more pics

Esther and I pretend to be tough - I was borrowing her hat :)










The walk down into the city of Nurnburg seen from our hostel.

The congressional hall Hitler tried to build - very sobering to see - a very sobering museum...

View of rainy Nurnburg (we saw both the rain and sun)

View from a window looking out onto Nurnburg

pics from hs retreat!

Here are some views from High School Retreat in Nurnburg! Enjoy!





Freshmen, Rebecca Kim and Esther Lee became my new friends as I met them behind me on the bus, on my floor and in my discussion group!








A view of the bridge over the moat to through the castle wall in Nurnburg








Disembarking the buses to our new home for the weekend.








One side of the Great Room we met in (I liked this picture because it looks like one of the kids is a ghost!).








Some of my freshmen in a fountain on our scavenger hunt - one of my favorite pictures!

update on high school retreat - pics coming soon!

Hola!

Well, we have been back a few days from the retreat and I wanted to finally send an update on how it went. It was an amazing weekend with tons of activity. Thanks to each one of you for your prayers. It was greatly appreciated.

The weekend began as I drove to the school with the kid's suitcases. After a brief information session, the 250 of us piled onto 6 tour buses and began our drive up to Nurnburg, Germany which is in north-eastern Germany - in Bavaria. It was a longer drive than expected as the bus I was on got a little lost and in a stau (traffic jam). But we made it in time for dinner for which we were grateful. After a good German dinner of noodles and sausage gravy, we walked up 3 flights of stairs to the Great Hall where we would hold all of our meetings for the weekend. The hostel we were staying was formally the Imperial Stables of the castle that we were right next to which was pretty cool. :) We gathered and split into our groups - I was partnered with a fellow RA Matt and we were in charge of 10 freshmen - 5 girls and 5 boys. They were a fun group of kids. We got to know each other that night by going on a scavenger hunt for letters throughout the walled city of Nurnburg. It was a blast! We came back and had our first session with the Bridge Band (who were excellent) and Phil Carnuccio who spoke. He talked about how we don't always like to accept the love of God - we harden our heart to it instead of absorbing it so we might share it with others. We met with our discussion group after and had a time to pray about the weekend. It was a night of going deeper which would be a precedent for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday morning, after a good German breakfast of cold cuts and musli, we settled back into the Great Hall and worshipped the Lord together (amazing with 250 voices together). Phil spoke about the power we have from the Holy Spirit - an authority we don't use very often. He emphasized that light (of Christ) wasn't meant to be in the light but to be shown in the darkness. He spoke from Ephesians primarily. It had a powerful impact on the kids. It got them asking more questions. We talked about how to be a light of Christ even at BFA where we are surrounded by Christians - and how we can make an impact even we don't realize it just by living out Christianity and truly loving others.

In the afternoon all of us were given free time. I had the opportunity to go to the Documentation Museum with a group and learned about what Germany was like during WW2 and how the people gave so easily into the propaganda of the Nazis - it was WW2 from a different perspective - I am glad I went. I toured around the city and got dinner the remainder of the visit with some friends.

After dinner we watched videos from the video editing contest and then headed into our session.After worship, we talked about the beauty of sex, why it was created (story of Adam and Eve) and how it needs to be kept in marriage and how important it is to one's heart. This night truly impacted the kids and many were praying together and finding people to talk to and crying. I had a good conversation with some of my freshmen about it and was able to share a bit of my life with them which was cool. I some other good moments with some of my own girls from my dorm. I went to bed truly exhausted.

Sunday was our last day - we talked about honoring our parents and how key it is in our relationship with God. We had a special time of communion afterwards. We had a time for a group picture and then met with our discussion groups one last time. It was such a gorgeous day that we all decided to meet outside and spent some time sharing thoughts from the day. Then we headed home after lunch, arriving at around 8pm - it was a long day, but good.

I am glad I had the chance to participate in the retreat this weekend. It was a good chance to get to know some different kids and be a small group leader. I didn't always feel adequate or prepared in some ways - esp. since I was basically thrown together with my coleader at last minute and so we didn't always meet my expections as far as leading groups. Our freshman could be a quieter group as far as discussion goes as well. Yet, somehow God worked through us and this weekend. I really enjoyed the freshmen - I realized how much I love that age group. I enjoy ministry - that was refreshing. I learned to appreciate my Witt girls more this weekend since I didn't get to see them as often - I missed them. I love my girls and am so glad to be in this dorm.

Here are some praises from this weekend:

*Safe trip to and from Nurnburg - and while there!
*Great chances to connect with students both new to me and those who were familiar
*Students had a chance to really connect w/ God and to ask the deeper questions, truly evaluating their lives.
*The discussion groups went fairly well - some are planning to continue to meet after the retreat is over
*Being reminded how much God loves us - it is mind blowing

Things you can continue to keep in prayer:

*That the kids would continue to ponder what they learned this weekend and ask questions and seek after God - that it might lead to good changes and that they would see how much God loves them and how He can work through them.
*Adjustments back into normal life - living out Christianity in the everyday (for all)
* A few of us came home sick - including me :( - pray that this bad cold/cough would go away soon - it is frustrating when you desire energy to serve - this weekend will be interesting since all 4 of us that are on working are sick! - pray for health and strength

Well, that is all for now! Sorry it is so long - I got into the details of it all! I hope you enjoy the account and thank you again for partnering me in prayer and praise! Have a great day!!

God Bless,
Christine

famous couples night

On Thursday we had our annual Wittlingen Tradition - Famous Couples Night! The kids and staff dressed up as different couples - the kids chose their costume and the staff chose their date - so they didn't know who would show up until that night. The girls also chose dates for each RA to make things fun. It was a fun night of games, costumes, little minute acts introducing each couple and great food and company. It was declared the best Famous Couples Night ever - (which after all the work that went into it and the craziness of the day, we are very thankful). Here is a taste of what some of the kids and the event looked like!

Sean and Geoffrey McClary as Sheep and Shepherd

Andy and Mary as Prison Guard and Prisoner

We RA's with our dates (Riki and Rachel as Dred Pirate Roberts and Princess Buttercup, Zach and Jessica as the Phantom and Christine, Jeff and Kristi as Miracle Max and Valerie and Mike and I as Luke and Loralai from Gilmore Girls)

What the tables looked like - quite a variety of guests!

Hugo as Napoleon Dynamite doing Napoleon's dance as he introduces himself.

february in wittlingen

Flowers and Warmth in February? So strange!










Fasching, a German Festival that happens before Lent
- here is a glimpse of the parade in Kandern!

Strange masks....

2 of my girls w/ their mom visiting -
tis always a blessing when they get to see their parents!!

Reflections of Valentine's Day and winter in Wittlingen

It has been a little while since I have updated you all on life here in Wittlingen. It has been busy - lots of activity. I have continually had ups and downs - I have many projects to work on in my in between times as well - scrapbooking, writing, lots of wedding planning. I am constantly learning to balance home and here. I have had some very special times with different girls amidst the crazyness as well though. I cherish those moments when life seems to whirl around me.

These past weeks have been filled with basketball games, trips into Lorrach (for doctor's visits (for girls), ring resizing and times with the girls. We had many of our girls away for basketball games/choir trip one weekend, so we took the remaining girls to a restaurant up the hill at Alpenblich. It was a fun evening with them and having a truly German experience with schnitzel no less. :) The concentrated times with the girls make me even more thankful to be here.

Valentine's Day yesterday was a rainy affair with much activity. We had an All-Staff Resident Life Meeting yesterday that we hosted. We served scones and Rachel and I made lattes for the staff. It was a busy time but went well. That afternoon, the girls stayed through at school for a Valentine's party (a Sadie Hawkins theme with swing dancing and scottish dancing), so we as RA's didn't have to be on again for work until 7pm to pick them up. I thought of taking the afternoon to rest just at home, but as I realized how much I missed people from home on this day of Valentine's day, I knew it would be better to be with people, so I went to St. Louis, France - a little town just over the border with some other RA's. It was quite the random event - we wandered around looking for a place to have dinner - twas hard to find - it was not the most active of towns. I was in a bit of a whimsical mood however and enjoyed spinning around with my umbrella. We ended up at a little creperie where instead we had tea and sweet crepes since the dinner kind were not being served. I was glad I went, since it was good to be with people instead of being lonely. It is funny to think that it was my last Valentine's day as a single woman though! The rest of the evening was fairly quiet - the girls were exhausted from the day.

The sun came out today - after hearing of all the snow in the States it is amazing to be living without even a snow prediction as of late. I am thankful for less hazardous roads though!

Well, this has been a quite random entry - my thoughts are a bit disconnected. Pictures below are some glimpses of life as of late!

Mary, me and Rachel at Alpenblich Restaurant

What our first and only day of snow looked like so far this year.
Wittlingen Dorm Family Picture :)
Riki bought us girls flowers on Valentine's Day!

Fun times at BFA

So things have been pretty busy back here at BFA. It has been our second full week with the girls. I have been full of many ups and downs because of many transitions. Our latest one is we are gaining another student in the place of one of my girls that left last Tuesday. So we will officially have 28 girls. It has been rough dealing with new semester, new girls, one girl leaving, one of my fellow RA's taking on a new position at the school, so she is readying for that for next year, and some other news that hasn't been announced yet - plus trying to wedding plan overseas. It has been a little overwhelming - I have gone through many ups and downs. I have been glad for the weekends (though they can be the most tiring) because they distract me - they remind me of why I am here - to get to know and help these girls grow. One thing I don't want to become is one of those brides that thinks and breathes weddings stuff all the time - that will only be one day in my life - its the actual marriage that is the important part - that is for life! It is good to have the girls here to help balance me out a little bit! (and they are supportive of the wedding stuff too which is fun!!) It will be interesting doing stuff here in Germany for the wedding. Monday I have an appointment at a bridal boutique in Staufen - the owner only speaks German! It should be very interesting...

This weekend has been fairly normal - it is a home basketball weekend so we watched games yesterday and today. I actually manned the fort at home today because of the big cleaning kick I was in (my room sparkles now :)). Hannah, our new girl was supposed to get in tonight, but is stuck in London overnight - pray that she arrives safely - and maybe even with her luggage!! Her sister Mary is looking forward to her coming. She is going to be in my section of the world.

The pictures below are some pics from break and from last weekends ice skating event (it isn't every day that you can say you skated in Switzerland!)








This is me and Jonathan Potter - my fiance!! :)







Steph Zub is one of my seniors and an awesome girl - lots of fun to be with! :)







Ice Skating Outside in Basel, Switzerland (and I didn't get lost driving the girls there!)









Me and my friend Zach (a RA at a boys dorm) hit the ice






-------
Things you can pray for:
- That Hannah would arrive safely and settle in well - she is flying from Korea!
- That I would balance wedding and BFA stuff (and get the things done that need to get done right now)
- That I would grow in my relationship with God continually and learn to love even greater than before
- For Jon and I as we carry on our relationship far apart - that we would grow closer than before and be prepared for marriage - we will marry August 11th :)

I am glad that I can be here - thanks for your support and prayers! You all are a blessing!!

pictures

If you would like to see pictures from my trip South and what my ring looks like, go to this website:
(Jon set it up)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31362121@N00/sets/72157594468595251/detail/

news for you :)

I write you from Florida in the land of wedding crazies. I am here with my fiancee Jon to see his best friend get married. He is the best man which is very fun. it amazes me how warm it is down here in December!! It feels like another world! We made it safely down here - we drove - and am very thankful for the drive with no problems other than a little bit of traffic along the way.

So anyway, this little email is not really about where I am right now, but for an announcement. Earlier in the email I mentioned my fiancee - this has only been true since Christmas Eve Day - the day I became engaged to Jonathan Michael Potter. He asked me at the Bayard Arboreteum in New York in front of the Connectiquot River, and of course I said yes. :) We have been together since May 2005. He is living in Indiana, so it has been long distance the whole time (so going to Germany wasn't too much of a jump). We are planning to get married next summer, 2007. We are very excited and have both our families full support behind us. It will be an adventure planning things while in Germany, but I know it will work out - especially with God's help!

If you could keep Jon and I in your prayers as we enjoy our last few weeks together and as we prepare for this new chapter of our lives even while far apart, that would be wonderful. Thank you for supporting me in my ministry both at home and abroad!

come fly with me

I leave for NY today! In but a few hours I will be on a plane - to go to Paris then to Boston then to NY - my destination. I am looking forward to going home for Christmas. I fully understand the meaning of those old songs now! :) Pray that all flights/connections go smoothly and that I would be safe (and my luggage would arrive with me!). Thanks for all your prayers and support!! Those in the States - I will see you soon!!! :)

cookies and cities

Here are some fun pictures from the weekend - the first is when we had milk and cookies with the girls and watched Charlie Brown. The rest are from Heidelberg. The girl in the last picture with me is Miri - one of the girls in my Counselor group from English Camp 2003 - yay for reunions. It was a great refreshing weekend and I am glad I was able to go!! Enjoy!

pizza and masquerades

Here are some pics of the past week or so. Things have been busy with visitors, themed hot lunches and Christmas Banquets. I have been kept on my toes. It has been fun despite some of the insanity though. I am looking forward to a little break this weekend - I am going to see some German friends in Heidelberg - 1 of my campers from 3 years ago. :) Praise God for big groups going which means very cheap transportation. I am looking forward to Christmas break and seeing NY again - and my dear loved ones and friends. Right now though I will carry on and get to know these awesome girls that God created. It is an adventure! Thanks for your prayers! They are greatly needed! Enjoy the pics...




Emily and Steph - 2 of my very cool seniors of Wittlingen - I had some fun moments with both recently :)









Italian Restaurant Hot Lunch Friday - Witt girls eat well thanks to Witt Staff :)









The Christmas Banquet this year was a masquerade - here I am with 2 other BFA RA's :)











Me and my fellow Witt RA's at the banquet - Jessica, me, Kristi and Rachel

Here are all the Witt girls - aren't we lovely?

Thanksgiving...a little Early

Well Friends, Happy Dorm Thanksgiving to you! Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving 2 weeks early - because it gives us a chance to celebrate Christmas as a dorm before we leave mid-December. Also it is between Canadian and American Thanksgiving. It ended up being a really good time - I even got to make rolls from scratch for the first time - a couple hundred of them :) We had 6 turkeys and a ham and 49 people attending. It was a nice change of pace and everyone lingered at the table enjoying good food and fellowship. I am thankful that we were able to have such a good night. We later watched White Christmas to begin hailing in the Christmas season that is coming.

The girls are off today - I stayed home with those girls who didn't go ice skating. It is a fairly busy weekend - our play practice girls have big practice this weekend - their play is next weekend. The next few weekends will be filled!! I am glad to be here but I must say I look forward to going home to see my loved ones in NY as well. I will be going Dec. 17 and gone through Jan 4th.

Pray for me as I make decisions and need wisdom with different things. Pray that I would build good relationships and know when to say things to certain people. Pray that our team would grow stronger and communicate well. Pray also for finances - that God would continually provide for various needs and bills that need paid for.

Praise God for the chance to be here in the fall time. Praise God for great girls. Praise God for fun experiences. Praise God for great conversations. Praise God that I will be able to go home for Christmas!!

Here are some pics from Thanksgiving - enjoy!

A view of our full dining room

Our girls like pumpkin pie! :)

Cameron (our adopted dorm girl) and Shannon - they ate at my table :)

An amazing sunset that we saw tonight!
My first pumpkin that I carved last week with Jessica! :)

Autumn Times...

I thought I would share with you a bit of the autumn beauty that I see all the time these days here in Germany. I am thankful to be here to experience the seasons change in a different culture. The bottom pictures are from Herbstmesse with the whole school on Tuesday. It is a Fall Fair in Basel - we took 5 buses in - it was a huge carnival all over the city. I went on a few rides and had a few heart to hearts. It has been a good week. Yesterday was a holiday - All Saints Day - so it was a different type of day as all the kids were home. We had Lord of the Rings Marathons and carved pumpkins (I carved my first one ever :)) Lots of fun. It is nice to have the different pace to have different chances to spend time with the girls here. Today was pretty normal but I was reminded on a walk just how thankful to God I am that I get to minister here for the year. God is providing even when I am not sure how that is all going to work out. God knows what He's doing - I just need to trust him. Thank you for all your prayers - they are greatly appreciated!!






The sun peeks through the trees in the woods near Sitzenkirch - we were in search of castle ruins.







This is the castle we tried to find - we ended up on the other side :( - oops - It was a great hike though - so beautiful - God is amazing - so creative!!




Here is a glimpse of Herbstmesse -

quite a bright colored carnival!! Lots of activity!













Me and 2 of my girls - Rachel (my seat buddy of the day on the bus) and Autumn (quite the character who makes everyone smile!!)

More Scenes from the Open House

Here are some more pics from our open house this past Sunday. Good Job girls for putting it all together so well! It was quite the unity building experience!!





I had to show a pic of NY wall since it is my native state- it was a part of the North America section. All the continents were represented in our dorm. My section was Antarctica (since I am in the outermost parts it makes lots of sense).










We had different food stands in our "food court" - Chelsea - one of the McClary kids was serving EisCaffe (Iced Coffee) at our "Starbucks" (the logo in back of her was drawn and colored btw by one of the talented girls here:))











Tamara was one of our ticket agents - she made sure everyone got on the "flights" they wanted.










Josiah is another McClary child - he was a fellow crazy tourist with me.















Heather and Torri made sure everything was secure at each security checkpoint! :)