Some Thoughts On Marathons

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, Consider him who endured such opposition, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Turning on the news, checking social media or even just in chatting with a neighbor or friend, it’s hard to deny that there are a lot of difficult things going on in the world right now- It almost feels like a heaviness is in the air. Though everyone’s circumstances are different, we have something in common…we are all here together during this time period on earth. We are all walking or “running” this race of life together right now.

A friend of mine, Bethany, is a runner and would be able to speak into what it’s like running in a Marathon. I had the joy of watching and cheering her on at Grandmas Marathon in Duluth, with some friends, a few years back. It was the first marathon I’ve ever watched in person and the atmosphere where we were at on the course was an absolute blast! There were musicians, people in costumes and lots of people cheering with signs. Our group was initially cheering a few miles out from the finish line and by the time the runners got to us, they looked determined and focused or pretty worn out or injured. It was inspiring to see each person in that race not matter how fast they were running or walking. At the finish line, there was so much joy, celebration, relief and what felt like a sense of comradery among the runners.

It think that in “doing life”, there are lots of parallels to what it’s like running a Marathon. There are hills and valleys; there are times along the track where you have a cheer squad and other times, where the side of the race seems bare or lonely; there are times where you feel like all you can do is take the next step; during an Marathon it’s important to stay hydrated and to stay hydrated with the right stuff -what are you hydrating or filling yourself with in your life; sometimes you can’t see what’s around the next corner and yet you keep going; from what I understand, it’s important to look up or in front of or around you instead of down at your own feet during a race; sometimes it can be painful or you may get injured; you may meet new people along the route (some come and go and some run around the same pace as you)….I could keep on going listing some of these similarities, but I think you get the picture.

In the Bible there is such great imagery when we read about “running with perseverance” (Hebrews 12:1), not running aimlessly (1 Corinthians 9:26)

However, another important part of our race is that, we have someone who will not leave us; someone who we can rely on, learn from all along the way; has compassion on us and loves us and he is a global God. We can fix our eyes on Jesus as he is the one who can help give us perseverance and walk with us through any situation.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying “This is the way, walk in it” -Isaiah 30:21

“Do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” -Isaiah 41:10

Ministry Updates…

These past weeks have been a whirlwind of building up our partnership team, meetings, online (late-night) trainings after the kids go down, our normal jobs, and doing everyday life.

It has been awesome making some great connections and seeing some of the details coming together as we prepare for serving at BFA. We are a few months out from our move and it’s starting to get real! July 27th is when they’ve asked us to be in Germany, new staff training starts the beginning of August and the 2022-2023 school year starts mid-August. We are so excited and have quite a few updates to share since we last wrote in our blog.

Praises!

-The other week we found out about a great housing option for us, leasing from a German family on the 2nd story of a house in Holzen-Kandern (about halfway between BFA and our kids’ bilingual school) There is a BFA girls dorm a few blocks away that Kristen is hoping to get involved with.

- We have 62% of our monthly support raised! (When we took this pic of the glass half full for a visual on our Facebook group page last week, we were at 50% of our monthly support raised and 100% of our start up cost raised) Again, we are so grateful for the prayer and financial partnerships!

Prayer Requests:

- Both Jameson and I could use prayer for energy & wisdom as we are juggling a lot of different roles right now …our kids somehow seem to never lack energy and we could really use a bit of that ;)

- For Jameson in his current job at Tartan High School- to continue to bring joy and to be a light in the classroom there …Pray for Tartan as a whole.

- From BFA: Pray for joy and enthusiasm for teachers and students amid disruptions in the typical school year. And that students and staff would encounter God’s transforming word in a way that grows them together, as a community, and more in love with Christ.

-The invasion of Ukraine, the health and well-being of the people there; the global impact and wisdom in response for World Leaders

Upcoming weeks & months for our crew…

In the upcoming weeks and months we will be continuing to build up our partnership team and make more BFA connections. We will also be going through more training with Reach Global and be getting more updates and info from Black Forest Academy.

Last Sunday we had a booth set up at the Rockpoint Church Missions weekend…not only did we pass out some delicious Milka chocolates, but we were able to make some new connections and share more about Black Forest Academy, the global impact it has, and our future ministry there. If you are at Rockpoint this weekend, we’ll be there again…stop by our booth, say “hi” and grab some chocolate and a BFA sticker ;)

The kids have been starting to learn some German. Duolingo has been a big hit in our house as well as some of the German resources the library has.

This week we met with our realtor and that whole process has also now begun…

Once we get to BFA this summer, we will not be at the finish line of our “Marathon”, but instead we will keep on running. The scenery will look different, there will be cultural differences, and our jobs will be new; but God’s promises will stay the same and his compassion and love for the world will not change.

Thank you for coming alongside us and partnering with us on this journey!

Let us know how we can be praying for you too- We are thankful for you and cheering you on in your walk as well!

Kristen & Jameson

Rockpoint Church Missions Weekend

GRATEFUL.

As we’ve been reflecting on this year and this blog, the word grateful keeps coming to our mind. We are so grateful for the encouragement, prayer, support and excitement we have experienced over the past few months as we have been preparing to move to Germany and work at Black Forest Academy. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Truly!

Here are a few recent updates:

-This month we got all six of our passports in the mail…which brings us one step closer to moving to Germany.

-Joelle and Amber are accepted into a bilingual elementary school (and we are still looking into preschools for Kara and Nathan- which will be all in German)

-Black Forest Academy is working on our visas and work permits (prayers would be appreciated that there would be no kinks in this process!)

-BFA has also started the process of looking for rental housing for our family in the Kandern area.

-Jameson and I are hoping to go to Germany for a vision trip and make some more connections in March over Jameson’s spring break (that is still up in the air depending on how things are with Covid - Germany is also seeing a wave of increased Covid cases right now)

It’s wild to think that in about seven or eight months, we will be settling in to our home in Germany and meeting the students and staff at BFA. There are a lot of little steps needing to happen before the 2022 school year starts and we are taking one step at a time. We are so excited to serve at BFA, and again, are so humbled and grateful by your support. Thank you.

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”— Ephesians 1:16 (Feel free to reach out to us and let us know how we can be praying for you as well!)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and as we all embrace the new year and all of the unknowns of 2022 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 15:13

-Kristen & Jameson

Merry Christmas from the Bast Family!

<<Bast Family Adventure>>

Helloooo!

This summer we will be moving our family from White Bear Lake, Minnesota to a small town in south-western Germany called Kandern. We are thrilled to be working with the staff and students at an International School called Black Forest Academy (BFA)!

For many years we have felt a tug to move over seas and have spent a lot of time talking, thinking, dreaming and praying about where we would go and what we could do. An opportunity arose to work at Black Forest Academy and we jumped on it.

Jameson will be teaching art and I will be volunteering with students in a small group setting and am hoping to help out in the health office at the school once we get our family settled.

We’ve heard such great things about BFA and are so excited to be part of the team there!

We’ll be sharing more about BFA on here in the days, weeks, and months to come and are hoping to use this site and blog as a way to stay connected and to keep you updated about our Bast Family Adventure and what God is doing at and through BFA. Thanks so much for taking the time to check out our site!!!

-Kristen

(BTW- we included a few pictures below from their website https://bfacademy.com/ so you can get a glimpse into life at Black Forest Academy)