Hide and Seek

On Friday night, we found the dorm rather empty. Girls were away for sports, they were at friends houses, or they were just out living the lives of teens. So the few girls that were around decided to play "Sardines," which is where you hide with the person when you find them.

The first person to hide was Becca. She listened closely to the boundaries and set off to hide while the rest of the group waited in the kitchen. Now to fully understand the "greatness" of her hiding spot, you need to know that Palmgarten dorm also houses the Janz Team (mission organization) headquarters and a German church. Between the dorm and the Janz Team offices are a set of double doors with a 6 inch space between them. This is where Becca chose to hide.

I was sitting out the first round, but after a LONG time, I too began the search. She was nowhere to be founds. Finally we had to make her clap so we could locate her in her secret hiding place. We played many rounds and had a great Friday night. Can I just say, being behinds a couch, or under a counter, or behind a door with ten teenagers is fairly entertaining and squishy!

A Black & White Affair

The Black Queen & the White Queen of the Chess Set

Friday was BFA's annual "Fall Party." The theme was "A Black & White Affair" and all of the students and staff came dressed in black & white costumes. It was fun to see the creative juices flowing. Some of the students preformed on stage in their outfits. From Palmgarten dorm we had an entire chess set that ended up winning the "Best of Show" award. It was good fun. I went as a maid.

Two Days in Luzern, Switzerland

After an eventful day at Strasbourgh, France, CB and I were ready for another country and more beautiful European scenery. So off we went in the RA car that we named Howee! We found Luzern, Switzerland without a problem...but finding our way around Luzern proved to be a problem. We were without a map and driving blindly. We happened to turn into the museum...which we wanted to see. So we went in case we never found it again!

After the delightful time learning about Swiss things we were ready for our packed lunches. So we walked to the lake the Luzern surrounds and had a lovely lunch enjoying the day, the lake, and the Alps in the background. Not too shabby! We liked the spot so much we had lunch there the next day and became friends with some ducks. CB took pity upon them and fed them some of her sandwich.

We then found a parking garage to store Howee. And off we went to explore downtown. The train station takes you right into the heart of the city. Next time, I think I might just take the train. We began the search for our hotel...yep it was in the pedestrian area where you could not drive...so we set out to find a closer parking garage. But we couldn't get out of our parking garage. We tried to pay the ticket with CB's creit card, but it didn't work, so I ran back to use mine, but I needed a pin number that I didn't have and finally I realized I had a 50 bill Swiss Frank (CHF). So I put my bill in there to pay my 4CHFs and thought I would get bills as change.....WRONG! I suddenly had 46CHF in change. Can I say my back hurt from carrying all fo the coins! But out of the parking garage we were! Finally we found a closer parking garage! But it was for another hotel...a fancy hotel! I had to use another CHF to get out of it and we never even parked! So we just took Howee back to where he was and carried our luggage a couple blocks to the hotel. It was nice and clean and very very small.

One of the coolest things about Luzern is the covered bridges. They are beautiful and have stories with pictures written on the inside of them. I have no idea what they were about since I can't read German!

We also wanted to see the Lion of Luzern. Ernest Hemingway called it the saddest piece of rock he had ever seen. It is amazing, but it was less so since it was being worked. But it is impressing and thought provoking.

Fianlly before we left Luzern, we drove around the area and found this quaint spot. The locals were swimming in the water. I couldn't resist putting my feet in the beautiful lake. What a rest to see God's amazing creation.

A Day in Strasbourgh, Franch

Last weekend was my first weekend off! My friend Carrie Beth (CB) also had the weekend off! Not yet overly tired we were ready to explore Europe...so we set our sights on Strasbourgh, France. It is a beautiful city that is right on the boarder of France and Germany. A river runs through the town and CB and I hopped a tour boat and got all of the historical information. I saw old, old buildings and the boat even went into a locke where water was either added or taken away to make the water level even with the water in the rest of the area.

There is a beautiful Cathedral. It was amazing to see this amazing artwork in the stained glass and even on the pulpit. It clearly points to Jesus Christ being the Savoir. The building was filled with history, but it made my heart sad to see so many lost people who need to hear about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There are many, many different booths to be used for confession when all people need to do is confess to Christ not to a priest.

After a quick lunch at a cafe on the street the weather changed and we needed to find a warm dry place to go as it rained outside. So we found the Strasbourgh Museum. There I was most interested in the shinny armor the knights and their horses wore. I even had the opportunity to try a helmet on. I am not sure how they were able to sword fight in those things! Too funny!

My Palmgarten Girls

Living in dorm with 26 teenage girls is bound to be full of adventrue and excitement. I have enjoyed getting to know each of the girls and they have truely been a blessing to me. One of my favorite things we do every Sunday eveing is have "Dorm Fellowship." It is a time to connect with each other. Sometimes we just hang out or play games. Other times we share what God is teaching us through the week and pray for eachother. But not matter what we always end with Sundays! Ice Cream Sundays on Sunday! What could be better? Not much!

Yesterday in "Dorm Fellowship" we sang some praise songs and then we splint into classes. Palmgarten only has sophmores, juniors, and seniors. I had the seniors and it was such a blessing to hear how this past week, spiritual emphis week, had an impact on them. One girl shared that she is learning how she needs to turn to God before she turns to her friends. Another spoke about her heart for her friend who is going through a tramatic experience. It is so awesome to see their desire to live for Christ and make a positive impact on those around them.

I have to say one of my favorite parts of my "job" is greeting the girls after school. Here Elva, the dorm Mom and I are greeting some of the girls. It is amazing the wonderful things you can learn about the life of a teen while they eat a snack or sit on a swing!

Move to Germany

It has been a while since I have written and for that I am sorry! But a lot has happened in the last month and a half. I have spent quality time in Ohio with my wonderful family which has included one of my nephew's first birthday and an all family camping trip. Then just days later I flew across the big, wide ocean into Basel, Switzerland. In this beautiful city on the Rhein River Switzerland, France, and Germany all come together. Here I am standing in downtown Basel. Note the very narrow buildings that are all connected in the background. People bought what they could afford. On this excursion to Basel, I ventured into a very old church and found John 3:16 written in German.

When I arrived at Black Forest Academy I had to go through 3 weeks of orientation to learn how to be a useful RA. One of the most important skills I learned was how to drive a stick shift van through the narrow streets of Europe and learn my way around the Kandern area of Germany. I was lucky enough to be with an amazing group of fellow RAs. Below is a group of us on Hoke Blauen (a hillside) where you can see France, Switzerland, and Germany. From this point we hiked down the hillside. I am in the middle center in the red shirt.

Then all of the RAs had a banquet to celebrate the beginning of a new year at Black Forest Academy. Here I am with CB (Carrie Beth) who was my roommate these first weeks. Even though we are not in the same dorm, we are excited to take some fun trip together.
Finally, I was assigned to my dorm. I am in Haus Palmgarten with is located in the beautiful village of Kandern, Germany. Palmgarten is a girls dorm. We have 26 amazing girls in 10-12th grades. Kandern is exactly what you would picture when you think of a small German town. The school is also located in in the village. I am so excited to experience this new year!