What original sin and going grain free have in common.

I had another mini crisis the other day. It happens every so often now.  I wanted to eat muffins, bagels and cream cheese, bread and butter, crepes, cornbread….basically anything with wheat in it. For the last 6 months or so I’ve been on a diet for health reason where I can eat none of those things. This may sound so weird but if you knew HOW MUCH I love food and baking, you’d understand to what extent this has affected me. I was lamenting to God…”I don’t understand! Why is this not getting better, why do I have to live this way, I want to be normal, to be able to eat whatever I want to eat….what is it EXACTLY that you are trying to teach me here?”  Strangely, I’ve only just begun to ask this question..What is this for? Today,  it dawned on me. As I was opening my refrigerator door and pulling out some chicken soup and veggies, the thought occurred to me.

“I’ve given you such good things to eat.

Why are you not satisfied with what I have allowed you to have?”

Jaw drop. Oh. So this is it. All of a sudden, I see Eve in the Garden of Eden with all of the good things God had given her to enjoy and she wanted what she was not allowed to have. I asked God the same thing the other day “Why am i not allowed to enjoy all the things that I technically should be allowed to enjoy?” And I don’t only mean in regards to my diet. This questions has been permeating multiple areas of my life and I just now realized it. My distrust in His plan, His ways of doing things, His wisdom went so deep, I perhaps would not have even noticed it if not for such a drastic and inconvenient change in my body functions and eating habits. I know this seems simplistic but it finally got to me. I have been provided for literally EVERYTHING I need and so so much more.  No, I don’t really know where my life is headed but I have been given an opportunity to grow as an artist at an age where a lot of people are starting to settle down. I still get to have the time and freedom to explore and discover who God has made me to be as an artist. No, I’m not married but have been provided with an AMAZING amount of friends and family who support me in countless ways. No, I don’t really have a home of my own but I’ve been provided with a safe and actually really beautiful neighborhood which happens to have a farmer’s market down the road. That’s pretty darn incredible. And lastly, woe of woes, I’m not supposed to be eating grains but on the upside, I did just canned a whole bunch of brine picked beets with ginger and orange and I’m expecting that they are going to be delicious (http://nourishedkitchen.com/fermented-beets/). I’m thankful for the good gifts that have been heaped on my life (most likely including you who are reading this) and expectant that the things to come will be equally as beautiful.

P.S.  My dad also sent me a sermon a few days back that really opened my eyes to how much I need to change my way of thinking…or rather how much I need to let God change my way of thinking.  You have to pay $2.50 for the mp3 but it’s definitely worth it. It’s called “Our daily bread” by Tim Keller and you can find it here:

http://sermons.redeemer.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=17109&ParentCat=6

Dostoevsky and Julia Child

On my journey back to France for my painting course, I picked up Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamozov at the airport book store. I know, a very bad choice for traveling, given that I couldn’t fit in my carry on. No matter. I had been wanting to read it for a while and was determined.  I’ve been slowly making my way through it and have been so encouraged by it’s themes. Dostoevsky’s writing on love and community is so genuine and beautiful. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about both of those things. What does it really look like to love those around me?  How much am I willing to sacrifice? Not much.

“Today everyone asserts his own personality and strives to live a full life as an individual. But these efforts lead not to a full life but to suicide, because, instead of realizing his personality, man only slips into total isolation. For in our age each of whom retreats into his lair, trying to stay away from the rest, hiding himself and his belongings from the rest of mankind, and finally isolating himself from people and people from him. […] But an end to this fearful isolation is bound to come and all men will understand how unnatural is was for them to have isolated themselves from one another.  But until that day we must keep hope alive, and now and then a man must set an example, if only an isolated one, by trying to lift his soul out of its isolation and offering it up in an act of brotherly communion, even if he is taken for one of God’s fools. “

Hm, one of God’s fools. Am I willing to be seen as foolish? It makes me stop and think. I love that he says “until that day we must keep hope alive”. We must keep hope alive that people are not alone and that they too are vessels. They too can carry the love of Christ in their hearts and bring it to those around them. They too can themselves be fully alive. So this, of course, brings me to Julia Child. All things come around to food sooner or later. I prefer sooner, thank you very much.  To understand a bit more where I’m going with this, I suppose you would first have to know that I’m an introvert and growing up very much disliked the fact that my parents were incessantly having company over. I liked my space, my comfort, my isolation. I have to say, in some ways, I am still that person. How interesting is it though how God often likes to take those parts of you that you’d rather hold onto and transform them into quite the opposite. God’s been slowly showing me another way these past five years especially.  A way of living in community, sharing your faith, your life, your stories, your home, your food.  Oh yes and there we are again. The food.   It seems that the extinction of isolation, the development of community, a way to speak love and faith into the lives of others is through the sharing of food. Perhaps offering it up in an act of brotherly communion. While I’ve been at my course at Argenton-Chateau, I’ve realized even more how much people love to be included and would you look at that! There is a Julia Child cookbook on the shelf. How convenient…. “Want to do brunch tomorrow morning? I’m making poached eggs and Julia Child’s Hollandaise sauce.” “No, thanks, I don’t do brunch”…said no one ever.  Seriously, people love to be invite for anything…breakfast, lunch, afternoon dessert, dinner, for a picnic. Then they catch on, they invite back, they bring stuff over to your place to cook with you, they want to make you a lemon tarte and even buy almond flour to make the crust because they know you can’t eat wheat.  Community is contagious and so is love.

“Fear not the mighty and the rich, but be always wise and dignified. Learn how to know the right measure and recognize the right time. When you find yourself alone, pray. Learn to enjoy prostrating yourself and kissing the earth. Kiss it tirelessly, love it insatiably, love all men and all things, seek that fervor and ecstasy of love. Water the earth with tears of joy and love those tears. And do not be ashamed of these raptures, treasure them.”

The Imaginative Wisdom

Arriving in NYC in January, became fast friends with one of my friend Sarah’s roommate 🙂

At my former housemate Becky’s apt in NYC, I got to help celebrate her husband Jordan’s B-day with a big French meal.

In March, made my way to Baltimore to see my dear friend Jennifer’s art opening. My former student Adrian was there too! Such a good reunion.

In April, I was able to attend my college roommate’s wedding in Holland, MI. I was so thankful to be in the States for the celebration, never mind only three hours away!

My sister Katharine and I on our road trip at the end of April. First stop in Indiana to see lots of dear friends. Second stop in TN for my conference with A.C.T. Intl.

Third stop in South Carolina for my cousin’s wedding. Was able to catch up with so much family. It had been way too long!

Fouth and last stop to Xenia, OH for more time with family. Got to make homemade croissants with my Aunt and catch up with the cousins.

Made it to my former student’s art show! She was only a half an hour away finishing school at the Interlochen center for the arts. So proud of her!

My niece Morgan kept me company and is becoming quite the artist herself.

During the conference at the A.C.T. Intl headquarters, I was able to gain a lot of perspective on what it is to be an artist and how artists are such an important part of bringing heaven to earth. Every human being is endowed with creativity and imagination as it is a part of being created in the image of God. The way that Byron Spradlin, the president of A.C.T., put it however is that artists are “people endowed by God to be unusually wise and able in creative, imaginative human expression”.  In the Bible, the word craftsman is often used (machashabah or machashebeth in hebrew) and is a wisdom word literally meaning a person unusually wise at imaginative design.  In Exodus, we see that God not only specially equipped some people (Bezalel and Oholiab) with wisdom, understanding and skill for creative crafting but that He “commanded their involvement in creating the context for the believing community’s worship”. God created man to worship Him in a multifaceted, metaphorical, creative way. As we take this deeper look, we see that God desired to make his reality available to humans through the craftsmen’s ability to form an environment or structure of worship. This is why being a part of A.C.T. Intl is so exciting as it was created to be a part of bringing the arts back to their God-intended role.

The Hebrew term for imagination “yatsar means to fashion in the mind before forming in time and space (just think about how we were conceived in the MIND of God light years before we ever came into existence! – my note). That is, to fashion in the mind also holds in its meaning the capacity to imagine, to invent, to form, to frame (in the mind’s eye); and the emphasis of the term is in on the ability to see something – that could be real and true – in the mind’s eye BEFORE it is actually formed in time and space. […] The assumption of the term is that the thing “fashioned in the mind” will actually at some point in time be formed in reality…Imagination being ‘the capacity to see what could be but is not yet'”. This last phrase makes me want to use about a hundred exclamation points. Isn’t that just the most QUINTESSENTIAL picture of what the whole process of living in Christ is? Perhaps the church has been short sighted because it has had a tendency to reject those who have the God-given ability to see the things that could be but are not yet.  If a body plucks out its eyes, how well will it see where it is going?  This is an interesting question to ponder.

I don’t mean to get on a soap box. I’m actually speaking to myself because I know at my core how I long to be living. It is my desire to be living out and creating around me an environment of worship in my living room, kitchen, down my street, in a classroom or studio or where ever else I might find myself.  I also desire to sharpen my creative skills so that I can see better the things that are unseen and then to be able to mold them into reality. And this, not just for fun, not for money, not for fame or because it’s popular but to usher others into the presence of God.  Jesus’s prayer comes to mind when he starts out saying “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN…”  What if we actually sought to be in the art of making whatever happens in heaven, happen on earth? That is a crazy thought.

Note: Quotations are from Byron Spradlin’s writing on the subject of Imagination, Artists and the Bible….except the Lord’s prayer, that is 🙂

The three sisters reunited along with my two nieces and nephew. So good to spend some quality time with them and my brother in law, Steve as well.

My home for the summer in Argenton-Chateau and my housemate Christi.

Figure drawings looked like this in the beginning…

and then like this…

and eventually a person does start to emerge!

Simplifying the figure first based on the light that hits the figure.

A beautiful turquoise kimono.

Hello fermented foods. Started experimenting with making my own sauerkraut as I’ve been dealing with health issues. Will have a post how how to make it soon.

Christi making us some stinging nettle pesto from the near by forest.

Pizza with a crust made out of cauliflower. I have to say, it was a success. Going grain-free isn’t so bad.

The week is pretty busy with working on art but you still have to eat…sharing meals with friends is always a good idea.

Some practice outside of class with green potatoes and a little pot.

Just a couple notes from my figure drawing class.  My drawing teacher Tim is a wealth of knowledge to say the least. He’s seriously like a walking Art History book. It’s fabulous. Want to hear something else fabulous? All that I’ve been learning about art, imagination and worship is showing up in this “secular” art class…secular, I think not. Indeed, as we draw and paint the day away,  I hear  things that are at their core from God. Things like…

Artists are in in the business of becoming proficient at seeing with the mind’s eye, working with the paradox of making ideas visible…making what is unseen, seen.

Or that the variety has to serve something, some kind of unity, that there must be WHOLENESS and GRACE….

Or better yet that I, as an artist must develop an empathetic response to the figure, feeling what it feels, that my pride and misconceptions have to be put to the side in order that the trueness of the other can shine through…is that not putting another person first before yourself? That to create something of beauty, you have to learn to get out of the way and put another before yourself?

Yeah, this is what I hear, day in and day out. It’s like going to church.  Every day. I’m telling you. Exhaustingly good.

How to fit almost two semesters in one post…

Ok, peeps, I’ve got to be short and sweet and they say that a picture can tell a thousand words so we’ll go with that. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Way back in October, I went as a chaperone on the Junior Class Normandy field trip. Every year the Junior class goes there on a long weekend and learns about the events of WWII that went on in that area.

Last time I went as a student in 2001 and this time was acting as part time translator so a little different. It was a great time to connect with the students and also just incredible to be in the place where my Papa Palacino fought in the war.

It was a memorable experience to say the least to see students meet men who were on that very beach below us the day of the Normandy invasion.

So one of the highlights on the Junior Normandy trip is a quick stop in Paris…we’re talking about 10 hours or so. I got to connect a lot with my small group girls during this time. What a beautiful group of young ladies. I love them so much.

We stopped by Notre Dame de Paris, Montmartre and then spent about 3 hours at the Louvre before heading to the Arc de Triomphe and then, yes, letting them all loose in Paris, trusting that they all listened to the directions and would find us where we said we would be at midnight. We are insane but it amazingly enough, we lost no one. Here I am with two of the other amazing chaperones.

While Dad was in the States in October, my Mom, Nico, Rebekah, Olivia and my Aunt Jan came for a quick visit. We all squished into my appartment and it was so cool to be able to show my Aunt around the place I’ve been living for almost 5 years now.

In December, my church opened up a new cafe called Elemenz.

Wil, one of the pastors at my church and the guy who is in charge of the design of Elemenz saw my work and asked if I would be open to hanging up some art there.

It has been a blessing to have my work out and about instead of hidden away in my studio. There have also been several relationships formed because of this opportunity.

As my 27th Birthday came rolling around, I planned a french dinner to help celebrate. A couple friends helped with the cooking and the baking. It was such a fun evening with some of my closest friends.

I even found a magic envelope with money I had stashed away for some reason which I felt was like God saying I could splurge a little. Table for nine, please!

I spent Christmas break at home in Marseille. We had fun baking together!

My sister Katharine is becoming quite the photographer. We went out on a photoshoot in the abandoned lot near our house.

Here’s an example of one of my student’s work from the fall semester. I’m so proud of my little watercolorists! I’m hoping to get more students hooked this semester.

Back at school in January. My independent study girls working on a drawing project. We meet in the Industrial Arts room because the art room is taken by another class during this period.

A weekend in February I visited the Goss family in Strasbourg and dropped off my application at L’école supérieure des arts décoratifs…The art school in Strasbourg that I’m interested in.

A typical small group night!

In March all high school students went to the mountains for a weekend retreat. The speaker was great and the highlight was just being able to get to know my small group girls more. The kids enjoyed the time in the mountains and space to have fun together.

Mary Beth Holladay (she and Rick Holladay own the Art Factory) and I planned a big Easter bash. Everyone brought food, we planned some games, cooked leg of lambs, made deserts and everyone had a fabulous time. We ended up with over 50 guests.

Mary Beth, my friend Heidi and I had a fun time setting up tables in the Gallery. This is one of Rick’s paintings.

Rick and Mary Beth with the lamb…

One of the lastest watercolors for my portfolio.

Another painting for Strasbourg!

And there we are! I know much more has happened in between all of these pictures but it at least gives a taste of what I’ve been up to. Thanks for all your prayers for the rest of the semester. They are precious to me. These have been some trying weeks and it’s only going to get crazier. Students are starting to shut down already which makes it hard to teach sometimes. Here are some specifics you can pray for:

• Pray for God’s guidance for the future.
• I will be taking a french proficiency test May 15 for the Strasbourg application. If I get into the interviewing stage at the school, the interview will be May 23 in which I will have to present 20 pieces of art. Pray that I get these done in time!
• Since I will most likely be leaving BFA next year, I have to have all the lesson plans and curriculum up to date. This is a daunting task at this point and one that I’ve been avoiding. Pray for time and motivation to get this done.
• There are lot and lots of events going on…Junior Senior Banquet this weekend in which I am a sponsor, staff appreciation dinner that I’m also involved in, spring art show and lots more. I’m on the brink of loosing my mind. Prayers are vital!!

Thanks again for all your support! I would not be here without you.

Much Love,

Alyssa

the fog

Nature seems to speak to me as often as people do. As seemingly romanticized as you may think it is, the every day happenings of nature may be just as biblical as the man speaking from the pulpit. The rocks will cry out, the trees will clap their hands, the hills rejoice, the heavens display his wonder…we are spoken to in every day parables but don’t often have the ears to hear what is being said.

I’ve been going on walks…a lot. It seems that when life doesn’t made sense to me, the only thing I want to do is walk…maybe it’s a coping mechanism like at least I can create the illusion of going somewhere for about an hour before life goes back to normal again. Walking uphill isn’t easy and I live in a very hilly area. Running uphill is harder. Strangely enough, I’m developing an appreciation for it even though my lungs kill during this self inflicted punishment and let me just say my knees make me feel like I’m 67 instead of 27. I recently was talking with a friend and said I feel like I’ve been going uphill for the past two and half years.  Do you know what I mean? Like you’re pushing a 80 pound refrigerator up a gravel hill and getting absolutely no where. I mean, yes we do have to make it up the hill and there will probably be a lot of larger hills once this one is over with but sometimes we make things a lot harder for ourselves. My particular useless burden happens to be worry or fear…they are heavy. Sometimes bitterness, resentment or discontentment gets thrown in for good measure.

I’ll walk on sunny days, rainy, or what has been a common occurrence, on foggy days. Last winter was the first time I encountered Kandern fog. My usual path is one that goes up into the hills a bit and has a really beautiful view on a clear day. On this particular day, I started walking uphill and quickly found that I could only see about a few feet in front of me. Kind of a strange feeling, slightly disconcerting. I kept walking and absorbing what I saw around me…not very much except for the faint outline of the bare trees. Their lines stood out against the fog and it was perhaps one of the most beautiful things I’d seen in a while. Their up-stretched arms unlocked my own sentiments of vulnerability and a silent plea to the heavens to make sense of this life.  I question God. Not something I am particularly proud of. Who am I to question the God of the universe? It does not seem like a smart thing to do. Unfortunately, I am not always governed by reason. I’ve been reading “Letters to a young poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke and he urges his friend “to be patient towards all that is unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms, like books written in a foreign tongue. Do not now strive to uncover answers: they cannot be given you because you have not been able to live them. And what matters is to live everything. Live the questions for now.”  I’ve hated the questions and all that is unresolved in my life, fighting against them and trying, quite aimlessly to “figure them out”. I imagine the easiest way to live so that my life stays preserved and comfortable. But this is not the way of God. I must give it up, denying the right to live my own life the way I think it should be. This is a hard one. I don’t want to die, to loose my life but amazingly enough it seems that is the only way to keep it. One of the many mysteries of this life on earth. Though it may be difficult, little by little allowing God to speak and to direct so that His plans are worked out in my life is the safest and most life preserving thing to do.  I’m reminded by a passage that says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  I know that I have the light of life already in me but I often do not live like I do. I have to remember that am not walking in darkness though it may be foggy. I don’t really know where my life is leading, nor am I holding the reigns but there is light where ever the Master is and I am with Him.

So this fall,  I’m once again walking along my old path, only seeing what is immediately before me because of this incredible fog, a sign of God’s grace because I most likely can’t handle seeing more. The leaves are shedding their glory but there is just enough golden flecks tenaciously holding on to tell me that it’s not over yet or more over, when those last few leaves do give up it’s not over then either. There is life after death. If you loose your life for Christ, you will find it. And lastly, when the sun starts making its way up towards the sky, the fog parts just long enough to send the most breathtaking shimmer through the trees. It stays long enough for me to say Thank You. Thank You God for roads that go uphill, for golden trees and the naked ones too, for the blinding fog  and the light that in its own timing will chase it away.

Round four and a half…

Yes , it is true. I am going into my 4th and half year at BFA. It astonishes most newcomers that one could last that long here. It’s a wonderful place but also has many unusual stresses, a somewhat intensified environment than what is normal for a teacher.

The summer quickly ended as I spent time with my family down in Marseille for a few days, picked up my little brother in the Alps  and then drove up to Germany. They were able to stay for a bit and it was a good time to try and relax a bit before the craziness began again.

The craziness came to due time in the form of meetings, getting the classroom ready, lesson plans, and finally starting to work at the Art Factory. The Art Factory was bought back in 2006 by the Holladays and they are progressively renovating the whole building which is quite a feat. Right now there are three appartments on the left side of the factory and then the Holladay’s appartment as well as a large kitchen/dinning/common room, and a gallery space on the first level. The other two upper levels have been used for various things, parties, weddings and storage space for missionaries being among some of the those things. Three weeks ago my friend Jen and I set out to start clearing some space on the second level for me to have an artist studio (!!!). It was exciting to slowly see it emerge from the piles of boxes, furniture and books.

Classes are now in full swing and we are all getting to know eachother. I can always tell once the students start feeling more comfortable around each other and around me. My students make me laugh…sometimes at them and sometimes with them but always in good fun 🙂 I have students who have grown up all over the place, Turkey, Italy, Korea…each comes with a different set of experiences. Some students have been drawn to God while their parents have worked on the mission field and some have pulled away from God. We each have our own journeys and I’m praying I can be an encouragment in these student’s lives.

I unexpectedly agreed to lead a high school girl’s small group. Small groups had already started and they still didn’t have a leader so there you go. I was a bit aprehensive about it at first…wasn’t sure I would have such a great connection with the girls because most of them are new but…the Lord has been in this. Last week was our first day meeting with each other and things were going fine though I felt a bit of a veil between us…like their eyes were a bit glazed. So we are talking and I finally come around to telling them a bit about myself…I’m a french MK, came to BFA … I looked up and they all had big eyes. “YOU went to BFA???!!” I responded that yes, in fact, I had and just like them had arrived my Junior year. They felt much more comfortable after that and I think sensed more of a connection.  Three out of the six are also French MKs. Go figure. You’re kind of crazy, God…in the best way.

Along with leading a small group and taking part in a women’s single small group, I’m also a junior class sponsor this year. I don’t know how these things happen sometimes. They are pretty much the best class ever though and I’m excited to get to know them more. I’ll be accompanying my 65 Juniors along with the other 5 sponsors (plus a couple more chaperones) on a 3/4 day class trip to Normandy in two weeks. Every year the history department organizes this trip for them to experience some of WWII history first hand. It’s an amazing experiences, to be sure. Minor note, we sleep on the bus two of the nights. Yeah. That’s going to be interesting.

Soooo, prayer requests are…

• Continueing work at the Art Factory and discovering more of what direction the Lord wants me to go in my art work and in the community (i.e. maybe teaching an adult art class etc)
• For the students in my classes and my relationships with them
• My girl’s small group and good connection with them as we start out the year
• Planning and getting ready for Normandy

Love and Peace to you!

Summer Part II

Once the painting workshop was over, I traveled from Massachusetts to Trumbull, Connecticut where I visited family. My Aunt Grace and cousins are there and it was a great time to reconnect. We went to the Mystic Aquarium with the kids and there’s even a Curious George book whose illustrations were based off of that particular Aquarium. Way cool (check it out… http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/curious-george-at-the-aquarium-h-a-rey/1100295763). Mystic is also home of the Julia Roberts film Mystic Pizza in case you were wondering. I saw the pizza parlor as we drove past.

From Connecticut, I made my way to Birmingham, Alabama and saw some very dear friends. Jonas is a fellow Taylor grad and Delicianna and I met at an MK ski retreat in France in middle school and then ended up roommates not too long after I arrived in Germany three years ago. It was a much needed reunion and I also got to meet the new addition to their family. How sweet!

I headed to Chicago and picked up a car that Becky’s (my roommate) brother and sister in law let me borrow.  Katie made me up a mix CD which probably ended up saving my sanity through hundreds of miles in the car. In Wheaton, I met up with two favorite alumni art students from BFA. They are such talented people and  am so proud to have been their teacher.

Following my itinerary, I made my way to past green and golden fields to Indiana. Indianapolis and Upland were the main stops where I got to catch up with such wonderfully inspiring people.  Friends from my Taylor days, fellow artists…such beautiful lives and hearts!

The view from the car looked like this most of the time….

I’ve realized that I really enjoy driving in the middle of no-where…now obviously once you’ve been driving for 9 hours, this isn’t always the case. In general, however, I find it a great time to think and just soak in the scenery. Next stop Ohio to see my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins! Again…no pictures. I don’t know what I was thinking. Such a fun time, experimenting with recipes with Aunt Dee, hiking in the forest, getting wet under a waterfall, the most giant pancakes you ever saw, launching rockets and catching fireflies. That sounds pretty epic, if you ask me.

My journey took me back up through Chicago and then to Milwaukee where I spent a week catching up with amazing friends and supporters. I’ve found that the Lord has given me family wherever I go and it is truly a blessing. I was also able to do an artist evening where I showed/sold some of my work and was able to share a bit about my ministry in Germany. It was a wonderful evening and I’ll be writing more about that hopefully in another post.

I ended my trip in Traverse City with my sisters, brother in law, niece and nephew. So good to be with my own family! Levi turned one and is just about the most adorable one year old you’ll ever see.

More pics and stories to come!

Summer ~ Part I

Just getting a chance to sit down and post some pictures of this summer. My grand adventure started with my flight into New York City where I saw my dear friend and fellow artist Sarah. She’s been in New York for about a year and is starting a new endeavor in textile art. How amazing to be able to encourage each other in our respective areas of interest. I spent some time wandering Central Park, getting lost in Brooklyn and being inspired by the art exhibits at the Met and Whitney museums. Unfortunately, I was too absorbed in the moment I didn’t get hardly any pictures except for this one and really dark pictures I took with a disposable camera in the Natural History Museum. The Dinosaur exhibit there is amazing, by the way.

I participated in an artist workshop called The Glen East Workshop put on by IMAGE (http://imagejournal.org/page/events/the-glen-workshop/2011/east/). The class was taught by Ed Knippers who was a great teacher. The whole experience was challenging but absolutely fantastic. I got to be there with a good friend Jennifer Goss which made it just that much better.

Jen and me in the studio

Painting on the sixth day

Fall Party, The Joys of Teaching and Pumpkin Pancakes.

One of the student’s hightlights of this season is the Fall Party. Each year, the party takes on a different theme and this years was Black and White. As you can imagine, this theme was so broad, the costumes ranged from students dressed up as Black Tea to Oreos and Milk (they won the most creative costume). Some of the other hightlights included Black and White Chess pieces and things sold on the black market…so funny. Here are some pictures…

Two of my collegues dressed up as a Kidney and um...not quite sure. It's a bit sketchy.

 

My clown friend and I...a picasso portrait. I was the most expensive thing there.

So this semester has been easier than the last in some ways and a bit more crazy in others. BFA is going through the reaccreditation process with ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International). You have to reapply every 10 years so here we are. It has involved more work on our (teachers) parts which has been challenging on top of other school duties…not to mention remembering to go to meetings at 8am in the morning. I realize that isn’t very early but man, I must have no memory because I’m always forgetting! I’d appreciate prayers for patience, diligence in doing what needs to get done and maybe a better memory? Let’s start with the first two things at least.

So far as my feisty class goes, there are still days when I think I’m going to loose my mind. They are very talkative and although sometimes their conversations are interesting (anyone interested in learning about the slovenian school system?), it’s getting harder to get some of the students motivated to complete their work. Please pray that I can channel their willingness to talk into something constructive!

These past couple of weeks Becky’s Uncle and Aunt were here visiting us. It was fun to be able to take them around and have them meet people here. We took a trip to Frieiburg on the regional train this past weekend. The hour car ride is only supposed to take 20 minutes on the train…but about 10 minutes into the trip, the train stopped. Apparently, there were children playing on the track and something must have happened because about 5 minutes later, the conductor announced that everyone was to get off the train because they were heading back to Basel! So strange. We got off along with everyone and spent the next hour in Heitersheim talking with a nice German couple, eating chocolate and reading James and the Giant Peach. Kind of funny and wonderful.

 

A pretty view of Freiburg. Becky and I took her Aunt and Uncle here this past weekend. Such a pretty town about an hour away.

 

Today Becky and I had our small group over for dinner before small group time. The dorm girls are always really excited to have a home cooked meal and everyone was glad to have the time to get to know eachother better. We made a bunch of different kinds of pancakes and I have to say they were really good…blueberry, chocolate and pumpkin. If you’ve never had pumpkind pancakes, you’ve got to try them. The recipe is a bit involved but quite amazing. Here’s the link to the recipe if anyone wants to try it:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SPICED-PUMPKIN-PANCAKES-104198

They don’t have canned pumpkin in Germany so we bought a pumpkin and made puree ourselves…it was an adventure (just imagine pumpkin flying out of a blender) but we finally got the hang of it and mastered pumpkin puree 🙂

That’s it for now!

much love

Small Group

Becky and I are leading a girl’s small group again this year and it has been so rewarding even in these first three weeks. We have six Junior girls in our group and they are so precious! It’s exciting to see their desire to know God and I’m praying that we will be able to grow together this year.

Towards the end of the evening there were at least three girls that shared their concern for friends of theirs who need encouragement and prayer. I have been realizing more and more how many students here are broken, lonely and hurting. Just because students grow up in a Christian home or in a Missionary home doesn’t mean that all is well with their souls. Many students have been turned away by the hypocrisy they have seen in the Church and need to refocus their attention on the only one who has and will always follow through on His Word. Please, Please pray with me for the MKs here at BFA. Pray that those who seek Truth would find it in the Lord and be blown away at what is gained when all is lost in Him. Pray for me as well as I continue to learn what it means to make God the King over my life.

Last week, my two roommates and I got to relax a bit and went out to eat with one of our friends Ramona. Becky and I got to know Ramona at the end of the summer as we started attending a german church and it has been such a blessing to hang out with her.

 

My Roommates!

Ramona und mich