Pictures: China and Track

The end of the school year is a busy and full time at any school, but even more so in an international school community where there is a large turnover of staff and students every year. Our days are full, as are our hearts and minds. Sometimes when my mind and heart is so full with so many different things, I don't know what to post here. There is so much that has happened in the past two months, and there is much more to happen in the next two.

For now, allow me to share some photos with you of some highlights of our April and May. The big event in April was our trip to China. Click here to see the photos that Mike posted on Facebook.

In addition to his main role of teaching science, Mike also was one of the assistant coaches for track this spring. Click here to see some photos from European Finals. (We compete in the DODDS system - aka the military schools.) Our boys won the Division 2 team championship, including breaking the DODDS Europe and BFA record in the 4x800 relay. Earlier in the season, they broke the school record (that had stood since 1991) in the sprint medley relay. My contribution to the track team was to make "jam bars" for each meet. Jam Bars are a long held BFA tradition for track and cross country.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's true, then these pictures ought to make up for my lack of recent posts. :)

Why Should Churches Care About Europe?

Why Should Churches Care about Europe?

Europe is the leading educator of the rest of the world. Twice as many international students are being educated in Europe as in the U.S.. Post 9/11 restrictions are shifting this number higher. Europe has a high influence on tomorrow's intellects and leaders.

(A friend recently shared this in an email. I don't know where its from, so I don't know who/where to give credit to.)

Signs of Spring

Signs of spring:
- when I step outside the house I immediately can smell all of the spring blooms - lilacs, apple & cherry blossoms, magnolias, etc etc
- fresh air
- open windows
- (yellow) pollen all over everything - the windows, windowsills, and anything near the open windows :)
- sunshine
- warm days and cool nights
- longer days
- everything in bloom, lush green trees and grass, etc. - I LOVE the new life that spring brings!

Easter in China

This article touched my heart deeply in reminding me of the persecution our Chinese brothers and sisters face. I am reminded of what I have to be thankful for, and I'm reminded to pray for the Church in China.

Pure Love of God

"Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of gratitude." ~Simone Weil

Gratitude Journal #35

What I'm thankful for:
*God's faithfulness and provision
*Homemade lemonade with lunch on Sunday
*BEAUTIFUL spring (almost-summer like) weather the past few days
*Time with my husband
*that the children's EFL curriculum project that I've been a part of has wrapped up
*A good walk this morning in the crisp air and sunshine
*An awesome group of staff and students to travel to Asia with
*the movie Temple Grandin (I highly recommend it!)
*the book Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman (I highly recommend it, too!)
*what German I do know
*lessons I'm learning

What I want:
*to learn more German
*to depend on God and not myself, especially in our upcoming trip to Asia (we leave Sat.)
*to keep my perspective where it needs to be
*to take life one step at a time
*to be more organized
*to get some errands done today
*to enjoy and be thankful for each moment

I'm Being Saved from Myself...

I just read an article that hit a bulls-eye for me, especially this quote:

"But that’s the thing I’m learning about dreams–even God’s dreams for us. Oftentimes, living them out is a lot more desert than you expected. You forge ahead with high ideals, only to find grit and heat and a request to bloom in the dark. You dive in with hopeful optimism, only to discover that maybe it’s not so much about saving the world, as it is about being saved from yourself.

Sometimes living out the dream takes the guts just to survive parts of it – flat tires and angry stomp and all."

Read the entire article here.