After the Long Silence...

Thanksgiving dessert table.

 The last month has been an incredible time of seeing people, studying German and even some finishing.  That right, yesterday I finished my LAST paper for my Masters Course...well, almost my last, it's on to starting my Thesis which is due April of 2017.  I have learned so much and am so thankful for this opportunity!

Thanksgiving at the JV conference center in Czech!

Thanksgiving we were able to go to Malenovice in Czech and hang out with about 120 other Americans!  It was a great time with lots of conversations and LOTS of eating!  You may notice a few of Jim's famous pies on the dessert table!

 On Friday after Thanksgiving I had the incredible priviledge of leading a prayer retreat with these beautiful Josiah Venture ladies!  What a sweet time of praying and sharing.  We were able to work through some of the Spiritual Disciplines of prayer in the beautiful and peaceful Selah cabin.  It is a place set aside for Josiah Venture missionaries to get away and spend time with God, family and friends.  We had a fire and even watched the snow fall!

 Jim and I are still in our intensive German courses.  This is my class last Thursday at our Christmas party.  We are inviting all of my class and Jim's class over to our house to celebrate Christmas with us on December 25.  Not everyone can come, but we are expecting around 20 of us!  For some of the students, this will be the first time they ever celebrated Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, we are so excite that Emily and Alpha will be able to come from Bangladesh to join us!  They arrive on Tuesday, December 15 and will leave on December 30!  I just finished decorating the apartment for Christmas and we are SO ready for them to come.  We will miss Nate, Raine and Jared, but are excited that they will be able to spend Chirstmas together in Lafayette, Colorado, where Nate and Raine now live and also to spend time with my family in Loveland, CO.

We are so blessed to be part of a House Group from our Church. This was two weeks ago when we met at our place and were able to celebrate Hagan's birthday.  There are 10 of us in the group and it is all in German.  I don't always catch everything (actually, I usually only catch a very small amount), but the bond between all of us is incredible!  I love these people.  

Jim is doing 2 Bible read-through groups with high school boys and doing it all in German!  He also has become the "Bible Answer Man" for the teens in the youth group.  Today after church, two of the girls spent time seperately asking him some great questions. Please, especially pray for one of the girls, as she is having a very hard time believing in Jesus, but she keeps asking questions!  I also meet with her weekly to help her with her English class.  She is originally from China and I am amazed how she has learned German enough to be in German highschool in the past four years and now she is also having to learn English!

Well, I still need to finish setting up Emily and Alpha's room and finish my German homework, so I best be off!