January 2007

Adjusting to new life in Kandern!

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We are thankful for:

~ Many upfront tasks being quickly accomplished...obtaining visas, residency permit, police registration, and tasks involved with renting our apartment (electricity, phone, internet, etc.).
~ Energy and peace that can only come from the Lord!!!
~ Several welcoming families in the area who have invited us into their homes and helped with settling in (and unloading our container!).

We are praying for:

~ A language helper/tutor who can meet with us regularly...compassion and help from local townspeople as we try to learn their language.
~ Smooth adjustment to living in another country...good health while adjusting to a different weather climate.
~ Energy and strength...the past month has been exhausting. In addition, winter days here consist only of 8 or 9 hours of daylight (we are used to 11 or 12).

Arriving in Kandern...

3 Years. Well, a shade over, as we completed New Staff Training in early November. Now, I know, not all of that was raising support. There we conferences, meetings and trainings along the way. But after 3 years, we are in Kandern!

We officially arrived Thursday, December 14th. The flights and airport changes were interesting to say the least, but they were bumps along the way, barely noticeable given the excitement of arriving.

As we mentioned above, our first few weeks were spent running around getting many tasks done. In addition to the ones listed, we opened our bank account, registered our car and got insurance. Exciting stuff, huh?! With my boss, Paul, translating the whole way, we were able to check those off very rapidly. We are still waiting on our driver’s license, but it will come.

Our first few weeks could not have been better. We stayed with Paul and his family our first week, as our apartment was not ready for us. That was truly planned by the Lord, and we are the better for it! The Millers took us in, introduced us to our new home, many people and just made us feel welcome during an uneasy time. Many nights, we spent huddled around their dining room table talking about anything and everything, sometimes with local youth (that primarily speak German!) hanging around. The Millers seem to feed about 3 additional mouths each night as they leave their door open to young people seeking their company, wisdom and friendship. With us there, Anna was practically running a restaurant!

We moved into our apartment on Friday, December 22nd. Looking forward to celebrating Christmas, we bought a tree and some lights and decorated the tree with about 10 ornaments that we brought or bought when we arrived. Our complete inventory of possessions Christmas morning: a Christmas tree surrounded by presents from family, our bed, 6 suitcases full of clothes, a dining table (no chairs) and us! We ate breakfast on the floor and loved every minute of it!!

We look forward to sharing more as we settle into life and ministry in Germany. Thank you for graciously serving the Lord by being a part of our ministry team!

Sincerely, Thad and Jana