neil and Kathryn McMillan and their niece. Kathryn McKinney in the background

The McMillans are another family we have gotten to know while working and doing missions in Ballymena. They are so passionate and committed to helping the surrounding communities in Ballymena that are in need. The McMillans have given so much of their time and resources to us and others who come and help. May God Bless the McMillans in their devotion and committment to help those around them in need; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They truly have a burdened heart for those who do not know our Lord Jesus Christ.

The McKinneys and Newcastle

2008-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Norma and I enjoying a walk on the rocks

Nolan and Norma singing along with a karaoke machine at the McKinneys home

John, Kathryn, Me, Norma, and Nolan

Adorable Kathryn

Norma and I in the car on the way to Newcastle

All of Friday was devoted to spending time with the McKinneys. We have always wanted to spend more time with this family, but our time together was always short spent because of our missional duties in Ballymena. This time was different; we had an entire day to just hang out....and that is exactly what we did. They picked us up and we headed to Newcastle, a place I have always wanted to visit but never had the time. As you can see in the pictures Newcastle is a seaside town with beautiful scenery.

Norma and Nolan have always had a strong bond because of their love of working with young children. They always had a blast singing children's songs together on the pitch where we held Vacation Bible School for the Dunclug Estates.

The whole day was wonderful as we spent time with our friends in Christ. It is neat to see how God just places in people in your life with such a strong bond and connection. May God truly bless the McKinneys and their devotion and service to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hayley's Home

2008-03-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

From Thursday night on during our visit in Northern Ireland was spent haning out with friends.

Thursday night we picked up Brid Graham. Brid is 18 now, and we have known her since she was 14. We have basically watched her grow up into this wonderful woman of God. She is an amazing person and friend.

So we pick Brid up and ask what she wanted to do, and where people go after 8:00 in Ballymena, being that everything shuts down after 6:00. She says Hayley's house is the place to go, so we took her word for it and decided to surprise Hayley with a visit. The evening was full of great fellowship...and much laughter because Hayley is quite hilarious. She even has her own blog with thoughts about life and a twist of humor to go along with it (coffeehelps.wordpress.com). We laughed and laughed that evening. So much fun hanging out with friends.

Persuasive Speeches

2008-03-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Random picture of students outside my office window

Johann before giving his powerful speech on Darfur and how we should take action

Andersen while giving her speech

I forgot to mention that before spring break took place, I had students give persuasive speeches. Topics covered all kinds of issues...national, political, pop culture, religious, etc..... I was so proud of them and their speeches. And the students I thought would not do so well, suprised me by doing exceptionally well. Here are some pics of students from various classes. I am just so proud of all of the students! The first picture was taken randomly. I was in my office after school finishing up some grading, and I heard these students outside my window talking....so I thought I would take a picture.

Ulster American Folk Park

2008-03-28T02:45:00.001-07:00

March 18, 2008

Tuesday March 18 we headed for Ballymena Northern Ireland to visit friends. This was my 5th time to go and Nolan's 6th time. Usually we are going to do mission work, but this time it was just to hang out and enjoy Ballymena and the surrounding area. But of course we were hoping to run into some of the kids from the Dunclug Estates, where we have done mission work for 5 years

Because we did so much over spring break, I decided to split up the blog into parts. The first being the Ulster American Folk Park.

The first day we walked around Ballymena. The second day we decided to go on an adventure to Omagh. Omagh was where the last bombing in the Troubles took place. U2 often makes references about it in their concerts. But instead of visiting a memorial, we went to the Ulster American Folk Park...recommended by the tourism agency. The park was set up as real-life town in the 1800s in Ireland. You could walk through homes and farms with live animals. In each place there was a person dressed in 1800s attire to give you some brief history. Then the park took you to the "New World", where it showed the history of how the Irish people journeyed to America. This was interesting to Nolan and me, being that both of our ancestery comes from Ireland. In fact, I even saw my maiden name on a sign. Overall this tourist adventure was worthwile and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I think we just felt some kind of connection because we thought about our ancestors taking this journey at some point in their lives.

Pajama Party Serenaders

2008-03-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

It is Friday night 9:15 and we hear the doorbell ring. We never have visitors; a lot of people don't even know where our new apartment is located. I answered the phone to downstairs, and I am greeted on the phone by 6 middle school girls who wanted to talk to Mr. Lucas. I put him on the phone and they break into the song COFFEE, which they are learning in choir. It is so adorable. Of course I had to grab the camera and get some pics and video of them. We watched them from our window for awhile and then headed downstairs to see them. They were in the pajamas and were carrying pillows, and the funny thing I was also in pajamas...my strawberry shortcake ones. The girls loved seeing a 33 year old in Strawberry Shortcake pajamas.

Moments like that really make being here special. As I listened, I thought how much it is a blessing to be part of the ministry here at BFA. Moments like this make the homesickness, cultural/language frustration, and classroom stress worth it all...to know we have a part in educating these students, when their families are serving and ministering to hurting people all around the world.

Pray for safety as students head home for spring break. We have students flying all around the world by themselves. Also, pray for the 77 students and 16 staff/teachers leaving this weekend on mission trips. Pray for their safety and the serving/ministry they will be doing this week.

Mission trips include:
Poland
Rawanda and Burkino Faso, Africa
Duisburg, Germany
Glasglow, Scotland

Pray for us as we leave Tuesday for Northern Ireland. We will be meeting with an IMB missionary in Dublin and seeing about mission opportunities there and in Northern Ireland. We also will be visiting with all of our friends in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, which we are very excited about!
Stay tuned for video footage of the girls singing...not uploading at the moment.....need tech help!

Dancing Queen

2008-03-13T00:15:00.001-07:00

Okay maybe I am not a dancing queen, but I love to dance. God may not have blessed me with music abilities, but He has blessed me with rhythm, or what I have been told anyway. Before moving to Germany, I had been taking Oriental Folkloric dance (better known as bellydancing, a word coined by the Europeans and Americans). It was one of my outlets outside of teaching, and I made some wonderful friends through it. I was hoping to find some classes while in Germany, knowing that one of the best dancers lives in Germany, Leyla Jouvana. So I did some research and found a Leyla Jouvana workshop in Basel, only 20 minutes from where I live. One Saturday afternoon in February, about 20 others and I spent 3 hours shimmying til we couldn't shimmy anymore with Leyla. It was fabulous, and I got to know some Germans and Swiss girls. The fun part was I happen to be the only English speaking person, so Leyla had to translate for me....and sometimes would forget. But some of the girls knew English and would whisper the dance step to me. It was such a fun afternoon. Here is a pic of me and Leyla, and her her husband who does all the drumming. This pic is taken after the 3 hours of dancing and you could tell, sweaty and tired.

Update on My Students

2008-03-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

Now, this blog entry is an update about the prayer requests regarding that class of students who are not easy to work with. Things seem to be slowly getting better. They are a little more calm these days, but still have their moments. One particular student still gives me a little attitude, but it seems to not be so bad...or I just have learned to deal with it in a better way.

Thank you to all you have prayed for me. I feel your prayers every day while I am here on the mission field. Continue to pray for us as we make a decision regarding next year. We still do not have an idea of what to do. However, we are seeking help from wise and knowledgeable missionaries in making our decision.

May the Lord bless you as you continue to support us in prayer and encouragement

And Even More Pics....

2008-03-06T09:45:00.001-08:00

Missy and Austen swing dancing...to the right are 2 of my students: Noah and Emily

Josh Crooks....this is a typical glance from Josh. He is also a student of mine and drummer for the BFA worship band

Daniel Choi, another student of mine who plays base guitar for the BFA worship band. He was also a student of Nolan's

12th grade students who are known to be quite athletic at the school, as you can see in the picture. They are peforming a scene from the movie 300

Better Candlelight Pics..Please See!

2008-03-06T09:36:00.001-08:00

"La Bamba" sung and performed by Nolan, Meagan, Gena (Spanish teacher), and Hannah
Beautiful Korean students at BFA
The dining hall
Christian and "Rosa", actually Stephanie Miller, another student of mine who is a great actress. We will probably see her in movies, TV, or Broadway someday.
Part of the Swing dancers and performers

I have a brand new camera that is great, but there is nothing like those fancy professional cameras like Michele Pheonix uses....so Michele let me have some pics from her fancy camera. Also, she had a student take pics up close, where I was sitting at the last table in the back for the dinner. Please enjoy the pictures. I copied ones that were mostly of my students and friends.

Students.....

2008-02-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

All the high school students are leaving in a few moments for high school retreat, and they seem really excited. They will be staying in a castle, so I know they are excited about that. The retreat is a time to hang out with friends, but also a time to dive into the Word. A guest speaker and musician will be there, and each student will be placed in a small group with a leader from the school. Nolan and I opted to not go...I actually needed today to catch up on grading and lesson planning. A lot of teachers are taking advantage of this day off :) They had too many adults sign up anyway, so I didn't feel so bad when I heard of this.

This morning I woke up and just began reflecting on the life of my students. I have one class of mostly boys who have been giving me trouble this year. They are new students to BFA and they all live in the same dorm, and seem to be best friends...so all of these factors have not made it easy in the classroom. I have prayed and struggled this year in what to do with these boys. I have talked to the administration and other teachers. I can't seem to pinpoint whether they are just being typical 17 year old boys, or is there something deeper within them. As a teacher, I just ask that they be respectful, but this is a challenge for them. And it seems to be getting worse. I know a few other teachers are having trouble as well. So my prayer is that this weekend would be a time of growth for them--and me as I stay home and reflect. May God intervene in this situation.

This was on my heart today and I felt like I needed to share on my blog so people could be praying.

Driver's Test and Prayer Requests

2008-02-26T05:25:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to write about Candlelight Dinner and our wonderful weekend exploring Germany that I forgot to mention Nolan passed the German driver's test. He has an official European driver's license. Now it is my turn to take the test!

Prayer requests for this week:

1. High School retreat this weekend in Nurnberg, Germany
2. Music Festival for all music students...including Nolan's guitar students
3. Motivation for me to begin studying for the driver's test
4. As always, keep us in your prayers as make decisions regarding next year...this is tough and emotional for us. Pray that we have a clear direction from God and are obedient in following.

Thank you again for all those who support us with prayer, encouragement, and finances. Much love to you all.

Candlelight Dinner Pictures

2008-02-25T11:25:00.001-08:00

Frau Jenne, Nolan, and I
Korean dancers
Les Miserables: This particular song performed by Kate Harrop and Michelle Young
Nolan and his BIG hat singing "La Bamba"

I thought I would put the pictures I took in a separate post. Enjoy some of the pictures! Remember you can see even better pictures on my friend's site seen below:

www.xanga.com/serenitymine

Candlelight Dinner

2008-02-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Herr and Frau Jenne

Candlelight Dinner is an event put on by BFA for the Germany community. It is a time to get to know our fellow neighbors a little better and an opportunity to share the hope of Christ with them.

Every year there is a different theme and this year was "Time Travel" through different parts of the world and different time periods. Students and staff performed various dances and songs, and of course Nolan had a part in this year's event. He and some students performed "La Bamba". They have been working on this performance for weeks now, along with all the other performers for the dinner. At the end of the show, Christian Kockersheidt (a good friend of ours) preached on the hope of Christ in the various circumstances and troubles we may face in life. The entire show and message was in German, and students and staff who speak German fluently helped by serving or ushering.

We invited our former landlords Frau and Herr Jenne, and they loved it! Their favorite performance was "Les Miserables" performed by some of my and Nolan's students. We were proud of them! Some other performances included a Korean dance, swing dancing, and a bluegrass song.

It was so nice getting to spend the evening with our former landlords...thank goodness Frau Jenne speaks German :) I wish I could speak more German. I had some of my students help translate from time to time.

What a wonderful evening! To see more pictures go to my friend Michele's blog...she was in charge of the whole event and she is a better photogapher than I am :)

www.xanga.com/serenitymine

Germany and all its Beautiful Scenery

2008-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Nolan and I were in the exploring mood today, plus it was an absolutely gorgeous day here in this part of Germany. We decided to see places around our village that we have never seen before. We drove about 15 minutes out of Kandern (where we live) to NochBlauen, which is the top of the peak in the picture. We had a wonderful time watching the people hang gliding and just looking at the beautiful scenery. Because it was a clear, sunny day we could see both the French and Swiss Alps. Of course, we cannot have a BFA free day; we are always bound to run into a BFA student or family, and we did. So we visited awhile with a BFA family and then headed down the mountain to Badenweiler. Badenweiler is known for their Roman baths. You can see ruins and they have a more modern bath house you can enjoy. We opted to just walk around the town and look at the local castle and Roman ruins. And of course we had to stop by a cafe and have coffee and little sweet. Such a wonderful beautiful day here in Germany.

Tonight Nolan is participating in the Candlelight dinner. Stay tuned for more info on what this means....... Enjoy the pics we took today.

Sunny Days

2008-02-13T03:05:00.000-08:00

Downtown Kandern

Top of this blue house is where we lived August-December

The white building is BFA....a view from our new apartment behind the school

The weather has been unusually mild these days. It is not too cold and the sun is shining, so it has been quite lovely the past week or so. You see locals out walking and hike, but I have to say, it is still a little cool for me to go for a walk. Sunday I did go out for a little walk to take advantage of the sunshine and get some pictures of Kandern, our little town. The white building you see in one of the pictures is the school and is taken from our balcony. The picture of the blue house is the vacation house we lived in for the first 5 months. we lived on the top level.

More sickness

2008-02-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

So Nolan came down with the nasty virus that has been going around the school. He has been in bed for 2 days with fever and all the other crud that goes with it. Pray for him because this is a busy month for him. He has musical performances with students for 3 different occasions. Plus he has to take the German driving test (thank goodness it will be in English).

As always I am busy with teaching English to the 11th graders. I am teaching Huck Finn and the students and I are both enjoying it, so it makes classes fun and interesting. So many deep topics to explore in Huck Finn. Good stuff!

Also, pray for our friend Brenda (in Nashville) this week as she has had surgery, so pray for her recovery. Her husband Bill has lost his job due to some reorganization taking place at the company he was working with. Pray as he goes on interviews and finds a new job.

A lot of prayer requests this week. Thank you for everyone's support and prayers. Please keep us informed of any prayer requests you may have in your lives. Love you all!

G-5

2008-02-02T01:11:00.000-08:00

Outside of attending Mosaic, the new church plant, we go to G-5. Nolan has had the opportunit to play a few times with their worship team. He thoroughly enjoys it and is becoming friends withs some of the musicians. We love going to G-5 and look foward to Sunday mornings. The church is also a restuarant and hotel as a way to serve the community and draw people into church. So after Sunday service, we eat at the restuarant. Families stay and eat so we get a chance to meet many different people. It has become a fellowship time with other believers, German and American.

Good Friends

2008-01-26T11:12:00.001-08:00

January 26, 2008

It has been pretty uneventful at the school for the past couple of weeks, except for the outbreak of viruses...health is coming back to the students and staff. You still can hear some coughing and blowing of the noses at times though.

This weekend the honor choir is in Prague singing. Michele Phoenix is the BFA choir director, as well as the Creative Writing teacher. Michele is becoming a special person to me. She has spent her lunches and breaks listening to me vent about students and frustrations of living in a different country.

Michele grew up as a missionary kid in France, and attended BFA during her high school years. Then after college and a few years in the States, she returned to BFA as a teacher. She has so much wisdom to share with me....truly a God send. Along with her teaching duties and choir directing, she writes novels, in which 2 have been published. Her novels are based on the life of a missionary kid and the struggles he or she may endure.

I really do thank God for Michele and her wisdom. She has helped both Nolan and me as we endure the struggles of being a new missionary on the field. Please pray for Michele because recently the doctors told her she has cancer after having a spot removed from her face. What is so amazing to watch is her strength and faith in our Lord. She is truly an amazing person!

Please see her blog for more info on her ministry.

http://www.xanga.com/serenitymine

Viruses are in the Air

2008-01-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

January 18, 2008

This week was absolutely crazy because of different viruses floating around. One day we had a total of 60 students out with some kind of sickness, and that is not including teachers and dorm staff. Thursday, I had only 5 out of 14 students present in one of my classes.

They say this happens everyone once in awhile; it is the nature of the environment here. Students coming back from all parts of the world, including very exotic parts of the world, I might add. So they bring all kinds of germs with them to the dorm, and the germs only spread from there. These kids live in very close proximity. Then they come to school not feeling well and pass it on to teachers and home students. The director made an important announcement for students to not come if they are feeling bad, it only makes the situation worse.

Inspite of the sicknesses, we still had basketball games last night. Nolan and I went for awhile. They always grill hamburgers and chicken, so I enjoyed some good ole'American food. And there is always an assorment of homemade desserts for sale. The junior class sponsors the concession as a way to raise money for the class. So Nolan and I always rather "eat out" at the school, knowing the money is going back to the students....especially since I am a junior class teacher.

The junior class came up with the idea of a coffee house. They had this going on in the auditorium while the games were taking place. So if someone got tired of watching the games, they could come to the coffee house, drink coffee and enjoy live music. Of course Nolan was asked to play a 30-minute "gig". He had some of the students join in with their guitars and bongos. This one time I did not have my camera with me. No pictures this time. Hopefully they be doing this again.

Something I want to add in my blog is weekly prayer requests. I know I have some listed on the side, but those are year-round requests. So here they are for this week:

1. Nolan and I have to begin making decisions regarding next year and future plans.

2. Some students in my class who are a little troublesome. Pray for guidance and how
I can handle the situation.

3. Nolan's middle school choir. 52 MS students, 7th period, Friday afternoon...enough said.

4. Nolan and I have to take a written test for a German driver's license. Thank goodness it will be in English, but we hear it is quite difficult.

January 13, 2008

2008-01-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, already 13 days into January. Cliche to say, but really, "where is time going?" Nolan and I are back to teaching. Students arrived Monday, and classes began Tuesday. Students were a little jet-lagged from their long plane rides from all different parts of the world. I was easy on them this first week by having them work on the computer...grammar and writing. They were able to work at their own pace. However, tomorrow we are back to the classroom and lectures. Woo-Hoo!

It was hard getting back into the swing of things. Nolan and I had such a nice break, spending time with friends and family....and each other! The school schedule keeps us so busy, that it is hard to find time for each other. And when we do find time, we are exhausted and just lounge on the sofa. By the way, we have a sofa...not just a little loveseat. It is so comfortable! I have said this before, but our new apartment is just great! And even closer to the school. I can go home for lunch. I have never been able to do that in all my years of teaching. What a blessing!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

January 2, 2007

Nolan and I want to say thank you to all of you who have supported and encouraged us this past year. May God bless each one of you this new upcoming year. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done for us!

Nolan and I are rested and ready for the new semester. Pray for students as they begin returning back to the dorms this weekend.....students are traveling from all parts of the world to return to school. Pray for us a wonderful and blessed semester at Black Forest Academy.

Much love,

Patti and Nolan

A Friend's Encouragement

2007-12-29T09:28:00.001-08:00

December 29, 2007

Since dropping my parents off Thursday at the airport, I have been quite sad. We all had such a wonderful time. I think, too, we were so busy each day traveling around, and now Nolan and I have nothing but down time. Time I should be using to grade essays, and I am little by little. I think what helped me today get over some of these blues, is talking to my friend Rabe'a, who is half German and has lived over here. Talking to her on the phone helped me really appreciate this experience...and what was so cool is she understood a lot of things I was saying about my experiences here. She was also very encouraging.....This particular phone call was needed today to help my blues.

Christmas Eve Service

2007-12-25T02:05:00.001-08:00

December 24, 2007

Outside of helping out with the church plant Mosaic, Nolan and I also attend G-5, a German church (with English translation). Nolan was asked to play the guitar in the Christmas Eve service last night. He has been busy practicing for the past few days getting ready for this service. He and one of the singers were the only English speakers on stage....so he was truly having a culture experience! One of the things we pray for is opportunities to participate in the Germany community, and this is one way God has provided. I hope to get involved by teaching some ESL classes, and will working on that in the next couple of months.

Last night was amazing, and my parents enjoyed participating in a German church service....just another experience added to their trip here in Germany. God is good and faithful!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T01:51:00.000-08:00

December 25, 2007

My parents have been here visiting since the 18th. We picked them up in Frankfurt and have been traveling all over Germany. Nolan and I have seen more of Germany in the past week than we have in the past 4 months, so it has been great for both my parents and Nolan and I! My dad had a chance to see his old army base where he was stationed in 1957. The wildest thing we figured out was it was almost 50 years to the date since he left the States for Germany....he left December 25, 1957. How wild is that?

We have also visited France and Switzerland...so my parents have been to 3 countries in one week. They have had a trip of a lifetime! They are grinning from ear to ear! I has been a nice treat having them here for the Christmas holidays. Merry Christmas and much love to all!

Christmas Concerts

2007-12-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

December 16, 2007 The past week has been crazy with the Christmas concerts and exams. I still have many exams and essays to grade. Plus, we moved into a different apartment yesterday. We have been waiting for this IMB apartment to become available. For the past 4 months we were staying in a vacation home. I have to say, our new place is very comfortable, so we are excited....and we have a washer and internet service....back to civilization. The Christmas concerts were outstanding....Nolan did an awesome job, and everyone is so pleased with his work with the elementary and middle school students. It was so adorable to watch both choirs perform. Of course, Nolan had to add some of his style to the middle school performance, so he had a student beat box (a kind of rap)to "Angels We Have Heard on High." And the audience loved it! Here are some pics from the middle school concert. Elementary pics are coming soon....so standby :)

Hanging Out at the Dorm

2007-12-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2007

So tonight Nolan and I are at the dorm hanging out with the girls. We usually go every other Monday night to help since the RA's typically have Monday nights off. I am usually busy baking for the girls. Because they had so many leftover treats from the Christmas party last night, they didn't need any baking for this week...so I get a night off and more time to hang with the girls. I am enjoying sitting here watching them in their evening routines. Some girls are on facebook, some are resting on the sofas, and some are busily studying for midterms this week. These girls are becoming precious to me and Nolan, and we look foward to our Monday nights here. They are amazing "young women" with so many talents....and more amazing is there love and devotion to God. I am always learning so much from them!

Fröhliches Weihnachten!

2007-12-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

December 7, 2007

Yesterday was the beginning of the Christmas festivities in Germany. Every Thursday, Kandern, our little town, sets up a Christmas Market. Last night Nolan's elementary choir sang at the market. Also, an ensemble from the high school choir sang a few songs. After the performances, we just walked around and had Kinderpunsch and enjoyed the bonfires. Another culture experience in Germany! And it was so neat that Nolan's elementary choir got to sing and be a part of the festivities.

High School Memories

2007-12-03T02:59:00.000-08:00

Nolan and I had a great weekend of fellowship and rest. But I think the funniest thing was getting a message from an old friend from high school on facebook. If you haven't joined facebook, you need to! It is a great way to connect with old and new friends.

Here is the picture of me in high school. How did I function with all that hair! This was a mission trip to California with FBC DeRidder youth group in 1991. It is amazing how God truly works in our lives. God was preparing me then, in high school, for this moment in my life. At the time, I would have never thought full time missions; however, God was placing the passion and desire and preparing me for the future.

Hang in There

2007-11-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

November 27, 2007

It is that time of the year, and teachers and students are tired. There are a lot of tests given in all the classes, including my English class. But we will make it...that is what I keep telling the students. Push through, and then Christmas you get a big break. Keep the students in prayers the next couple of weeks as they wrap up the semester and get ready to go home and see their families. Some of the students have not seen their family since August, and they are so ready to get home.

Christmas Banquet

2007-11-26T05:24:00.001-08:00

November 24, 2007

This past Saturday was Christmas Banquet. This is very formal banquet for the students to dress up and take dates. A nice meal and dessert were served and there was entertainment provided by, of course, the students. Nolan and I have been hearing about this banquet since we first got here. It is really the only time for students to really dress up in formal gowns and suits. I was able to put something nice together and go and enjoy the festivities. It was nice watching the students enjoy themselves, and the girls and boys looked so handsome and pretty. Some of the students are really creative with their attire...it would be too boring for some to just wear a normal suit and tie or formal gown. As you can see Nolan participated in some of the entertainment....some of the teachers did their own version of Jingle Bells where they changed the lyrics to describe the characteristics of BFA life. Here are pics from the night.

International Mission Board Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T04:02:00.000-08:00

November 22, 2007

The dinner was fabulous....full of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes....turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and most importantly, pumpkin pie! After dinner, the students and some of the teachers (Nolan and I) went into the gym to throw some football and play some basketball. A nice way to celebrate Thanksgiving....especially when I was away from home. Here are some pics.

More Thanksgiving Dinner

2007-11-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

November 22, 2007

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So I woke up with a little sadness because I am not in the USA celebrating Turkey Day with family and friends. But God is always faithful in providing comfort when I feel homesick. Tonight the International Mission Board (IMB) is having a Thanksgiving dinner for all IMB missionaries in town and IMB dorm students. Even though, technically we are not IMB yet, we were still invited to this dinner. IMB really wants to make this day feel like home for all of us missionaries away from home, away from family and friends. I am excited to hang out with the students and missionaries, especially those IMB missionaries I do not get to see very often because they are not involved with BFA. I will share pictures in the next couple of days.....and about the food we eat (yum!)

Thanksgiving Dinner at Blauen

2007-11-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2007

To make students and staff feel more at home, each dorm has a Thanksgiving dinner, family style. Since we help out at Blauen (a girl's dorm), we were invited to partake in the wonderful dinner. Nolan and I prepared deviled eggs, which was a favorite among the students....I was completely surprised. We made 60 deviled eggs, and there were not any left by the end of the meal. We ate around a big table and then shared one thing we were thankful for this year. We ate all the traditional Thanksgiving food; turkey, stuffing [northern, not southern, style :( ,pumpkin and apple pie, cornbread dressing, and big plump rolls. Of course, we stuffed ourselves! Nolan and I had so much fun visiting with the girls and hearing their stories. Some of the girls have never spent Thanksgiving in the States, but always in their missionary country. However, their families always make a Thanksgiving dinner. It was a lovely night eating and fellowshipping.

Mosaic Weekend Retreat

2007-11-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

November 11-12, 2007

This was our weekend retreat with Mosaic, the church plant we are helping with outside of BFA. To get to know each other a little better, we headed to Adelboden, Switzerland for a retreat. We stayed at the Janz Team Mission Chalet, located in the mountains. Absolutely beautiful. This particular weekend, snow was in the forcast, and their first snow for the season...what a blessing! We just relaxed by playing cards, eating, watching a movie, more eating, and then more eating. Oh yeah, and a huge snowball fight, which was so much fun for this Louisiana girl! I can think of only 3 times in my life seeing this much snow.

There was a couple coming later that evening, so we had to shovel snow for them to be able to use the driveway. Another thing I have never done before. It was hilarious to watch all of us shoveling snow.....the irony of it is that all of us involved in Mosaic are from the south part of the world: Ghana, Africa; Australia, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. We have one German lady, Ilona, but she was a missionary in Indonesia for 13 years. God has a funny sense of humor, how we are come together in Germany to worship our Living God.

Before leaving Sunday, we had a intimate worship service sharing our hearts and vision for the church. A great time spent with new friends. Another way God blesses us! Oh yeah, we had to get one more snowball fight in before leaving.

More Pictures from Herbst Messe

2007-11-12T03:15:00.000-08:00

Herbst Messe is still taking place in Basel, Switzerland. It is a 2 week festival, and students attend October 31 (written about earlier in the blog). Here are some more pictures from the night all the students went to the festival.

Spirit Day

2007-11-12T03:07:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2007

Every so often, the Student Council at BFA will have a spirit day at the school. It could be any random day. So last Thursday, was claimed "Hat Day". Every one could wear any type of hat, including teachers. Since it is a school rule that hats are not allowed, students have fun with this day, because they could wear hats without any consequences. Of course, being that our students are quite creative, they wore all types of different hats. It was another fun day for the students and staff. The pictures are from my English classes. I forgot to take one of myself wearing a hat :)

Northern Ireland Friends

2007-11-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

November 2, 2007

Nicola and Ian are two friends of ours from Northern Ireland, and they came for a visit to see us this weekend. They met us in Kandern yesterday, and we showed them around a little, and then had a late lunch at Funfshillings. By the way, Funfshillings was once a farmhouse and now turned into a fabulous restaurant, serving food fresh from the farm, and whatever is in season is what is on the menu.....so pumpkin is used for a lot of the dishes right now. The pumpkin soup is heavenly! I have never had anything like it before.

After lunch, we sponatanously decided to take them to Todtnau to ride the rodelbahn down the mountain. On the way, we caught up on different things going on in our lives. It was such a lovely time. Once we got there, we could tell they were closed for the day. They were just shutting it down, so I asked if they could please let us have one ride down...I explained to them we have friends visiting us from Northern Ireland, but that didn't work. Oh well, we found a quaint cafe and enjoyed more conversation over coffee and Black Forest Cake!

On the way back to Kandern, we stopped by Wittlengen dorm, so Nicola and Ian could see what dorm life was like. They got to meet some of my students and tour the dorm. Then we headed to the school to show them around...not knowing that it was Swing Dance night for the students. Of course we had to dance a few songs before heading back home. Nicola and Ian stayed until midnight. We shared old pictures from our former Northern Ireland trips. It was so nice to catch up with them. We found it humerous that Americans were showing Irish friends around in Germany. How wild is that!

Weeks like this remind us of how great God is and how faithful He is in providing in our lives. God is good!

All Saints Day

2007-11-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

November 1, 2007

So this is a holiday around here. We didn't have school, and the town was completely shut down. Nolan and I were forced to stay in and relax. We caught up on sleep and reading, and just spending time together. We thought maybe some things in France would be open, but after driving to Carrfoure (France's version of Wal-Mart), we realized they were shut down too. Oh well, it was a beautiful drive anyway. So that evening, we discovered that the Roman baths in Badenweiler were open. 2 other couples and us spent the evening at these baths. It is basically indoor swimming pools with heated water. Other sections of this "spa" had saunas and massage rooms, but we only paid to swim in the pools. I found the warmest pool and stayed there, being that it was extremely cold this particular day. We stayed almost 3 hours, and we were like prunes. But our muscles were so relaxed and that we fell into bed that night and slept like babies. We will be doing that again! Maybe I will brave the outdoor pool, which is heated but still not so warm, and enjoy the outdoor scenery as I swim. It was just too cold for me!

BFA Tradition

2007-11-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

October 31, 2007

Fall and Halloween are a big deal in Germany...or at least in this part of Germany. Wednesday after school students and staff loaded up in buses and headed down to Basel, Switzerland for HerbstMesse....translates literally to Fall Festival. This is a tradition for BFA, and I have been hearing about it all month. Once we are in Basel, they let the students loose in the city. All around the city they have rides, games, and concession stands set up. But the most popular activity for students and staff is going to Starbucks, being that this is the closest Starbucks for us, and it is a treat. I think all 300 BFA staff and students were at one of the 4 Starbucks that evening. But by 7:30, everyone heads to the bumper cars. Students go crazy riding the bumper cars...and staff too! I had to make a go of it, but was riding with a mother of one of my students. She is the one driving, and I was giving directions for her to bump all of my students who were out there, and of course the students were doing the same to me! It was a blast. For 2 hours students rode these bumper cars. I felt sorry for the Swiss because we basically took over this section of the festival. After an hour of watching, and dizzy with headache, Nolan and I headed back to Starbucks...couldn't get enough of "home". By chance, a whole group of BFA teachers were at the same Starbucks, and we all sat there visiting until 11:00 that night. These are good memories Nolan and I will forever remember about our time here at BFA.

Hiking and So Much More!

2007-11-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

October 28, 2007

Well, it starts with Sunday October 28. Nolan and I had a lovely time fellowshipping with new friends at our morning church, G-5. Then that afternoon, we went for a hike right behind our house. These are pics from that hike. It is so beautiful with all the leaves changing colors. How could someone not believe there is a God when you see such beautiful creation....that God could only create. We have an awesome God!

Mosaic

2007-10-26T00:23:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2007

The other ministry Nolan and I are involved in is Mosaic, a church plant in Lorrach, Germany and Basel, Switzerland. Nolan is leading worship and I help out wherever needed. It is a group of different missionaries from different organizations. We have loved being a part of this church plant. The main goal is the reach English speaking creative people in urban settings. There is a Mosaic in California, New York, and Zurich, Switzerland.

This past week a team of 6 from a church in Dallas, Texas came to help us out. They went into schools doind a Texas theme program. They also went to some art functions and tea gatherings to minister to the locals. It was refreshing to be around Americans....especially from the South, where I am from....it felt like home hearing their accents. One of the funnest things was a "Texas Night" we had for the community. It was fun watching Germans country line dancing! I think they had a blast!

Pray that Mosaic will reach more and more local Germans. Here is a website for the Mosaic church that meets in California.

http://www.mosaic.org/

Go USA Soccer!!!

2007-10-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

USA soccer team clapping for us (BFA family)

Freddy Adu...one of the best players for the team

Last night just about the entire school attended the USA soccer
and Switzerland game in Basel. We took up a whole section of the stands. And we held up to the American reputation of being loud and crazy! Some of the students were dressed from head to toe in red, white, and blue. Some of the students even brought their drums. We cheered for the USA until our voices were gone. In the last 5 minutes, the score was 0-0, but USA scored one goal....helping us to win the game! Here are some pics of the game. The USA team came to our side and clapped for us...in recognition of our cheering and support for them.

Nolan is Sick

2007-10-18T03:02:00.000-07:00

October 18, 2007

Nolan woke up this morning with some kind of stomach bug. This is the 3rd time in the past 6 months Nolan has come down with some kind of stomach bug (or something food related). I am beginning to wonder whether Nolan has a sensitive stomach and should be careful of things he eats....or is it just a bug he keeps catching from others. Who knows? But pray that he feels better. Tomorrow the elementary kids are singing for high school chapel, and Nolan is the one directing the kids. The weekend ahead also has music events where Nolan is helping out.

Much love to everyone!

Nolan and Patti

Higher Ground, German Youth Worship Service

2007-10-16T05:47:00.001-07:00

Youth setting up for Higher Ground Youth Service

Nolan with the band playing for Higher Ground Youth Service

Above pictures are from the youth service Nolan helped out with last Sunday....in a local German speaking church. It was fun to see a German youth group interacting with each other. The German church has these youth worship services once a month. The pastor teaches a Bible lesson to the students, but the students put the whole program together. They had drama, dance, and music. Nolan is helping out with the worship band, which consists of Germans and Americans. Of course the service was in German, so we were completely lost at times. Some of our friends translated when they could. It was a meaningful German culture experience.

Honeymoon is over

2007-10-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

October 15, 2007

They say after the first two months, you will begin feeling the weight of being away from home and in a different culture. We have been feeling this way for the past couple of weeks. I think students are feeling this too. We will get through this time....I know. I also know that my God is good and He gives me strength.

Knowing that Nolan and I were tired and a little homesick, God took care of us. This past weekend was wonderful...and relaxing. We had dinner with our German neighbors, and it was good fellowship...a neat German cultural experience. Then Sunday we attended a German church and really connected with some of the church members. Sunday evening Nolan helped lead worship for a youth service at a German church in town. It is completely in German, so we had a little trouble understanding, but it was neat to see the youth worshiping together. Of course, Nolan only played the guitar, being that most songs were in German :) Good times this weekend....God is good and faithful.

Sadness = Prayer

2007-10-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

October 11, 2007

The past 2 days have been tough. A friend back home lost her mother. Her mother was shot by a 14 year old who wanted cigarettes. That is hard to swallow. Also, our brother-in-law is sick and doctors are not sure what it is and how to cure it. I want to go home and be near all my loved ones. I want to get on a plane and go home for a few days, but I know I can't. I know this how my students feel. Sometimes they want to go home to be their families, but know they have to stay here at school. These are some hard lessons to deal with while being here. I know prayer is the only answer.

Middle School Chapel and Lock-In

2007-10-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Middle School lock-in

Friday Chapel service

Friday was all about the middle school students because the juniors and seniors were on their trips. Since Nolan is the middle school chapel band leader and teaches M.S. choir, they asked him to help the students lead worship during Friday's chapel service. It was so neat to watch these 6-8th grade students lead worship. You could tell that the students and Nolan were having fun. I hope they have more opportunities to do more leading.

More Pictures of BFA and Surrounding Area

2007-10-06T11:48:00.001-07:00

Nolan and I at Interlaken, Switzerland

Ivan and Deloris, dorm parents at Blauen, where we help out Monday nights

Nolan playing games with the kids in the gym

Nolan and I at opening cermony

Normandy and Rome bound

2007-10-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

October 4, 2007

Seniors leave tonight for Rome Italy. Every year, seniors take this trip and it is their big one for the year. The school will seem quiet without the seniors around. The juniors leave tomorrow for a trip to Normandy, so tomorrow will be super quiet. Nolan and I will have some down time tomorrow....hopefully we will get a lot of things done.

Things are going well. Continue to pray for us as we settle here. Sometimes it is still hard to figure out the finances and way things are done here....but we are slowly getting it :)

Thank you all again for the love and support!

German Lessons

2007-10-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

October 2, 2007

The German language is difficult to learn. I began taking lessons from the German teacher here at BFA. I am in 3rd period with some of my own 11th grade English students. The back corner is full of adults who are in the same boat as the students. The teacher holds the adults in the class accountable for quizzes and tests.

The problem for me is I began the class 3 weeks late, so I am behind. I sat for 2 hours last night trying to do my German homework...I had a headache and was frustrated by the end. I refuse to give up and will plow through. I am determined to learn something :=)

More Football and Student Activities Lie Ahead

2007-09-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

September 29, 2007

So our German friend loves American Football, and we were invited again to watch a game with him and his family this weekend. We are excited! But he is a South Carolina fan, so that is what we will be watching. Football is a symbol for the fall season, and it just wouldn't be fall without watching games.

Today we are watching the girl's volleyball games at the school. It is a blast to see my students out there hustling it. They are good!

Last night we went to a Palmgarten dorm open house. I was expecting something low key where we just hang out with students and staff. But it was more than that! The theme was Hard Rock Cafe, and all dorm students came dressed as musicians. The dorm itself was decked out like a Hard Rock Cafe. They even served Hard Rock Cafe style food. I have never seen such creativity! The dorm was packed with just about everyone from the school. I can't wait to see the next dorm open house. Here is a link to Palmgarten dorm, so you get an idea of what it is like.

http://www.bfacademy.com/palm.asp

Tests, Progress Reports, and All that Good Stuff

2007-09-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

September 26, 2007

We are half way through the term and progress reports went out yesterday. For the most part my students have good grades. Today, I am giving their first 35-minute timed writing in preparation for the SAT...which is buzz word for them these days. Junior year is an important year! As I write this blog, they are writing on the given topic. I watch them shake their heads and hands as they write....heads and hands hearting from the writing :)

Tomorrow is their first big unit test on Puritan Literature. It will interesting to see how they do on such a test. Answered prayer....I have a TA (teaching assistant) to grade papers. 12th graders have so many service hours to complete in a year, and one task is they can be a TA and help with grading, making copies....all those tedious things teachers have to do. I am excited about my TA and she lives at the dorm where I help out on Monday nights......another plus! God is good!

Nolan and Patti

Pottery, Sunshine, and Football

2007-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

September 24, 2007

Saturday we were invited to a couple's house to watch the LSU and South Carolina game via satellite. It was a little fuzzy, but so good to be able to watch an American football game, and especially LSU! The other couple was cheering for South Carolina and they were decked out in the gear. Of course I was wearing my LSU t-shirt!

We visited a different church on Sunday. It was in German, but had English translation. We really liked everything about it, and will continue to visit there for awhile. Sunday afternoon was spent hanging out with an IMB missionary couple at the local pottery festival. So many great pieces of pottery! The weather was sunny and warm, so a perfect day to wander around town looking at pottery.

Sunday night we went to the Mosaic church plant meeting. This is the church that Nolan is helping out with by playing worship music. It is a small gathering now, but everyone is praying that this church plant will grow and more people from the community will attend.

So another busy weekend full of wonderful events. It helps to be busy on the weekends, so we don't feel homesick.

We continue to think about everyone back home and miss you all terribly!

Nolan and Patti

Fall Party Pictures

2007-09-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Bill and Brenda Gallagher

2007-09-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

September 19, 2007

Some of you may not know that Brenda Gallagher has spent hours helping us with so many things to help us get here to Germany. And while we are here, she is still spending hours handling a lot of our personal affairs in Nashville. We are so grateful for Brenda and what she has done....and is still doing for us. She is part of this mission in so many ways.

Please be in prayer for her husband Bill as he is in on a business trip alone and is suffering from kindney stones. Brenda is on her way to be with him and then drive him back home. Pray for the pain he is feeling and for their safe return home.

Fall Party

2007-09-18T03:59:00.000-07:00

September 18, 2007

Nolan and I had a great weekend. It started with the high school fall party. The theme was TV and movies, so students got creative and came dressed as many different characters. We had students dressed as characters from Shrek, High School Musical, 300, Sesame Street Gang, and even Rambo. Were they even born when Rambo came out in the theaters? Students also performed skits from the movies and TV shows, and they were hilarious! Quite a funny and entertaining evening. Next week the middle school kids have their opportunity to do the same.

Saturday, Nolan and I ventured out and went to France, which is only 30 minutes away from Kandern. I loved it! We went to a quaint town called Colmar. We just walked around and admired the architecture. And the weather was sunny and warm!

Sunday was spent at church and just relaxing. Nolan washed our car, which probably had not been washed in a couple of years....not exaggerating. There are tons of hiking trails all around this area, and I decided to go for a hike on my own, but almost got lost. After an hour and 1/2 into it, I began to panic a little. Thank goodness there were others hiking on the way, and I would ask which way was back to town. Thank goodness some of these people understood English! I think I will go with Nolan next time!

Thanks for all the cards, postings, and emails! We miss you all!

Patti and Nolan

Spiritual Emphasis Week

2007-09-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

September 17, 2007

This week is SEW at BFA. We have a special speaker and musician to lead the services. Be in prayer for our students as they hear the Word of God and spend time in prayer for their lives. Pray for the speaker and musician leading the conference as they are used by God to speak to the students.

Coughs and Sore Throats

2007-09-13T02:17:00.000-07:00

September 13, 2007

Well it is that time of the year...students and teachers are getting sick. Needless to say, I was hit with it yesterday and stayed in bed all day. I am feeling much better today...but not 100%. One teacher put it this way.....with so many kids coming from so many different countries, no telling what germs are being carried over here to the classrooms and dorms. And I haven't been eating well or exercising as much as normal....so my immune system is down and more exposed the germs. Thank goodness the weekend is near and I can rest more!

Festivals

2007-09-09T00:53:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2007

We had our first culture experience in Germany. They love festivals and celebrations! Local restaurants set up booths to sell food, and all the money goes towards local clubs and organizations. So Nolan and I checked it out yesterday evening so we could sample some German food. We stuffed ourselves with crepes, bread and cheese, cheesecake....and Nolan had some bratwurst. His first real bratwurst in Germany! In the center was a stage with a band playing old American tunes....we found that funny! It was fun seeing the community come together and celebrate. We plan on going back today to sample more food. Nolan is looking foward to some more bratwurst!

Thank you, thank you, thank you

2007-09-08T00:11:00.001-07:00

September 8, 2007

I am overcome with emotion today, because of the love and encouragement everyone is giving us. We just want to say thank you so much for taking time to read this blog and comment. You don't realize how much it means to us to hear from you all! May God Bless each one of you this!

Much Love to all of you,
Nolan and Patti

Blessings

2007-09-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

September 6, 2007

Little blessings mean the world sometimes. A family here at the school is in US for the following week, and they asked us to house sit. We have a place to do our laundry, check email, and watch TV. All the little things we don't have in our aparmtent, because we are staying at a holiday guest house right now. It was even more comforting when I sat down on their cozy sofa and saw Southern Living and Real Simple magazines on the coffee table.....more simple blessings. It was nice cozy evening!

Cold Weather

2007-09-05T01:56:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2007

So the weather has gotten a little chilly. I had to pull out the sweaters and socks...no more sandles and flip flops. I hear they will not turn on the heat until October though... lots of layering then.

Nolan is up to 26 guitar students, elementary and middle school choir, middle school chapel band, and elementary music classes. Needless to say, he is busy! Nolan and I both said this morning, that we do not need to let our new busy lives keep us from our quiet times with God. Also, we do not want to lose sight that our work is missions now and not just another day job.....this is a higher calling as we serve these students and community.

Dorm Life

2007-09-04T01:53:00.000-07:00

September 4, 2007

Last night we helped out at one of the girl's dorms, and we will continue to help out twice a month. It was neat to hang out with students apart from the classroom. We had dinner with them and then we visited the rooms to say hi during their "free time". While they were in study hours, Nolan and I baked an apple streusel for their next breakfast. We loved getting to know the dorm parents and other volunteers as well. Good times. I can't wait to get to know the girls more through the year. I feel this is where the relationships really begin and grow.

Here We Go

2007-09-03T01:58:00.000-07:00

Sept. 3, 2007

I can't believe it is September and we have been in Germany 3 weeks. This week is our first full week of school, and we are busy already with school activities, lessons, and church stuff. Last Friday was Chillin' and Grillin', a hang out time for students and staff. It was fun to get to know students outside the classroom. They served root beer floats, which is a rare because you can't find root beer here in Germany. Someone was able to get root beer from an army base. Kids loved it....and the adults too! Those little things you get so easily in the USA become special here in a different country, where you can't get them so easily.

On Our Way

2007-08-30T03:43:00.001-07:00

August 30, 2007

This is our 2nd day of teaching. We have been busy getting lessons ready. Nolan is still trying to figure out his schedule. He had 19 students sign up for private guitar, so he has to find a way to fit these lessons in with all of his other music responsibilities!

Our students come from so many various backgrounds, and it is amazing to hear their stories. Most of our students speak 3 and sometimes 4 languages....fluently! We are excited for classes to finally begin. We also are getting more settled each day in this new culture! I have to say I do miss a few things like ice and Mexican food!