"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.

A word from my heart...

I promise that this will be my last entry for the day, but this is something that I yearn to share with you. In these entries, I have spoken of the children, I have shared pictures, I have described in part what we are doing here, but I haven't described how I am doing.

Last night, I was so grateful for a two-hour conversation with my precious friend, Katie Klepacki, who was my roommate and Co-RA for two years at Grove City College. I miss her...a lot.

Over the past month and a half, I have been so busy--learning how to drive, learning about residence life policies, meeting new people, cooking meals, cleaning, running errands, getting to know children, etc.--that I didn't realize how empty I was.

Last Friday, I was reviewing my Birkman personality test results with a Campus Crusades missionary and I lost it. The poor woman! We were talking about my personal needs and when I realized that there were needs not being met, I could no longer fight the tears that were beginning to wet my eyes. As a missionary, I am not perfect...I am not a saint...I do not possess exhaustive knowledge about the Lord...I sin...I fall short...I have real pain, real hurt, real struggles...and I have real needs. I need the Lord and I need His people.

While I do love my job and while I do rejoice that the Lord brought me here, it is hard to be so far away from family, friends, and the women who have been such a great source of spiritual wisdom and encouragement. I confess that I still grieve the loss of community and fellowship that I found at GCC and the church in Oklahoma. I miss my family too. I would be so grateful if you joined me in prayer over my need for fellowship. Please pray for a mentor, an older woman who might have the time to study Scripture with me, pray with me, and share life with me here.

Despite these moments of homesickness if that is what one would call them, I was gently reminded last Sunday in a sweet time with the Lord that He is for me!

The Lord used the following Scripture from I Peter 1 to speak to my heart and provide me with the peaceful assurance of the work He has already done on my behalf...

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last time for your sake." (vs. 18-20)

After being so moved over the course of last week by this Scripture, I continued to process the realities of "emptiness" and "fullness." The following is a summary of how the Lord's Word became life for me here...

Beloved,

I have redeemed you from the empty way of life. The precious blood of my Son was shed for your sake. I have not called you to Germany to be empty. I have not called you to Germany to live an unmeaningful and void life. I have called you to Germany to live a full and meaningful life. You need only to run to me, the source of living water, and you will never be thirsty again.

I will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land, I will strengthen your weary frame, you will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

DO NOT ENTER: Communicating

My little brother, Jake...

Introducing you to G.I. ...

...and his buddies, A.J. and Josh

In addition to my entry from earlier today, I wanted to take a moment to begin introducing you to our some of our students. Today, I want you to meet G.I.

G.I. is an eighth grader at BFA who loves to play the piano (his most recently played song is Jason Mraz's I'm Yours) and for his age, I am so impressed by his spiritual maturity. G.I. reminds me of my brother, Jake, because he is somewhat tune deaf but has a gift for memorizing lyrics just like Jake :) G.I. gently corrected me recently when I sang the wrong words to a pop-song. It made me laugh because it reminded me of home and my sweet relationship with my little brother.

This past weekend, G.I. accidentally missed the late bus from BFA and decided to walk home (7 km). Being directionally and geographically challenged, G.I. did in fact get lost. Instead of walking towards Liel from Kandern, he walked in the opposite direction towards the town of Sitzenkirch. Silly guy! Several BFA staff and I spent about an hour and a half looking for him on Friday night. Part of me was frustrated because we have had trouble with G.I. getting "lost" at school and he seems to have trouble being on time as a result of his absentmindedness; yet, when the director of residence life found him and returned him to Liel, I found that I simply couldn't be upset with him. His shirt was soaking wet from his adventure and he proceeded to tell me about all the things that had been going wrong the past few days--laundry falling on the ground, difficult homework that forced him to miss snack and a game of Ninja in the basement, hitting his head while walking down the steps, stubbing his toe, and now missing the bus...

[A brief tangent--The night before in the midst of all these frustrating occurences, he posted a sign on his door that said "Do Not Enter: Communicating." I hadn't seen G.I. for the most of this evening and was worried about him, so I ignored the sign, knocked on the door and opened it after he asked me to come in. G.I. was on his knees in prayer. I was struck. Struck because I was witnessing a 13-yr-old boy humble himself before the Lord, reverently bowing down and making his requests known to his Father. He even posted a note on the door! He was fighting for his time with the Lord because he knew the great importance of it. I was convicted because even as an RA here at BFA who needs to desperately fight for her time with the Lord, I don't. I don't write signs on my door that ask for privacy because I am communicating with my God. These children are teaching me so much about what it looks like to be a child of God who boldly and publicly seeks the Lord.]

Now, to return to my conversation with G.I.--But as he described these challenges and hurts,G.I. was smiling because he explained that Satan would not get the best of him. As he dropped his laundry, he said, "Ahh, thank you, Jesus!" As he bumped his head, he said, "Ow, thank you, Jesus!" As he missed the snack and game, he said, "Ah, thank you, Jesus!" As he missed the bus, he said, "Ah, thank you, Jesus!" G.I. was living out I Thessalonians, when Paul was asking the church to be joyful always, to pray continuously, and to give thanks in all circumstances. G.I. was boasting in the Lord because despite the challenges of the day, Satan did not win. I couldn't help but smile and exclaim, "Oh, G.I., praise the Lord!" I was so proud of him and so thankful to see a glimpse of this child's spiritual depth. Amazing, yes? Ah, I wish you all could meet him.

One last word about G.I. before I wrap this up. About a week ago, G.I. asked me how I got to BFA and as I explained the story, Aunt Sue (dorm mom) chimed in and said that both she and Uncle Bob had been praying for the RA that they would be working with in Liel. She admitted to G.I. that they were worried about it being someone that they might not get along with, and then she said, "But G.I., the Lord answered our prayers and He gave us an angel." G.I. walked over to me, paused for a moment and gave me a comtemplative look... and then he said, "Ah, I see your angel wings." In that moment, my heart was lifted up. I was flattered by G.I. sweet comment and so encouraged by Sue and how she sees me as a gift and an answer to prayer. Every now and then G.I. will endearingly call me "Miss Angel." :)

I am so blessed, so flattered, and so honored to be here.

Sue warned me that I would be falling in love with these children... I am :)