Christmas!!

Aside from being sick, I had a wonderful Christmas! Unfortunately, we did not receive the snow prayed for, but we did get a lot of rain. It has warmed up a bit too, which I am thankful for.  The Sunday before Christmas we had some friends over for a Christmas party. We baked cookies and minced pies and watched Polar Express. I did not realize how scary that movie is until I watched it with young children! 

 

The day before Christmas was spent preparing for Christmas…making ginger bread men for our stocking. On Christmas Eve I went to church with the Witheralls. Their church’s choir sang, the kids sang a few songs (the 2 oldest Witherall children joined them), there was a short play, and the pastor shared the Christmas story. From what I could tell the service was good. The church was packed! The service was more than an hour long, and since the kids were getting restless, Helena and I left early with the younger ones. I went back to the apartment in the evening while Gary and Helena stayed up wrapping the gifts. They could not put the gifts out until the night before because the kids would get into them.

 Around 8:30am the next morning Janae and I walked to the Witheralls. The kids had gotten up at 6! They had told their parents the night before that they would be up at 6am! The children were very hyper when we arrived and they had already opened their stockings. Janae and I opened our stockings and had breakfast.

 

Then we spent the rest of the morning opening presents! The kids had lots of fun J and I enjoyed watching them open their gifts. They all received what they asked for. The boy received a blue, kid digital camera. I had never heard of it before! You can take real pictures with it, upload them on the computer, play games on it, and even listen to music! The 2 year-old received a life size doll that was as big as her!! The eldest received walkie talkies. She wanted these so she could talk to her mom while she was in bed. I received some very nice things too! In the evening some friends came over and we celebrated Jesus’ birthday.  We had cake and the Witherall’s special Christmas dinner-tacos! It was a wonderful Christmas!!!

Prayer:

1.  I am still trying to get over a cold. Pray that I feel better soon.

2.  I am going to Berlin for a few days with a friend. Pray for safety as we travel.

St. Nikolaus

Wiehnacht (Christmas) is in the air! Everyone in Germany is in the holiday spirit. The shops are bursting with Christmas specials and many of the window displays depict St. Nick or Christ’s birth. The Weihnachtsmarkte are open and people come from kilometers around to buy handmade Christmas ornaments and Christmas gifts. The Weihnachtsmarkte are also places of social gathering as many Germans stand at food stands, drinking warm drinks and eating while talking with friends. Even though there is snow on the ground and it is almost too cold to stand still without freezing, this doesn’t stop them from socializing. This weekend I went to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Bad Wimpfen.  It was really cold and I thought my toes would freeze off…even though I was wearing winter boots and 3 pairs of socks! However, it was lots of fun to see all the booths that were decorated for Christmas, selling homemade crafts or food. The city was especially beautiful with the snow on the ground and covering the buildings. It definitely felt like Christmas. I bought some handmade authentic German decorations and the king Nutcracker. I have always wanted a Nutcracker!

 

On December 6, the children in Germany celebrated St. Nikolaus Day, which is a holiday in remembrance of St. Nikolaus of Myra who died in 346. On the night of Dec. 5 the children put one of their boots outside in hopes that St. Nick will come and leave Geschenke (presents). In the morning they find fruit and candy in their boot! I even found some treats in my boot!!  This tradition also comes from St. Nikolaus who often left secret gifts in people’s shoes.  Some Germans also hold to the tradition that naughty children don’t receive any presents, or they may find coal or a switch in the boot. I think St. Nikolaus Day is a fun tradition!!

 

Frühstück Party!

Today we had a party in my German language class. It was a Frühstück (breakfast), pre-advent party. We invited the other class to join us, which means that there was about 40 people all together. Everyone brought something for a typical German breakfast: bread, cheese, sausage, jelly, butter, cake, egg, fruit, veggies, nutella, juices, coffee, and tea. It was a feast! There was even food left over!

                       (Pic of a German breakfast)

Germans often have big breakfasts and lunches while their dinners usually consist of cold foods (like sandwiches). At the party we also divided into teams and decorated advent wreaths. There were so many people there that only a handful could help decorate the wreaths. I wasn't able to do very much, although it looked like fun. The wreaths were very beautiful in the end, and we were given 4 candles to put in them.  

It was nice to have a less intense day for a change. My class is usually 4 hours long with one short break. Today we were able to mingle and just have fun. A Filipina woman played music on her ipad while a woman from Georgia (the country) took pictures. During the meal the Filipina woman, who speaks English, told me how she met her husband (who is German). We were talking in English because I would not have been able to understand her story in German. Our teacher scolded us for using English in class J  Nonetheless, I am glad that I had a chance to talk with her and hear her story. There are many interesting people in my class and I learn new things about them every day.

Prayer:

1.  Please pray that I will have many opportunities to share God’s love with my classmates.

St. Martin's Day

Sonntag (Sunday Nov. 11) was Saint Martin’s Day in Germany. Saint Martin of Tours was a monk who gave half of his cloak to a beggar during a snowstorm. He is remembered for his humble kindness and selfless sacrifice. German children celebrate Saint Martin’s Day by making colorful paper lanterns. On the evening of the 11^th the young children walk through town with their lanterns singing songs about Saint Martin. After they sing and/or reenact Saint Martin’s good deed, they are given muffins and pretzels. This is an old tradition that many people enjoy, including the Witherall children. The 3 oldest Witherall children made lanterns at school and proudly walked through town at night with the other German children. They sang the German songs and enjoyed eating pretzels. It was beautiful to see 30 or so lanterns light up the night, and to hear clear little voices singing in German.

Recently the Witherall children’s favorite thing to do is play “fairies”, “mermaids”, and “naughty monsters”.  During this make-believe time, dressing up usually occurs and at least one of the characters always “dies” and comes back to life. Another story that they enjoy playing is “train”. This requires us to sit on the couch (or move from one couch to the other) with the pillows and blankets as we travel somewhere. We usually go to Austria or America. One of the passengers on the train is often sick and needs a doctor. My role transgresses from “train driver” to “nurse” to “mother” and sometimes ends with “cat”. The children all have bright imaginations and seem to really enjoy this make-believe game! The children were given play-doh this week and have been busy creating people, snakes, and food. I made a log cabin J They have also been working on a dot-to-dot book, which is helping them learn their numbers. They take turns saying the numbers out loud in English and German.  It has been a very fun week so far!

Austria

Last week the Witheralls and I went to Austria for a few days. The children and I had off of school for the week. According to the Witherall’s son, it was “the best holiday ever!”. Was it really? Let’s look at a list of some of the pros and cons of this trip.

Pros:

1.       We found a McDonalds to stop at for lunch during our drive to Austria. The children were able to run around for a bit and get rid of some energy.

2.       The landscape in Austria was gorgeous. Beautiful snow covered mountains, green forest and hills sprinkled with snow.  

3.       The B&B we stayed in was furnished and very nice. The view from our apartment was breathtaking.

4.       The village we stayed in, Bichlbach, was located in a valley and had many quaint houses.

5.       The children had the opportunity to play in the snow.

6.       We had nice breakfasts of fresh bread, jelly, cheese, and Nutella.

7.       We were able to visit the city of Innsbruck. It has many shops and old buildings. We ate lunch there and we all bought souvenirs.

8.       The weather was lovely the entire holiday/vacation.

9.       We ate authentic Apple Strudel.

10.   We saw the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

11.   We were able to catch the last bus to the Neuschwanstein Castle.

12.   It was raining on the drive home but by God’s grace we made it home safely.

Cons:

1.       We left Mosbach late and our drive took 3 extra hours because we ran into traffic.

2.       It is hard to keep 4 children entertained in a car for 6 hours. Some fighting and annoyance did occur.

3.       We had trouble finding parking in Innsbruck.

4.       A shop lady in Innsbruck yelled at Mr. Witherall for having the children in her souvenir shop. She was apparently having a bad day.

5.       It is difficult to tour a city with four children. I was not able to learn anything about Innsbruck while there, and I was only able to visit a few shops while the family was eating lunch.

6.       We had to stand in line for 30 minutes to get tickets for the Neuscwantstein Castle. We then learned that you could only get in the castle with a tour and the next tour was in 3 hours.

7.       The bus that took us up to the Neuschwanstein Castle was jam packed.  A lady even stole a seat from one of the Witherall children!

8.       After the bus dropped us off we still had to walk 10 minutes to the castle. The Neuschwanstein  Castle is not children, elderly, or handicap friendly.

9.       The transportation service to and from the castle was inefficient. We had to walk back in the dark and cold. We had done a lot of walking already and it was hard for the children.

10.   Since the tour was at 4pm, we did not start heading home till 6pm. We had to make a McDonald’s stop for food and bathroom. The children were all tired and some were not feeling well. We drove a different route so we would not hit traffic. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the Autobahn and we were stuck in traffic for about 3 hours. It was an antsy, interesting 3 hours. We also had to figure out a way for the children to use the bathroom  (while we were stuck in traffic) without anyone seeing.  We didn’t arrive home till about 1pm.

Some people may think that the cons outweigh the pros. A lot of things did go wrong and the trip was very frustrating at times. However, it was fun to visit a beautiful country like Austria and see an amazing castle like the Neuschwanstein.  Even though I was helping with the children most of the time, I am grateful that I was able to experience all of this. I bounded more with the Witheralls, and God taught me a lot about patience! So, I do believe that this was a great holiday, and one I will always remember!

 

 

Heidelberg

Today Mrs. Witherall and I went to the nearby town of Heidelberg for a few hours. The children stayed with friends so that Mrs. Witherall and I could have some “girl” time. When we left the house it was really cold and raining. In fact, it snowed a little bit as we drove through the hills. It was spectacular watching the large snowflakes fall on the countryside! I was a little worried about the weather, but the rain stopped just as we entered Heidelberg. The drive to Heidelberg was breath taking! The large, rolling hills were covered in fall colors of green, brown, red, yellow, and orange. I was in awe of God’s magnificent creation!

 

Heidelberg is one of those famous tourist towns that everyone needs to visit. It is one of few old towns in Germany that was not bombed during or after the war. There is a castle and many beautiful old mansions along the Neckar River. There is a hotel in town dating back to the 1500’s. The bridge across the Neckar River was first built in the 1200’s. There are a lot of nice shops in Heidelberg….many of which are international. We stopped in a Starbucks for hot chocolate, and we saw H&M and Subway as we walked. It was really nice to have a little piece of home away from home. Even though it was really cold, Mrs. Witherall and I had a lot of fun. It was good for our spirits to get away from the children for a while and do something fun!

 

Children and Crafts...

The weather forecast called for snow this past Samstag (Saturday). Many children were excited…except for the Witherall’s eldest who was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to play outside if it snowed. I was not really excited about the prospect of snow either...although I thought I might be able to take some nice pictures if it did snow. Well, Samstag came around and it only rained. The children were disappointed. Then Samstag rolled around and it did snow... in the Witherall home. The children were doing their afternoon craft (this is a daily and necessary event) on Samstag when they decided to make snowflakes. When the Witherall children do crafts they go all out. I think they made about 20 snowflakes and hung them up on the windows in the dining room. It looks like it snowed inside! So I guess it did snow...just a day late, and only in one home!   

The Witherall children LOVE making crafts. EVERY afternoon they spend hours gluing, cutting, coloring, and inventing new projects. By dinner time there is paper all over the floor and table, more crayons on the floor than in the container, and several projects/crafts to be proudly shown. It is always interesting to see what they will create. So far they have made sharks, princesses, maps, instructions for Captain Hook, portraits, and racetracks. I think it is wonderful that the children enjoy doing crafts and that Mrs. Witherall is so cool about the mess. It is amazing how much paper 3 children can go through in one afternoon!

Pic of Germany

Germany, Here I Come!! 9/13/12

   For the past two days I have been talking with the Witheralls (the missionary couple in Germany I am going to help) and looking at flights. We were trying to decide on a date for my flight and whether or not I should buy a one-way or round trip ticket. The reason I would not buy a round-trip ticket is that I am not sure the exact date of my return. I may need to leave earlier than expected because of finances. Or for some reason I may decide to fly out of or into a different city. Searching for flights can be so discouraging at times. I searched many different websites and I was unable to find a one-way ticket under $800. I was at a loss of whether I should buy the one-way (even though it was expensive) or get the round trip, which may end up being expensive and hard to change.  I couldn’t decide! Early I had looked at Airfare.com which listed flights for just over $600. This was a good price but for some odd reason the website did not show what airline the flight was with!! I mentioned this to the couple I am staying with in Texas and the husband looked up Airfare.com himself. Wouldn’t you know?? He found a flight for under $600 with American Airlines!!!  Then I tried to find it on my computer and of course it didn’t show up! For some reason God wanted me to use his computer to purchase my ticket J God works in mysterious ways! If I hadn’t talked with this couple, I probably wouldn’t have found a cheap ticket! Praise God!!!!

   So, although this story had a stressful beginning, it has a wonderful ending! A new chapter in my life is beginning in 12 days! I will be leaving September 25 and arriving in Germany September 26. I am so excited and thankful!!! God has provided about half of the support I will need for the entire year. I still need to raise about $12,000 more. I am taking a leap of faith that God will provide the rest! I know He is in control of everything, and if He wants me in Germany for a whole year, He will provide the means!

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. -Philippians 4:19-20