Photos of Beautiful Kandern

I have refrained from taking pictures for almost an entire week but I just had to go out and take some of this beautiful place in. Here are a few shots of beautiful Kandern...

A spot on my walk to school every morning.

A fun area in one of the alleyways.

A cool building in downtown Kandern

I may like flowers just a little bit.

Es tut mir leid...meine Deutsch ist nicht so gut.

For those of you who do not speak the wonderful language of German, my title says "I'm sorry...my German is not so good." This is very true of myself. Tonight I had my first moment where I completely froze when I was spoken to in German. As I was paying at the grocery story, the cashier asked me if I had a smaller bill than a 20 Euro which I did not. Even though I knew what she was generally asking, every German word I knew left me.  Of all things, Spanish comes to my head when I get nervous and I am worse than most at Spanish. 


Besides that...life is wonderful. I absolutely love it here! I can't believe I have only been here for four full days as it seems like I have been here for weeks. I have already met some people around my age and I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my family. My host parents are so gracious and hospitable and the food they produce is phenomenal. In addition to that, their son Ben, who is in high school, is a fabulous musician and I am consistently blessed by his violin or piano melodies making their way through the house.  


I finished my second day in 5th grade today and it is so very different than 1st grade. Different on so many aspects...one is not better than another but there are different things I really appreciate about both. One thing I love about my new school is how the Bible is used. Today I was so excited to hear these kids have a great discussion about the Bible for much longer than was planned. It was really encouraging to see young people excited about Scripture. 



Matthew 11:28-30 says something absolutely beautiful. 


"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light."


I am not mentally weary at this moment but I saw someone last night who was. It made me think of the moments when I felt like I had no more strength to go on. This morning in devotions, my teacher Rob was talking about how trials are kind of like school. A first grader learns different material than a fifth grader does. If you gave a first grader the work of a fifth grader, they wouldn't be able to do it. Instead, children go grade by grade so that they can gain knowledge one year at a time and face the difficult work of that grade when they are ready for it. Life is the same way. God gives me what I can handle. He has never and never will push me beyond what I can take. That's the beauty of God...when I have no strength and think I cannot move forward, all I must do is kneel at the foot of the cross and recognize that it is His strength that is carrying me, not my own. 


Regardless of whether you are feeling weary or rejuvenated, know that it is not in our own strength that we move forward but in the saving and mighty strength of Jesus Christ. 

Day 1...Happy Birthday Mom!!!

I'm here in Deutschland and I love it. What a beautiful part of the world. I only have a minute but I thought I would share a few pictures of the town I will be living in for the next two months. I had self control and only took 3 pictures because I realize I will be living here for a while and will have plenty of time to use my camera. This place is out of a fairytale and I am amazed by the architecture and the sights that are surrounding me. The church bells are currently ringing a beautiful melody and I am about to eat dinner with my family (who are wonderful by the way.) 

I was reminded today of God's creativity...we serve a powerful and very creative God. Be encouraged knowing that same God loves you beyond what you or I can imagine. Have a great Saturday!!! 

P.S.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! 

I wish I could be with you. Tell Brad to give you my card if he forgot : )

A beautiful building downtown. Look at the wood door.

A little river that runs through the town.

Downtown Kandern

I'm here...

For those of you wondering, I made it alive. My first meal in Germany was Turkish. Yes slightly strange but very yummy. I'm going to sleep now because I am beyond tired. Good night or good afternoon depending on what continent you are on.

Jeggings???

I am sitting in the Heathrow airport taking in everything around me. For starters, I know I am an American because I do not sound nearly as cool as the people around me. Pretty much I want to be British. The pilot said the word “schedule” in that cool British way sounding like “shedule” and I just decided I would really like to move to England. (Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I don’t think that’s in my future.) I also realized I am an American because of the way I am dressed. I have never been one who tried to look cute when I travel…sweats and a sweatshirt all the way. In America, that’s totally acceptable. Here, I am one of the few who is not lookin fashionable in jeggings. Jeggings (with no offense to my friends who wear them) what are they? I don’t understrand how people think are cool but they are apparently all the rage. My roommates may have mentioned that they think I will come back with a pair but I am vowing right now on my blogg that I will not buy jeggings. If I do, I give my friends andf maily permission to burn them. Okay that’s it for now. Just my initial thoughts on all that is British, cool accents and horrendous material sewn in the form of pants.

Preparing to leave...

I am going through a lot of firsts right now...student teaching, almost being a real adult, traveling to a foreign country for a long period of time and blogging. I just finished a wonderful student teaching experience with 23 wonderful first graders. They completely stole my heart and it has been a weird adjustment not seeing their sweet faces on a daily basis. On Friday, I said goodbye to my first graders, my wonderful teacher, Mrs. Smith, and the lovely Mrs. Taylor, our class' teaching assistant. I then traveled to Mansfield, Ohio where I stayed with my good friend, Kelly and her fiance's family. I headed out early on Saturday and arrived in Jersey in the mid-afternoon. 

I love pulling into my driveway. It's one of the sweetest moments. I have lived in our home for my entire life and I just think it's one of the greatest places on earth. I am blessed to have an amazing family which makes coming home all the better. I have had a great few days at home and still have another two days before I fly out.

I am so excited for the the opportunity that awaits me in Germany. I am so blessed to have this chance, not only to travel to Germany and other European countries but to spend the next two months with a new group of students. I will be flying out on Thursday night and I will arrive in Germany on Friday night. I would appreciate your prayers for safety while I fly and travel on Friday. The next time I blog it will most likely be from Germany. To all my friends in Indiana...I already miss you (especially a few ladies who are now experiencing a much quieter home because of the absence of a certain talkative Jersey girl). 

With lots of love,

Am