Unveiled Faces

Overlooking Kandern

Germany, like any other place I have lived, is a land of contrasts.  It doesn’t matter if you live in the Bible belt, in the North East, in Europe or elsewhere. Because we live in a fallen world there are contrasts all around us, light and darkness.  Last weekend was a cultural contrast weekend for me.  As I sat in my room last Sunday I heard two very different sounds.  The first was in the morning as I was preparing for church.  On Sunday mornings the bells from the churches in town go off.  I am told they are to welcome in the Sabbath.  What a glorious thing to hear on Sunday morning!  I love the thought of ushering in the Sabbath and welcoming a day set aside to worship our Savior.  After church however I came home and was greeting to a very different set of sights and sounds.  Each village has a festival each year of some sort and Kandern has a food festival.  It happens to be held right outside of our apartment.  It was amazing how quickly they set up all these large booths (buildings really) and all the food that was cooked and dished out.  A very fun cultural experience.   

Hexe-bar under construction

We had been warned though.  The Hexe-bar (run by a witches club) would be right in front of our house.  Well, I thought they would be along the outside wall of our apartment.  No, they all but blocked us in.  The booth in front of our house is the one known for loud music, alcohol and for going into the wee hours of the morning.  (Thankfully Peter and Laurel graciously opened up their home to me for those nights so I was able to sleep as two of the nights were school nights).   

The atmosphere during the day was very family friendly and an enjoyable cultural experience (along with getting to eat some yummy foods).  But as soon as evening came and it started to get dark out the atmosphere changed.  It broke my heart to see so many, young and old, trying to drown their sorrows, turning to alcohol and partying to try and fill the void.  The next morning the streets of our beautiful, clean town were trashed and the smell of alcohol everywhere.  They would then clean up and start all over the next night.  I had been praying that Jesus would give me a real burden for Kandern and for my neighbors.  My world is very centered on BFA and rightfully so as that is what He has called me to do but I do want to be praying for Germany and the Germans around me along with those I am serving and serving with at BFA.  And the week I asked Him to help me was the week of Budenfest.  I felt the heart of God breaking for a people that do not know Him.  I cannot tell them about Him as my German is very limited but I can pray.  And while at times that might feel like it is not much, this past weekendfelt like it was what Jesus was asking of me.  So I have been asking Him to continue to break my heart with the things that break His heart.

Germany is a country with such a rich heritage of saints like Martin Luther, the Pietists, Bonhoeffer, etc.  Yet the need for the light of the Gospel is also evident.  Just like many things in the States where “traditions” remain but the reality is rarely seen.

This weekend I had the privilege of attending a teacher’s retreat in Adelboden, Switzerland.  I am in awe of the goodness of God to create some an amazing world for us to live in.  The mountains, waking up to cow bells, the beautiful chalets, all did my heart a world of good.  One of the most striking things to me was seeing Scripture or blessings carved into most of the wooden chalets.  The public school actually had the verse “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” etched into it.  Amazing!  How beautiful to have Scripture carved into your home.  I love it!  But yet I wonder how many are living in that full reality.  

School in Adelboden

 The Lord has kept brining me back to 2 Corinthians in the last two weeks.  And this weekend we looked at it in more detail as a faculty.  Looking at the mountains all around us, I could not help but think of Moses meeting with the Lord at Mt. Sinai.  God met with Moses at the top of that mountain and revealed His glory to him in such a way that Moses had to put a veil over His face when He came down.  What all did he see and experience?  We will have to wait until heaven to find out.  But the beautiful thing is that there is no longer the need for a veil.  2 Corinthians 3 tells us that because of Jesus Christ the veil has been removed and “we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” And then in chapter 4:6 – “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  And then Paul goes on to say that we are Christ’s ambassadors to the world. “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20) Wow!  If we allow Him to shine through us, He can make His appeal to a lost world. We are called to shine the glory of the knowledge of Him to the world around us.  That was my prayer this weekend.  I may not be able to speak the language, I may not always feel like students are listening to me, but I can shine and reflect His glory to those He has put in my path.  The only way I can truly do that is to continually be seeking after Him and “beholding the glory of the Lord.”  Then and only then can I reflect that back and be a light for Him.  I don’t want my relationship with Jesus to just be etched on the outside or because of “tradition,” I want it to be carved on my heart and an inward reality – so much so that it shines forth and can make a difference for Him.  Will you pray that He will help me reflect His glory?  That is my hearts prayer and I hope that it is yours too – wherever He has put you.  

Adelboden, Switzerland

Behold, I have put before you an open door…

On the first day of school I shared with my students from Revelation 3:8. The day I left New York I checked my e-mail and I had received an e-mail update from a dear friend and at the end of the e-mail she quoted this verse – Revelation 3:8. It was like it leapt off the screen at me. It was exactly what I needed that morning. Don't you love it when Jesus does that? "Behold, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." This verse really encouraged me that day as I said goodbye to my family and boarded the plane headed into the unknown. This was not a door that I had opened – it was one that HE had opened. And while I had many moments of little strength and even little faith that God could make a way to get me to BFA – He did. And the beautiful thing is that this is not just true in the past tense. One of the things that I find myself in constant amazement over is the fact that Jesus is not a God who steps in once in a while to help us along the way. He is a God who, if we let Him, can be an ever present presence in our times of need. And the older I get the greater my need seems to be for Him. He doesn't leave us in our need, instead He meets us with more and more of Himself.

In and of myself I am not up to the challenge of living in a new culture and trying to navigate life in a country where I cannot speak the language. I am not trained and equipped to teach French YET though I have but little strength it is the door that Jesus has opened and by His power He is making a way for me. I have made it through my first full week of school and while it has involved some incredibly long days/nights – He has helped! I am enjoying getting to know my students more and learning the dynamics of the class room. I am enjoying immersing myself back into French for the first time in years. I am enjoying the amazing people that I am privileged to serve with here at BFA.

While the transition in many ways has been very challenging and overwhelming, the work load huge and the learning curve very steep, I am amazed by the peace that I have through Him who gives me strength. He is making a way for me and I praise Him for His faithfulness.

I shared with the students that this new school year is an open door for us all. And we need His strength to walk through the open doors He has put before us. I love it that Jesus acknowledges that it is not easy to walk through those open doors. It is hard and we can't do it without His help! But my prayer is that I will walk in whole-hearted obedience to Him and that I will "keep His word and not deny His name". That is my prayer for this new school year.

Thank you for your prayers for me. I have truly felt sustained and carried and am so thankful!!!