January Update
Happy New Year!!
Whew! We cannot believe we are in full swing of 2019. With semester finals coming up this week, we are taking this weekend to rest, recoup, and re-align with the Spirit of Christ for wisdom and direction. We are so excited to dive right into second semester in only a week! Second semester brings new classes, TRACK season, and warmer days!
YEAR 3 UPDATE!
We are excited to announce that we have committed to staying in Germany for the 2019-2020 school year! Caleb has completed an internal transfer form to start as Black Forest Athletic Director this coming fall! He will be overseeing the entire sports program at BFA.
Maria has committed to work part time as the upper level art teacher while mentoring young women, coaching, and investing in her art!
The decision we made to stay for another year was one that required lots of prayer and reflection on our time here thus far. We feel that the Spirit is continuing to knock on the door of both our hearts and many of the students hearts. And we believe that God is calling us to be at the epicenter of His Kingdom here and now. We are SO excited for what He has in store through your prayers and support, and our lives!!
1 Thessalonians 2:8
"so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well."
We THANK YOU for caring for us!
Cultural Moment
After spending our winter break in the states, we returned to our home in Kandern to be greeted with a beautiful scene of fresh snow. This was the first snow of the year which meant everyone was very excited to go Rodeln! (otherwise known as sledding)
Caleb and I spent that first morning back sipping our hot drink while watching snowflakes fall peacefully to the ground. All of a sudden we heard a loud boom coming from outside our balcony window. What we found was the snow plow had come up the hill and ran into a curb (not hard to do on the narrow roads). We then began noticing the sidewalk across the street was neatly shoveled! It seemed a bit funny when Caleb noticed how meticulously each house was shoveling snow around their plot. He also realized how much snow "our sidewalk" still had in comparison to the plots next to us. He quickly bundled up and set out to follow the German trend.
He asked the family we share the building with if we could borrow their snow shovel (in broken German!), And after, they thanked him for taking on the responsibility.
According to German law, home owners and renters must keep sidewalks free of snow between 7 am. and 8 pm. They don't have to remove snow if it continues snowing, but must remove it 30 minutes after it stops!
The German law never ceases to surprise us with how punctual German culture is with small details such as these. :)
Have you had any fun cultural moments while traveling? We'd love to hear it!
The time between Thanksgiving and December felt like a snap of the fingers! First was dorm subbing during Winter Banquet, where Maria managed to help style mots of the dorm girls hair before their dance. And us with the dorm parents cooking a special Japanese birthday meal.
Next was Christmas parties! Caleb's small group joined with the other sophomore girls group to decorate cookies and play games. We also were able to snap a picture of Kandern's main street, all ready for the Christmas season.
We also managed to decorate our apartment before going back home!!
Enjoying one of the many cups of fresh roasted PNW coffee with Mom and Dad Turner!
We were so happy to have Caleb's Aunt and Uncle travel up from California while we were visiting! (W/ Dad Turner)
Christmas Family Photo shoot!! Featuring Grandma and Grandpa Moers, and the cute great-grandchildren!
So special to be with all the Turner siblings, nieces and nephews to celebrate Christmas!
The two of us got to visit George Fox with Maria's cousin Brent, who is in the next picture! This picture was taken outside the dorm where we were RA's together and began dating!
We found out that Brent has spent his first two years in the SAME rooms as Caleb when he was at Fox!! #woah
One of the nights we got Maria's nearby extended family together for a homemade curry night!!
So special to get family photos outside the Green home!
Enjoying a tasty Chik-fil-A lunch after reuniting with Mom and Dad Green!
Uncle Caleb being goofy before dinner with two of our nephews!
THE OREGON COAST. We couldn't leave without seeing one of our favorite sceneries. Can you guess what beach this is??
One of our favorite things was getting to sit across from many of our dearest friends and catch up over some cajun tots. Oh how we have missed these times!
Praises:
- We were blessed to spend so much quality time with our families during Christmas. We are so thankful for all of them!!
- Caleb has been asked by another student if he could mentor him every week. This particular student has been brought up traditional Italian Catholic. Caleb has been pursuing him for quite some time and is so excited to share more of Christ with him!
- Maria's art business is beginning to thrive as she is creating beautiful pieces of work! This has been an incredible platform for her to share God's truth and the gifts that He has given her! Check out her Instagram by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter!
Prayers:
- We believe that Caleb's chest pain is attributed to stress, and his hip pain to a deep muscle sprain. Praise God for answers! Please pray that he would continue to find healing.
- One of our dorm staff members has found a tumor in her body. Pray for healing over her. And also for her dorm staff and family as they navigate this!
- We have received yet another temporary visa. This one will last six months as we continue to wait for our permanent visa. Pray for answers as we hope to be here next school year!
HOW CAN WE PRAY FOR YOU??
Financial Update
WOW!!! Thank you guys for your end of year giving! We are floored by how good our God is!
One-time gifts: $6,823
New monthly giving: $380/month
With a few supporters also completing their monthly support we are starting 2019 only $8/month short of our goal! Praise God!!
We cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Your role in the mission of Black Forest Academy is JUST as important as ours. Us being able to fill vital roles and you allowing us to continue on! To GOD be all of the glory and praise!
"The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice and be glad!" Psalm 118:24
May you find Jesus in the normal every day as you head into this week. Hope to talk with you soon!
With all of our love,
The Turners