Simply Trusting

This afternoon, Dave, Jen, their son, and I ended up sitting down and eating lunch together, and as we sat I found my rather easily distractable self staring out the window from time to time. It wasn't that I was bored with the company, as we seem to laugh more every time we're together. I was simply mesmerized by the snow. It's been falling for over a week, and I found myself saying this morning that I was sick of driving in it. However there's something in my heart that goes varying degrees of giddy when I see it falling. It's similar to the feeling I also get when I see Christmas trees with lights, ornaments hung, candles lit, and nativity scenes set out. It's the start of something new, exciting. "T hough your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow!!!" (Isaiah 1:18,  exclamation points mine ) This verse seems to wrap itself around my head every time I look at the snow. It flows through my thoughts as I drive up the hill. It allows the s...

I am always amazed by the joy that can be shared when a group of people comes together under one roof. Last Thursday we celebrated 'dorm Thanksgiving', which means that we celebrated a week earlier than in the US (which also means I get to start listening to Christmas music now, but I won't get too ahead of myself...). We celebrate it this week to give the dorms a chance to take ownership of the holiday, and also because of how busy the next (and last) four weeks of the semester will be. So back to the joy. All day Thursday (and some of Wednesday too), Jen, my dorm mom, and I were in the kitchen, we laughed and sang, and cooked, and even cried a little and managed to come up with dinner for 32 people. My contributions this year were pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake (actually just a cake in the shape of a pumpkin), and ciabatta bread with sundried tomato dip. We seriously had a great time in the kitchen all day, getting ready and anticipating the guys' arrival home. We made an ...

So it's been a little while since I've blogged last, and so much has happened. The school year has been in full swing for about 5 weeks, and we have already seen God's hand at work in so many ways, both in ourselves and the students, that it has been hard for me to verbalize. These last weeks have been filled to overflowing with change and transition on many levels. For one thing, the staff at Sonne is nearly completely new. Although helping new dorm parents and a new RA to acclimate to BFA dorm life, and specifically that of Sonne, could be super challenging, the word that comes to mind is overriding joy. They all approach life with energy and excitement, and have already endeared themselves to the guys. We are coming together well as a team, and I am so thankful. In this area, I find myself asking God the same question this year as I did in my first, "What is my role? with the staff? with the guys? in the BFA community?" It's very humbling, but also healthy,...

Last week when I wrote, camp was ending and I was facing what I thought was going to be another intense time of raising support. Today, camp is over, and God has rained down support in ways I never dreamed possible. For most of the summer, my support level had increased slightly from about 60% to around 65%. I have to admit that faith is not one of my stronger gifts, and so when I originally arrived home in June with my support level was in the negatives, I wondered if I should even go to Csehy. I prayed earnestly that my support would reach 90% before I left for camp. I kept saying, "God, you know how difficult it is for me to focus on two things at once." As if He needed reminding :)"This God--His way is perfect" (2 Samuel 22:31...amazing chapter!!) Throughout the summer, I prayed and waited, asking God to cause me to focus on the campers and not be distracted with things I cannot control. I had done all I knew how to do, and all that was left to do was wait. Look...

It is hard to believe that almost 5 weeks ago, I was helping with wedding preparations for some close friends, and getting ready for Csehy! Now we are nearing the end of Csehy, and what a season it has been! To say that I have been filled hardly seems adequate. It is amazing to me that while pouring out everything in me every day here, God can somehow fill me to overflowing. I absolutely cannot wait for what the school year holds. When people ask me how camp is going, one phrase is at the tip of my tongue, "God is at work here!" He is using the humble yielding of the faculty, staff, and counselors, and doing incredible things in the hearts of several hundred teenagers. Several have accepted Christ, and others have made decisions, and come away with a resolve to know and serve Him better. I was so blessed at the beginning of a week when my hall of campers went around to share testimonies and each of the six girls there shared a desire to take steps forward in their relationshi...

After a fantastic semester, I am very thankful to be home! My flights were smooth, and I was even blessed to be able to travel part of the way with a good friend from BFA. We didn't realize until a few days before we traveled that we were on the same flight, and the fellowship we shared was an unexpected blessing! I've been home for nearly a week, and I'm happy to report that most of the jet-lag is gone. I think. I'm not waking up in the middle of the night any more at least :) I'm enjoying some wonderful family time, and was overwhelmed yet again by the love shown to me by my church.  Over the past week, I have discovered that if you ask God for things like humility or faith, He takes you very seriously. I asked God for both, and He is certainly working on me in both areas. Before boarding a plane for the US, I was thinking about how my faith grew during my initial support-raising stage. I found myself asking God to increase my faith again. A couple of days afte...

Dear reader, First I want to thank you for sticking with me and walking through this year together. It has truly been a wonderful journey. Right now, I'm sitting in my room preparing to leave Germany and start the trek home. I'll be honest, I am completely exhausted. I miss my guys. I miss the staff. I'm anticipating a lot of change, much of it good. My heart is hurting, but it is full. As I think of my guys and the times we've shared this year, tears fill my eyes. I don't like saying goodbye. Parting is so painful, but the investments made far outweigh the loss I'm feeling. But as I sit here and reminisce, something deep inside me stirs, and says, "Let's do it again!" Although I'm worn out, I also have hope that the work God began, He will continue to perform. So as I board this plane, please pray with me that God will move in hearts to support me prayerfully and financially next year so I am able to return. I'll blog more about that late...

So it's a little late, at night that is, and also since I've posted. I am sitting up waiting for our guys who are on the soccer team to arrive home from tournament, which should be in about 20 minutes or so. Just hold the eyes open a little longer...We are super proud of our guys. The season came to a dramatic end with our guys losing 1-0 in the championship. Second place is something to be proud of though, because this team has really grown this season. It's been a quiet week with 7 of our guys away, and I am excited to see them walk through the door in a few minutes. There is a nostalgia accompanying this time of year that is pervasive in every single event and conversation to be had. It is comprised of joy in accomplishment, sadness in leaving, contentment with memories made, and seasoned by the depth of time. Leaving and goodbye-ing are difficult, especially to do well. I struggle to do these things well myself, and it has been an interesting journey thus far with our ...

It's been a while! There has been A LOT going on here, with much to process and share, however my time is limited right now so I only have a minute to share a couple of prayer requests: 1) The guys are coming back today!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm a little excited? :) I'm totally stoked to see them, but I (and their families) would appreciate your prayers. Some of them are coming from areas of the world which you may have seen in the news recently, due to unrest so please, please pray for safe, uneventful travels for them. 2) We have the unique privilege of celebrating a dear friend's call to Heaven. Her death was completely unexpected and a shock. Please pray for her family, the BFA family, and especially the students here as they process. 3) 6 (or so) weeks til graduation! Not much time to wrap things up here, and yet SOOOOO much to do! please pray that we will make every minute count, and that God will be glorified in absolutely all of it. I look forward to being ...

A few days ago, I learned a lesson that I’d love to share with you. Our dorm dad, Marty, was working on a student’s ipod. The ipod was sitting in about a thousand pieces on the table in the living room, and Marty was hovering over it working away. Charlie, the owner of the ipod, was also hovering nearby. In fact, he sat next to Marty for nearly an hour, watching with great intent and concern on his face. At one point, I happened to catch Charlie’s eye. He gave me this incredibly serious look that said “I really, really hope that he knows what he’s doing!” From Charlie’s vantage point, Marty was picking apart his beloved ipod, and at times it definitely looked like it was beyond repair.  I walked away a minute later, and I realized that I’m really glad that I can’t always see just how God is working in my life. If I could sit and watch, like Charlie was doing, I know that I would experience a lot more anxiety. I would probably have the “I really, really hope that He knows what He’s ...

When interacting with supporters back home, I often find myself saying, "I wish you could meet my guys!" So, I would like you to meet a good friend of mine. Caleb is a junior, and this is his first year at BFA and at Sonne. His brother was previously a student here as well. Caleb is a fun, intelligent guy, and so I asked him to introduce himself to you in his own words.  “As a First year student here at BFA I had a lot of expectations. I came here, knowing that my brother had a great experience here and I wanted to have that same experience. What I found when I got here was nothing like what I expected. Yeah, there were a few disappointments like missing home, but many things far surpassed my hopes of what BFA would be like. Living in a dorm is definitely hard at times, but it is also one of the best parts about being here. There is a great brotherhood and family feeling in the dorm and we are definitely closer than what I had expected we would be. The guys are all friends...

Happy Thursday to you! I hope that it has been a good one for you, or will be, depending on where you are in the world. Today I want to try and answer a question which I was asked a lot during my time home. “So what is it that you do, exactly?” I usually come up with a long list of duties ranging from tutoring, to cleaning, to cooking, among other things. Let me try and give you a better picture. This morning I went grocery shopping with Chris and Timmy. This is a normal Thursday ritual, so after the guys left for school, we took a little time to make ourselves presentable and again went to Kandern (about 9 kilometers down some windy switch-back roads) which not only holds the main BFA campus but also is home to the three grocery stores which we frequent. At our first stop, Pennymarkt, which is about as big as a large convenience store, I grabbed a cart and began to fill it. 20 bananas, 2 bags of about 10 apples each, 20 eggs (we didn’t need much today), 24 cups of yogurt, 6 packages o...

While writing this post, I am sitting at the living room table in the dorm, finding it hard to believe that another semester is already begun. This is my fourth semester here, and I can hardly believe it. I only wish my college career had felt to fly by so fast! The trip home was fantastic, with eventful travel on both ends. Spending the night in the airport, arriving home in time for my siblings’ church Christmas program, ordering dorm hoodies, and lugging 3 heavy pieces of luggage through the Frankfurt airport were only a few of the elements. Possibly one of the most stressful, but also exciting pieces to the break, was the arrival of our dorm hoodies. We had a design chosen and ordered, and they were slated to arrive by the time I left for the airport in January. However, by the time my luggage was loaded into our van and we were ready to leave, the UPS truck still had not arrived! Saying I was frustrated is a gross understatement. As we drove down the main road in my hometown I was...