The past month has been a
whirlwind of activity and busyness at Black Forest Academy. It’s
now June 4, 2012 and the school year is officially over. Time has a
way of inevitably passing. Isn’t that right? Regardless of a desire
to speed things up or slow things down, I am reminded once again that
time is out of my control. This year, I had noble intentions of
introducing you to all 14 students at Liel with several fun pictures
as well as a personal interview. Unfortunately though, my blog
updates became less of a priority as relationships grew and demands
increased. So, there are still five handsome and beautiful people
that weren’t “nobly” introduced, but I would still love to tell
you about them and why they are dear to me! This will be a tribute to
Seth, Joyce, Priscilla, Michal, and Keith. Enjoy, friends.
Celebrating
graduation with his dorm sisters!
Meet Seth…
One of two handsome dorm
brothers, Seth has been a gift to our dorm. He is the son of Troy
and Michelle, Liel’s dorm parents, and has been such a strong and
positive influence to his 12 dorm sisters. I love that one of Seth’s
teachers recently described him as “the essence of a godly
gentleman.” I couldn’t agree more. He is truly a man of
integrity. He consistently shows respect to his parents, the girls,
and to me as his RA. He is honest. He is wholly devoted to the
pursuit of truth and godliness. His heart is undivided in his
relationship with Christ.
I appreciate that
personal relationships are incredibly important to Seth. Would you
believe that he doesn’t have a Facebook account? I find that
excellent and admirable. He is deliberate and intentional with a few
friends, knowing his limits. I have been so grateful for
conversations that I have had 1-on-1 with Seth—in the fall, we had
a little tradition where I would pick him up after his Thursday night
small group and as we drove home, he would share what he learned that
night and how he was challenged by the lesson (each week a different
senior in his group was asked to teach and share). One of my favorite
moments was when we discussed what evidence there is to support the
claim that Jesus is the Son of God. Seth explained how and why the
extraordinary reality of the Resurrection (alone) proves this to be
true.
Seth just graduated with
honors from BFA and plans to attend Bryan College in Dayton,
Tennessee, this fall. Seth is an aspiring missionary, planning on
studying environmental science and becoming certified as a “teacher
of English to speakers of other languages” (TESOL). If you were a
visitor at Liel, you wouldn’t be surprised to find Seth strumming
on his guitar, playing board games, teasing one of his dorm sisters,
or just smiling. :)
Roomie shot
at the Christmas Banquet!
Meet Joyce
and Priscilla…
For the past two years,
Joyce and Priscilla have attended BFA and roomed together at Liel.
You might recognize them; though they have grown up so much as they
transitioned to high school! These girls were the ones to introduce
me to the ways and traditions of dorm life and BFA (they began boarding in seventh grade, moved to Liel in eighth grade, and now just finished freshman year). We have had
oodles of fun together--enjoying many tea parties, spa nights
(featuring homemade oatmeal and cucumber face masks…messy, but so
fun!), sleepovers, tea parties, dance parties (featuring Justin
Bieber!), singing in the dorm van, special trips to McDonalds for ice
cream (after Priscilla’s doctors appointments for her torn ACL),
back massages, and so much more.
Joyce turns 16 today! She
is celebrating this special birthday with a trip to Israel with her
dad, who pastors a church in Zurich! How awesome is that? I
appreciate that Joyce values growth. She actively seeks counsel and
mentorship from adults in the community. Though Joyce is young, her
relationship with the Lord is getting stronger. It has been a joy to
watch Joyce express her love for her Savior in the songs that she
writes and in the ways that she serves others (notes, BIG hugs, and
gifts of divine Swiss
chocolate).
This year has been a
victorious one for Priscilla. She has overcome knee surgery from an
ACL injury along with many physical therapy appointments and yet
still managed to get straight “A”s this semester! Wow. She
impresses me. There was also much rejoicing in heaven and at Black
Forest Christian Fellowship on May 6 when Priscilla shared her testimony and publically declared her faith
in Christ through baptism. That was a TRULY GLORIOUS day! I wish you
could have been there. The Lord is at work at BFA, turning the hearts
and eyes of children to Him.
We’re
winning this volleyball game!
Meet JAZ…
Though it may seem like a
paradox, JAZ is both tough and tender. She is a disciplined athlete,
having competed in three sports at BFA--volleyball, basketball, and
track. She is not afraid to throw herself on a hardwood floor to save
a ball and her scrapes, cuts, and bruises prove it! She is
intelligent, taking on difficult classes as a freshman and yet
remaining diligent in her studies. She is tough. But once 9:00 pm
rolls around, this girl is ready for some loving! Before bed, she
always make an effort to say goodnight to me and give me her sweet
goodnight “squeeze”—this is when the affectionate and tender
JAZ comes out! :)
I enjoy listening to JAZ talk and trying her yummy baked goods! I
also think her mild obsession with bulls eyes (a fried egg in a piece
of a toast) and coffee cake is really cute!
Hola!
Meet
Michal…
Despite the fact that
Michal is a first generation American (her parents emigrated from
Eritrea in East Africa), she loves to speak Spanish (haha, but only a
little)! It’s not unusual to hear the Spanish words—hola!,
gracia!s, or
chica—uttered from her lips, multiple times
a day! :)
This is Michal’s first
year at BFA and I have LOVED watching her come out of her shell. The
first day that she arrived, she was “plugged in” to her iPod, but
those earphones quickly came out! Michal has excelled athletically on
the volleyball court and soccer field, socially as she built many
strong relationships with students in each class, and spiritually as
she asked many deep questions in an effort to truly understand the
person of Jesus. Michal is an avid reader (tackling about three books
a week, on average), her favorite subject is history, and she wants
to be a diplomat when she grows up. When asked what she would do with
a magic wand, she replied, “I would make it so that everyone in the
world had enough food and water.” Isn’t she awesome? I love
Michal’s curly hair, her laugh, her smile, her toddler “pouty
face” that is so hard to say no to,
and her enthusiasm for life.
Ta-da!
Meet
Keith…
Though
last, he is certainly not least. Though you might expect him to be
shy and quiet, this boy can make some noise! Keith is Troy and
Michelle’s second child, Seth’s younger brother, and Lynnea’s
older brother. Keith just finished his sophomore year at BFA and has
also been a fabulous dorm brother to his 12 dorm sisters. He is
completely gracious, forgiving, helpful, kind, and respectful with
the girls. He works on homework with the girls who are struggling in
algebra. He listens when the girls talk. He’ll also sit with them
at the dinner table. He is witty and well known for being able to
spontaneously recall the most random trivia and tidbits of
information. It’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll learn
something new every day if you live with Keith…”Did you know…?”
I appreciate Keith’s sense of humor, his gentleman-like ways, his
love for tuna sandwiches and Choc-Balls cereal (his daily breakfast),
and his love for Jesus expressed in hands lifted high. Keith and his
dad have a big job next year as the men of the house, living with up
to 14 women. Pray for them! Though, I cannot think of anyone better
to do it well. :)
