Ah, Motorcycles

What is the great appeal you may have asked yourself when hearing that I enjoy driving a motorcycle. As I drove from Hutchinson to Apple Valley this morning, I was trying to brainstorm the great things...
-better gas mileage
-use of carpool lanes
-the feeling of being closer to 'nature'--the smells of fresh cut grass, etc
-easier to stay alert
-maneuverability--fun of weaving within a lane or around obstacles
-time to think
-the community created--what other drivers wave to each other without even knowing who's driving in the opposite lane--it reminds me of tram drivers waving or blinking their lights as they pass other trams in Bucharest.

Certainly there are some drawbracks...
-helmet hair
-difficulty traveling in all seasons or during rain and other precipitation
-need to pack light

I'm sure there are other things...

Family...Together Once Again

Living overseas makes it a bit difficult to coordinate family pictures. Last month brought our entire family to MN, overlapping for a few weeks. We gathered together for laughter, sharing, fun, games, late nights, and great food. I love my family so much and am thankful for what an amazing gift they are to me. I'm looking forward to being in closer proximity this year...getting together for birthdays and holidays, having sleep-overs, traveling together, and lots of memory and relationship-building.

Arranger

One of the learning tools our mission uses is Strengths Finder. It helps identify the top 5 strengths a person has (from a possible 34 themes). From the two times I've taken the 'test', my strengths are: learner, harmony, input, responsibility, discipline, restorative, intellection, and developer. (It's common to have different strengths in the top 5 when taking the test multiple times--likely these 8 are all within my top 10.)

We each are image bearers of our creator, so it would seem to me that God has within himself all 34 themes and is able to use them each when needed.

Yesterday, I left Hutchinson early in the morning to drive into the Twin Cites (Minneapolis/St. Paul) to visit a church. As I drove, I waffled between continuing on to the new church or choosing to attend Trinity. I decided to proceed with attending the new church. I settled into the pew and tried to psych myself up for meeting new people and all that entails. The service started and we were given a chance to introduce ourselves. As the worship resumed, I saw some familiar faces walk in. What a fun surprise. I found myself relaxing and more able to focus.
Following the service, I was able to finally make eye contact. God has graciously arranged for a group of missionary kids attending a re-entry event to attend the same church service. I had planned to try and connect during the afternoon, but later learned I would have come up empty-handed. There were 7 teens that I knew from Romania and the Czech Republic. Many I hadn't seen in months, if not a year. It was a blessing to connect and have time to catch up with their lives and to share about my own. I'm so encouraged to hear about their hopes and plans for the future and their honesty about the struggles they're facing.

As we walked out of church, I asked if we could take a picture together and then started saying good-byes. I talked briefly with the woman in charge of the program and she invited me to join them for lunch and their activities in the afternoon. That morning, I never could have imagined that I would have the blessing of spending the afternoon with Amy, Matt, Hannah, Rob, David R, Christy, and David M. They are an amazing group of young people with hearts for God and others. I joined the group at the park for lunch and a discussion about what's important in choosing a church (what a timely discussion). We then proceeded to the apartment of one of the leaders to watch the World Cup game. I enjoyed talking with the leaders and some of the teens. Our afternoon closed with a drive back to Northwestern College where they're staying.

God truly has the gift of arranging...far beyond what I could have asked or imagined.

Daddy

I've enjoyed spending time with my nieces this past week. Abigail is just over 2 years old and Ellinor is 7 months old. They have a swingset in the backyard that we spend time at nearly every day. This weekend as we played outside, my sister got up to talk to her husband, calling him by his first name. For the next few minutes after that Abigail and I talked about why she called him Kyle but that she got to call him Daddy. She enjoyed trying out Kyle, but quickly reverted back to Daddy.

As I talked with her of the privilege of calling him Daddy and probably how much he enjoys hearing her use that word, my thoughts were drawn to our heavenly father. I wondered if he feels the same way if we choose to come to him with titles and names instead of drawing near and calling him Daddy. It's an amazing privilege to know that He's our Father.

Science Fair

After hours of planning, research, writing, and experimenting, we finally had all the pieces ready for the science fair. This is probably one of my favorite activities to see come to a conclusion because of all the work represented. The students designed experiments, trying to control all but one variable. They each wrote a research paper and created artistic display boards. Their topics ranged from dying fabrics to dissolving vitamins, fading colors to the antibacterial properties of dog and human saliva. On May 5th, we invited the lower elementary students and parents to come enjoy the science fair and hopefully learn something new. The 7th and 8th grade class also dropped in for a closer look.
Corina studied how different fruits and vegetables dye fabrics. Interestingly enough, the tomato didn't dye the fabric hardly at all.


Jon created rockets of different heights as well as a device to measure the height the rockets flew.


Daniel created circuits using potatoes and then lemons. Surprisingly, the potato circuit had greater conductivity.


Grace tested how a muffin recipe is affected by different amounts of baking powder. She learned a great deal about expanding gases and was surprised that the taste as well as appearance were affected by the amount.

My Story

One of the things our team has had the privilege of doing this school year is sharing our stories. Every other month we meet for an extended period of time and someone tells their life story. I had the opportunity to share my story in February. One of my colleagues took notes in picture form and it was neat to see my life depicted in this way. It's an amazing gift to take time look back through the years and see themes and trends, to consider joys and pain, and to then look ahead with great hope in what God might have in store next. What's your story?

Bucharest City Team

I have the greatest colleagues! I love that we love spending time together and find ways to get together outside of team meetings. We had the privilege of a visit from our new area leader, David Ruiz. He spoke at the Bucharest church plant (Trinitatea) and so we congregated there for the morning service and lunch in the courtyard.

Bill and Jane, David, Connie and Ed, Jen and Dave, Jen, and Laura

(Susan is missing from this picture)

Quilting

I finished a new quilting project this past week. It's been in the making since last summer as I made plans for how we could honor our director who resigned at the end of the school year. Each class made one of the squares and the elementary and secondary staff participated with squares as well. On the reverse, I traced the hands of each BCA student and wrote the names of each staff member. Then, the sewing began. I'd never made a quilt with squares and borders such as this, so it was a bit of an experiment. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out and think it's a great testimony to the legacy that Jen leaves behind.

Goodbyes Stink

Yep, I've determined, as of today, that goodbyes just aren't any fun. And looming ahead of me...two weeks of goodbyes. It just isn't something I look forward to and yet it's a part of every year in our community. It just happens that this time around, I'm the one leaving instead of the one staying. I can't say it's any easier.

The tears started flowing last week...and in reality even before that.

At the beginning of the month, I gathered with my ReachGlobal Romania colleagues in Bran (near Dracula's castle) for a weekend retreat. On the last morning of our time together, we spend a chunk of time sharing prayer requests and praying for each other. It hit me. I wouldn't see some of these people for another year or perhaps longer. And the tears flowed. It hurt to think that these dear people who are so very much part of my life will be so far away next year.

Two weeks later, we gathered in the courtyard of Str. Vasile Voiculescu Nr. 22 for our annual staff appreciation event. The school board members did an amazing job of disguising the ugly concrete and turning the space into an oasis where we as a staff enjoyed conversation and great food. Our director and I were recognized and prayed for and given beautiful gifts (a mosaic platter with signatures of students and teachers on the reverse). As I read the notes from students and saw the many names, I was moved to tears. It's easy for me to forget sometimes the impact I have on the lives that walk through my classroom door or into my office.

Last week was our final elementary chapel. We typically honor those students and staff members who will be leaving. Since I taught chapel, I thought I might be able to sneak by unnoticed. A colleague jumped up just as I was closing and called on students to pray for me. As I listened to their prayers of faith, I was struck that all three prayed that I would remember God's love for me. My thoughts drifted back to my previous post about God's stockpiles of love and again was confronted with how easily I forget, and even doubt, God's love for me. I'm so thankful for the hearts and lives of children to remind me.

Last night, following our last day of school, was the final official BCA event of the year, graduation. The BCA class of 2010 had 8 graduates: Ege, Jon, Jessica, Sarah, Brandon, Lexi, Erica, and Megan. Some of these I've known for the entire seven years and had the privilege of teaching several years as well. They are a tremendous group with loads of talent and bright futures. What got me last night wasn't the co-valedictorian addresses or even the keynote address, it was the worship time. As we sang "The Power of Your Love" I was once again confronted with God's love and the desire I have for him to draw me nearer, to surround me, to hold me close, and to have him change my heart. As I stood in line to congratulate the graduates, I realized that I desire to know how God uses them, where the future will lead. And yet, in this set of goodbyes, there's the reality that I may never know all that God does.

Today, part of our community gathered to once again celebrate and recognize some of the graduates. It was a special time of enjoying the sunshine and the beginning of summer. And then the goodbyes...I had some lovely conversations with colleagues, friends, and departing families. On my way out the door I saw one of my students and grabbed her for one final hug. We stood on the sidewalk for some time talking, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, tears falling on my arms holding her tight. I tried to share promises with her, reminding her that God knew the pain of goodbyes (and I did too), that he would bring just the right teacher for her for next year, that we will see each other again. It hurt to walk her toward her mother...knowing there wasn't anything I could do to stop the hurt or to make it any easier, but also knowing her mother would hold her when I walked away. It was inevitable...I turned and the tears started flowing as I walked the opposite direction alone. As I wept, I felt God gently remind me that his arms were wrapped tightly around me and that he was catching my tears. They weren't unseen. I'm not unseen.

The goodbyes aren't over yet. I know there will be many more tears shed. This isn't it...it's not goodbye forever...Eternity is coming!

Vampires

Our final writing project of the year was for my students to each write a play. We talked about the differences between a play and story and what it would look like written out. We read samples and saw that a play is a lot of dialog. Finally, my students set about planning and then writing their own play. I gave them free reign as far as genre and setting. One student chose a western, and two others set their plays in a classroom/school. Another student had his main character learning not to steal. It was fun to see the work they invested in creating characters, choosing a setting, and developing a plot. After finishing final copies of the plays, I had them vote on the play they wanted to work toward performing. They chose the play about a girl who learns not to be afraid of vampires because some vampires have a surprise party for her and help her have fun. I loved watching them work together to learn their lines, provide props, and support one another in their role as actors. The three vampires: Carrington (played by Grace), Edward (played by Jon), and Aric (played by Daniel).


Bella (played by EuJin, the playwright) is finally friends with Carrington and the other vampires except Edward.