The Gospel and a ukulele

Our friend, Stefan, came down for a visit last week. Though not a believer, he decided to give Mark's gospel a try. He and Brett read through it together and though he's still not convinced...
We'll keep you posted.

On a personal note...
Fiona on her guitar (ukulele) and Brett on his.

You can tell when the little actress in her takes over.

A lot to learn...

This is my Fiona, how I know her and love her. Was her entire face, and most of her white sleeves, blue when I picked her up from preschool? It is so true! And who was beaming with pride that Annelena painted it for her? That's right. I strive to take it in stride and see it how she does. My friend, Christin, has been a great example to me; allowing her daughter, though perfectly dressed in pink, to get as dirty need be.

Who has ever made grape juice? Well, we just did. Walter, our landlord, has grapevines growing all over the place as they provide great shade. Today I was sweeping the walkway when he came out and decided we were going to make some grape juice. He got out the old fruit press and along with his children, we made grape juice--6 liters. And it didn't even take that long nor was it that messy. I really feel like I'm learning a lot just living here!

This weekend...

This is our friend, Nils, from Hannover. He came down for a visit and to talk with Brett about "Gott und die Welt", a German idiom literally meaning "God and the World". We really enjoyed his presence.

Fiona and I were making the bed for the next guest, a sister and brother-in-law of some friends of ours, and found some treasures. She's worn the sunglasses all weekend, rain or shine, because mama and papa wear glasses, too.

And Brett turned 32 on Sunday!! It was a pretty crazy day, though! In the morning, Fiona and I were invited to a baby dedication service and party and Brett preached at a church in Mühlhausen. And then we went to an international evening at church. The Covenant Players

were there to provide entertaining and thought-provoking skits. We also sang songs in different languages and ate food from all over the world! It was a great evening and we got home way past Fiona's bedtime, which was perfectly fine with her since she got to run around the church building and eat as many cookies as she wanted.


Check out what our friend so keenly said.

Saturday evening

Baby Joy and her mom and dad, Christin and Steve, came over on Saturday. Fiona loves Joy. Her motherly instincts take over, which I imagine can be a bit overwhelming for Joy. But Joy likes being with older kids, so it works out well.
We decided the men have more to talk about than can transpire with two small girls around, so we'll probably send them off somewhere next time.
Fiona and I will be joining Joy and Christin for some gymnastics classes. We are very excited! Which reminds me of a story for Oma and Opa...
Fiona gets worried and excited mixed up. So she says she's worried about Kindergarten (while acting giddy and smiling). Or she's worried about going to the playground. It took me a while to figure it out, but it makes for a cute story.

Happenings...

The International (english speaking) church and a new Russian church plant meeting simultaneously at the same church, in different rooms. The fellowship time afterwards is enriched by the 11 (or more) nationalities represented. Where's Brett?

Game evening in Peine last friday. It was like a homecoming of sorts. We even got to use our old kitchen (that is now the church's kitchen). This is Johannes, Thomas, Marcel, and Sabine playing, I'm not sure what game.

This is Steffi, she literally just got back from vacation (overnight by bus from Croatia--not a short trip). She heard we were in Peine and, though she was exhausted, came to visit Fiona. As you can see, Fiona was thrilled.

One of Fiona's favorite songs is Wo ich auch stehe (wherever i stand) and I'm pretty sure she doesn't understand what she's singing, but the chorus is "And I thank you that you know me and love me still." It touches my heart and will never get old.

Friends

Our friend Christine Kmietsch holding her son Linus and Fiona in our office on Sunday. Her husband, Jochen helped me get some computer stuff figured out--wish I wasn't a technology nightmare.

Brett's friends Aki and Erick after Biblestudy on Monday night. They are students from Japan and Kenya studying at Georg August University (that's the name of the university here in Göttingen). They will be leaving soon, but have both been strengthened in their faith through their time here as we have been strengthened by theirs.









And check out the exchange rate!!!
It'd be nice if it stayed like this for our next pay check!!