Salsenberg Castle near Kandern, Germany

This is the tower that is left of Salsenberg Castle. I was able to see the top of this tower from the front door of my dorm. This was a monastery built in the 1300s.

Mom climbs up the tower stairs...there are quite a few.

At the top Caleb enjoy a great view. Many BFA kids like to come here and camp on top of the tower. I know they have been there because they have scratched their names into the door...bad BFA kids!

Lorrach, Germany...the Castle and Town

We went to see the ruins of the Lorrach Castle. Mom and Caleb explore an old room.

Mom and Caleb on top of the "Green Tower."

Caleb gets a bird's eye view of Lorrach.

Then we go into town and enjoy some German Bratwursts with mustard! Perfect!

Caleb and I enjoy the tasty goodness! The Affelshorle (apple juice & mineral water) and Coke are cool and delicious.

Back in Kandern at my dorm we enjoy a splendid game of Zug Zum Zug or the Train Game. We are on the balcony off of my dorm room. Notice that the neighbor has his tractor parked in the garage next to the house...that is German style. All the farmers live in town.

All of the pretty flowers! We saw these on the walking path towards downtown Kandern.

Caleb and Mom visit me in Germany

Mom and Caleb flew into Basel, Switzerland and we left the airport from the French side and then drove into Germany where I took them to to dinner and then to Hoch Blauen. On this hill there are two dorms. Mom enjoys her view.

Mom and Caleb are tired, but glad that they finally made it. They missed the flight to Basel due to a late plane.

When we got to the top of the mountain we saw this beautiful sunset. In the distance is France and Switzerland.

I love the rolling blue mountains of Germany.

2011 Graduation

Palmgarten had seven 2011 Seniors. All of them have been here since their sophomore year when I became a Palmgarten RA. They are very special to me.

The juniors and a mother await the graduation ceremony to begin.

A happy grad marches to the front of the auditorium.

The 2011 Black Forest Academy Senior Class!!

A, the valedictorian gives his speech to the BFA senior class.

H awaits her diploma as kind words are said about her.

S became a bit emotional as she realized her time at BFA was coming to an end.

BFA Grad is such a mix of emotions. You can see both the happiness and the sadness.

Me and E!

Me and D!

Me and S!

Me and H...getting ready for a hug!

Me and J!

The seniors all left for a cruise on the Rhein River and we took the rest of our underclassmen to McDonald's, a dorm favorite.

BFA Awards Night

The Awards Night at BFA celebrates top students, athletes, musicians, and those with exceptional character.

S, a Palmgarten senior, was able to share about how God changed her during her time at BFA. When she first came, she wanted to become a fashion designer so that she could be rich and famous and buy anything she wanted. (I knew her as a sophomore and this was her greatest desire.) Then she shared how she saw the selflessness of the staff and her teachers. Because of these witnesses, she began to spend more time reading the Bible and began to desire to know Jesus Christ in an intimate way...and God had changed her. Now her greatest desire is to go into N. Korea and share Christ. This is an extremely closed country to the Gospel. Pray the God will pave a way for S and that He will protect her.

One of the Palm seniors, J, was awarded the outstanding musician award!!!

I had the privilege of awarding the Valedictorian Award. Avant Ministries sponsored that award and I am currently the only Avant missionary serving at BFA. The valedictorian was a young man who lived in the boys dorm above Palm and is an excellent athlete, great older brother, a Chinese-Canadian, and of course an exceptional student.

Bonnie's Goodbye Breakfast

The whole dorm went out the breakfast at Funf (5) Shilling. It is my favorite local restaurant. After a yummy breakfast we all gathered in the playground area. They then gave me this wonderful book filled with notes from all of the Palmies! What a great gift and memento!

The girls found the cherry trees...yummy!

After breakfast, the girls still had finals to study for. So they all gathered outside to study and review. I think it was just a reason to continue to talk and hang out with each other!

Amanda, the RA upstairs in the boys dorm is enjoy some much needed girl time.

2011 Spring Party

Spring Party is the celebration of the END OF THE YEAR!! The students play games and then we have a picnic. Here the RAs watch at a safe distance.
Back Row: Laura, Anne, Chris
Front Row: Elaine, Lauren, Erin, Bonnie

Students are picked from the student to do a relay race. Team 1 is made up of sophomores and juniors and team 2 is made of freshman and seniors.

H (a Palm girl) is the first one for her team. She has to eat one pile of crackers and then drink a shaken up coke!

The student body looks on in anticipation of the final outcome.

Two Palm girls face off...A & S. The sophomores and the juniors were the winners.

Small Group Goodness!

Jen Stemple has been my small group leader these last 3 years at BFA. She has spoken much truth and wisdom into my life and has blessed in more ways than I can say. I praise God that He brought her into my life.

Jen and her family need to go back to the States due to a new law the German government has made. All international people who are in Germany for five years need to spend a year outside of Germany so that they can continue to stay in Germany. So my small group bought Jen this locally made vase and locally grown flowers as a going away and birthday gift.

Then we drove up the hill and found a picnic table near a stream and had a goodbye lunch.

My small group is made up of fellow RAs: Bonnie, Anna, Anne, Amy, and Jen our leader.

This is the quaint little stream. It starts up the hill past the dorms Sonne and Blauen and runs through Kandern near dorms Palmgarten & Maugenhard. Then it winds down into the valley by dorms HBR & Storch and keeps going past the dorm Wittligen towards Basel.

We enjoyed playing in the stream.

Senior Ladies Tea

Each year at BFA the women of the senior class are celebrated with a senior tea. Older women who were influential in their lives are also invited. D is with Miss Payton the Spanish teacher, Taylor a Palm RA, and J.

S is with Stephanie the dorm mom and K. We had British tea and most of us spoke with horrible British accents, well except for K who spent part of her childhood in Scotland. She could "put on" a presentable accent.

Here I am with two super seniors, S & E. Both will be in the States attending college. On will be in Indiana and the other in Georgia. Since my parents live in Ohio and I am moving to Tennessee...hopefully I will get to see both of them again!