25 Memories Leading Up to my 25 Years of Life

"...and anyone who does not take His cross and follow me is not worthy of me..."
~ Matthew 10:38 ~

1. Small group new additions :-)

2. A marvelous middle school staff

3. Birthday celebrations of close friends

4. Random dinner parties

5. Tuesday evening get-togethers with friends

6. Running in the early morning with friends

7. Helping prepare for a conference at BFA

8. Laughs and giggles with friends

9. Skype sessions with loved ones

10. Chill evenings with the roomies

11. Training for a 14K with lovely ladies

12. My first paid baking gig :-)

13. Looking into my future plans

14. Cafe dates with my mentor :-)

15. Smiles that appear on my face due to new music

16. Unplanned afternoon naps

17. The ability and happiness of baking for hours

18. Students that make me laugh and smile frequently

19. Chill movie day with friends

20. Easter with great people :-)

21. A trip to Barcelona, Spain that enabled me to wear sunglasses 

22. Running a 14K in Freiburg, Germany as part of a team marathon :-)

23. Having class outside in the beautiful sunny weather

24. Trips to my favorite cafe :-)

25. Turning 25 while in the Swiss Alps surrounded by SNOW! :-)

Thank you SO MUCH for your continued prayers as I serve our Lord in Kandern, Germany at Black Forest Academy as a middle school math teacher. :-) 

Please continue to pray with me as I walk with our Lord in the next chapter of our lives together. 

"You lead, I'll follow, Your hands hold my tomorrow,
Your grip, Your grace, You know the way,
You guide me tenderly,
When you lead, I'll follow,
Just light the way and I'll go,
Cause I know what you got for me is more than I can see,
So lead me on, on, on and on,
Just lead me on, on, on and on..."

~ You Lead, by Jamie Grace ~

Half German - Half American

"Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed."

~ Romans 15: 31-32 ~

Some awesome friends and me at one of the local Christmas markets :-)

This Christmas I had the unique opportunity to "go home for the holidays." With much anticipation and excitement towards the end of December, I geared up for the people I would see, things I would do, and moments that were soon to be had. Even though there were multiple things I was able to do during my break, most of them included visiting and spending unforgettable memories with friends and family.  For that in itself I am very grateful.

"And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

~ Ephesians 2:22 ~

One of the many random conversations that I heard while at home involved dogs. If you have ever noticed, when people start talking about a pet of theirs, especially if it is a dog, one of the first questions asked is, "What breed is it?" or "What type is it?" The question in itself is very interesting - as if knowing its origin or background will be able to tell you all you need to know about that particular pet.

As humans we tend to put ourself in similar situations. It might not be the same question as "What breed are you?" -- but we still ask those main questions such as "What is your job?," "What is your name?," "Where do you live?," "Where is your family from originally?" We have all done it. For most, this is the route of getting to know a person. Well, during this particular blog I would like to help you get to know me better as I have come to discover something:  I am Half German - Half American.

Katrina and me at our Christmas cookie exchange at my apartment 

Before leaving on a big trip it is always easier to delay the inevitable. After coming home for Christmas and being able to do so many things and see so many people, it was easier for me to push aside the fact that I would have to say goodbye and leave again for another six months. After all, no one else was leaving. As I continued to NOT prepare myself for the inevitable goodbyes, it turns out it just became harder afterwards -- almost sending me into a downward spiral. After much processing, contemplation, and tears I finally realized a little bit more about my emotions. Even though I was the one leaving, it truly felt as though everyone was leaving me. As if no one cared enough to say, "I do not want you to leave." It almost felt as though I was waiting for those words, waiting for someone to admit what I thought they were feeling. Do not get me wrong, I still think that they were feeling this way -- but shortly after that I began to realize something:  my heart was struggling so much because it did not belong in one place. I am currently battling all of these thoughts and emotions because half of my heart and life is in America, and the other half is in Germany. Talk about being torn between two places.

My roommates and me at the Christmas Dance

Even though the future is unknown to everyone except God our Father, I find peace in that. God knows me, He knows the desire of my heart, He knows how emotionally involved I get with my surroundings (especially the people), and He knows that I will follow Him wherever He would have me go. He knew that I would become attached to Germany, He knew that I would make a space for BFA in my heart, He knew that I would have a hard time transitioning from one place to the other, and even though all of those things take place and happen daily -- I would have it no other way. God has truly blessed me in SO MANY ways that I cannot even begin to verbally explain.

"God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

~ Hebrews 11:40 ~

God continues to present gifts to me in life that I would never be able to pay Him back for, and the best part -- He does not want me to. We are His children and He LOVES to shower us with gifts -- who am I to deny Him that pleasure? All I know is that among all the "pain" and "suffering," I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me in this next chapter of my life. Let us do it together God, let us do it together.

My small group girls and co-leader, Katrina, at the Christmas Dance -- LOVE THEM!

Life = Noise

Sometimes it takes silence to hear His plan for our lives. However, how are we supposed to do that with all this noise going on around us? We were once all lost, but now we are found by the one who truly loves us -- and He desires us to resist the noise of life in order to hear HIS desire for our lives.

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord."

~ Ephesians 5:19 ~

During this specific blog post I will attempt to share with you the "noises" in my life currently. Over the past two months there have been many, many events and happenings both in school and out of it that have brought me to where I am today:  full of noise.

ALTERNATIVE:  "Regenbogen" - aka a mixture of music (Classes)
This year is a little different from last in the fact that I am teaching Mathematics for sixth, seventh, AND eighth grade. Being both challenging and rewarding, God has definitely been stretching me through lesson plans, students, material, tests, and overall relationships with my students. Walking away from each day full of teaching classes leaves me feeling various emotions and thoughts. When it boils down to it, each and every day I feel blessed to be able to have a deep, meaningful relationships with these amazing children of God...but I often wonder what more of a connection I would be able to have with them if it were not for me being their math teacher. I have continued to pray about this as I look towards the future that God has for me, meanwhile so completely grateful for where He currently has me.

Riding bumper cars with a student during Herbstmesse (HUGE fair in Basel, Switzerland)

One of the MANY matches during our tennis season

HIP HOP:  Go-getter music; "we're all in this together" (Tennis)
Head Tennis Coach. Definitely three words that I would not have put together to describe myself; however, this year coaching the BFA tennis team has honestly been such a positive highlight of my school year thus far. With MANY challenging moments and long nights, tennis this year was an incredible blessing that God blessed me with. Coaching and playing along-side these humble individuals of the high school was nothing short of rewarding. I definitely hold a special spot in my heart for my tennis players from this year and cannot thank them enough for representing our team through their sportsmanship, grace, and Christ-like qualities. My team was constantly being complimented on their quality in all areas of life. I was, and still am, honored to be their coach. While attending away meets and holding one of our own, it was evident that our light was shining bright for the other teams to see. All-in-all it was a great experience that I will never forget.

Middle School Staff at the Fall Party (Disney Characters)

BFA Faculty at Herbstmesse (Fair in Basel)

CHRISTIAN POP:  energetic beat, where the heart is (Small Group)
My heart smiles when I think about the six special individuals that make up my sophomore small group (five girls and one co-leader). It continues to be an answer to prayer as I share my heart, love, and life with these amazing women. We continue to pour into one another's lives through laughter, hugs, and tears. We understand each other and continue to build one another up through life's struggles and surprises. Every Wednesday night when I am walking home from small group I have a moment where I smile to myself, laugh out loud, and verbally thank our God above for the blessing that He has bestowed upon me through these excellent women He has meticulously created. I continue to be in awe of the fact that He has purposely placed each of us in each others lives, from now until we meet again in heaven. These girls continue to pull out my heart strings and make my time here SUCH a blessing.

Me and Rachel (one of my roommates)

Me and Sammie (another roommate)

SOUL:  fulfilling our lives with peace (Mentoring)
Recently the high school at BFA decided to start a mentoring program where individuals in the community can reach out to high school students through mentoring. It a privilege of mine to say that I have been able to participate in such an occurrence. Starting this month I will be officially meeting with two females from the high school, both Sophomores. This is honestly something that really excites me. An opportunity to be able to pour into the lives of teens is not one that I take lightly. It is my prayer that I will be able to pour into the lives of these two girls through food, fun, laughter, tears, hugs, and overall life stories and events. When I sit down to think about what role I want out of life...this is it. In the name of Jesus I want to be able to love and support those around me, specifically the younger generation. I have found, over time, that I have a heart for the generations to come, and I cannot THANK my Lord enough for gifting me with this amazing opportunity to do just that. Thank you Lord for continuing to surprise me with gifts that have my name on them.

Oktoberfest :-)

PAUSES:  moments for silence in the music (Time with Friends)
Over the past two months I have briefly had some time to spend with some great friends of mine in the community. Everything from making random Starbucks runs TO running in a 7K race TO going out to dinner and having Cafe time TO attending Oktoberfest for the first time in my life -- I have been grateful to have these "pauses" in the music of life in order to re-cooperate from all the busyness that life brings through teaching, mentoring, and coaching in order to truly grow in the Love of our Lord through friendship, fellowship, and family. Even though it can be hard most times being away from loved ones back in the states, my "family" of friends here at BFA has filled my spare time with happiness and warmth as the comfort of home seems farther and farther away. Each and every day I thank Jesus for the tremendous love and support I continually receive from my close friends around me. God continues to take care of me through the love of those here and back home...and God, I thank you for that (among MANY other things).

At the beginning of the race: Heather, me, and Rachel (Basel, Switzerland)

UPCOMING RECORDS:  the unknown future (Next Year)
People always say "save the best for last," but in this case I am saving the hardest for last. Within the past couple of weeks I have been asked this question over and over again:  "What are you doing next year?" It seems like such a simple question, but unfortunately for me the question triggers a spiral of thoughts. If I had the answer I would give it -- but the best way to answer it is as follows:  "That is a good question. I am interested to see where God takes me." And that is just it -- I am in God's hands. As much as I would love to sit here and say that I am going to be doing x, y, and z next year I really do not have those answers. I am currently seeking God's direction for my life and would appreciate prayer in this regard. Until He is able to show me the next step of His plan for me as per what is to come next, I am waiting patiently and through prayer I know that He will show me the way.

Rachel and me at the end of the Race...we made it!

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

~ John 14:6 ~

Love and support from Erin via my sign...I love her!

Expectations vs. Faith

Upon returning to Germany it is safe to say that I hit the ground running.

After getting off the plane I was transported directly to BFA where I was able to meet one of my new roommates (Rachel) along with other new members of the BFA community. That evening we proceeded to drive into the nearby town of Lörrach where we searched for household items and enjoyed a meal together.

Trip to IKEA = no space in the car to look at each other

One of my roommates, Sammie, that went to IKEA with me

This summer I had the privilege of attending my missions conference in Annecy, France. The beautiful location and extremely generous people that make up not only CMML, my mission, but the other missions of MSC (Canada) and Echoes (England) made my time there thoroughly enjoyable. Between the french food, the various excursions (such as hiking up a mountain), and conference messages and sessions it was truly a pleasure. I would especially like to thank God for introducing and bringing Heather, Jennifer, and Marilou into my life at the conference where they were representing CMML. These three amazing women adopted me as their own, and words cannot describe how grateful I am for their continual love and friendship. Just one of the many gifts God has been blessing me with.

Annecy, France where the conference for CMML was held -- beautiful!!

The kids leading worship at the conference

Getting back into the swing of things I was thrown into the mixture of meetings, lesson planning, organizing and cleaning the school, and hosting a new faculty member as I prepared to teach Math 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, as well as coach boys and girls high school Tennis. Let us just say that I was, and have been, busy. It has been amazing to see God's faithfulness as He provided 55 NEW staff members to BFA this year. Praise the Lord for His continual love and support as we serve Him in Germany.

Some middle school students enjoying lunch on the first day

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

~ Romans 12:2 ~

Speaking of God's provisions I would be remiss if I failed to mention God's presence in my transition into this school year. As some of you know over the summer I was back in the United States in order to work. Yes, work. Now, half of you right now are thinking that I am crazy and the other half maybe feel indifferent. Returning to my summer job of the past four years, I was able to spend my summer with -- guess -- TEENAGERS! Haha.

Middle school faculty weeding the school courtyard 

Being in charge of the teen ministry at Sandy Cove Ministries this summer was a challenging growing experience in many aspects, but ultimately solidified my love for pre-teens and teenagers, particularly when it involves their personal walk with God. With that said I am back in Germany ready to start wearing my various hats as I am involved in the lives of many students. From teaching to small group bible study to coaching, there is not much time spent without them, and honestly, I love it.

Kids at Sandy Cove playing the game "Gaga"

Another part of my transition this year has been moving into a new apartment. It has only taken about two and a half weeks for me to get furniture up and functioning -- thanks to my wonderful roommate Sammie. Now it is just a matter of actually sorting through my things and putting them in their rightful place. However, praise the Lord that I was able to accomplish what I did before school started this past Tuesday.

All of the flags above represent the nations that our students come from at BFA 

Lastly, the best part -- my friends. This specific topic always brings me complete happiness as I think about my friends all over the world. It is honestly a privilege to have so many spectacular brothers and sisters in Christ that share a longing for our Lord. Throughout these last couple of weeks my friendships have brought me closer to our Lord and furthered my relationship with Him. I have been able to spend some much needed time in fellowship through hang-outs, dinners, and special outings. It brings me joy to my heart to see so many pure hearts for Him around the globe.

While spending some time with friends we ran into HERBIE!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your continual love and support as I embark on my second year at Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany. Many blessings to all of you!

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

~ Romans 12:12 ~

Praise Items

Arriving to Germany safe and sound

Settling into my new apartment

Provisions for BFA staff members

Time spent with new and old friends

Ability to stay in contact with those back home

Prayers Items

Ability to juggle Tennis and Math classes

Students and Teachers easing back into the year

Relationships among students and staff

Home.

Home is an interesting word. You sometimes hear people say, "Home is where the heart is." If you look up the definition of "home" you are most likely to find something along the lines of this: "The place where one lives permanently." The only problem is that both of those do not describe my "home." My heart is currently in two places at once -- the place where I grew up and the place that I now call my land of residence, which ironically is probably not the place that I will permanently live in.  I realize that God is WAY bigger than I am and He has GREAT and AMAZING plans for my life, but I do not know what they are yet (nor will I ever). I just need to trust in Him 100% of the way (which, let us be honest, that is pretty hard sometimes) and rest assure in the fact that I DO have a "home" that is permanent AND where my heart will always be:  Heaven.

What an amazing God we serve, constantly reminding us of how loved we are and the fact that He will always be there for us. No matter what He is the one constant in our lives. How cool is that. He will "never leave us nor forsake us." We can take peace in His arms. Now THAT is a home.

Some of you may be wondering why it has been so long since you've heard from me. I want to apologize for the long time of absence, and please know that there is much to tell. Within this past year I finished my first year of teaching middle school Mathematics at Black Forest Academy (BFA) in Kandern, Germany, and what an AMAZING experience it was. I am also very excited to announce that I will be heading back for yet another year. It has been such an honor and privilege to see how God works in the lives of those around us, including our own for His glory. He truly IS amazing.

Amazing college friends and me at the Wedding :-)

After ending my first year at BFA I returned "home" to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in order to spend the summer filled with many new and awesome memories:  attending the wedding of a very close friend, going on vacation with my family, getting to see and spend quality time with friends, having the pleasure of seeing and spending time with my church family, and working at my beloved Sandy Cove Ministries for yet another summer of fun-filled activities and speakers focused on our Lord Jesus Christ. God has truly blessed me with all of these amazing people and memories in my life that I know will last a human life-time (or at least until I start forgetting due to age, haha).

Thank you SO MUCH for all of your love and support throughout my time abroad this past year. Please continue to pray as I assume the same role again next year at Black Forest Academy. May God be able to use me, as well as others, to glorify His name and bring others closer to Him.

"For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God's power we will live with Him to serve you."

~ 2 Corinthians 13:4 ~ 

Vulnerability and Chocolate

Life is about acceptance. Whether we are five, twenty-five, fifty-five, or ninety-five, all we really want to be is accepted. Accepted by our peers, accepted by our family, and accepted by our friends. However, there is one thing that holds us back:  vulnerability.

Vulnerability. One of the hardest things that we face as humans is being vulnerable. Once we open up the door of vulnerability, our hearts have the ability to be broken. However, when we are finally able to free ourselves from the chains of fear that vulnerability puts over our hearts, a sense of freedom comes over us. Freedom to be ourselves, freedom to grow in who we are, and freedom to trust. 

Ironically just the other day I was talking with a friend about vulnerability. Reflecting over the various directions you could go with such a topic, I decided to focus on how it affects us as people, and our relationships with others:

“Being vulnerable is a big deal, and I fear that nowadays some people have a hard time understanding that. It is one thing to be close with someone and share your time with them, but it is another to be completely vulnerable with them and share with them things about yourself that are very deep, that you would not normally share with just anyone.”

Talking with some friends at my Bday party

A couple days ago I was thinking about my missionary orientation program (MOP) that I attended before coming to Germany this past summer. As I think back to that point in my life and the emotions that I was feeling one word comes to mind:  vulnerability. I was vulnerable to the fact that I was leaving everything that I knew and loved to come and serve overseas. I was vulnerable to the fact that I knew nothing and no one in the new environment I was moving to. Lastly, I was vulnerable in my relationship with God – trusting Him with ALL of me in order to be stretched and molded by His hands as I prepared to serve Him at Black Forest Academy.

We need to realize that no matter how hard, painful, and scary vulnerability can be, God is in control and, no matter what we expect to happen or those things that we wish to accomplish, God has a bigger a better plan for our lives. It is often hard to grasp, especially as you go through a change of jobs or environment, that God is fully in control and knows what is to become of our lives. The best expectation to have is to have none. God will take care of everything as long as you leave Him in control.

Anna and I at the Party :-)

Leaving God in control helps us to battle those moments of spiritual and emotional warfare. As believers of Jesus Christ we fully dedicate our lives to the Lord and allow Him to work in and through us as we are on the mission field; however, sometimes we forget that the devil would never pass up an opportunity to take someone such as ourselves down. He (the devil) is constantly going to try and get a foot-hold in our lives and rapidly try to "take us down" through playing into our emotions, which in turn affects our relationships with those around us. I have been learning so much about myself and how the devil is consistently trying to seize different parts of my life that lead me into questioning. Questioning my time on the mission field, questioning my relationships with my believer friends, questioning what my life's purpose is -- and that's when you realize -- that without this attacking that comes straight from the devil we would allow ourselves to possibly become complacent. For it is when the devil is attacking and trying to take over that we know we are doing something right - we are serving our almighty Lord.

Now, the whole time you were reading this you were probably thinking, “Okay, what does vulnerability and chocolate have to do with one another?” Well, I am here to tell you that one of the moments where I was able to be vulnerable within the past couple weeks was at my birthday party (and the various events surrounding it). On April 20^th, 2012 I celebrated a special day in my world. My Birthday. For some a birthday is an event that you might not think too much into, but knowing that this was the first birthday I was having away from home (to me) was quite a big deal. However, with the love of amazing roommates and fabulous friends I was able to spend my birthday weekend in style. My roommates came up with this GREAT idea of celebrating the “24 hours of my 24 birthday.” Now, without going into TOO much boring detail I wanted to just give you a glimpse of what exactly my birthday weekend looked like (and possibly make you wish that you would have been here):

Blowing out the Bday candles

Friday, April 20th:

12am – Birthday card given to me by my roommate along with the words "Happy Birthday to you!".....she had specifically woken up from sleeping to tell me this (I was still awake at this time, of course, haha).

1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, 6am – My roommates THANKFULLY let me sleep during those hours so technically those hours of my birthday were "skipped"…but I am COMPLETELY okay with that.

7am – I got out of the shower only to find my room FILLED with signs that said "Happy Birthday, Miss Taylor!" along with balloons everywhere.

8am – I received a note on the way out of my apartment from my roommates with the words saying "8am:  Have a great 24 hours of your 24th birthday today!" "Happy Birthday!"

9am – A breakfast croissant given to me by my roommate (she works as the administrative assistant at the BFA middle school).

10am – A chocolate bar! Yum! 

11am – The WHOLE MIDDLE SCHOOL (about 60-65 people) all crowded in one room to sing "Happy Birthday to You" (the Happy Birthday song) to me......SO CUTE! (The end of this was filmed and is currently on Facebook).

Birthday Dinner :-)

12pm – Special Birthday lunch for our staff April birthdays at the middle school that was made for us by the fellow staff members that we work with.....SO YUMMY! Strawberry, Feta, and Chicken on a salad with Poppyseed dressing!! YUM! And the dessert was, well, magnificent! Haha.

1pm - I was "wisked" away by a woman that is my mentor here at BFA and we walked for about 2 hours outside in the sunshine!

2pm – (I missed cause of the walk) – But, when I got back to school there were yellow (my favorite color) flowers on my desk.

3pm – Another piece of chocolate given to me. Yum and yum.

4pm – "Happy Birthday" by NSync played over the middle school LOUDSPEAKER at the school, haha. 

5pm – Presents from my roommates at home, which consisted of TONS of baking materials/pans – they know me well! 

6pm – Dinner made for me by my roommates (Cheesesteak Strombolli shaped like an “M” with a little heart).

Dessert Table #1

7pm – The time that my dessert party started.

Dessert party: everyone brought their own dessert and we ate like pigs....there was "build your own sundae" of course! (A MEGAN must).

8pm – My roommates came out with candles lit in some peanut butter brownies and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me.

9pm – A small scrapbook was given to me filled with “sweet notes” from family and friends all over the world.

10pm – A surprise skype date (that I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT) with two DEAR friends from college that will be serving our Lord in Haiti this upcoming year.

11pm – A rendition of the “Happy Birthday” song talked out to me by my roommates followed by a head/shoulder massage.....I was not complaining.

12am – A note on my pillow saying that even though my birthday was over that it was still my birthday weekend! YAYY! haha

Dessert Table #2

Saturday, April 21st:

Slept in 

Went to see "Mirror, Mirror" with Julia Roberts -- PS she is so SCARY in that movie!

Went to bed early to get ready for the Big Race the next day! 

Sunday, April 22nd:

Left SUPER early for the team Marathon in Zurich, Switzerland 

Ran the marathon -- mine was 17.8 km aka about 11 miles -- it was cold, then sunny, then drizzling, then SLEETING, then HAILING, then cold, then sunny again ALL WHILE I WAS RUNNING!!!!!! Such an experience! Haha 

Came back to my apartment, showered, hung out with my roommates for a little, then headed to the Bathes (which are heated pools inside and outside).

Soaked in the warm Bathes for about 2.5 hours and relaxed all my muscles ..... mmmmmmmm

Came home and got ready for the week ahead

The two teams for our Marathon run in Zurich, Switzerland

All-in-all it was a FABULOUS weekend and a GREAT reminder of God’s faithfulness in our journey with Him. He is constantly providing us with wisdom, strength, and kisses that are meant purely for us as we live our lives to serve Him in all ways possible. Thank you Lord for giving me such great friends and family that serve me as a constant reminder of your love for us, your children.