the Hedgehog!

Today some fellow RAs and I went into Lorrach to have lunch and we came across this sign..... Amanda and I are both entertained by the idea that you could Rent-A-Man! Pretty funny!

Here I am enjoying the wonderful and creative ways of advertising in Germany.

Today....during study hours "H" found this little hedgehog! She wanted to keep it as a pet, but due to it's nasty smell we decided that might not be a wise idea. That and the fact that we don't have a place to keep a hedgehog.

Luke, the Dorm Dad, was a little shocked to have an animal in the dorm that was not a dog!

The wildlife in Germany: a hedgehog! Not to big....but very interesting and the cause of many screams in Haus Palmgarten.

Greetings after a long time without a Word!

I do indeed exist and have been busy. I am sorry that I have not updated you better on my life. I know the last time I blogged I told you about my Spring break trip to Romania. Since then I said goodbye to the 2008-2009 Palmgarten girls

.....and I watched the 2009 seniors graduate from BFA! It was a moment to celebrate and a moment to say goodbye to some of my girls I may not see again.

Then I spent almost 2 weeks of painting white on white in the lower floor of the "now" Palmgarten. The lower hallway use to be offices for Janz Team and now are dorm rooms. After that I flew to Ohio where I helped my Grandparents, Bob & Leola Stemen, celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. And since the who family was together we all went to Kalahari, a water park. So there were 8 adults and 2 toddlers all sleeping in one suite! It was a great time. We also celebrated Eli, my nephew's second birthday. Not long after that I traveled up north to Juneau. There I spoke at my church, Auke Bay Bible Church, and connected with friends. Here Crystal Ross and I are hiking on Perseverance Trail. This is my favorite Juneau trail!

My time in Alaska would not be complete unless I was able to go out to Echo Ranch Bible Camp. I had a great time there during Sr. High week. Some of the seniors I had known since they were 7 years old. I also got to dabble in some programing and plan Mission Impossible with a former camper, then counselor, and now she is engaged! Here I am with Denise and Erin and I also hung out with Brynden-my single camp ladies!

As I said goodbye to my Juneau friends, I said hello to my Anchorage friends. I got to see Becca and her new baby, Ephraim.

I also got to meet Nate, the fiancee of my good friend Annie. They get married on Sept. 19!

Hanging out with my former roommate LeAnn was also a blast. Since she works at the airlines, she helped me finally get a flight! We had great times up north and even had a moose poking around in the front yard! Alaska!

Then I traveled back to Ohio after getting stuck in Anchorage for a few extra days. I made friend,Penny, in the Anchorage airport as we waited, and waited for a flight. We were denied 8 different flights until finally we both got on the same flight. I was the last person on the plane. I got back during Ebenezer Mennonite Church's annual family camping weekend. So I had a great time with friends and family there.

Then I was back to Black Forest Academy to complete my second year as an RA in Palmgarten. We have new dorm parents, Luke and Stephanie Welbourn. Lizzy Schult are both 2nd year RAS. This year we only have 19 girls, but we also have a boys dorm on the top two floors. It has made for some fun experiences.

Our eleven seniors marched proudly into the BFA auditorium with their flags on opening ceremony. BFA has also had the "Fall Party" with the theme of opposites. I went with a fellow RA, Anna, as Coke and Pepsi.

Some of the best times in the dorm are just hanging out with the girls. I love having them come into my room to study or talk or just be around. It is a great being an RA at Palmgarten.

Romania...Day 6

The English classes continued to go well. Often the BFA students found themselves subbing for the regular teachers. That evening we had a prayer meeting and were asked to sing with the girls from the attic a song in Romanian and English. Below, Pinky lead this song, she is on the far right.

We enjoyed praying with the Romanians. When they pray, the pastor will sort of guide their prayers to pray for our spiritual relationship, the church, or the sick. When it was time to pray each person would stand or kneel and pray out loud. The Romanians are very passionate and it is clear that they truly love the Lord.

Romania...Day 5

(Here is my short disclaimer as to why the rest of the trip is finally being put on the blog: Life has been very busy in the dorm with all of the girls back and when I have time, I usually want to sleep...so sorry about the late entries.)

The day was very similar to they days before with the students teaching English. We teacher types were working on the presentation that the 12th grade English class and our BFA students were going to present on Thursday to the entire school. The presentation was called “What is Your Heart Like?” The students would sing and then tell the school about they different kinds of hearts people can have. Both BFA and Filadelphia took a survey and the students were remarkably similar in the kinds of hearts they had. Both schools had many happy or joyful hearts and not very many thankful heart.

That evening we had all of the girls in the attic come for a Bible Study. I presented the “Paper Cross Story” which tells of the Christ’s death on the cross and how He rose again. Emma, a Romanian student, translated what I said into Romanian. That was very difficult for me to have to stop after every sentence but I made it through.

One of the 12th grade girls, Pinky, asked me to teach her how to fold the paper cross so she could teach it to her Sunday School class. Pinky and I became good friends. Later she invited me to her room to meet her 3 roommates and to see how she had decorated the whole room in pink. She also shared about her life, her love for God, and how she had an aunt who lives in California. I even got her email so we can stay in contact.

Romania...Day 4

The students spend another day in the classrooms teaching English. After school our BFA team would meet together in one of the classrooms. Here we would discuss ideas for English classes, games to play in the evenings, and then we would pray for the Romanian students.

Cathy and I found that we have a similar love for Diet Coke or Coca Cola Light as it is known in Europe.

After our meetings it would be time for dinner. Here is a picture of one our means. We had bread at every meal. This meal is mostly of potatoes with a slice of cheese and the bottle is what they call yogurt. But it is not like the yogurt that Americans or Germans know. It is more similar to sour cream. The students would drink this entire bottle. Needless to say it was a bit too different for us Americans and Koreans to really enjoy it, but it was a fun experience.

This evening there was a parent meeting at the school and the parking lot was so filled up we had to play our games inside. Here I am playing “Shuffle your Buns.” We then played “Apple, Apple, Banana” and then ended the night with “Honey if You Love Me Will You Please, Please Smile.” They were all a big hit!

Romania...Day 3

Teaching English the the students.

It was a wonderful day…even if it began with rain. The BFA students spent the day in the classrooms teaching English. Many of them picked up quite a bit of Romanian as well. Here you can see Josh learning basic Romanian phrases from some of the students. By the end of the week he and Katelyn could say the “Lord’s Prayer” in Romanian and I am still trying to master “thank you.”
This was our first day of games with students who lived in the “attic.” With the middle school and high school students we played “football” or in American terms soccer. With the elementary students we had some rousing games of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” This was a new game to them, but they loved it!
We were also able to celebrate “H’s” 18th birthday. We sang to her and gave her chocolate! Then that evening the girls in the attic found out it was “H’s” birthday and they all sang the Romanian version of “Happy Birthday” and then the English version. “H” was overwhelmed at these girls kindness and generosity as they gave her hugs and gifts.

The Romanian Birthday Song!

Happy Birthday Hugs!

After the birthday songs all of the girls gathered in the hallway for a couple of games of “Mafia.” This seems to be a very international game! What a fun end to a great day.

Romania...Day 2

We woke on Sunday morning with a lovely breakfast and then we went to church. Since we were a bit late they sat us all in the center in a row. Now in North America, this would not be a big deal, but in Romania the men sit in the center section that we were in and the women sit on both sides of the sanctuary. We were making some cultural mistakes. Oppps. Church was very exciting. That morning they had a Dutch preacher speaking in English with a lady who translated it to Romanian. Then we sang praise songs and hymns in Romanian, but I knew them in English. To have Romanian, Dutch, American, and Korean Believers worshiping the Lord at one time was an amazing experience. God is so good, faithful and true.


The electricity race!!!

Daniel, Josh, Brittany & Katelyn play cards with their new friend Emmy.

We then played games Sunday afternoon with the students that lived in the attic, or their dormitory. Here we are playing cards and pulse electricity. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

The BFA and Romanian students who visited the Fortress of Stephen the Great.

Stephen the Great

A traditional Romania village.

Us after we climbed and then went back down the 256 stairs!

Stephen the Great's monument.

The students on the wall of the fortress.

Mihilea and Cathy!

Then Mihilea and some of her students took us to St. Stephen the Great’s Fortress. Stephen the Great was one of the most loved kings of Romania who was a good leader, won many battles against the Turks, and treated all people fairly. The Fortress was very impressive. We did have to climb up 256 stairs to get to the Fortress that sits upon a large hill, but it was worth the experience.

The Fortress!

Stephen the Great with people in court at the museum.

Romania...Day 1

On Saturday March 28 the BFA Romania Team set out. We consisted of two leaders, myself and Cathy a math teacher and 8 students (2 guys and 6 girls). We left school in 2 vans filled a lot of luggage to the Zurich airport, which is an hour and 15 minutes away. There was some chaos as we all checked into the airport…but soon we were at our gate.

Here we are waiting in Zurich and eating our packed lunch.

We then arrived in Bucharest, Romania the capitol city. Here we have five long hours in the airport before we could continue on to Suceava. We had plenty of time to read and even find some yummy pizza to eat.

We arrived in the very small airport of Suceava at 10pm. Here Mihilea, our contact and an English teacher, met us with some other faculty from Filadelphia Christian School to take us back to the school. There we found our rooms and went to sleep…after we anciently woke up the girls on our floor. Oppps...