Sugar Cookies at Storch!

Every Monday night I head over to the dorm, Storchenblick for a few short hours. Dinner together is first on the agenda, and is one of the only times during the day that almost all of the dorm is together in one room. 

After dinner the students do gratis' (chores) and have study hours from 7:30-9:30. Usually during this time I walk the halls helping with homework, get lunch prep ready or bake. 

Tonight was spent mostly on baking. I turned on the Christmas music and away I went. Two hours passed and I had made about 90 sugar cookies. Half were put away for a homeless shelter fundraiser and the rest were put out on the counter. I had also made some brown sugar icing and set out sprinkles for a fun topping. Within 45 minutes of the girls coming down from studying hard, there was not a crumb left. I would have taken a picture but they disappeared just so fast :)

While I sit at home feeling somewhat tired from a long day - I can't help but feel overjoyed. It was incredible just standing back and watching as the girls (and dorm brother) ate cookies and laughed together. There wasn't any special planned activity going on - they were just experiencing day to day life together. I am so blessed to be able to join them in this. 

This is just one more thing I am so thankful for in this amazing place. Thank you so much to all of you who have made it possible for me to be here. I can't imagine being anywhere else. 

"Yah this is home, now im finally where I belong" (Switchfoot) 

Not right or wrong, just different!

This phrase is one we have come to say over and over again as we experience new things in Germany. 

I wanted to give you a "Winter Comparison" to give you an idea of where I am living now, and where I come from.

This was today in Germany:

This was this week back home, in Southern, Alberta (Canada):

It seems so strange to me to be walking outside in just a long-sleeve shirt and jeans in late November. While it is different (not wrong, or right), I have come to appreciate the longer fall weather we have. It's another example of how intricately designed our world is, and how God put so much incredible detail into His creation - even just the difference in country climates is all so complex. 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

(Genesis 1:1) 

My first American Thanksgiving!

Last night Heather and I were invited to Storch's Dorm Thanksgiving. There were about 40 of us seated at a long table in the kitchen. I could have sat back and just watched for hours. There were a variety of conversations going on, many filled with laughter and smiles. While this group of people consisted of teacheres, students, dorm staff, and friends - there was indeed a family feel to it all.

We ate far too much - but that's what you do on Thanksgiving, right? We had a variety of things that I am used to - like turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream! A few things that were new to me this year were: fresh apple juice, bean casserole and candy pilgrim hats!

All in all it was a wonderful way to celebrate what God has done for us!

Looking forward to two more Thanksgiving dinners in the next week with friends!

                                                 Great is Thy faithfulness!

                                                 Great is Thy faithfulness!
                                       Morning by morning new mercies I see.
                                     All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
                                      Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!



"Getting back to what matters..."

This is what numerous posters around campus say. Every Thursday morning at 8:00 there is student led worship in the auditorium. This morning was the first morning I was able to attend. There were 17 students who were also at school early for this.

We sang:

All Who Are Thirsty 

None But Jesus

Never Let Me Go

God Of This City

In The Secret

The Heart of Worship

I was the only staff member there and it was amazing to watch these students come in early to school to worship. There were 3 students who led  in prayer, singing and in reading the Word. It was a great time to not only worship with the students but to see them laying down their day before Christ. It was so encouraging and powerful to see the passion that these kids have for Christ.

Please continue to be praying for these students as many earnestly seek Christ and others still seek out what that means. 

A Thankful Heart

It seems appropriate to end this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with writing about the many things I am so thankful for.

My heart is truly overflowing right now and like so many of my other posts it seems hard to really articulate just what that feels like.

Today I started back in the Front Office after having all of last week off. As many of you know last Monday (October 4) I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. Seems like a crazy thing to be thankful for - but I am. I had been in so much pain for the few weeks before that I didn't even feel like myself. I was also able to have my surgery 10 days before I originally had thought and that in itself was a major blessing.

I am so thankful for friends, friends who care about me and really took it upon themselves to care for me when I was out last week. To not be at home with my family during a time like this I thought was going to be really hard. And while there were times when I wished I was at home - there wasn't anything that the girls didn't do for me last week. I was encouraged with cards, gifts, books, flowers, and songs (just to name a few). They were so good to me. For them I am thankful.

I am thankful for the opportunity of living and serving in SouthWestern Germany. Some days I have to pinch and remind myself that this is not a dream. I get to work in a Front Office doing what I love, I get to hang out and love on students, and I am surrounded by a community of amazing staff who come from all over the world. Wow.

These are just a few things that I am so truly thankful for. God has blessed me with so many amazing "moments" that I am also thankful for. A few of them being:
-stargazing
-Sunday afternoon worship
-German church
-Canadian Thanksgiving (I was even able to eat the entire meal!!!)

Again, my heart is truly overflowing - and my prayer is that I would use that overflow to fill someone else up. We are the body of Christ and we are all in this together.

A Day in the Life of Brittany...

(This is my day in a nutshell in the Front Office -all of the events listed have happened and I have accomplished, not in my own strength but only by the strength of my Father - what a joy it is to serve Him in the Black Forest!)

8:00 - Open up the school - empty the dishwasher - and start the much anticipated coffee! (Will the 50 cup pot be enough for the day???)

8:28 - Answer the phone - Student A from Dorm 1 is sick. Student B from Dorm 2 will be late. 

8:50 - First bell rings 

8:52 - Sign 6 late slips 

9:00 - Put postage on the 12 letters that need to go out

9:16 - Student C and D are marked as absent  but no one called them in sick - time to call out a search party - bring on the yearbook! If I need to search campus for them - what do they look like??

9:33 - Start walking to the Post (post office) 

9:49 - Successful mail pick-up requires around 8 German words - Guten Morgen, Mail für BFA, Bitte....Danke - Tschüss! (Good morning, mail for BFA, please...thank you, bye) 

10:06 - Walk back into the office - 2 students need their computer login information - 1 staff member needs the key to the storage closet - 1 German speaker on the phone and the police walk in - take a deep breath! 

10:23 - Sort through mail:

Pile 1 = current students

Pile 2 = bills to open, sign and take to finance

Pile 3 = current staff

Pile 4 = past students - hmmm, where are they now?

Pile 5 = past staff to be given to the personnel office to find current address

Pile 6 = german advertisements

10:47 - The office is Q (quiet is a forbidden word to say as it always brings chaos), time to grab a cup of coffee and check email

10:59 - Internet Explorer opens - 48 new messages - some have to do with parent/teacher conferences and guest house bookings, and some are new staff phone numbers to add to the phone list that was printed in bulk yesterday - draft copy is a term used for most phone lists until around April! 

11:26 - Start a Resin office supply order - Now let's think - Bob wanted a stapler, Tom wanted 4 reams of the light green paper, Sarah wanted 4 packages of 10 mm staplers, Chris wanted erasers and green pens and the supply room is out of white paper - I think that was all! Now let's see... what would the German name for that be??? 

12:32 - It is the students lunch time! Many come to the office to pick up lunches, call home, or are searching for their long lost textbook. 

1:00 - Time for my lunch.... ahhh a quiet and near deserted staff room. There are only a handful of us who are eating at this time. I don't mind eating a little later and I look forward to the few moments of quiet I can get. 

1:30 - Fix a paper jam - sign for a parcel - send a fax

1:52 - A Resin order from last week comes in - time to unpack and organize. Paper is organized by colour and weight in the paper room - they are labeled now, please don't mix up! The office supplies go in the closet and are there for the staff as they need them. 

2:46 - A family of 6 is visiting to check out the school - write and sign their visitor badges and appoint them to their tour guide for the afternoon

3:50 - School is out! Kids are running everywhere. "Can I use the phone" ... "Have you seen my mom"... "Did my glasses get turned in here" ... "Do you know if there is volleyball tonight" The answer is a glad and cheerful yes! Now just one second while I answer this phone. 

4:15 - Dorm Sonne calls - "our guys are not home yet, were there buses today?" Time to track down the bus company and make sure the students get home soon! 

4:30 - The halls are quiet - time to finish drinking that cup of coffee I started this morning. 

4:44 - respond to some pressing emails. 

4:59 - turn off the computers, printers, shut the windows, clean the kitchen, start the dishwasher

5:00 - Lock the doors and home to Riedlingen I go. 

"Thank you Father for another awesome day in the Front Office!"

Mighty and Faithful is He

I just wanted to write a quick update on where I am financially.

Jennifer so graciously sat down with me this evening to find out my % as we went through each one of my monthly support statements.

I was in awe as I saw her add up the total... for the 2 years I have committed to I will need $46, 704, and my total came to $49, 754. I am at 106.5%! WOW!

Our God is sooo good!

Thank you SO much to all who have been praying and have supported me financially!

Love,

Brittany