Mmmm...Chili and Cornbread!!!

While emailing back and forth with a friend in California, Michelle was asked what products from the states she was missing. Michelle shared how the chili mix here has a lot of curry in it and how we don't like it. She also shared how she has not been able to find any type of cornbread mix. There's something about eating chili and cornbread in cold weather that is fantastic.

Well, the postman rang the doorbell and delivered a box. We were all excited to receive a package. We had no idea what was inside. Much to our surprise, we found a whole lot of cornbread and chili mix. We were so blessed!

Guten Appetit!!!

German Tooth Fairy?

Well, since we have kept you all informed about all of our "firsts", we have now had our first lost tooth since being here. As we sat an dinner, Moriah said, "I think one of my teeth are loose". Less than five minutes go by and Moriah stuck her fingers in her mouth and pulled out her tooth. She thought it was great until she felt the huge whole in her mouth...she didn't like that at all.

An Answer to Prayer

If you recall the "Getting Our Visas...Round 1" post (below), you recall us begging the visa lady to get an earlier appointment and she said that the earliest was November 25th...

Well, as many of you know, our children were home-schooled while we were in California. We desired to continue homeschooling here in Germany but knew that it was illegal. We have been struggling with what to do with their education. We didn't feel that our desires to home-school were necessarily a conviction from the Lord but rather a personal preference. With that, we knew we were in a bind on what to do. We didn't want to do anything illegal and also didn't want our observed defiance to the law to be a stumbling block to our ability to minister to the Germans. Since we don't have our visas yet, we have not been forced to put our kids in school yet.

Back to the visa story...after coming home after scheduling the visa appointment for November 25, Robert told Michelle that perhaps God has pushed back the appointment because he has other plans.

Robert then heard that if he could get a part-time job with the military we would not need visas and could stay under the US umbrella of laws...and therefore home-school legally. Robert began researching on the internet but everything he read said that if you are not affiliated with the military in some way, your chances of getting hired are almost impossible. Well, Robert applied anyways knowing that our God has "connections". One other interesting thing was that if Robert had applied for the visa when he went in to get it on the October 16th, he wouldn't have been eligible to work for the Army. So, was it a coincidence that our appointment was pushed back over a month...no way!!!

Some time went by after filing the applications and we didn't hear anything. One day we (Michelle and Robert) were praying together for wisdom about putting our kids in school. We knew that we may be forced to put them in school if a job with the Army didn't open up. We did not want to send them to school. Of course being in control of what they learned was a core reason, we also felt that they would be overwhelmed and discouraged since they have never been to a public school and now their first experience would be in a language they couldn't understand. It was after praying that Michelle and I both heard the Lord loud and clear, "Do you trust Me with your children?" Wow, what a straight-forward question? One we had not truly considered. After talking and praying together we decided that we would trust the Lord and if He desired them to be in public school here, we would obey.

A couple days later, Robert got a phone call to come in for an interview. He applied for 8 jobs...from Grocery Checker to Child & Youth Program Assistant. Robert was willing to work any job so that our children could be home-schooled but desired to work with kids. Well, the interview was for the Child & Youth position. This last Thursday, Robert was selected for the position...Praise the Lord!!! There are still a few steps before being "officially" hired...background check and medical physical. The processing for the background check should begin this Tuesday so if you have any government officials asking you questions about us, you know why. The physical is scheduled for the 21st.

All of this to say...no matter what you are going through...Trust God! He is good! He is faithful! He is worthy to be trusted!!!

Top 10 Things I Have Learned Since Moving to Germany

Michelle's Top 10 List

1) Germans recycle everything- paper, plastic, biodegradable trash, glass(green, white & brown and everything else is just trash.

2) A load of laundry takes almost 2 hours to wash- that's without drying time

3) While at the grocery store, you need to put your groceries back in your cart while the cashier rings up your order. You then need to get out of the way and bag your groceries on a separate counter out of the way of the next person in line.

4) All stores are closed on Sundays.

5) The local park is closed Monday through Friday from 1-3pm.

6) German onions are much stronger than those grown in the States. Cutting up one small onion will bring anyone to tears.

7) The bread is very inexpensive and yummy. They do all sorts of good things with it, like put chocolate inside the rolls.

8) I should have paid more attention in science class. I can't remember how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius and miles to kilometers.

9) Tomato paste comes in a tube. Yes, just like toothpaste.

10)I wish I would have realized how precious the time was with my friends and family. I miss you all and wish you were here.

An Unbelievable Weekend!

Thank you all for your prayers. We all had an amazing weekend. The retreat was at a former convent for nuns. It reminded us of some of the youth hostels that we have stayed in. It was well kept and they fed us amazing food...and a lot of it. There were about 10 Bible College students from Siegen who came to do the kids program all weekend...what a blessing! The kids had a great time as they were able to roam and play freely all weekend long. The kids had some adjustments to make as all the children predominantly spoke German. One of the Bible College students told us that she saw Moriah drawing a picture and trying to communicate with her eyes to a girl who only spoke German. She said it was adorable to watch. And then there is Rebekah...she would try to speak as much German as she could...regardless if it made sense or not!

The weekend was full of amazing ministry. The Lord's hand was all over the weekend as Robert had some concerns about never teaching with a translator before and never teaching 5 sessions in a weekend before. As always, God was faithful to get His word to His people. We were told when we first got to Germany that it would take many months for people to open up to us and share personal stuff. Well, God moved this weekend. We were able to counsel many people who shared all kinds of intimate issues...from sexual abuse, to pornography, to homosexuality. Yes, sin is rampant everywhere in the world. Please continue to pray for us that we would be able to minister to all the different needs.

We had two church bodies (Calvary Chapel Heidelberg and Calvary Chapel Sinsheim) at the retreat. There was a lot of God's love being displayed throughout the weekend. Robert has been asked to come and teach at Calvary Chapel Sinsheim so please keep this in your prayers that God would provide transportation and a translator.

The compliment of the weekend...
During free time on Saturday we played American football (flag football) and baseball...two American games that the Germans wanted to learn how to play. Well, all the women and some of the guys were shocked to see that Michelle wanted to play football. At first you could see that all the guys just wanted to be cordial and let her play. So the first play of the game, Robert threw a pass to Michelle which she caught and began to run down field until someone pulled her flag. This didn't bring too much amazement to the Germans..."it was probably lucky". Well, after we scored a touchdown during the next set of downs Michelle intercepted a pass and began running the other way. Now she was getting their attention. During a later play, Robert threw her a short pass near the end zone where she caught it and ran, spun, dove, and scored. She then proceeded to get up, full of mud and prepared for the kickoff. Then the compliment came to Robert, "You're wife rocks!"

The laugh of the weekend...
During Saturday nights teaching Robert said "poof!" as in something going up in flames. Some low key laughter followed. Well, at lunch on Sunday a man came up to Robert and asked him if he knew why there was laughter after he said "poof!". He then told Robert that there is a word in German that is pronounced the same way and means "brothel". Not exactly what Robert was trying to communicate.

One of the cute moments of the weekend...
Rebekah decided to stay with Michelle for Sunday service so that she could watch daddy teach. After the service, Rebekah went up to Robert and said, "Daddy, do you remember when you were talking about all the things that pollute our minds? You then said that God's word is the only pure thing that we put into our minds and that it washes our minds. Well, when you said that I thought 'Whoa this is important, I better listen up!'"

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Oh the joys of not knowing the language that surrounds you. We have invited guests over for dinner on Thursday and I (Michelle) wanted to make this torte that you see in the picture. The first task was to try to figure out the ingredients I needed while at the grocery store so that I wouldn't have to go back and buy them. The bigger task came when I tried to figure out how to make the torte. To share a bit of my life with you, here is the online translation that I got after entering in the directions:

"1st Prepare dough and bake
Baking mix, eggs and soft fat in a Ruhrschussel and with the electric Handruhrgerat (whisk) on high level in 3-4 minutes to process a smooth dough. The dough into a ground with baking paper form Springsteen (26cm) Fuller, at middle rack bar in the oven and bake.

Please use instructions for your stove observed.

2nd Preparing the cake
Once cooled pastry intersect. Remove the baking paper and the lower ground to a pie plate set. The gesauberten with baking paper form Springsteen occupied border around the floor.

3rd Fill and decorate cake
Gekuhlte cream easily hit. Cream powder under a loyal dysentery, then the cream completely stiff. 3 / 4 of the filling on the lower ground emphasize the upper ground up. The remaining cream into a piping bag fill the surface with star motifs decorate. The cake is cold 2-3 hours. Before serving, possibly with decorative sugar."

Oh what fun! Only if all cakes were this easy!!!

A German Wedding

Today we attended our first German wedding. We were advised by Christy Wright when she was out here to attend a wedding that it lasted 14 hours. Well, this wedding was no different. Michelle was asked to make a couple of cakes for the wedding so this morning was busy trying to make cakes with recipes in German and converting the metric system. We ended up leaving our apartment with just minutes to get to the tram stop so we all ran down the street all dressed up and carrying cakes.
The wedding was for one of the elders at CCHD named Jochen who met his bride at a Calvary Chapel in New Jersey while there on business. Yes, she's another American who has come over here with no German.
The ceremony started at 12:30 and ended around 2:00. One thing we learned during the ceremony was that Germans wear their wedding rings on their right hands and not their left. After the ceremony there were drinks and appetizers and then a German tradition. The bride and groom had to saw a log in half together. It represents unity and how if they work together they can get the job done. It was interesting however, that halfway through cutting it together, someone gave Jochen a chainsaw and he cut the rest by himself...perhaps to spare the guests from the lengthy process.
All the guests then went for a walk through the vineyards while the bride and groom went to take pictures. This was very interesting as everyone was dressed up, women in heels, and we were walking uphill through rocks and dirt. It was however very beautiful and the kids enjoyed it a lot.
We then got a ride to the reception hall where the first thing for everyone was a cake buffet at 4:30. Yes, we ate cake first...the kids thought it was great. After the cake buffet they had several games/activities for the guests to do. One was to put on some of the dress up clothes and take a picture that will be placed in the guestbook.
Dinner was at 6:30 and was very good. After dinner, they had some funny skits and another game. We left at 8:30 as our kids were getting tired and the event was basically adults only. There is supposed to be another dancing skit and then dancing/celebrating until about 2:30 in the morning...we will miss all that.

This was quite an experience!!!

A Day Along the Neckar River!

Mondays are Robert's day off and this past Monday we went as a family down to the Neckar River. There is a big grassy area on one side of the river where people picnic, play games, and hang out. There is also some really cool playground equipment for the kids. We all enjoyed playing in the leaves (something we didn't do much of in Chino Hills). The kids (and Michelle) had a blast playing on all the playground equipment. Towards the end of the evening it began to rain (a common thing), so we got to walk back to the tram in the rain. As you could have guessed, the kids can't get enough walking and splashing in the rain...much to mother's dismay.

What a Party!

Yesterday was Rebekah's 6th birthday. "Coincidentally" the church had planned a Welcome Party for our family on the same day. So last night we all went down to the church and were greeted by many people. The church was decorated and there was a lot of food. There was also a big birthday cake for Rebekah. Everyone sang her Happy Birthday and then did a little German tradition. Rebekah got to sit in a chair and then they all said something in German and then raised her high into the air 6 times...once for every year. She thought it was the best thing ever.
The evening was full of food, fellowship, and games. We played a game where they split up the Americans on side and the Germans on the other side. We then played "Heidelberg Trivia". The Americans shocked everyone by getting the first two questions right but then lost the next three questions and were beat by the Germans. Huh, go figure!
This morning topped off an awesome weekend as Pastor Christian called our entire family up on stage and had one of the elders pray over us with the body.

Getting Our Visas...Round 1

Fiona (the church secretary) and I (Robert) went downtown to complete paperwork for our visas. As we have heard from many stories online, it is typical to get bounced around from one office to another. Our experience was no different. We first went to the office that we were told to go to. Once there, we were told that since I lived in Heidelberg, I needed to go to the office specifically for Heidelberg residents. We then took the 10 minute walk and found the office we needed to be at. After waiting in line, the lady told us that we needed to register with the city before we could fill out visa paperwork. So, off to another office we went. After registering with the city, we returned back to the visa office where we waited again. Once inside with the lady, we handed her our registration papers and she started flipping through an old school appointment book. She flipped page after page after page after page...until finally arriving at November 25th. She told Fiona that we are to return for our appointment on the 25th of November. When Fiona asked her if there was any way that we could get an earlier appointment she told us that she was booked all the way up to her vacation and that it will take a lot of time to do visas for a family of five.

So, now we wait for November 25th for Round 2.