I got a car!

I am so thankful to report that I was able to get a car last Friday!!!

 

I have been praying about getting a car for the last few months and am so glad that the Lord has answered my prayer. Thank you to everyone that has been praying for this along with me. It means so much to me.

 

I finally have a German license, registered the car, got the license plates, obtained insurance, and lastly, picked up the car!

 

This car is going to help me here in Germany in many ways. Here are the two big ones.  

 

First, I am dependent on others to get to and from school everyday. This means that I have little time to prepare and to clean up each day before and after school. Many times I have to leave the classroom a mess at the end of the day because I have to take the bus home with the kids. Otherwise, I would be stuck at school for the night or would have to walk about an hour back to my home in the next town.

This Saturday I drove myself to school and finally filed away all the papers that have been piling up. It felt so good!

 

Meet "Little Blue" :)

Second, having a car will really help me with grocery shopping. Since the grocery store that was closest to my house closed it now takes me over an 1 1/2 to walk to get groceries and to walk them home. I can only buy what I can carry.

Now I can make the short drive across town to the store and put everything in the trunk!

This is going to be so wonderful.

My new car will also help as I travel to and from places, am able to drive others around, and I can even drive myself to church!

There are many more reasons I could share about how this car will help my ministry and overall quality of life here in Germany.

I am so thankful and I feel so blessed!

 

Enjoying the sunshine and practicing driving stick!

 

 

GCC Visitors!!

Over the last view months I have had the pleasure of hosting and visiting with some awesome friends from Grove City College. I feel so blessed to be able to stay in contact with these girls and wanted to dedicate this blog post to them!!

It is so fun to be able to share a piece of my home here in Germany with them and to show them around this unique section of Europe. I have been so encouraged by their company and feel so fortunate to maintain such great relationships with college friends. Having visitors here really helps to validate what I'm doing and to feel connected back home. My hope is that it is a blessing to them as well!

Jocelyn and Sarah were both studying abroad as juniors in Spain and came to visit during the Christmas season back in December. We had a blast visiting Christmas markets, going for walks, and they even got to attend the Elementary Christmas Concert! It was an AWESOME weekend! I was so glad they were able to come visit :) I love these girls lots!

Enjoying some punch during Christmas season in downtown Kandern.

Exploring Freiburg together and going to the Christmas markets.

Making pancakes in my kitchen!

Going for a walk in the beautiful snow. :)

Alicia and Rachel are currently studying abroad as juniors in Berlin. They are studying German and doing so well! They flew down from Northern Germany to see a bit of small town life in Southern Germany. We had so much fun going for a hike together and exploring a bit of Basel, Switzerland. They even got to come to my German church with me on Sunday and could understand a lot of what was going on! It was so neat to exchange stories about living in Germany with one another. I was so blessed by our conversations and the heart these girls have for learning and for being a light to others!

Posing by a sign that says "City Kandern"

On top of the local castle looking out over France, Germany, and Switzerland in the far distance.
(You can only see Germany in this shot though!)

Alicia and I at the foot of the castle tower.

Hanging out by the Rhein in nearby Basel, Swtizerland.

Monica and Christina are currently seniors at Grove City College. They were able to come to Kandern for the ACSI conference to present some educational research at workshops during the conference. I was so happy to host them in my home and to attend the conference together. We learned so much! Then, after the conference we planned a fun trip to Munich and Salzburg and had so much fun exploring some of the classic sights in and around these two cities. They were such an encouragement to me and I was so blessed by our time together. I can't wait to see what the Lord has for them in the future as they graduate this May!

Monica and I at the conference.

Such great traveling companions!

Visiting Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein!

Exploring Salzburg!

Even though miles may separate, the bond between friends can transcend any distance. But when the opportunity presents itself for someone to come and visit, it is all the more sweeter! I think all these girls would agree that our time together was super special and brought wonderful memories that will stick with us!

If you are ever in the area or are able to find the means to make a special trip to Germany, I would love to host you! It is so fun to share this part of my life with others and to be reminded of what a priveledge it is to serve here.

Now back to planning for school which starts up again tomorrow!!

 

Connecting Around the Globe

Last Saturday through Tuesday was the International Christian Educator Conference put on through ACSI and held right here in Germany at Black Forest Academy. The conference is designed for educators from Europe and Africa who are teaching in international schools in many different countries.

I was blessed by this conference in so many ways.

I learned so much from listening to the speakers, attending seven workshops, and the time I spent conversing with teachers from around the world. I was encouraged in the work I am doing here in Germany and the chance to hear from others teaching in many unique settings. I was so thankful for the chance to reflect on the last few months and to gain new ideas for my special classroom.

Annika and Laura Lee were some my roommates back in Minneapolis for TeachBeyond training and great friends!

While I learned a lot, one of the biggest blessings was connecting with friends teaching around the world. Several of my friends attending the conference I had met back at my TeachBeyond orientation that took place in Minneapolis, MN in June. Check out my blog from after orientation here.
Back at the end of June we were figuring out where we were going, in the midst of raising both financial and prayer support from family and friends, and wondering what the Lord had in store for us in the various countries we were going to serve and teach.
During the conference we had time to converse and catch up with one another about how far the Lord has brought us. It is amazing to see His faithfulness reflected in our lives. From Czech Republic, Albania, Hungary, and back to Germany, God has showed us his goodness through the joys and challenges of serving Him overseas. It hasn't always been easy, but God has grown and stretched us in many was. It was really amazing to reconnect with these friends and to encourage one another.
 

Great friends serving around the world!

 

Awesome times worshiping together with hundreds of other educators.

 

Alumni, professor, and students all from Grove City College :)
So fun to connect with one another!

I am so thankful for the chance I had to attend the conference and for the wonderful relationships that I was able to form with other teachers. I am looking forward to putting the many ideas that I gained into practice and to have fresh perspective going back to school after Easter.
Finally, after the conference I was able to travel around inexpensively with some Grove City friends. I will have to post some pictures from our travels soon! Germany is so beautiful and I was so excited to finally be able to have the chance to see this country during my break!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!! He is Risen indeed!