Simply Trusting

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...