Twenty

Twenty years ago today we landed in Brazil.

As we left that day from Winnipeg, we were sure we were heading toward our death.
There were so many unknowns and even though we knew we
were supposed to be going,
we were really, really scared.

When we finally arrived in Gramado in the wee hours of the morning,
it felt like we had been in at least 20 airports.
In fact it had only been 8.

And, the trip had taken more than 20 hours.
Actually, it was more like 36.
Arriving at the end of August it was still winter,
and it was cold in Gramado.
The bed we crawled into was so damp that it took at least
20 minutes to start to warm up.

We were exhausted and I think we slept at least
20 hours that first night.

The next day was the kind of winter day we would
grow to love in Gramado -
clear skies, lots of sun, but definitely not
20 degrees!

So here we are,
20 years after leaving Canada for the first time.
By now we've probably left at least
20 times,
but now when we leave, we're not leaving home

but going home.And, God has blessed us at least 20 fold during our
20 years away.
And what an amazing life adventure we've been blessed to have.
Thank you to all of you for
20 years of giving to us in so many ways.

I've got all my...geese in a row

Bethany was in a park last weekend and took this picture, which she is very proud of, by the way!
(She also took the one for my new header.)

The Great Pumpkin

So, here it is. My prize pumpkin. My friend Erna asked, "Have you weighed it?" I said, "No". So, after work today, I weighed it. It tipped the scale at almost 14 kilos. Do the math. It's heavy. It seemed a bit too large to set on my top step, so it sits at the bottom by my lovely big mum. Very nice indeed. I am pleased.

Opening day

Another school year has begun at BFA. One of the highlights of the morning is the flag ceremony. Each year the senior class marches into the opening ceremony carrying the flags of the countries that are represented at BFA. The students will either carry the flag from their country of birth, or from the country where their parents are working. It's quite a lovely tradition. This year 14 nationalities and 48 countries are represented in the student body.







Our principal giving the "charge" to the Senior class.
On the patio again (just like at grad) to say good-bye again.
The library was an absolute zoo today as all the students came to get their textbooks. It was a busy and tiring day. However, I did manage to grab my camera at one point to get this picture. This is our graphic arts guy - photographer - yearbook staff person... Anyway, here he is in full action, and his baby is almost always along for the ride, and enjoying every minute of it.
Unfortunately, there are a few hazards with having baby feeding himself while you are otherwise occupied...:)

Michele

This is Michele. She is currently fighting a battle with cancer. She is a teacher here at BFA, and also an MK and BFA grad. The first signs of the cancer were found in the sweat glands in her face - which she has said was rather ironic considering she never uses those glands!
The after effects of having cancerous lumps removed from her face.
Michele loves MKs. She understands them and loves them for the unique people that they are.
And they love her too.

After being declared "cancer free", she felt prompted to make one more appointment to be really sure, and much to her dismay, breast cancer was discovered.
But, Michele being Michele, she is facing this head-on with a great attitude (and V8 juice) and lots of prayer support from her friends and family.
I have taken the liberty of borrowing these pictures from her blog www.xanga.com/serenitymine
where you can read her story for yourself.

She has also put together a video which captures the essence of what it's like to be an MK. You can see our girls in several of the pictures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBXth2N_N3c.
This link is on her site but unfortunately I cannot seem to make it work here. You can find it on her most recent post, underneath the pictures of the farm implements.

Please pray for Michele as you think of her. She has a painful journey ahead and I know she would appreciate your prayers.

A Brazilian and a basket (liner)

Our Brazilian friend, Nivaldo, came to church today in order to talk to Howard. He (as pastor of a small Brazilian church) along with many others have been planning a big worship convention which will take place in Basel in September and had wanted Howard to be a part of the program. Unfortunately, Howard is already booked that day. Too bad. Anyway, I had lots of lunch prepared so we invited Nivaldo home for lunch and had a great Portuguese time around the table.
Today was the day I could finally deliver the basket liner that I had made for a very special friend. It was my nicest liner so far, so I decided to share it with you!
I was even pleased with the bottom that doesn't even show!
And, here is my special friend, Cathy. She has been at BFA for almost forever. When I directed the choir at the elementary school for 6 years, Cathy accompanied and I have to say we were a great team. She was thrilled with the new liner and I enjoyed watching her empty her basket (it was full to the brim of school stuff!), take out the old, well-worn liner (which I had made for her years ago), and put in the new one. Of course, a picture sealed the moment!

Our lovely little town

I'm struggling for blog inspiration so I thought I'd just let you wander through our town with me. Sometimes I just have to stop and look and see again where we live and what a blessing it is to live in this little town at the foot of the Black Forest.




Some new staff shared this morning that it is so amazing to them as a family that it's safe for their kids to walk alone on the streets. That's another blessing of living in this little town.



This view was made famous by August Macke, a German artist who spent some time in Kandern in the early 1900s.
Here's what he painted. I borrowed this from the Kandern web page. I think I like it better in real life.

All in a day

We arrived at BFA this morning to find lots of people doing lots of work. It was the official work day to get ready for school. However, I had been prepping for our Janz Team picnic so unfortunately I wasn't able to pitch in at school and do my part. There were lots of others working, though, so I figured at least this group deserved some recognition. This is at the back of the school and the entrance to the cafeteria and auditorium.
Our pastor - down on his knees again! No wonder he's the pastor. He is teaching the Romans classes this year giving Howard a year off.
Before our picnic we had a short meeting with the whole gang. We number 119 with children this year! It's quite the group.
And, the "picnic" was great. We moved it indoors a few years ago because the weather had caused us some grief in varying degrees over the years. Everyone was hungry today and cleaned off the sandwich smorgasbord within minutes!

The harvest begins

Today I decided it was time to start pulling out those vines and tackle the mess in my garden. I cleaned out just over half the patch, and this is what I have. I think I'm a little bit overwhelmed!

The pride of the patch

As you can see, this is a pumpkin. However, it's not just a pumpkin. It is the biggest pumpkin I have ever grown. And, I have to confess, I am feeling quite proud of this pumpkin. When it is fully ripe and sitting on my front step, I will take another picture of it and you, along with me, can fully enjoy this amazing pumpkin.
And these are sunflowers, also from my garden. The sun was shining in on them so gloriously that, yes, I just had to take a picture. I love sunflowers. They just make me feel happy. They must be related to daisies which are also very happy flowers. If you happen to walk by our house, there is a sunflower peeking through the fence. Now that is one happy flower!