One Month Down...Five More To Go

    Crazy to think we have been here for a month now. Weeks seem to go by so slowly, but when I look back on the month, it sure went fast. We both are enjoying our self here. We have figured out lots, but still have lots to learn. Lots of blessings through this last month. I have gotten to know 2 other wives here and they are a joy to be around. They both are a little farther down the road then me, but I always have a good time with them and learn from them. We get together every Wednesday for the "Wednesday Wife's" and it is definitely something I look forward to every week. We have done, coffee and desserts, chocolate factory, and this week we are doing a spa day! They have been a huge blessing and have made spending the week alone go by so fast. I have also gotten to know the teacher's at Paul's school pretty well and they have been such a great help on giving me things to do. Like that article for the magazine, and now they have asked me to fix English errors on their website since English is their second language, they need a little help writing it out grammatically correct. Now for me, this is a stretch. As you can probably tell from my blogs, I am not good at writing myself. So it is a little funny to me that the two jobs I have been given have been writing jobs. I am grateful for any job, especially since they will be paying me to do this job. Huge blessing for me and Paul. Keep praying the Lord gives me more ways to service. I am a very social person, as you may know, so spending most of the days alone is very hard for me. I have learned to really rely on Christ through this though.

    Paul and I really only have each other here, so we have been learning a lot and really have grown so close to Christ and to each other. Christ is really using this time to strengthen our marriage and it a joy to watch. For this first month we have been without cell phones, so communication has been an important thing for us and we have really learned a lot through that. We also no one else to really spend the evenings with and some of the weekends, so we have really had that time to talk about so much. I kinda feel like we have talked about everything out there. We are enjoying it very much. I am thankful for such a wonderful husband who really realizes how lonely I am all day and he does such a wonderful job of going out of his way to make sure I know he loves me and is here for me. Back home when we are both busy, it is hard for both of us to do that, but here we have that time and it is a wonderful thing to have. So I challenge you all to make sure you take time from your crazy life to focus on your spouse and show them the learn they deserve and really, show them the love them may not deserve, I have noticed a huge difference in the way Paul and I talk to each other when we have arguments, just because we take time to express our appreciation and our love for each other. Which this is really a big step for me. I have always struggled so much with my how I talk when I get upset and just by Paul coming up to me regularly and letting me know how thankful he is for me and the things I do. We honestly have way less arguments as well. It is a joy for me to sit here and think about this last month and where Paul and I have grown together. I am grateful for such a wonderful husband who realizes this is hard for me and does what he can to make it easier for me. I only pray I can do the same for him. Please continue to pray for us though. We always need prayer and we always have room to grow.

   We miss you all and look forward to coming home, but we still have 5 months to go. I have no idea if anyone reads this, but please keep us in your prayers. This is whole new world for us here and have lots to learn. Please also pray for Paul, as he has very long hard days of school. Can't wait to see you all when we return and hey, if anyone wants to make a trip to Europe, you know you have a house to stay in, with someone who will make you meals everyday. We love you all!

  

Family Away From Family

     Done with week two and it feels like we have been here a lot longer then two weeks. Not because I don't like it here or because I am really missing my home, but because we have already created our family away from family. It is so cool to sit around with all of Paul's classmates and here about their culture and their up bringing. It is not often that you can be in one place and learn about so many different cultures. I have really just gotten to see how God has created such a wide range of people and it is the coolest thing, Everyone is already talking about how we should all spend Christmas together and how we need to travel together. We have really created our self a family away from family here. It is so amazing. Now sadly it is a bunch of guys and just a few girls, but we all still love it. I know the teacher's here pretty well now here and they are allow know that I am pretty bored during the day so they have given me a little task...They asked me to take pictures and right a report on the soccer games the guys played last night against Buhler workers here and then the BBQ that evening. So here is my report...

                                                    Family Away From Family

You have the Swiss Milling School, Course 56 E2 against the Former SMS Students Association; the current students start out with the ball and very quickly lose the ball. Within the first 5 minutes of the game the former students score. Give it another 5 minutes and once again former students score. From everyone observing from the sideline, this is how the rest of the game goes. Former Students Association wins 9-1, but if you look at it from the current student’s point of view, they won. That whole game they all fought so hard to score just one goal and one goal is what they got. As I sat on the sideline and watched them play, even when at half they are losing 6-0, everyone comes in with their heads up and laughing. They all sit down to have a drink and all are just enjoying being together and playing the game of soccer. You would think the first words to come out of everyone’s mouth would be, “well we suck,” or “can we just call the game.” But everyone was trying to figure out what they needed to change and what they could do better. It would be so easy for every one of them to put their heads down and just give up. Not these guys! They got back out there to finish what they started. This half they held The Association for a good 15 minutes without scoring. Though the game was already lost, the current class pushed even harder. They tried to overcome their lack of traction, but most continued to slip and trip due to improper shoes. With only about 20 minutes left in the game, they finally score. I have never seen a bunch of guys get so excited about anything. Everyone storms onto the field. It looked like they had all conquered the world. The final whistle blows. The current class lost 9-1.

After the match everyone heads over to eat some dinner and the class sits down to eat together. As I sat and watch these wonderful classmates talk with each other, you realize that they are not only classmates, but a family. Each one of these students comes from very different countries, cultures and backgrounds and yet they all come together and had a great time together.

 That night I never heard anyone say, how awful they were, or how they never want to do that again, but they all talked about how they all want to get together again to play. They challenged the former students to a rematch at the end of the course. They sat around talking and laughing about the funny moments where someone slipped, or how sore they are, or the occasional moments of stardom. They all lifted each other up, like a family. It is just amazing how close you can get to people in two short weeks. I guess when you spend every day together and all are away from home, you create that kind of bond fairly quickly; that is exactly what this amazing group has done. They have created a family away from family.