At the beginning of August, our family reunited long enough to take care of last minute details for the kid’s schools and have a week-long family vacation. For our vacation, we stayed in a log cabin in VA and had fun hiking, biking, doing a ropes course, and just hanging out together. We also were able to spend some time with Noel’s best friend from high school and his family.
On August 20th, we dropped Winter off at Liberty University where she will be a freshman. She is now in her second week of classes and enjoying the whole experience. Her classes are challenging but she is enjoying them so far. In her sign language class, they are not allowed to speak, only use signs. She loves the challenge. Winter has been blessed with a good roommate that is also an MK who lived in Spain and Germany. We look forward in the months to come to hear about her new friends and new adventures as she navigates college life. Pray for Winter as she figures out how to balance life and classes. Pray that she can be a good friend to those who need one.
After dropping off Winter, Noel, David and I returned to Tennessee to take care of a few more more things before heading towards Germany. On August 24th, we left the states with a three day layover in Iceland. Iceland was a great way to spend time with David before we could check him into his school. We enjoyed exploring, hiking and mountain biking. The mountain biking was hard, and I had to carry my bike a lot but it was worth it.
Our next stop was Switzerland. Before driving down to Germany, we were able to spend a night with friends who had worked in Afghanistan with us. It was great to reconnect and see how God is using them during this new season for them. This week we have been in Germany where we have been getting David settled into his life here at Black Forest Academy. Monday we took him to his dorm for the first time. He is in a house that has 16 guys, a set of dorm parents, and two RAs. His roommate has been living in Italy and really likes baseball. We were impressed by the dorm parents and others who so graciously welcomed David. Their dorm name is Sonne, and they are known as the men of valor. The dorm parents stress honor in all things. His house seems to be a good fit for him.
On Tuesday, we had orientation and were able to meet his teachers. Both Noel and I loved meeting his teachers and are slightly jealous that we can’t go to his classes with him this year. He is taking German I, Computer Fluency, English 10, Yearbook, Algebra II, US History, and Chemistry. His teachers are excited about the new year and come with a lot of experience. On a fun note, his US history teacher is from Canada. David is excited about his schedule even though it looks to be a tough one.
Today, Wednesday, we went to the opening ceremony of the school. The ceremony began with the Seniors walking into the auditorium carrying the flag from the country where they have lived. The staff and seniors were each given a charge with the student president giving a speech. It was a fitting way to start off the new year. Afterwards, we said good bye to David. Today he will go to each of his classes and meet his new teachers. Then Thursday and Wednesday will be regular days. Pray for him as he tries out for the men’s volleyball team and figures out how to organize his studies and keep up with his classes. Pray that he will make good choices as he has this new independence.
Tomorrow, Noel and I start heading back towards Kabul where we will start a new adventure of our own. I will tell you all about it in my next post. Blessings, Teresa
Hey there. We reached out to Winter over the weekend. Sounds like she is doing well! We’re praying for all four of you in these days of transition!