Simply Trusting

The other night as study hours began, I struck up a typical evening conversation with Keenan, a junior. Me: "Soooo, what homework do you need to do tonight?" Keenan: "oh only about 20 minutes worth" Me: "yeah right. What do you really need to do?" Keenan procedes to list out his assignments, and starts to rummage through his school bag while I turn to another student to check in. As I turn back to Keenan, he's holding a small orange paper-back book and telling me he wants to show me something. The book is called a 'carnet' (car-nay), he explains, and is the way the French school system has chosen to record all kinds of information about a student. The student is then expected to show the book regularly to his parents. Keenan leafs through the book, explaining its various sections to me. One part has late passes, and another record visits to the nurse. There are several sections in which detentions and the reason they rewarded are noted....

Right now I'm sitting in a room somewhere a little farther south than Germany, and a bit warmer. We're on spring break, and it's been good to get away from the snow. I won't rant here, but I will say that I am extremely thankful for the light and the spring breezes floating in my window right now. I have had a lot of opportunity to reflect over the last several days, so I want to try and catch you up on the last few weeks. We have had a plethora of activities going in. The guys went on high school retreat, and I had the privilege of going with them. We heard the amazing story of a life transformed by grace, and were challenged to make the time on earth we do have count for Christ. Bg themes, but so important. We worshipped together, and soaked in the glory of God in creation. I was also blessed to lead a small group, something I really enjoy, but also something that doesn't fit my normal schedule at this point. We returned to the dorm refreshed, and ready to contin...

Last week, the guys had exams, so the schedule was a little different. I had a little extra time in the evening to chat with the guys, which was awesome. I'm constantly amazed by the people God is shaping them to be, and I wanted to introduce you to one of them. This post is a little delayed, but it was such a fun conversation, that I wanted to share it with you anyway. Enjoy! If you were sitting with me right now, you'd be sitting on a couch in our cozy living room. It's been snowing all day, so it's cold outside, but the house is warm. Most of the guys are in their rooms, or in the computer room studying. They have midterm exams Monday through Wednesday this week. Nico, a sophomore from Marseille, France, just plopped down next to me, and we are sitting talking about his day, the exams he has tomorrow, and lots of other random subjects. LH: What is your favorite french food to make? Nico: Tartiflette, which is from the French Alps, the Savoie. It's potatoes ...

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...