Thursday, March 29, 2007

Almost Spring Break

These last few days before the girls leave for Spring Break has been like running a marathon. Monday I was able to take a little break though and have a field trip with other RA's at BFA's Elementary school - Sitzenkirch - we had never been shown it before. It was fun playing tetherball and jump roping. Some of us enjoyed some ice cream at the EisCafe to celebrate the springlike weather. Tuesday hit and it was meetings and dorm clean. As a reward for a good dorm clean, we took the girls to Basel to the Starbucks there - it was good fun. Yesterday began the departures - I have already done 2 airport runs - 1 to pick up people from the conference that BFA is hosting this next week and I brought one of my girls to the airport at night. Now all the girls are gone except for a few. Though the girls leave, we as a staff won't fully have a break until next Wednesday - we are required to help drive people back and forth, do airport runs and help in the kitchen for the conference. Pray for us as we try to find the strength to make it until next Wednesday. It can be frustrating to be in need of a break, but to still have stuff to do. It will be an interesting experience, because people are coming from all over the world - just knowing how much energy we will have is the question. I am still recovering from being sick - still a little congested, so please pray for my healing soon. I am looking forward to having friends coming to visit this weekend and next - it will be good to see people outside of BFA. It is hard to believe that only 7 weeks of school will be left when Spring Break is over! It is flying by! So much is happening in this life of mine - I can only take it one day at a time with God's help. Anyway, that is a little synopsis on life here right now. Here are some pictures of the past few days:




Rachel and Kristi go to grade school again and jump rope!
Krista and I enjoy Italian Ice on a warm Spring Day
A hoard of Witt girls head to Starbucks
Yum - we like frappaccinos!
We RA's relax over coffee and play a game of MASH

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Spa Night :)

Tonight, Witt girls did what we do best - relaxed w/ fun facials and hair treatments and watched lots of American Idol (it is quite the obsession over here thanks to Kristi's mom feeding us new episodes each week). We had good fun - enjoy a look at some of it! :)





Deborah is the glamor girl w/ a turban (do I see Sunset Blvd?)










Yummy - let's put this on our faces!











Cool Koreans Jessica and Hannah enjoy the goop









Relaxin and hoping our favorite contestants will stay









Yay American Idol!

Recent Happenings at Witt

Here are some pics of recent happenings at Witt - We did Kareoke last Saturday - I went hiking and saw an amazing sunset last Monday, and I hung out on Friday at Lauren's Bridal Shower - we are the 2 LBC grads/RA's that are engaged here in the Res Life Program - fun stuff! Enjoy the pics!





Jess and I enjoy a hike in a nearby forest ;)
Amazing German Sunset
Rachel and Tamara sing their hearts out!
Drea and Sean do a duet
Lauren and Christine - engaged and proud of it :)

Friday, March 23, 2007

This is what it has looked like in Wittlingen and the Kandern area this past week - constantly snowing! I keep waking up and it is still snowing - it melts and snows and melts and snows. The weather just cannot make up it's mind. Winter won the battle for this week - come back Spring, come back!! Will we be "snowed in" this weekend? We'll see!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

first day of spring

Today was an unusual first day of spring. A battle between Spring and Winter ensued as snow fell to the ground - and then the sun shone through - and then snow and sleet came again - yet the ground did not accept it and made the snow melt. It was fascinating to watch this afternoon as a day that is supposed to be springlike was full of snow. It has stopped now - but I am thankful for the amusement that weather can bring on these busy days of March.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

snow day

So, it is a snow day - a snow day in which we had snow - but not enough to make a mess of the roads but enough to give the school an excuse for a "morale" snow day (this is the only school I have ever worked/been at that has done this. Snow days come in a mixed bag - they are fun for the kids and teachers - a little bit more work for RA's and dorm parents since we have to be "on" all day. It can be an adventure. I am just thankful that I had off yesterday - a little break b/f being inundated with people for the next 24 hours. We are keeping study hours in place to make sure the kids don't watch movies the entire day. So yea that is my day today. We'll see how it goes.

I am feeling better this week as opposed to last week. I look forward to this cold to be completely gone. I am thankful that I can function better than before. Praise God for healing even if it comes slowly. Sickness can make morale much lower for staff and students - we are trying to boost it as we face this last week before Spring Break begins next week. You can pray for us as we try to get healthy and for energy amidst the tiredness.

We have tried to do some fun things to boost morale these past couple weeks. We showed a dorm video - the girls chipped in to make it - a reality tv show called "THE DORM" - it was very fun. We also had Dan and Jen get pizza from Dominos in France - they delivered it to the different rooms. I am glad for these fun ideas to help encourage all of us (staff and students).

So the 2 big prayer requests these days:

-Health - getting better from sickness
-Making it to Spring Break

I do praise God for the chance to get fabric for my wedding dress yesterday - I was able to afford it through the gift from my bridal shower that Res Life held for me recently. I am having a lady around here make the dress for me - I am very excited. Wedding plans are slowly coming along despite the distance. Jon and I have been able to talk about what marriage will be like and start adjusting to that as well. God is teaching us much these days. They aren't always the easiest of days but God is giving us strength each day.

Thanks for reading my thoughts of the day - pray for me as I balance wedding and dorm stuff - and just dealing with emotions and missing Jon, missing family - but knowing I am going to be missing people here too. One day at a time is how I must live my life. Thanks for your persistant prayers friends! God Bless!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

more pictures from nurnburg

Here is another little final glimpse of time in Nurnburg! :) Enjoy...





My Small Group












Me and the Nurnburg Castle











My cool Freshmen Roomies :)










Flowers in the beginning of March










2 of my lovely girls - Katharine and Shannon :)

Friday, March 09, 2007

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!

Thursday, March 08, 2007

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

Monday, March 05, 2007

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.

Monday, February 26, 2007

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!!







Thursday, February 15, 2007

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!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

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!!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

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/

Friday, December 29, 2006

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!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

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!!! :)

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

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!