Eek! It's June!

It is now officially June - as I flip over the calendar, I realize that we fly in a bit more than three weeks. Yikes! Two and a half weeks of school, an additional couple of days of teacher in-service to close things down for the summer and BAM - we will be on a plane back to PDX. Please pray for our final hectic weeks and for our good-byes. We will be saying farewell to several teachers and families that are transitioning away from RIA this summer. This is a poignant time each year - we have poured our lives into the students and they have flourished in the loving, godly environment here. To know that some will not return in the Fall is tough, but it is part of the path we choose when living and teaching overseas.

Today (Sunday) we had the opportunity to travel up to our sister church in Freiburg. Our vicar (there is something very British about that word...) invited members of ACB to travel up with him to Freiburg as he is giving the message to their congregation. It makes for a long day, but as we have mentioned before, with shops closed on Sundays, a wonderful space is created to enjoy building and watering relationships. In the busyness of our lives back in the States, I recall very few Sundays when we didn't end up going shopping at some point. Not to say that we aren't just as busy here, but somehow we manage to structure our week so that the shopping gets done in six days rather than seven.

Saturday evening we celebrated "International Night" with our school family. Nearly every family was represented. They came bringing foods from their native land, wearing traditional garb (Swedish to Scottish kilts to Indian) and enjoying their students' talents. In reality, at our school, anytime two or more families come together, the event becomes "international"... The showcase of the evening was a play written by our director, Miss Del Rio, which combined three well-known folk tales: Chicken Little, the Bremen Town Musicians and Little Red Riding Hood as they were told in other countries around the world. Michael had the privilege of playing the wolf in a Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood. Basically it was me in drag with a tale sticking out the back of the flannel nightgown. (Did I mention that it was really hot?) We had a grand time.

Here are the Pre-school and Kindergarten classes singing out with all of their heart!

These three sisters sang a Lebanese mother's song. The girls are Lebanese-American living in Switzerland. They are sweet!

Mr. Walz was playing the part of a Wolf in a Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood. I also had a gray wig to complete the disguise.

A teacher and student playing a beautiful rendition of "Faithful One"

We are very much looking forward to summer break - to coming back to the NW to catch up with family and friends. But in so many ways, Weil am Rhein has become our home and we are sure to miss it. We wish you all grace and peace in the coming week.