Quick trip to Baden-Baden

Delynn and I had a long weekend - not to celebrate Memorial Day, but rather to celebrate Ascension Day, which this year fell on Thursday, 21st May. Ascension was rather late this year as it is based off of the date we celebrate Easter and it is always on a Thursday. Interestingly enough, it was also Father's Day in Germany. Father's day on a Thursday you may ask, but yes, in Germany, Ascension and Father's day always fall on the same day. Unlike Mother's day, which we celebrate on the same day as in the States, Father's day changes every year.

Anyway, we had a long weekend available, but we had real trouble deciding what to do. There is so much to accomplish in the next month (yes, we fly out in one month!) that we couldn't really make a decision. I needed to be back for Sunday service as I led music worship this morning, so we didn't want to go too far. Also, next weekend, we will be travelling to Celle to visit our friends Liz and Karl, so days available to prepare, pack, sort, etc. are getting fewer and fewer.

However, we also realized that if we stayed at home in Weil am Rhein, the weekend would slip through our fingers. So, on Thursday morning, I cracked open the trusty Rick Steves book and called a few hotels to see if they had room. We finally got something on the 4th hotel - it is starting to get busy in Baden-Baden. The hotel was about 10 minutes out of town by bus, but the busses run every 10 minutes, so it was quite convenient.

We really enjoyed Baden-Baden when we went last August for our anniversary. It is a very swanky place but you can be comfortable in jeans (unless you are going to the casino where coat and tie are required). The spa there is very relaxing, the trails are soothing and the ice cream is, well creamy.



Delynn didn't know I was taking this picture, but do you see the pure joy in her smile!

On Saturday, we traveled up to the Merkur - a hill outside of town overlooking Baden-Baden and the beautiful valleys of the Schwarzwald. Baden-Baden is considered the northernmost part of the Black Forest. The rhodies were in full bloom - quite spectacular don't you think? That is Baden-Baden in the background of both pictures.

This one was taken from a tower on the top of Merkur (notice that I am holding on for dear life!)

We thank you for your prayers as we enter this final month before re-entry into the U.S. It will be another sprint and we frankly do not look forward to the leaving, especially with the additional responsibilities of closing down the school. We ask for your continued prayer support - the time goes so quickly!

Love to all.

Notes from abroad

Just want to update everyone with a couple of quick notes. I apologize that we have been away from the blog a bit, but the reality is that these next six or so weeks will be really crazy as we move toward re-entry into the States. Don't be surprised if entries come a little more sporatically.

We experienced a small earthquake last week here in Weil am Rhein. The epicenter was about 20 km northish from here in the village of Kandern and measured 4.5 - not a bad quake. It occurred at 3:39 am and by the time I woke up, realized that it wasn't a dream and registered as an earthquake, it was over (say 4-5 seconds). Unfortunately, I never quite got back to sleep again so it was a long day for us.

This last weekend was our annual church retreat - aptly named the "Weekend Away". The church invited speakers from England, one of which was at last year's Weekend Away, to speak, encourage and challenge us. This was one of the best/hardest retreats that I have been to in my life. God showed up in some amazing ways - bringing significant spiritual, emotional, physical healing to many. I had the privilege of assisting in the worship music which kept me pretty busy - we did a lot of up front planning, but as the Holy Spirit moved and guided over the weekend, we flexibly moved also so that God could be praised and worshiped with a minimal of distractions. Delynn and I were stretched in some very meaningful ways and are grateful for having had the opportunity.

This coming weekend, Delynn will be a surrogate godmother for the christening. One of our staff from last year had a beautiful baby girl. She is Canadian and her husband is a wonderful, quiet German. They make a really great family, but the child's godmother-to-be is in Canada, so they asked Delynn to stand in. Another wonderful privilege of living in the expat community. Plus we get to have a BBQ after church - yum!

We know that many of you pray for us regularly. As we work through these final five weeks of school, here are our prayer needs:

• That we will finish the school year well, including those tough "good-byes" that are a natural part of transition.
• That we will have enough volunteers to help us close down the school. We have about 4 days (not including Sunday) after our last school day to sell/move/recycle/discard everything in the entire school.
  
• That the library might be sold as a complete unit.
• That the staff exhibit God's grace and the fruit of His Spirit during this increasingly busy time.

As someone once said: "Lots to think about (and do), nothing to worry about." God is in control and for that we are eternally joyful.

Château de Chillon and Montreux

We took advantage of a sunny April Saturday to trip down to Montreux Switzerland (you can tell by the name that this is in the French-Swiss section of Switzerland as opposed to the German-Swiss or Italian-Swiss areas of Switzerland). We are increasingly aware of 1) the number of days we have left in country 2) the number of things that will need to get done and 3) the number of beautiful and intriguing places left to explore... Just south of Montreux on the bank of Lake Geneva is Château de Chillon - an incredibly well preserved 12th century fortress.
Yeah, they don't build them like they used to. I guess if you are the Count of Savoy, you can choose the best views for your place. Like most fortresses, it was used for defense and collecting taxes - lots of stuff going up and down the lake. I'm told it was a very lucrative business.

The original Château didn't have the nicely paved visitors entrance right into the front door. They usually tried to make it a little harder to gain entry. We walked around the castle for hours - they had a large number of rooms open for view. One of the most impressive however was the prison. This room is situated right at about lake level and one can see that the room is built right on the rocks of Chillon.

Lord Byron wrote an epic poem The Prisoner of Chillon after visiting the Château. As world travelers of the early 19th century were wont to do, he carved his name in the pillar to the left. At the time, they probably thought it vandelism. Today, it is covered with a plexiglass shield to preserve it.

We had a wonderful day with friends exploring the castle. Of course, we had to get a couple of snaps of ourselves to prove we were there...

By the time we were finished, we were famished. It was time to travel on to the city of Montreux but not until we took a last few pictures of the beautiful Lake Geneva (Lac Leman in French). I can see why they built the Château right here...

In Montreux, the gardeners had been very busy. There is a wide promenade up hard against the lake with exquisite restaurants, lush lawns and surprising arrangements of flowers. Montreux is, in a word, swanky. It is really upscale - I doubt we could afford a room for the night, but sunshine is free and we can take all of the digital pictures we want. We did enjoy a nice meal on the terrace of a lakeside restaurant, soaking in the atmosphere and warm friendship.





Yet another blessing in the many we receive. We are so grateful to have this opportunity to live here. We do look forward to returning to the States but we know that any transition will be stressful. However, we also know that as we continue to seek and walk in God's will, we will be the better for it.