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Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 09, 2009
Back to School!
November may seem a little late for going back to school, but that is in fact just what we are doing.
Samantha's school has asked us to teach baseball during the last hour on Mondays, so each Monday we pick up the other girls from their school and head up to Samantha's school at the top of the hill with our bats and balls in tow. Over the years, we have gathered a duffel full of supplies for teaching baseball, but the turnout this time was a little more than we had expected. We have 22 boys and girls from the 4th grade who are eager to learn how to use a baseball mitt and which way to run when they hit the ball. Being a few mitts short, we are having to be a bit creative during our practice time. The best part about practice doesn't take place on the field or in the gym though. The best part is when we are in the store or walking downtown and one of our players stops to say hi and introduce us to their parents.
The same elementary school has also invited us to do an American Christmas Cottage during their annual Christmas Craft night at the end of this month. Now is time for brainstorming. I am looking for craft ideas that kids can do in about 10-15 minutes and cost less than $2 each to make. We will have Christmas carols and spiced cider and I would like to have candy canes too. Could someone send me some of the small candy canes? We will decorate with stockings and manger scenes. If anyone has any other good ideas, I would love to hear from you.
I am teaching English at the community college this fall as well. I have two classes, one for senior citizens on Monday mornings and an open conversation class on Thursday nights. Many of the students have been attending my classes for years and it is blessing to see our relationship develop and expand with each semester. Yesterday we received a phone call from one of the other teachers and she has invited our family to come sing Christmas Carols and teach about Christmas in America for two of her classes during the month of December. We will do a lot of the same things that we have planned for the elementary school, but we will also read the Christmas story from Luke and answer questions.
And this year, all three of our children's schools as well as the community college have been active in our church's Christmas Charity project. What a blessing to see their eagerness to help.
Christmas is such an awesome time to open up and share our hearts with people. I am praying that we will have more and more opportunities like these each year.
A big thank you goes out to all of you who pray for us so regularly.
Chelli
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Its Reformation Time!
October 31st is Reformation Day. The City of Wittenberg rolls out the red carpet, well, okay, the burlap bags, and becomes the reformation capital of the middle ages once again to welcome thousands of guests. This year, we were privileged to be invited to have a booth downtown for the festivities. Our church runs a nonprofit called "Culture and Counseling". This organization received an invitation to demonstrate a middle ages handcraft and advertise for our group. We gladly accepted the challenge. We set up a booth with books, tracts and Bibles. Our handcraft - homemade paper. This time, we cooked iris and hosta leaves into paper pulp. People loved the papers made from pineapple greens, asparagus and leeks. While the adults were browsing our paper and books, the children were invited to spin our prize wheel where they had a chance to win Christian CDs, books and prizes. Paul was able to talk to several people about salvation and invite them to visit our church while I worked with the children. The kids were great. I love it when a bashful little kid inches up to the spinning wheel, timidly places their hand on it and then WOW spins the thing almost off is its stand. Who would have ever thought so much power was hiding in such a little bundle. And so much more hiding in those little packages of love. I had so much fun opening Christmas packages and letting the winner pick out a prize. Oh how I pray those seeds will take root and grow into spiritual fruit.
We were able to distribute about 500 books, CDs, DVDs and tracts. We also handed out 50 balloons with Christian quotes on them. Next time I think we should order 200. I just loved watching these atheist parents pushing strollers and their children holding balloons that said things like "God is Love". That sight fueled my smile all day long.
As the sun set and we lit our lanterns, even more people stopped by to check out our Christian themed pumpkins. The kids had such fun carving them. They invited the neighbor kids over and we had a pumpkin carving party. If you have any good Christian carving ideas for next year, please send them our way.
As we roll into November, the month of thanks, please know that we are so very thankful for all of our friends and supporters who make it possible for us to be able to distribute the Gospel in Wittenberg, Germany. Have a great Thanksgiving Month!
Chelli