Well right now we are staying warm inside on a very snowy white Christmas! Dani is trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube (starting from the solved position) and I built a two-seater car. We are really glad to have some time to ourselves and to have a short break.

My dad and Raina just left from being here for about 10 days. We went to France, Switzerland, and of course Germany. They wanted to see all of Europe, but that wasn’t going to happen. We both miss having family here for the holiday seasons. Christmas is amazing here, but it isn’t the the same without family.

Dani solving the Rubix Cube, from the end.

Israel making a two-seater car.

The Past Months

So I’m going to try and recap our last two or so months here in Kandern, Germany. We’ve had some really great experiences and some not so good ones, from working in the dorms during Thanksgiving, to having the car break down on our way back to Germany.

Herbstmesse

This is the fall festival/fair that happens at various places around the area. Pretty much everything is closed except food and rides. The school takes a day trip to Basel for all the students to be able to take part in the festivities. It was pretty crazy seeing all the rides. It was like a little carnival. But the big hit at Herbstmesse every year are the bumper cars. I guess those are always popular no matter where you are. You can see the pictures here → Herbstmesse Gallery.

Thanksgiving in Germany

So, of course, there is no Thanksgiving celebration in Germany. (I wonder why?) But the school and the individual dorms celebrate the event during the month of November. At the dorm we substitute at, Blauen, we helped prepare the food and get ready for the meal. It was a great evening with the girls at the dorm, and with the other couples who help, at the dorm, as well. You can see the pictures here → Blauen Thanskgiving Gallery.

Storch Dorm

So Dani and I also go visit a few of the other dorms. One of those is Storchenblick, or Storch for short. I had to get our car worked on after the first freeze. The driver’s side door decided to not unlock anymore, and we also hadn’t put our snow tires on the car. So, one of the girls at Storch, who speaks German, helped me translate at the local auto-shop, Auto Brehm. We got our car back a few days ago, with new locks/keys and tires. Yeah! I also took a mid-semester group picture for them. You can see the pictures here → Storch Group Gallery.

Christmas Banquet

The school has a few banquets during the fall semester, and one of the biggest is the Christmas Banquet. This years theme was a Masquerade Ball, and the Student Council decide to just do desserts instead of a full meal. It was alot of fun, and there were some great skits that happened. The school grants wishes every year that the students submit, and one of those was for all the Korean guys to go up and sing on stage. Needless to say it was hilarious, and not all the guys knew what they were getting into. You can see the pictures here → Christmas Banquet Gallery.

Last But Not Least, The Visit

So my dad and my youngest sister, Raina, came to visit us for about 10 days. They wanted to see everything in Europe. We are not that adventurous, or capable. So we ended up visiting just a few places. We went to a castle, Haut-Kœnigsbourg, and a cute little village called Riquewihr in France. They walked around Lörrach (without us). And had a few days to walk around in Kandern Germany. We then went to Adelboden, Switzerland and skied the Alps. And then on the next to last day took a train and visited a few towns on the way to the Christmas Market in Freiburg, Germany.

So, Coming Back From Switzerland

We were driving along, minding our own business, when all of a sudden the engine light comes on, and the car starts overheating! Seconds wizzed by, and moments later…Okay, ignore the melodrama. We did end up getting stranded in Heimburg-Bern, Switzerland for about 5 hours more than we had planned. The radiator had overheated. It was too late in the evening to find help, and we had no cell-phones. So after looking for possible solutions Dani and Raina found a wireless signal without a password, which is illegal in Germany. (I’m not sure about Switzerland.) And we used the wireless internet, the laptops we had, and cell phones to find help.

We were eventually able to Facebook, make Google calls and email our way into finding someone to pick us up and call for help for the car. We found our way to a McDonalds, had some food, and our ride picked us up and took us back home. It was a crazy unexpected twist that taught me that I will have to look into getting a cell phone plan here if I’m’ going to be doing some more driving. We all went home exhausted and overwhelmed since this was two days before they went back home.

‘Tis the Season

So overall we’ve had a good first semester. It’s been much more difficult then we expected. And there have been plenty of unexpected challenges along the way. We’ve learned alot about the trials of marriage, living in another culture/language, and developing a new life in a new world. We love it here. But are learning that it’s not always easy: like getting stuck in Switzerland.

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Drive safe, and always wear your seat belts. We love you all, and are very thankful for the gifts and prayers that have been sent our way.

- Israel and Dani

In case I haven’t told you lately, I love living in Germany.

It’s beautiful. I’ve never lived in a cleaner place. Every building has delightful flowers and gardens. I believe that over 25% of Germany is set aside as green space.

It’s simple. Every few days I walk three minutes to the grocery store to buy a couple (reusable) bags of groceries. We walk to school almost every day. I can buy a big bottle of mineral water for 19 cents. Doing official things (like bank transfers, car registrations, and even surgery) is so much less complicated than it is in the States.

It’s nostalgic. Every time I drive past a swath of forest, I’m reminded of looking at the same forest as a child. Today, I saw a booth of puppets and stared for several minutes while I remembered the puppets of my childhood. Last week, I played on a fantastic wood and rope play ground. It was so much more fun and imaginative than the plastic and metal contraptions that fill the States.

I’m not saying that I don’t love America. I’m just really glad to be living in Germany, even when I’m frustrated or scared or uncertain. This is most certainly where we are supposed to be.

Today was a wonderful affirmation of how much I love living in here.

Holzen is a town just a few kilometers from Kandern. This weekend was their annual craft market. We spent a few hours there today with our friend Alyssa, an art teacher at Black Forest Academy. We wandered among dozens of booths filled with pottery, artwork, handmade clothes, soap, and beautiful floral arrangements.

We also ate lots of yummy food, which is always my favorite part. As a late lunch, we enjoyed Flammkuchen, a thin-crusted onion and bacon pizza, which is baked in a wood-burning oven. We tried some pumpkin soup and shared a glass of fresh apple juice. And when I say fresh what I mean is that I took a drink and thought I was biting into an apple. Just outside the food stand was a long wagon filled with fresh apples. The apples were put into a press sort of thing, which trickled beautiful, cloudy juice into a trough. The Juice People (I can’t think of anything else to call them) would walk over to the trough, dip in a big pitcher, and then walk back to the table to fill individual glasses. I mean really, how wonderful is that? On our way out, we bought a loaf of bread (which I caught unintended, yummy whiffs of all the way home), three slices of pie, and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

What a fabulous way to spend a Saturday. Enjoy the photos of our lovely Germany.

Hello there folks. Well, according to my little desktop widget, we’ve been in Germany for 17 days. I can’t believe that. It doesn’t seem possible.

Thus far, our time in Kandern has been wonderful. We arrived two weeks before anything started, so we’ve had plenty of time to get over jetlag and settle in. We are incredibly blessed to be living in the home of a woman who’s in The States for a year. This means that from the moment we stepped into our little apartment, we had internet, phone, furniture and food. Many staff members arrive to completely empty apartments. I’m so, so, so glad that wasn’t our experience.

This is our building. The top two windows are ours. Our windows open all the way and there are no screens; it’s fabulous. Also, that’s our car in the driveway. We have purchased and registered the car, but have yet to drive it. All in good time, my friends.

So far, we’ve learned our way around Kandern, learned how to shop, officially registered in the town, registered for a trash can (which we have yet to receive), and figured out the basics of life.

Our new friend Anne, who we met at Orientation, came a few days earlier than she needed to and stayed with us. It was fabulous having her here. We had many a long talk on many a long walk. I think we went for a three hour walk each of the three days she was here. On our first walk, we were caught in a ridiculous thunderstorm. It was a complete downpour for about half an hour. We had no umbrellas or raincoats. It was marvelous, if a bit chilly.

Today we started the first of our three weeks of Orientation—Survival German. Every morning from 9:00 – 12:00, we meet at Black Forest Academy in order to learn a few German language basics, you know, so we can buy food at the grocery store and such.

All of these photos were taken on the walk to school this morning. It’s wonderful to finally begin the “real” BFA stuff. Next week, all of the new staff will learn about the school. The final week of Orientation is for all of the staff.

Israel has been able to do some preliminary work for his job. He’s had several meetings about the media needs of the school and has a better idea of what his job will entail. He even made a trip to Ikea to purchase some new office furniture for the office, which he’ll share with the school’s graphic designer. Israel, Anne and I spent Saturday putting together all of his new office furniture. He’s pretty excited.

Here’s a funny story. We had a few over-ripe bananas. So I thought I’d make banana bread. Fortunately, the home we’re living in is stocked with all of the baking supplies I needed. All went quite well, I thought. I’d even said, “I think my first German baking experience was a success.” And then Israel tried the bread. “Dani,” he said. “What did you put on top of this?”

“Brown sugar, and cinnamon and sugar.” What else would you put on banana bread?

“Are you sure it wasn’t brown sugar, and cinnamon and salt?”

“………….”

Yep. It was salt. All over the banana bread. So here’s a tip, if you ever move to a foreign country, or just into someone else’s home, always taste any unlabeled containers that you assume are sugar.

We are absolutely thrilled to finally be here. Over the past six months, it’s become more and more clear why this is God’s perfect timing for our arrival at BFA. More on that later. Here are a few photos of the school where we’ll spend at least the next two years (hopefully more) loving missionary kids. Yay!!

On the way home, we took a little video of Kandern, the town where we’re living. It’s absolutely beautiful here. Seriously, gorgeous. I think you’ll have to visit to really understand though.

For Christmas I asked my wife, Dani, to get me the book In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. A few men at my church have read it, and it’s been an integral part of where they are today. I also picked up a copy of No Compromise, The Life Story of Keith Green from my dad. It was on the dining room table at the fam’s house and I started reading. I wasn’t able to put either book down.

Both of these books talk about people who are radical about what they believe and how they live their lives. It’s inspiring, motivational, convicting, and scary. In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day talks about how some of the most inspiring people in history are the most daring, the ones who take risks. This book embodies the idea that without risk there is no gain. I think the book takes it one step further and says that if you don’t take risks there are negative repercussions. No Compromise talks about Keith Green’s journey to find truth and meaning. It’s a passionate life story of a passionate man. The book talks about ideas that are radical even to today’s standards of what being a Christian means. If you read this book looking for answers, you won’t come away the same. You might even leave with more questions than answers.

So Why am I Talking About These Books?

So what does being In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day have to do with being a Christian? And why should you listen to me talk about No Compromise? One reason. Am I, as a Christian, really living a lifestyle that embodies who Christ is and what Christ taught? I look at my past and where I am at, and I have to say No. When was the last time I did something for the glory of God that didn’t involve serving my own well-being, or pleasing myself, or making myself look Christ-like in the eyes of others? I feel like my faith is based off of concepts and ideas that are Christian, but they don’t go far enough. It’s been making me not want to call myself “Christian” because I want to think of myself in a new light as being one who lives like Jesus lived. Not one who just does the normal Christian stuff: Sundays, Wednesdays, small group.

Have you ever read First John or James? Those guys talk about radical, non-conservative ways of living, not just believing in something. I wonder if maybe this is a better idea of faith and risk, “Without risk, faith is an impossibility,” Søren Kierkegaard. I don’t know. But I do know that my view of Jesus is minimized and compartmentalized because of my Western view of the Bible. I guess I’m just frustrated with myself, the church, religion. I feel like there should be more to my view of the world. I should be a person willing to take chances. Someone willing to be controversial, and not ashamed of what I believe. To me it’s coming down to this: Do I really believe what the Bible says?

Do I really believe what the Bible says?

If the answer is yes, than my current lifestyle must change. Everything from how I view things to how I interact with people will need to be altered. I cannot be a nominal Christian or an average Christian. There’s no such thing. Jesus calls us to be fishers of men. When was the last time I shared my faith with a non-believer? I don’t think I could tell you. Jesus also calls us to a lifestyle of total abandon. “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” – Matthew 10:38. This God-man—Jesus—is not playing around. He demands life-altering, complete sacrifice to live differently than the rest of the people around you. I can’t think of my life as my own anymore, no compromise.

So In Summary

I guess I’m wanting to push people and myself towards a lifestyle and faith that really has action and behavior that is not like other people. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him…” – First John 2:15-17. I’m ready for my faith to be real and not superficial. I’m ready to give it all up. Life. The Future. Family. Happiness.

A Prayer

God be my peace. Be grace in my life. I know not what the future holds, or if what I am thinking is right, but I know you are leading me. I want to follow. So please let me see you like I see my hands in front of me. Let me see as you see. Let my desires be yours, and let my heart follow after truth. Your name is holy. May my limited knowledge of your word and who you are lead me to you and nothing else. May I not lead others astray. You are perfect love. Help me bring that love to those around me. Unashamed, I proclaim you Lord and pray you hold me tight and safe in your will for my life.

I think that part of what Dani and I are called to do is to help others understand why we are doing what we are doing. I want others, both Christians and non-Christians, to come to share our passion and desire to see people believe in the One who is greater than themselves.

One of the things that Dani and I have been learning about is the idea that, as Christians, our involvement and relationships with other people go beyond pleasing ourselves. They go beyond staying in the city where our parents live. They go beyond the college where we graduated. They go beyond a two-week mission trip. We are not to be self-pleasing, self-aggrandizing, self-fulfilling. Our love for Jesus should be reflected in how we love our neighbor, not ourselves. (matthew 25:40-46, 1 john 2:3-6)

We are called

We are called to be fishers of men, people who seek out those who are hurting. Jesus pursued both the Jews and the Gentiles. There was no regret, no apathetic plea; it was whole-hearted. It was pure, and full of love. He wanted people who loved Him and loved others. One of the hardest things to learn in church culture today is this message, “If we say we love God yet hate a brother or sister, we are liars. For if we do not love a fellow believer, whom we have seen, we cannot love God, whom we have not seen.” 1 John 4:20

I’m including a talk by Todd Ahrend (The Traveling Team/On Facebook) that our home church had this last Sunday. It is about who God is, and about His passion for people. The title of the talk is “God is Missional.” In this sermon, you’ll hear God’s heart for all people throughout history. There is no easy way to put it, Jesus is missions minded, and, if you believe in His teachings, you are called to live a life that makes His name known. There is no easy path, no earthly resolution, no self-help solution. (1 john 2:15-17)

Sermon: God is Missional

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.
psalm 37:7

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
psalm 46:10

Today, I read the blog of a BFA staff couple. They serve as dorm parents and have two young children. Looking through their photos reminded me of what it was like to live in Germany as a kid; we lived there for about a year when I was seven. A few of the photos on their blog made me think I was looking at my family from the 90s, in our glorious purple, pink and black jackets and head socks, these wonderful fuzzy tubes of fabric that my sister and I wore on our heads. These may be called tube scarves in real life.

So, in honor of being a child in Germany, I thought I’d recount some of my memories. Here I go.

We moved to Germany from Hawaii. Before we left Hawaii, I remember telling my mom that I was glad we were moving to Germany because I was sooo hot. I wanted to move to Alaska, because then I wouldn’t be hot anymore. I think Alaska might have been a little more than I bargained for. Germany was just right, like Goldilocks and her porridge.

Germany had the coolest playground equipment. They had zip lines and cool merry-go-rounds and other fun stuff that I can’t remember the specifics of. And it was all very colorful.

Playmobil! Enough said.

We took a ski trip to Switzerland in the winter. We went with a whole group of people and rode together on a bus. I flirted with a boy who was playing a Game Boy. Then, Dad got us a German ski instructor, because none of us could really ski. And the ski instructor was mean and made us all cry. And then my sister Amy peed her pants because she couldn’t get her snow suit off in time. Good times.

Fasching is the German Carnival celebration. Apparently, it’s really big in southern Germany, where we lived. Amy and I dressed up as clowns for Fasching. I don’t remember what we did in the costumes, but I remember the curly blue wig, full-body costume and face paint.

We went to the I.S.S., the International School of Stuttgart. We rode the bus to school everyday. And by bus, I mean a bus with nice reclining seats and a table in the back with cup holders. I don’t think they have big yellow school buses in Germany. Anyway, one day there was a transportation strike. So our bus driver was really late. Since Amy and I had time to kill, we made a Snow Cake—a big white rectangle of snow. How creative we were. When the bus driver finally came, he was slightly inebriated. I don’t think my parents knew about this until we got home that day.

In the spring, Amy and I were very excited about the first warm day of the year. It must have been like 65 degrees or something. Well, Amy and I, being the Hawaiian girls that we were, put on our bikini tops and went to the park and played in the little creek. I remember getting a lot of weird looks from the Germans, who were all wearing their winter coats.

One of my fondest food memories of Germany is spaghettieis. It’s this wonderful ice cream treat that looks like spaghetti. The ice cream is pressed through some sort of pasta machine so that it comes out in small strings. Then, it’s topped with strawberry sauce and shaved nuts, or coconut, or something else that looks like parmesan. I’ll definitely be having some spaghettieis once I return to Germany.

In case Playmobil and the playground equipment didn’t make it obvious, Germany has the best stuff for kids. They have so many cool toys. We went to some sort of event that had a warehouse full of toys. It was like a fairy tale. And they have Kinder Surprise, those little chocolate eggs with toys in them. And Christmas time is awesome, because Germany goes all out—decorations, and festivals, and food and little trains that travel through a land of Christmas delight. Sigh.

In the interest of keeping this post from taking 30 minutes to read, I’ll stop there. I left out: cracking my tail bone while running after my lunch, eating at the German restaurant in Hawaii and the Hawaiian restaurant in Germany, and Amy getting stuck in every bathroom stall she went in.

But, I will leave you with a few photos. This is me in Kindergarten in Hawaii. I’m the blond. And yes, I am wearing my bathing suit.

This is Amy and me playing in our plumeria tree, the best smelling tree ever. Amy’s the one in yellow. I believe we were pretending to be homeless orphans…living in a tree….

This is the only photo I have of Germany. I’m the tall one. Amy’s the tallish one. I’d like to tell you that I’m eating spaghettieis, but I think we’re at the Baskin Robins on the base, so I’m probably eating Cookies and Cream. And please, note the outfit. All parts of it are equally wonderful.