New Year - New News
Happy New Year from our family to you!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Updates from the Classroom (Jameson)
In two weeks, we will be having our finals for the first semester of this school year! All my students are furiously working on their projects in class. This semester, students have a more open ended assignment of their choosing for their final project. I have challenged them to think of the 8 work days left given for the final project to be used as a ceramic artist would in their studio; going through the making process to be completed by the deadline of January 20th. This has resulted in some really creative and different ideas being brought forth by the students! It’s fun to see their creativity blossom with the freedom to express an idea of their choice.
In December, we held the Semester 1 Art Show alongside the music concerts taking place in the auditorium. Each student submitted at least one artwork for the show from this semester. Having a semester art show gives students a chance to make their art visible to a larger audience which, I think, is an important part of creating art. Several of the community members and other students purchased artwork from the show. I told my students that to be a professional artist, you need to make art and then someone needs to like it enough to want to buy it. Those, that sold their artwork at the show, met that definition and so they are professional artists!
The current Ceramics 2 students finished their Kandern inspired artworks for the spring show. The collaboration with the local artists and art community of Kandern continues in preparation for the annual spring show that will be held in late spring. The ceramics room continues to be an area of the school that draws students in for good conversations, music, humor and creative growth.
Opening the kiln after a weekend firing to see the final glaze results on the work. Exciting times in the ceramics class!
Jameson with some senior guys who lead the after school video game club once a month.
A ceramics story on social media from BFA’s communications office.
Health Office Update
The new team that came at the beginning of the school year has been a blessing to BFA in so many ways! They hit the ground running when they arrived. Overall, it has been a busy and full year for our office. I’m thankful to be serving the students at BFA alongside them.
In one of our recent posts on our Facebook group, you may have seen that BFA recently purchased the new dorm building just a few blocks away from the school. This building used to be a nursing home and some supplies were left behind in the building…some of which being medical gloves (thousands of medical gloves!). The BFA Health Office is able to use some, but there is no way we can use them all up before they expire. I called some of the local Doctors offices in the area, whom we often send our students to, to ask if they could use some donated medical gloves. They seemed thrilled and said that they would gladly have some. We were able to share the wealth of medical gloves with some of the local connections here, along with a personalized Christmas card thanking them for the care provided to our students and we also added in some chocolates or toffee. It was a joy delivering them to some of the local Doctors offices, as it was an obvious day brightener for them, a great way to keep building into positive relationships between our offices and also for Cayla (one of our new nurses) to see where some of the offices are and meet some of the staff face-to-face.
The wonderful 2024-25 Health Office Team
The extra boxes of gloves and Christmas goodies for the local Doctors offices, for whom we are so grateful.
Small Group Update
Tuesday night = small group night!!!!! These evenings have been filled with good conversations, studying the book of James , games and snacks. Jameson hosted us in his ceramics classroom for two of our small group evenings before Christmas for the girls to be able to make a Christmas gift for family or friends-this was our third year of being able to do this, per their request.
Over Christmas break one of the small group girls’ family came to spend Christmas in Germany with her instead of her flying to them. We had her family over for a meal to get to know them and hear more about their ministry in Sierra Leone. They are involved with medical missions and local micro business development. (We were also able to pass along extra medical gloves with them to use in Sierra Leone as well!)
Kristen with some of her small group girls at the Christmas Banquet.
The first small group of the year- after catching up about break, we each started with a blank canvas and every four mintues we would pass the canvas to the left after each girl added part of the drawing to the picture.
Family Update
Playing in the backyard
At the Kindergarten lantern walk in November
As we didn’t send out a regular Christmas card this year, our family update is a little longer than usual in this blog update.
Nathan is 5 and continues to enjoy going to the Holzen Kindergarten. Kindergarten in Germany is similar to preschool in the States- just a few of the differences that we’ve noticed between Kindergarten here and Preschool in the States is that the kids use carpentry tools here, like saws, hammers & nails etc; each morning they start circle time, by one of the preschoolers lighting a candle in the middle of the cirlce with matches; they are offered fruit tea every day with their morning snack-time. Nathan’s favorite part of Kindergarten is playing outside in the “mud-kitchen” with friends. At home he enjoys to play with his sisters, books, and asks to do a “science experiment” almost every day.
Kara is 7 and is loving first grade at the bilingual school. In the beginning of the year she had been asking the teachers for homework each day…now she has said that school is harder and she doesn’t want to ask for homework anymore. But she is enjoying being able to read some on her own now and playing with friends. If you have met Kara, you know that she has a zest and joy for (almost) all-things. She has also started piano lessons this year. On the first day of piano after her lesson, she came home singing “this is the best day of my liiiiiife!”.
Amber just turned 9 last month. She wanted to invite about half of her class to her Birthday party last month, so we opted to reserve the BFA gym as it was free during Christmas break. Amber and a bunch of third graders were able to celebrate by running around in the gym playing games with balls or jumping on floor mats etc. and lots of snacks- a third graders dream. Amber’s favorite subject in school is… gym class and dance class, which was an elective last semester.
Joelle is turning 11 next week! This fall, Joelle was in the middle school play “Anne of Green Gables”. She has also started to learn how to play the violin in the school strings group. She has a close-knit class who enjoy spending time with each other both in- and outside of school. Joelle loves to read, enjoys art, and is especially into cats right now. She was thrilled that we were able to cat-sit for some friends here over Christmas break. She, and everyone in the family, are hoping that a cat will be in our future someday.
Joelle & friends before the strings concert.
Amber & Kara
The opening night of “Anne of Green Gables”
New News - Future Plans
The 2024-2025 school year is the third year of our short-term commitment with Reach Global serving at BFA. After this school year ends, we will be moving our family State-side again. As we begin to think about this transition it is bitter-sweet. Germany has been a special place for our family and we will miss the connections we made here, Kandern and the German culture.
The decision to have this be the last year has not been easy and has come throughf a lot of prayer, conversations, time and thought. As we look ahead, we are trusting God with what the future holds for our family. Mid-July we will be flying back to Minnesota, where we have temporary housing lined up through the end of August.
We hope to leave our positions at BFA set up in a way that future staff can jump in & thrive in these roles.
Prayer Requests
We would appreciate prayer for our family as we prepare for this transition back to the States. Also, for what is next for us job-wise as this would provide more direction for us as to where we live.
Please pray for us as we balance being present here in our roles & in relationships so that we can finish out the year strong & in a God-honoring way (balancing what he has for us here and wisdom in what needs to happen here to prepare us for what’s next).
Preparations for the local Kandern Museum Art Show for this upcoming spring and that these connections to the local art community can continue after our departure.
Please pray for the seniors (Kristen’s small group girls) & for endurance as they finish this semester and as they look ahead to what’s next; for good goodbye’s and for good discussions to occur. May they experience God’s love and goodness in new ways as they step into a new season.
For good health & protection for our students and staff.
For wisdom for the leadership of the school.
