Joyness!

Joyce

(also known as "Joyness," "Joycey," & "Joyceypoo")

The first thing that Sue (Liel Dorm Mom) told me about Joyce was that she had a beautiful voice. After meeting Joyce for the first time, I soon discovered that the Lord has blessed her with more than just a beautiful voice...but a passionate heart for worship.

Not only does Joyce play the piano and sing for the middle school chapel band, but she spends her free time writing praise songs. I am amazed by her gifts. Joyce is only 14-years-old! I wouldn't be surprised to see her traveling and singing with Hillsong in ten years. Seriously :)

Joyce's spiritual maturity is unparalleled. After asking for her permission, I wanted to share the lyrics to her most recent song entitled,"Father of All Love." Though the words are powerful, I wish you could hear the music and the melodious sound of her voice. For now, maybe you can just imagine it...

You are the Author and Perfector of my faith,

And I will listen when You speak to my heart.

I'll try to follow all Your ways and trust in You.

For You are...

You are the Lamp that will guide me on my path,

And forever I will give You all I have.

Because in lonely times You are always there.

For You are...

Chorus

The amazing, loving, wonderful Father.

You're the Shepherd that will never leave His sheep.

You are there when we cry out to You and fall on our knees.

You are the Open Ear and Father of all love.

You are the Lord of all the heavens and the earth,

And with Your help we'll try to make it known to all.

For I know Your grace will catch me when I fall.

I know You are...

(Chorus)

And we will lift up our voice to you, God.

Your love will never fail.

And we will lift up our eyes to You,

Our God!

The Father of all love.

Oh, yes!

The Father of all love.

(Chorus)

....

The moments that I have shared with Joyce have been so precious. This past Tuesday, she was one of the few students who came home after school (while the others played intramural handball at BFA) and I asked her to play the piano for me while I worked on our dorm schedule. She responded by asking me to sing along with her...I was delighted. For the next 45 minutes, we sat at the piano bench together and worshipped. I love my job! I love that my "work" involves praising God in song with my students here. What a gift.

Joyce and I connect because we are both able to enjoy the great value in worship music--it is the way we are able to meet with the Lord and gain access into His presence. As certain songs minister to me throughout the week, I share them with Joyce. And she gets it. She understands why they are encouragement to me and they take her to the same place as they do me. Please check out Kari Jobe's "You Are For Me" and "The More I Seek You" on YouTube. Both of these songs made it on our favorites list this week. They have moved us both to tears. I hope it lifts you up to know the reality that our God is for you and that He will never forsake you in your weakness.

...

A few more fun facts about Joyce:

-Joyce speaks English and Swiss German fluently and she is studying French at BFA

(her German speaking helps us immensely in the dorm!)

-Her parents pastor a church in Zurich, Switzerland

-This is Joyce's second year at BFA

-Joyce's favorite color is purple (I can actually identify all of Joyce's clothes by the color purple)

Caught in Love...

My parents and I--"Caught in Love"

Grove City College Graduation, May 2010

This week marks the 12th week of my work at Black Forest Academy. Over the past two months, I have introduced you to several members of my new family here, but there are also two very special people in my life that I cannot neglect to speak of. They may not live in Germany, but they certainly deserve to be honored today. Both of these individuals celebrate birthdays this month and considering the ocean between us, my gift to them will be a gift of words. After reading this entry, my hope is that you will see how grateful I am for their abundant love, unwavering support, and undeniable selflessness. Mom and dad, this is for you.

Nov. 8th-Happy Birthday, Mom!

Some of the most precious and encouraging words came from my mom several months ago as I was pursuing the reality of becoming a missionary. She explained, "Lauren, though I would prefer to have you here, I recognize that you are not mine and that you do not belong to me. I know your life belongs to the Lord and I am willing to share you with Him." Despite my mother's jealous love, I admire her and respect her so much for entrusting me to my Heavenly Father's care. Words cannot describe how profoundly thankful I am to have a mother that has never kept me to herself. As difficult as it must be for a mother to let her daughter go, she has let me be who God created me to be...

Mom, this has been the most special and lovely gift.

As a result of how you have loved me and let me go, I have found life! I have found Christ and I have found children in need of love because of you. Mom, I am flying now on wings like eagles...I am running now and am not growing weary...I am walking now and am not growing faint. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being the most selfless, gracious, and compassionate mother that a daughter could ever ask for. You amaze me, Mom, and I celebrate your life today! How joyful I am that you are here, that you have been healed, and that you are walking faithfully with our God. Oh, Mom, if I could be half the woman that you are. You inspire me. Because of the testimony of your life, you have transformed my understanding of wholeness and beauty. The Lord took your brokenness and sickness and He used them for something beautiful. Because of this, I will never be the same. Thank you for sacrificing so much on behalf of our family. Thank you for fighting for us.

You are the most wonderful mother.

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always.

As long as I am living,

My mommy you'll be.

Nov. 22nd-Happy Birthday, Dad!

When initially considering Germany, my dad's first response was, "That's fine, Lauren, you can go. But, you better not meet anyone over there!" I giggle because this is in part how my dad's love manifests itself--he is jealous for his daughters and he yearns for them to be near him and quite honestly, he desires them to marry men that won't take them thousands of miles away :) While he is certainly a goofy dad, his care and his love for me run so deep. And for this, I am eternally thankful.

At the end of July, my parents and my brother and I served together at a Christian baseball camp in northern Germany. At the conclusion of the camp and the day before my family and I would separate for five months, several of the German leaders took me aside in the prayer room of their church. My parents came along. For the next thirty minutes, I was blessed by the sweetest and most raw prayers that were being offered up to the Lord on my behalf. My dad was in tears. He prayed, "Father, I ... I give you my daugher." And then my mom followed with, "We entrust Lauren to you. Thank you for letting us borrow her for 22 years." Anticipating the goodbye that was inevitable, I was hurting. But, at the very same time, I was confident because of the faith of my parents. In my anxiety, fear, and nervousness, they believed for me and they trusted God for me.

Dad,

Though your birthday is still ten days away, I wanted to take a moment to honor you too. Just as I am grateful for mom's life, I am so thankful for yours as well. And just as she has helped me find life, so have you! Oh, Dad, because you have given me away, these middle schoolers are being so well cared for. I could see that it was hard for you to let me go, but because you did and because you believed in me, I can walk confidently now in the work that He has for me here. This is such a precious gift. Thank you.

...

I am touched by your jealous love, Dad. I am amazed by your tender care for our family. Just like Mom, you sacrifice so much on our behalf. Thank you.And I know that I have told you this before, but it bears repeating, I love the way that you love mom. I love how faithful you are to her.

You are the most gentle father.

I love you.

To the readers of this blog, who are parents...

My hope and my prayer for you today is that you would entrust your children to our Heavenly Father's care. By letting them go, you could also be giving them life. May the faith and the courage of my parents inspire you to give your children over to the One who created them, so that nothing would inhibit the His work. Trust me, you can trust Him :) I hope my life and my story will help you see that God can do so much good with a little bit of faith. I am safe here, I am well, I am thriving. My Father is taking great care of me in Germany, 4032 miles away from home.

"Joshypoo, I love you!"

Josh's funny face

Josh's seriously straight face*

One of my favorite names to call my little brother Jake is "Jakeypoo." While it may seem childish, it is intended to be completely endearing :) Oftentimes, I will make it into a little rhyme and say, "Jakeypoo, I love you!" Despite the fact that Jake is 19, I think he appreciates it...

Speaking of Jake only naturally leads me to introduce you to Josh. For you see, Josh has become like a little brother too. Like Jake, Josh has two older sisters who have graduated from college and are now living and working in the States. Josh knows all about a life with older sisters, so I feel like it is now my duty as his RA to tease him just a little bit as his sisters would do if they were here. That is completely legitimate, right? I mean, it's all done in love! So, every now and then, I do call him "Joshypoo" and he just smiles.

To tell you a little bit about Josh...

Josh is in eighth grade at BFA and is completely unbeatable in every and any staring contest. I cannot tell you how many times his serious face has made me laugh until my stomach hurt.

Josh has a sense of humor that our entire Liel family appreciates. He can be sarcastic and witty and goofy and silly. But he is also quite a gentleman and he is incredibly respectful.

Josh was our first student to arrive at Liel and it has been so special to see him grow here in just 9 short weeks. We were first introduced after Josh had traveled through the night on a plane so he was naturally tired and quiet, but also really shy. However, he has proved himself to be quite the social one...he just needed a few nights of sleep and time to warm up!

Some things I appreciate about Josh--he joins the girls and I when we sing "I Used to Drive a Little Ford" in the dorm van, I often say "Glory to God in the highestuhhh (with special emphasis on this last syllable)!" when I am really excited or thankful about something...it makes me smile when I hear Josh say this around the house too, he consistenly makes his bed well (I am responsible for daily room checks and this always impresses me...haha), he is incredibly organized and motivated when it comes to his studies, and he expresses thanks to our staff.

*To briefly explain the pictures...Josh dressed up as Sam I Am with green eggs and ham for the middle school fall party last week. I asked for a smile in the first photo and his serious face in the next. Ah, I love it! This is Josh.

My heart is glad

Though it has been a few weeks since my last update, I have continued praising the Lord for this wonderful place and these precious children.
Tonight, I wanted to share several things that I am grateful for...things that make my heart glad...things that make my soul sing:

• After returning from my second weekend off this past week, I found a note from Joyce on my pillow that read, "Dearest Lauren, I missed you dearly but I handled it without you. But I do like it better when you are here. I'm so glad you're back and I hope we can spend more time together! Love, Joyce." I was so thankful for this note because I see God strengthening my relationships with students at Liel and drawing us closer to one another. Life doesn't seem quite right or normal when we are apart :)
• Tonight, before bed, Kate gave me a note attached to a small box. The box was from Kate's mother and enclosed were a beautiful pair of pearl earrings in the design of a flower. I was touched, the note read, "To:Lauren. Hello! My mom bought you a gift. She told me to give it to you. She always thanks you for taking care of me. I hope you like it! -Kate-." My heart is glad because I feel genuinely appreciated here...I have purpose and it is so special to share in the raising of these children.
• Last Sunday night during our dorm fellowship, we were talking about the LORD as our Hiding Place. The students and I read Psalm 32 together in the "dungeon" of Liel (an old cellar with a dirt floor and stone walls) and I asked the students why they turn to Him for protection and safety. I continued to ask why they trust the LORD and why they need Him. After a brief moment of silence, students began to answer. Luke said quite matter-of-factly, "Because He's a whole lot better than this stinking world!" After saying "Amen!" I thought to myself, "Yes, they understand. They love the Lord and they recognize how nothing compares to Him...not any part of this world is as good, reliable, lovely, or satisfying as the King of Kings." In response to Luke's comment, Marshall, our dorm brother and the son of our dorm parents, made the final comment, "Enough said!" My heart is glad because I see these boys growing. I see them opening up and boldly declaring what they believe in at ages 12, 13, 14, and 15. I'm impressed.
• During the same dorm fellowship, AJ explained how difficult it was for him to go to a public school in the country where his parents were serving as missionaries. It was such a hard life for him there. He felt defeated and depressed by the teachers and students. And then AJ turned to Scripture to find comfort in a moment of intense pain, frustration, and anger...he found himself in Psalm 32. Those waters that David talks about in the psalm never touched AJ. They never had power over him because he found himself in the arms of Christ, safe from harm, safe from persecution and attack. My heart is glad because AJ is at BFA now. He is loved here. Instead of yelling, the teachers here instruct him with extravagant love and care. The students have embraced him. And his dorm staff thinks he is one special guy.
• This past Thursday afternoon, I attended the middle schoolers' intramural frisbee games. While cheering on the Liel students, several of the girls and I got a bit distracted and began making observations...of our eyes. One at a time, we would ooo and ahhh over the colors and design of our eyes. The following comments were made..."Kaelah, it looks like there is lightning in your eyes! They are so beautiful!" ... "Lauren, God is SO CREATIVE!"... My heart is glad because these young women are astounded by the seemingly simple wonders of God--human eyes. They recognize God as Creator and they compliment one another in a way that helps these young ladies love themselves.
• Tonight, I attended a recital at BFA to support Ira, Laura, and Kaelah. Ira played the violin in the Intermediate Orchestra. Laura and Kaelah played bells in the 7th grade hand bell choir. As I sat and listened to "Over the Rainbow" on the bells and then several other pieces, I found myself delighted. I am delighted because these children have a place to play and develop their incredible musical gifts. They are so talented. My heart is glad because God chose me to be part of their lives and I consider this a great honor.

I know that these stories are only a glimpse of life at Liel (though I do wish that you could see and hear the reality of it) but I hope it still encourages you to know that God is moving, the children are well, and my heart is glad.

"REJOICE and BE GLAD, you righteous; SING, all you who are upright in heart!" Psalm 32:11

Introducing Kaelah...

To continue introducing you to some of our Liel Family members, this week I would like you to meet Kaelah. This past Sunday was Kaelah's 13th birthday and as you can see in the picture, she was most excited about this insanely large bowl of homemade whipped cream to be eaten with her angel food/birthday cake.

Kaelah's family are serving with the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in Bosnia and BFA has proved itself to be a fantastic fit for Kaelah. This is the first school where she truly feels accepted by her fellow classmates and free to just be herself. I praise God for bringing her here so that she might know genuine Christian fellowship and get that sweet taste of heaven.

To tell you a little bit about Kaelah...she loves sweets (especially whipped cream and Korean chewy candy as introduced to her by her Liel sisters), bed time stories, and being called "Pumpkin Pie" before going to bed.

Kaelah's energy and enthusiasm make me smile. I especially love the way that she interacts with our young German neighbors and some of the elementary schoolers at BFA. She is the oldest of three girls and it clearly shows in her care and concern for the little ones.

A taste of art...

Kate and Laura on the left; Kaelah and Ira on the right...it's autumn in Germany! Oct. 2

Gentle middle school curiousity...

The Artist...or The Potter

This past Saturday, October 2, several of the middle school girls and I went to a craft festival in Holzen and we walked around in awe of the incredible variety of arts/crafts that the vendors were selling. We saw (and touched) the pottery, sampled bread, marveled at jewelry, and modeled hats and scarves. It was a refreshing escape from the dorm...so the girls and I called it our little 'field trip' for the afternoon (haha, Holzen is only 7 km away, but it was exciting nonetheless).

I wanted to share these pictures with you to give you a taste of autumn and the bright personalities of these girls. They are brimming with energy, they are curious, and they are just adorable girls!

-------

The final picture that I have attached is one of an artist at the festival. I couldn't help but capture his work because I was impressed by his focus as he painted the small man in his hands (especially considering the hustle and bustle through the crowded streets of the town). This past Friday after a conversation with a friend, I was convicted about my lack of faith in my own Creator. Just like this artist, the Lord is so attentive to my needs and He focuses so intently on every detail of my life...it's just that I have a tendency to forget this. I also have a tendency to forget about His care for His other children. For you see, I tend to question Him about the salvation of the people I deeply care about. These are His daughters and His sons...how long will He wait to capture their hearts and draw them in? "How long, LORD?" And then He gently but firmly convicted me of these passages from Isaiah 45-46...

"This is what the LORD says--

The Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

Concerning things to come,

Do you question me about my children,

or give me orders about the work of my hands?

It is I who made the earth

and created mankind upon it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens;

I marshaled their starry hosts..." (Is 45:11-12)

"Remember this, fix it in mind,

take it to heart, you rebels.

Remember the former things, those of

long ago;

I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is no one like me.

I made know the end from the beginning,

from ancient times, what is still to

come.

I say: My purpose will stand,

and I wil do all that I please.

From the east I will summon a bird of prey;

from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.

What I have said, that will I bring about;

What I have planned, that will I do.

Listen to me, you stubborn hearted,

you who are far from righteousness.

I am bringing righteousness near,

it is not far away;

and my salvation will not be delayed.

I will grant salvation to Zion,

my splendor to Israel..." (Is. 46: 8-13)

I read this writing of the prophet Isaiah and I have hope again. This is my God. I don't have to question Him about His children--He loves them more than I ever could and will faithfully do as He pleases. I rejoice because He did save Israel. He redeemed them despite all of their unfaithfulness. He made a way for a whole nation. Wow. AND YET, THE BEST PART is that He did summon a man from a far-off land! Christ came from heaven to earth to save His people and fulfill His mighty promise and purpose.

My prayer is that you would recall the story of Israel and God's redeeming love today. May it give you the proof and the evidence you need to believe in our Creator. May it be enough to release you in your Maker's hand and say, "Yes, Lord, may your will be done in my life and in the lives of your children."

I have no authority to question my God about His children... and there is freedom in this because He is the greatest Father they could ever hope for.

As I wait for the salvation of these people, I pray and I trust.

When the parents visit...

Josh's mother, Rachel, and Haesook(Korean Care Director at BFA) are hard at work... it took four hours of preparation for our Korean dinner at Liel! Sept. 26

8 incredible Asian dishes... 30 people... 1 small dining room :)

Mhmm...good.

It is hard for most American parents to imagaine sending their middle school-age children to boarding school. I understand this. It is abnormal for Americans to even consider boarding schools as a result of the location, reputation, and safety of most public schools. And yet, I must say that these 10 middle schoolers are exactly where they should be. And just because they are here does not mean that their parents love them any less. In reality, they are providing their children with something far greater than what their countries of residence ever could--an authentically Christian environment that is incredibly conducive to learning, worshipping, and growing. To be perfectly honest, I did not have this when I was in middle school and I longed for it! Take heart, these children are blessed, they are in good hands, and they are doing so well...

And because their parents care about them so much, we have had an abundance of visitors! Over the month of September, the parents of five students have stopped by to visit, check in, and even...cook for us!

Last Sunday evening, Joshua's parents, David and Rachel, blessed us with an extravagant Korean meal. I may not be able to pronounce what I ate, but it was wonderful and it was such a special treat for our Korean students who wereing longing for a taste of home. In addition to Josh's parents, we were also joined by several brothers and sisters of Liel students who live in local high school dorms. It was certainly a family affair and we had so much to be thankful for.