Summer Plans!

The school year has ended, goodbyes said, and the suitcases are out to be packed! It has been a great year, but I am really looking forward to a much needed break. I am leaving and will be arriving in America on June 19th. During my time in America I am planning on reconnecting with family and friends and sharing about the amazing ways that God has been at work in Germany over the last 2 years.

Reading to my students on our final day altogether.

If you are interested in meeting up or hearing about my mission serving in the Black Forest here are some possibilities. I will be sharing at different churches on the following Sundays.

June 22- Friendship United Methodist Church 11am (Coatsville, PA)

June 29- Temple United Methodist Church 10:30am (North Coventry, PA)

July 13- Kochenderfer United Methodist Church 9am and 10:30 (Lebanon, PA)

July 27- Salem United Methodist Church 8:45 and 10:45am (Orwigsburg, PA)

August 3- Bethany United Methodist Church 10am (Palmyra, PA)

August 10- Milton Grove United Methodist Church 9am (Mt. Joy, PA)

I also invite you to join my family and I at my parents house on July 12th from 12:30-4 for an Open House. Lunch and dessert will be served and there will be an opportunity to see pictures and hear about the mission work I am doing. We would love to see you!

I will be in Western, PA from July 14-18. Please contact me if you will be in the area and would like to meet up!

Finally, thank you all so much for your encouragement, prayers, and support over the last 2 years. God has worked in amazing ways in my life and in the lives of the students and people I work with thanks to your support.

I humbly ask you to consider making a contribution or commitment to support God's work here in Germany during my third year of service. Your generosity means so much to me!

Click here to make a donation!

My small group of high school girls that I meet with weekly :)

Hope to see you soon!

May Reading Month

The month of May at CSK has been "Reading Month"! In order to promote reading in both German and English in our school, the teachers put together some fun activities to motivate our students.
It is now the end of the month and it has certainly been a success. My students were such enthusiastic readers over the last few weeks and were eager to read different types of books and in different languages!
 
Here are some of the activities we did!
First, we created a giant castle. For every book that the students read OR for every 50 pages read, students (and teachers!) could fill out a castle brick. Our goal was to fill the castle by the end of the month.
The different colors are the different grades. Way to go third grade with all their green bricks!

 
This picture was from a few weeks into our program. Now, the castle is almost filled to the top. Hopefully we can finish it this last week!
 
Next, each Friday during May we had a special activity to promote reading.

The first Friday was to dress like your favorite book character. My class had lots of characters come visit! There was the mouse from "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie", Kaya from The American Girls series, Fly Guy, Clifford, Gandalf, knights, and pirates. There were also characters from A to Z Mysteries, Peter Pan, and Spiderman. I dressed as one of my teacher inspirations: Ms. Frizzle!

My colleagues all dressed up as well!

 

Amy and I were teacher opposites! She was Miss Viola Swamp!

 

We love to read!

The next Friday's activity was to bring in a picture that shows you reading in an unusual place. It is true, reading certainly takes us places! Here is my picture reading in a tree. The students were very creative and brought in pictures reading in fun places. Some of my favorites were reading on a horse, in a trash can, and upside down!



 

 

Pictures of the student's reading in unusual places!

 

Our third special day was "Mystery Reader" Day. I was excited to welcome my lovely friend Allison Stroud to read a "Harry" book to my class. I also had my mom Skype in from America to read a fun Eric Carle book. My dad even made an appearance as well! The kids loved it!

 

 

 

Finally, we had a comfy "Pajama Day". The students brought blankets or a stuffed animal and we spent some extra time reading. I didn't take many pictures on this day, but we did have a closing chapel and Amy took some sweet photos of the students worshiping together. My heart was so blessed hearing and watching these students praise God! It has been such a joy to help lead our chapel band this year and to help lead our school in our praise and worship time.

We loved having pajama day and spending extra time reading as well!

 

 

 

My friends and students know that I certainly love to read. I love how books open up new worlds, take us to new places, and help to expand our thinking. It is my hope that my students will learn the joy and value of reading. I was so thankful for this month of intensive reading and seeing how reading can be lots of fun. In addition, the students are reading more and more in their non-native language and what a gift that is!

Measure of Success

I was nervous this morning about teaching my math lesson.

I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to teach it, whether there would be language issues, if I was planning something too difficult and disorganized, and how it would go over.

We were just starting division, a very important topic in second grade.

Would they catch on?

Were the new English words too complicated?

What was I getting myself into?

 

 

The lesson completed.

Success? Yes.

How do I know?

 

The students were SO engaged in the awesome lesson, NO ONE asked to go the bathroom.

 

That, my friends, is the measure of success during second grade math.

 

Hurray for exciting math lessons. These second graders are going to rock division.

:)

Looking to the Cross

One of my favorite parts of my job is watching my students understand who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Before Easter break we had an opportunity to hear the Easter story in a special way presented through pictures. The students reflected on Christ's death and resurrection in a new and real way.  

 

 

After hearing the story from Jesus' birth all the way to his death and resurrection the students were asked some questions to think about.

Some of these questions included:

What is the most important part of this story?

Where do you see yourself in the story?

What is your favorite part of the story?

Could we take any part of the story out and have it still make sense?

 

It was so awesome to hear and see the student's answers, how they internalized parts of the story and saw the critical parts of Jesus' life.

 

 

 

Afterwards the students had a chance to draw on wooden crosses that my mom sent to me from America. Their designs showed what they had learned or were thinking about. I was so impressed by their thoughtful responses, drawings, and descriptions that they included on their crosses. It was so evident that the students really took what they had heard and seen to heart.

 

 

 

It is one of my greatest goals this year that the students come to understand how great God's love is for them and that his love will never leave them.

 

 

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

 

 

 

Hoping that this Easter is a special reminder of Christ's amazing love that knows no limits, language, boundaries, or ends.

He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter! 

Blessings :)

 

Second Grade Goes Around the World

Each year at CSK we take a break from our normal routine and take special time for Theater Week! Grades 1-5 all begin work on a special theater production that will be performed at the end of the week. This means that everything form line memorization, stage direction, props, costumes, and scenery, all gets accomplished in the span of a week!

 

Working on our props and scenery for the musical

This year second grade performed a musical written by my partner teacher. Our theme was "All around the World" and the second graders visited different places around the world that students or teachers in our class have either lived in or have a special connection to.

 

The students learned the words to "This is the Day" and a "Good Morning Song" in six different languages that we sang as we traveled to the different countries and they also learned a fun song in Swahili!





Opening slide of our powerpoint backgrounds for our play :)



We traveled to China, Nepal, Samoa, Niagara Falls (representing USA and Canada), Brazil, Kenya, and then back to Germany all in under 30 minutes. The students learned a little bit about each country, some words or customs from that place, and where it was located. We had a blast imagining what it would be like to really visit all these unique places.



Students traveling around the world in our class airplane



 

Second graders acting in the musical!

 

I also had to include these precious photos of the first graders performing "The Three Little Pigs". They did a wonderful job and it was so much fun to watch. I loved their little houses for each of the little pigs. When the wolf huffed and puffed, the house really would fall down! (Well, except for the brick one!)

 

 

One of the best parts of Theater Week is seeing the students' language abilities really shine. Almost all the students in all the grades recited their lines in their non-native language. It is such a joy as teachers to see how far our students have come in their language learning. Performance builds so many great skills and really helps the students work on their fluency. I was so impressed with the German and English language abilities by all the students. It was so fun to hear and see. The really have learned so much!

 

At the end of the second grade musical, the students sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" in English. It was the perfect closure to our trip around the world. After visiting Kenya, China, Brazil, and coming back to Europe, the students had met and seen many people and places. The song reminds the students that no matter where we go, what language we speak, what a place looks like, or what the people wear, God is present. He knows, cares for, and understands people from all nations. It's an awesome reassurance to know that God can be present in all places and at all times. It is His love and His grace that can truly unite us.

 

It is this promise that often reassures me as I live far away from my wonderful family and friends back home. And it is God's continual presence that comforts me in places near and far when loneliness or homesickness can kick in. It is my hope and prayer that the children carry this message with them wherever they go and that they continue to remember it as they learn and grow.

 

 

 

 

High School Retreat 2014

This weekend was the BFA High School Retreat in Nuremberg, Germany. I was able to travel with 300 high school students and staff to spend a great weekend together!

I had been looking forward to the retreat for several reasons:

• Quality time with my 8 awesome sophomore small group girls.
• Great conversations
• A nice change from my second graders :)
• Some new scenery (I hadn't left town for so long!)
• To see God at work in the hearts of the high school students!

I definitely wasn't disappointed! This weekend was filled with lots of great moments. The speaker challenged the students and staff with a message to stay "rooted" in Christ. His message was based out of the first two chapters from the letter of Colossians. "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him , strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Col. 6,7.
We were challenged throughout the weekend to stand firm in Jesus and to let our roots go down deep in our understanding and relationship with Him. It was a beautiful reminder of who Christ is as the Creator and sustainer of everything.
 

Listening to the speaker in the meeting room.

 

Worship time!

 

300 students and staff members at the retreat!

I was really blessed by some quality conversations with my small group girls and to watch them as they learn what it means to grow and remain rooted in Christ. They each have such unique stories and backgrounds and I'm so thankful for each of them.

My lovely small group ladies!! Love them so much :)

 Another awesome part of the weekend is that we got to stay right next to the Nuremberg castle! The castle's horse stables have been converted into a modern and unique youth hostel. We filled almost every room and had amazing views of the city. It was so much fun to feel like we were staying in a castle for the weekend!


The hostel where we stayed. It was so fun to explore!

I was so thankful for the opportunity to go to Nuremberg for the retreat and to spend time with some wonderful people in a special place! I was reminded again throughout this weekend of God's unending grace, my need for His guidance and leading in my life, and the vitality of letting my roots go down deep into His provision, love, and foundation.



English Kids Club



This year I helped to start Kids Club, an English class after school once a week for elementary aged children in my town. These kids don't go to the bilingual school and so they aren't learning English in school. It is so much fun to get to know more kids in the community and to interact with them each week!

 

Playing Twister! A great way to practice colors, shapes, and body parts all in English!

Having fun and learning English!

We have explored lots of great topics like numbers, colors, family, clothing, body parts, and animals! I am continually amazed at how fast children can learn (and remember!) language. It is such a gift to be able to learn a new language young and to practice and use what they learn. Especially when the students are motivated and enthusiastic they can certainly learn a lot! These girls are also learning French in school so often times all three languages come up during our time together! :)

 

Learning about different animals! (They made their own masks.)

 

She loves bunnies!

Every week we all have a blast learning together and building relationship with these fun girls! They LOVE learning English which makes teaching them even better. This week we got to talk about "love" as we made Valentine's together. It is our hope that as we spend time with these girls that they will come to know the unending love of God who deeply cares about them.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

 1 John 4:7

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hoping that you know how much you are dearly and truly loved!