See the blessing, not the burden.

Yesterday morning, I opened the fridge and pulled out the milk to put some on my cereal. The milk jug said "Best before July 11." "July 11th?!" I thought to myself, "How do they get milk to stay good for that long? I mean, it's only June 1st." Pause....."Oh yeah, it's July 3rd."

That's what happens when you spend the summer living out of a suitcase and crossing various state lines regularly: you lose your sense of time. No, it's not the easiest way to spend a summer, but as my Mom says, I'm trying to "see the blessing and not the burden." The blessing is getting to see and reconnect with many people - family, friends, churches, supporters.

Pray for us - that we will be able to see many more friends and family, but also that we will get the rest and refreshment we need to return to Germany in August.

Our pace of life...

Mike and I have been thinking and talking a lot recently about our pace of life. We are trying to figure out what our pace of life needs to look like for long-term life here to be sustainable - or even possible. "Involved" and "committed" are two words that have been part of this conversation. A friend recently shared this quote, which was helpful:

"There is a difference between being 'involved' and being 'committed'; like with the ham and the egg: the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed!"

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