Thankful for these Moments

Relationship Panel that I was asked to talk on

These past couple of days have been a great reminder to me of how thankful I am to be in such a great place where not only God cares for my needs, but so do those around me.

After our third quarter (out of four) coming to an end in school it is quite easy for life to get stressful with grading, tests, projects, etc. However, God is here with me and continues to give me strength through various love languages of mine.

Panel in front of about six bible small groups (all girls)

A couple days ago a couple of my seventh grade girls asked me to run with them this past Friday, and it is my pleasure to say that I did. :-) These students are such a joy in my life that I can hardly think of life without them. Running with them through the countryside while the sun was shining down on us, being able to relationally connect with them was nothing short of amazing. It took me back to my counselor days in the summer and reminded me how much I truly and honestly enjoy connecting with others, hearing their stories, and being able to just purely spend time with God's children.

White chocolate Fudge

Dark chocolate fudge

After having a work-out session with my girls I was able to help out with a bake sale that the seventh graders put on this past Friday night to raise money for Africa. Thursday night I joyfully spent three and a half hours in the kitchen (and I am not being sarcastic when I say that) in order to bake cupcakes and make some fudge. I feel bad because my roommates had to endure all of this, but they got the benefit of being my official taste-testers. :-) Needless to say, it was GREAT being able to help out by using my love for baking in order to help the seventh graders in their mission to raise money for a fabulous cause. In the end they ended up making a little over 500 dollars! Way to go seventh grade! :-)

Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes

People selecting their bakery items :-)

As always, it is an honor to be serving our Lord in this specific way, and He continues to show me His love and grace by constantly being by my side through the thickness and thin of life. Lord how I love you with all my heart each and every day.

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

~ Micah 6 ~

Passion

7th grade math students working outside

The English language is so interesting, eccentric, and complicated. One word could be interpreted so many ways. Take "passion" for example; some may define it as that feeling that we have towards another person when we are in love with them, some may use it to describe various activities or things in life that give them passion, and others use it very often to describe spiritual things, such as their love for our Lord.

Students trying to find various shapes outside

 This weekend while at the high school retreat for BFA in Lenk, Switzerland we were proposed with a very intriguing question. It is a question that I have been asked before, but after serving at BFA for about 7 months I see a noticeable change in my answer. Being described at that which glorifies God, our passion is something that stirs excitement and joy inside of us that God has so graciously and selflessly blessed us with so that we could use for His glory.

Middle schoolers bowling on Activity Day

For those of you that know me personally probably know of my love for baking, and have probably, at one point or another, been able to taste one of my various creations. Now, I cannot promise that you did not try a burnt cookie or something of that sort - but nonetheless you've tried something created by me. Anyways, thinking about this whole idea of "passion" and what my passion is that I use to serve Him, my mind wandered to baking -- go figure!! However, it is more than just baking. My joy and excitement does not come from spending all that time in the kitchen creating all those yummy, detectible treats (although it is a great stress reliever), instead it contributes towards the bigger picture. Those truffles, pieces of fudge, cookie dough bites, and chocolate chip brownies are just examples of what helps aid my true passion - giving.

Middle school chapel at the HS -- they were excited!!

Whether it is a postcard, keychain, chocolate, a dessert or just simply a note -- God has given me the passion of gift giving. And let us be honest, I would not have it any other way. Seeing the happiness on people's face when they eat that piece of fudge or slice that piece of cake makes it all worth it -- multiplied by ten. Just think, that's the same joy and excitement that God experiences when He sees us actually use our talents to glorify Him -- times infinity!! The question is are we actually using the passions He has given us to glorify Him? Well, are you?

High School Retreat in Lenk, Switzerland

I know it is easier said than done, but think about it. Are you using the passions that God has given you to glorify Him? This is a question that I have to ask myself as well. Is the gift giving that I so thoroughly enjoy being done to glorify my God or to glorify myself? Most times I would like to say that it is selfless, but let us be honest with ourselves, we are merely humans who will sometimes seek glory for things that we should not. Does that make it right, of course not. Knowing that we serve and belong to a God that loves us no matter what as long as we profess with our mouths that He is our Lord as well as confess with our hearts, is very comforting.

Freshman small group girls and Co-leader (Katrina) at the HS Retreat

So, what's your passion? I would love to hear about it!!! I absolutely love hearing how others are glorifying God. Whether it is your profession, a hobby, or a lifelong goal we all have different passions in life -- what a great God we serve to give us such a thing!!!

Roomies and me at the HS Retreat (they have small groups too!)

Things to look forward to this month:

Small group sleepover,

Subbing at the middle school dorm for 4-5 days,

Meetings for my missions trip to Belarus,

Parent/teacher meetings,

Leading staff devotions

Praises:  

Healthy birth of my friend's baby,

Successful completion of both my Health and Games class,

Progress with my friends move to Haiti this upcoming summer,

My mom's boss' tumor shrunk, allowing her more time with us,

Some high schoolers playing outside in the snow :-)

Prayers:

Funding and spiritual growth for our Belarus team,

Knowledge on how to creatively present the material in my classes,

More alone time with my Lord and Savior,

My friends and family as the Devil continues to attack

Thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH for your love and support through messages, emails, "snail" mail, and pacakges. It is a joy and a privilege to know each and every one of you!!!

The Alp that I had the chance to SLED down with some small groupers!!

"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

~ James 4:6-8 ~

Playing volleyball in the gym during free time

One of the buildings where we stayed while on the Retreat

Missions to Mars

Even though I am not ACTUALLY going to Mars, one might think. In about a month I will be headed, along with 8 other people from the BFA community, to Brest, Belarus for a missions trip.

I find myself excited and nervous all at the same time. Knowing that I am headed there with no knowledge of the language and not much familiarity with the culture, I find myself often leaning on God for strength. There is no telling what is going to happen while our team is there, but we can definitely pray for the best.

I pray that God is able to give us strength and help us through what we are going to experience and witness there. I pray that God is able to use this experience to reach out to the students on our team, drawing them closer to Him. Above all, I pray that God is able to use our hands and our feet for His purpose so that we may spread His word, joy, and love to others.

If you are interested in learning more about the Belarus Missions Trip that I am co-leading you can find information at the following website:  BFA in Belarus. You are also MORE than welcome to check out the Blog that I have created for our team by using the following link:  Belarus Bound 2012. We will be using the Blog in order to keep in contact with whomever is interested as we travel to and fro Belarus this upcoming April. Until then we have been posting various items...stay tuned for more if interested!

Again, thank you SO MUCH for your prayer and support as I am over here in Germany getting involved in various areas. PLEASE feel free at any point in time to contact me with questions, comments, etc. It is often hard to post everything that is happening over here (since there tends to be SO MUCH) so please feel free to ask if you are curious or want more information on a given topic! Thanks again!

We serve a Great God.

Games Elective that my roommate and I co-teach together
(this particular day they were "cup stacking" -- behind them they built a tower)

God's Kisses

This has been a topic very heavily discussed between my freshman small group girls that I co-lead and specific chapels here at BFA. Today, specifically, I was able to experience the "kisses of God" that were meant for only me. I take joy in sharing these moments with you.

Today while at work I received an email that made my day. I'm talking smiling from ear to ear in excitement for what God is doing within our middle school. Recently I was given the task of teaching 6th grade Health. After a very small hesitation I decided to go for it. Well, it turns out that this would be the BEST decision that I've made in a while. Not only do I get to spend some time with the 6th graders, but I get to reach out to them in ways that I did not even realize.

Games elective that my roommate and I teach together

Just yesterday we started a unit in Health that requires the boys and girls to be split up into two groups. The boys are with a male teacher and the girls are with me. You can only imagine the things that we talk about as it regards to the changes that our bodies go through as we grow into adults. Well, yesterday I was able to sit down with the girls and have a special "tea time" where we sipped hot tea (that they were able to pick out themselves) and little pieces of chocolate. The girls were SO EXCITED and it was a nice time that we could be open and honest about our lives. Well, to my joy there was an email for me this morning from a parent of one of the girls in my Health class. It read:

So, a bit of follow-up that might make you smile.  

My daughter told me in the car on the way home that they had "a talk"... without the boys....

She said it was nice cause they got tea and goodies (nice touch!)  

On the way home we stopped by the store to get bread.  She went in too and bought her own stuff.  I thought she was buying candy, but no!  She was buying deodorant!  Too cute. And she told me in the car that she was going to buy a comb, because you told her that it was not good to brush your wet hair with a brush! You should always use a comb!  She decided to not buy the comb though, since it was too expensive and we had an old one at home! :)

Okay, that's just for you.  Don't tell her I told you or she'd kill me.  But it absolutely made me smile and I thought you'd get a kick out of it too!  You see!!!! They were listening!

My heart still smiles from reading that message. God continues to bless me with stories and experiences that I am able to have with the amazing people that He has created in the community around me. Sometimes it's easy to feel down and upset because I am away from home and often miss my friends and family, but God is constantly sending me "kisses" to remind me of His steadfast love for me -- oh, how I LOVE HIM so much.

Then, as if life could not get any better today, when I got home from school I received an email from a 7-year-old girl that must have read about me through my missions organization. The email reads as follows:

Dear   miss   taylor.    my    name   is    XXX    i    am   7   years    old!     what    is    it    like    in    Germany? it    is    snowing    just   a   litle   bit   hear! we   have   been    praying for   you! can   you   write    back    to    me?   oh   right    i have    1   sister   and   my two    brothers   are in   heaven! 

in   christ     XXX!

HOW INCREDIBLY TOO CUTE!!! God just continues to "kiss" me and send me love in the form of encouraging notes and amazing words. Through others He continues to show me how much He truly loves all of us and uses His specific, special ways to do so. I hear you God, I am listening, and I know now -- more than ever -- that you love me. Help me to stay in Your will and glorify You through the things that I do, the words that I speak, and the relationships that I have with Your children. I love you.

Hillsong church in London, England (we went for the Sunday service)

London, England:  Parliament and Big Ben

This past weekend I was also able to have the pleasure in taking a short trip to London, England with some girls that work at BFA with me. It was SO NICE to be able to spend time with others that I do not see that often (because they work at the high school and elementary school). The much needed break was a great get-a-way from hectic life and an AWESOME way to reconnect with God. In those small and big moments it was evident to me of His love not only for me, but for His people. ALL of us.

My prayer for you, my friends, is that you are able to see how God specifically kisses YOU, not your neighbor, not your friend, not your spouse, but YOU. He loves YOU and desires a personal and deep relationship with YOU. If you'll allow Him, He'll send you kisses too. :-)

The famous red telephone booths in England

While on "The Eye" (a huge enclosed farris wheel in England)

Lexi and I in front of the Place (Yes, where the Prince got married)

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Remembrance of Love

Today is special because not only does the world signify it as "Valentine's Day," but it is one more GREAT reminder of God's love for us!! As we spread love around today let's please remember of the One who loves us most, God! :-)

A WONDERFUL spread from our lovely parents here at the Middle School,
letting us know how much they appreciate all that we do! How sweet, LITERALLY!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

~ John 3:16 ~

On our hearts:  (Me) John 3:16 and (Brittany) Romans 5:8

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

~ Romans 5:8 ~

My Algebra class with our "homemade hearts."
**You may notice that the above right girl "lost" her heart to the above right boy (because she talked to him).  **

Little fact about BFA on Valentine's Day:  the girls decorate hearts that they pin to their shirts or wear around their neck, THEN if they talk to a boy during the school day (when it's not in a "safe zone," such as class) then the girl has to give the boy their heart. I know, gives a WHOLE NEW meaning to this verse:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

~ Proverbs 4:23 ~

Dark chocolate fudge I made for our staff

Chocolate peanut butter fudge that I, also, made

Biggest Fan

As I packed up to head home for Christmas break anticipation left me having dreams every night, not sure what was going to happen next. How will they react? What will they think? Will they jump for joy when I walk through the door? I ended up coming up with millions of scenarios as to how my friends and family would react when they would see me. I would be lying if I said that I was not proud of myself for keeping such a good secret a surprise for SO long. Since this past October I knew that I was coming home for Christmas to surprise my loved ones…the best part:  they had NO idea. The months from October to December were significantly hard to keep my mouth shut as various individuals had conversations with me that included phrases such as “I’m really sad that you won’t be here” and “we’ll be thinking and praying about you during this time away from your family.” Little did they know…

Above: (left) Danica and Ryan on Christmas morning; (right) Dad and Mom with our Christmas Tree

Christmas Dinner with the whole family :-)

                                           

Normally when something good happens you cannot wait to tell the world about it, or at least those closest to you. However, the multiple times that I sat down to write this blog entry I found myself without words and unsure what to write. Not because my time at home was ill-spent, or even because the surprises weren’t what I expected. It was actually quite the opposite. There are definitely PLENTY of words that I could use to describe the GREAT feeling of seeing my parents, friends, family, and siblings for the first time in about 5 months. Everything went so much better than expected, and even though most of my break back in the United States was emotional, I would not give up any of the fantastic moments that I had while being there.

With the help of some close friends and family members I was able to surprise four groups of friends and family while being home – yes, four. It was a great feeling knowing that I was giving most people something for Christmas that they definitely were not expecting:  Faith. Faith in knowing that God truly does care and provide for His children; Faith in knowing that He is constantly there for them, thinking of them while they are going about their daily lives; Faith in Him as our Father, our best friend, and biggest fan. I cannot express in words what a privilege it was to be used by God in order to reach out to others. This, by far, was the most emotional part.

My close friends and I at my "skyping party" aka Surprise Party

Coming back from Christmas my relationship with God was challenged and strengthened as I came back with renewed faith, stronger feelings towards Him, and a sense of comfort knowing that Germany is now my home. Coming back had me thinking about my time at home. Time spent with friends, time spent with family, and my feelings towards all of it. All these events and mixed emotions guided me towards some new thinking and realizations…

Mike, me and Steph during the Surprise Party

Those close friends of ours that we love and get excited about seeing or spending time with, sorry to say – but they are NOT our biggest fan. Our biggest fan is not our mother, our father, or our boyfriend/girlfriend; not even our husband/wife. Our BIGGEST fan will always be God. HE is the one that is constantly wanting to spend time with us, wanting to know what we are doing, wanting to shout OUR praises to the world. However, we need to give Him a reason to shout.

Eating some Pizza in Genova, Italy

Just like a mother and father are proud of their child for their latest artwork, or the recent roll they scored in the school play, God desires to share our accomplishments with others. God wants to shout our praises from a hilltop because WE are HIS children. We are His pride and joy. Unfortunately, however, we fail time and time again, leaving Him with nothing to put on His “fridge.”

Sammie and I at the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy

After realizing this I wanted to dig deeper. I wanted to dive more into the subject of glorifying Him, worshipping Him, and spreading His love and words to others. We cannot do it alone, we will ALWAYS need His help with reaching out to His people, reaching out to our brothers and sisters. It is from here that I realized it all begins with us. How are WE supposed to reach out to others when WE ourselves have not been preparing? How would those in the Old Testament have been ready for battle if they had not trained ahead of time? First we need to prepare our minds, hearts, and souls in order to reach out to others with the proper mindset – encouraging them while doing so.

What better place to start then the Bible. The one book that God left for all of us to get to know Him better, to be able to connect with Him daily. However, as said in the Bible – this time with Him cannot be just another event in our lives. This time is to be special and ONLY spent with Him. Do not get me wrong, it also states in the Bible how we should be in community with one another and share His word outwardly and openly with others, but it has to start somewhere.

Town of Pisa, Italy

It starts in a quiet room where we are all by ourselves, excited about our time with God and His desire to be with us. Matthew 6:6 states, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Unfortunately as humans, sometimes we feel as though we have something to prove to everyone else, we feel as though it is our duty to sing our own praises. Why do we feel as though this is our duty? This is what God takes joy in doing…we just need to let Him. So go. Go to your quiet place and spend quality time with your Father. Spend time with Him and allow Him to speak to you through prayer, through His words, and through that specific time He has set aside for you and only you.

Cinque Terre, Italy (you can walk through five town via this walkway)

One of my long-term goals that will never be accomplished is to become closer to Him. No matter how much I read, how much I pray, and how much time I spend with Him – it will never be enough. There will always be something new to learn about Him, about myself, and about our unique and special relationship with one another. HOW COOL IS THAT! It is like a movie that NEVER ends! No matter how hard we seek or how hard we pray, there will ALWAYS be something NEW to learn about Him, something NEW to learn about me, and something NEW to learn about my undying and never-ending personal relationship with Him. What a great feeling it is to be one of His children, the one that He takes pride and joy showing off to the rest of the world in order to glorify Him. Lord please use me, use me in whatever way you may need in order to glorify you.

Monte Carlo, Monaco 

Please join me in prayer as I look forward to serving our Lord, once again, next year at Black Forest Academy as a middle school mathematics teacher. God has been teaching me SO much within these last 6 months, and I cannot WAIT to see what else is in store. Through His creation, words, and actions He continually has me in awe of who He is and what He represents to us.

Things to look forward to in this upcoming Month:

AGIS teacher's conference in Hannover, Germany

Meetings for our Brest, Belarus missions trip

Speaking in chapel for Middle School

Trip to England with some close BFA friends over a long weekend

Roommates and I house sitting for one of the families here at BFA

High School Retreat (where I will be spending time with my small group girls)

Praises:  Personal time in the word, My mom's boss started chemotherapy and has been responding well, The arrival of our last middle school teacher, The ability to have my sister and brother-in-law here over Christmas break, My ability to see family and friends over Christmas break, Time with great friends here at BFA, God's constant provision over our lives, wonderful roommates, the continual support of those back home -- I love you all so much!

Prayers:  For more personal/along time with My Lord, Teaching two new classes this quarter:  Health for grade 6 and a Games elective, My mom's cousin who recently passed away from Leukemia, One of my Best Friends who is getting ready to give birth, Spiritual growth for those on BFA missions trips, and my friends back home that are serving in Haiti in the near future.

Basketball game where I helped out with Scoreboard

Middle Schoolers playing during Chapel

God is BIGGER than you and me. BIGGER than our problems. BIGGER than ANYTHING that makes us REMOTELY happy.

God already thinks we are famous, why would we need to prove it to anyone else…trying to is just a waste of time.

Roommates and I right before Christmas break

Just a Glimpse...

Hello again! Happy 2012! The year has just flown by and I have so many things to be thankful for. This past year God truly stretched me to unknown lengths that I did not know I was capable of; however, through it all He has been there...ultimately leading me to where I am today:  at Black Forest Academy (BFA). Serving, spreading His word and love to others, and seeking Him every step of the way has been my pleasure.

For my time here at BFA so far I have put together a short 8-9 minute video on YouTube that will give you a short glimpse of my first semester here at Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany. I have included the link below. (You can only access it with the link).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQ6VCVs1Zs

Please look for an upcoming blog entry where I will tell you about the amazing blessing that God gave me this past Christmas as I was able to SURPRISE my family and friends by going home for Christmas. It was a great time of laughter, tears, and overall great memories. :-) God is good.

"And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  ~Matthew 22: 37-39