Baptisms at BFA!

Three students testified publically of their faith in Jesus Christ and were baptized in church on Sunday during the time we were at BFA to celebrate Marshall's birthday.   Marshall and Hannah were baptized during our first year at BFA in 2006. 

What greater joy can we as parents have then to see our kids come to the place in their lives where they see the need for a personal relationship with their Creator and Savior.

Our vice principal baptizing his son

One of the girls who was in Sue's small group sharing her journey to faith in Jesus Christ

She was baptized by her dad.

One of our Korean students was baptized by his dorm dad! 

The staff and faculty of the Black Forest Academy are committed to much more than giving Mk's and international kids a good education.  We are making disciples of Jesus Christ!

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen!

Marshall's 16th Birthday

My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands;  for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you."  (Proverbs 3:1,2)

November 7th was Marshall's 16th birthday.  Sue and I drove up from Italy to spend time with him and to Celebrate his special day.  It was so good to spend time with him. 

Sue made a wonderful Italian meal for the whole boys' dorm.  We brought some of Marshall's favorite foods from Italy.  Antipasti: parmesian and Mozzarella cheeze and prosciuto crudo!

Sue with Cory, one of the Resident Assistants at Maugenhard Dorm.

Marshall and some of his dorm buddies!

Marshall's dorm parents: Susan and Mark Powell

Sue also made lazagna, garlic bread, and off course a birthday cake!

Rome Trip !

Second leg of our tour of duty in Italy: BFA's senior class Rome Trip! 

Sue has been one of the organizers of this class trip for the past 4 years.  Sue and I have helped lead this trip together for three years. Although it is called "Rome Trip", the class also visits the cities of Florence and Venice.

Sue and I met up with the group in Florence

The Senior Class of 2011/2012:

We spent a lot of time on the buses!

Sue and I with Seniors who were "our" Liel kids during their middle school years

(when we were subs)

St. Peters, Rome

One of the highlights for Sue was getting to spend time with the girls who were in her small group the past three years:

                   Sue and her girls all dolled up for our special dinner at a Restaurant in Rome

    Bartering for souvenoirs with the street vendors!

   Two of our guys getting a caracature sketch

Funny!

 Andrea, Susan, and Sue (and a purse bartered and paid for in 4 minutes flat!)

 Sunday worship and testimony time on the beach

Last day of the class trip we spend in beautiful Venice!

The BFA staff who served as class sponsors.  Their colaboration and God's blessing made this a wonderful time for our senior class.  We enjoyed a special dinner together in Venice.

Ciao Italia!

On the Road again, back to Germany!

Liel Dorm 2010/2011

Black Forest Academy and the Liel Dorm

     This past year Sue and I have been dorm parents of a co-ed middle school dorm in the village of “Liel”, Germany. Liel dorm is one of seven residential facilities of the Black Forest Academy.  We had seven girls and four boys, plus our son Marshall who was a 9^th grader this year.  Also in our dorm “family” was Lauren, our resident assistant (or RA).  As dorm staff our goal was to create a home atmosphere where each student felt loved and a part of “the Liel Family”.  With God’s help we succeeded, and in this nurturing environment our students were enabled (in the absence of their parents and siblings) to achieve their academic and extracurricular goals.  We need to add that we had a lot of help by our “dorm subs”, who filled in for us on our days off, and by several teachers who donated a lot of their time coming to our dorm in the evening to tutor our students in their studies.

      As a family we played together, ate together, did chores together, attended one another’s sporting and musical events, worked on homework together, and went to church together.  As dorm staff, we laughed with our kids, cried with them, had times when we were not on the best of terms with them, had fun with them, worried about them and prayed for them, instructed them, were at times disappointed by them, and were many times awed by them.  Our role in their life journey was only one school year, but we believe it was significant – for them and for us!

 Lauren (our RA) Sue and Bob

Last Week of School 2011

June 2011

Our last week of school!

Our last week of school was full with our students studying for their exams, packing up and preparing to go home, cleaning the dorm, parents arriving, and lots of last things.

Eighth Grade Banquet

(These are all the 8th grade girls- can you pick out our five)

All the eighth grade boys - including our 4

 Spring concert

Participating from our dorm were:  Josh, Ira, and Laura on the violin and G.I. on the flute.  Here center on violin is Ira.

The reality of the school year being over began as parents began showing up to take their kids home for the summer.

Ira and her mom!

Josh's dad the photographer! 

 Luke and Marshall cuttin loose from studying to dance in our kitchen!

Dorm Cleaning:  Part of living in community means each one of us doing our part to keep our home and yard clean and in order.  The whole dorm must be cleaned before our students can leave for the summer.

 Beating the dust out of the living room rug.

Ira and Britta doing some thorough cleaning in the kitchen.

Marshall  

Final Band Practice







Marshall got together with his band "Cyprus" buddies to jam one last time before the summer.  Two BFA alumni, Merrit and Jack (middle of picture), came to watch and listen.  Merrit and Jack had a rock band when they were students at BFA.  Merrit gave drumming lessons to Marshall and Jack gave guitar lessons to Parker (bottom left in picture).

May Birthdays

May 2010

Greetings from Sue and the Liel dorm! 

May was a very busy month as we approached the end of the school year. Each Sunday we celebrated the birthday of one of the four Liel Kids who have summer birthdays. There were also school organized banquets to attend and Sue and I went to the USA for 8 days to attend Alison's college graduation and to help her move out of her apartment.

Happy Birthday Joshua

Joshua will be turning 14 this summer.  He is a Korean American whose parents work in Asia.  Josh loves sports and goofing around with the guys.  He is serious with his studies though and with his music.  Josh plays the violin and his favorite sport is soccer.

Hamburgers and hot dogs with all of the fixins was Josh's choice for dinner, and Lauren cooked him up a birthday cake.

Who's on the bottom?  Oh,... well,... that would be Josh.  Alright, everybody up before you break something!

These two guys: Andrew and Pepe, Josh's small group (Chrysalis) leaders came as unexpected guests.  They had something to do with why Josh is looking all wet.....

Because he was hauled off to the nearby water fountain and "Troughed".  Man did he put up a fight.

After getting troughed its your obligation to hug your captors.

Happy Birthday Joyce

Joyce is the biggest hugger at the Liel dorm.  She can play the piano and sing, and has even written her own worship music

 The gift of friendship!

 An accident in the kitchen!  When Lauren opened the corn starch it just kind of blew up in her face.

This was NO accident!

Chocolate fountain for desert.